Bloodshot #6 (Acclam Comics)

Acting as a bridge issue between the bigger stories, Issue #6 of Acclaim Comics' actioner Bloodshot delves deep into the past of its title character...

Having left the D.O.A. HQ, resurrected man Bloodshot continues his search for answers on what he is now that he's no longer a real person. Needing some purpose, and desperate for memories of his forgotten life, he delves into his scarred subconscious, and with the help of the billions of microscopic robotic nanites in his body, Bloodshot reconfigures some of his memory. But despite his efforts, reconstructing his soul may be too far out of reach...

This is a very good issue! It elaborates more on the past of the titular character's pre-mortem identity, and how he died, and puts forth a neat question in motion on what a man resurrected from death is when he lacks a soul.

There's zero action this issue, but that's acceptable, as that's never the only thing this series is about. Its main focus is on the plot, and it's rather fascinating! Sure, the dialogue gets pretentious and dumb in a sorta intelligent way, but the plot and concepts are extremely interesting, carry the series well and this issue really furthers his character progression.

My only problem with this is that, just as in previous issues, this doesn't do a very good job at explaining who the character of Gina is, and that's a problem, given her importance to Bloodshot's past life. He knows who she is, and so should we at this point. Also, there's an odd Son of Sam reference here! I guess that's more of the occasional surreal Acclaim Bloodshot humour.

There's more of the hilariously pretentious Bloodshot dialogue this issue-"I've become a thought within my own mind, wondering what kind of thought I shall be when I've finished thinking myself." Maybe you'll learn better elocution. "Whiplash wake-up; pretending to be icewater, the present throws itself in my face." Does that leave bad bruising?

The artwork this issue is different to what's come before, and what comes after. It's definitely less cluttered, and while heads are often a bit skewed, it's certainly good artwork. The cover is stylish, with a nifty use of psychedelic colouring, but the background is a pretty baffling non-sequitur, what with vampires and clocks.

This is a fantastic issue of Acclaim's Bloodshot! It's smart, extremely readable, answers some mysteries, and sets the series up for its future!...