Note: I am new to the world of Armor Hunters which is published by Valiant Comics. Now that that is out in the open, let us continue.
Armor Hunters: Bloodshot #1 has me torn. While Joe Harris pens an exciting story that is complimented by Trevor Hairsine's artwork, I found that I kept looking to see how many pages were remaining. When I sit down to read, whether it be novels, magazines or comics, I try to envelope myself in the pages. I can easily get lost within the visuals provided or that which I create within my own imagination. That did not happen here.
While the story presented is fun and full of action, it feels like something I have read before. It is a new story, yet I had the nagging feeling that I'd read something very similar from Marvel, DC or Image. Bloodshot himself is an interesting character as he is all powerful (due to nanites flowing throughout his body) and knows it. He is, by and large, a superhero swiss army knife. Hacking - check, super strength - got it, fast healing - yep. Yet the flashback scenes scattered throughout the issue hint at his underlying humanity. Capshaw I found to be a more standard, military based character. She is wary of Bloodshot and his allegiance - a song and dance we have seen a million times.
Visually I found the book to be more appealing. The design on Bloodshot is reminiscent of Marvel's Mr. Sinister mixed with some Captain Atom from DC. The color shift from the flashback scenes in Colombia to the current date at M.E.R.O add a nice touch. Hairsine's clean lines and detailed work is perfectly matched with the colors provided by David Baron. Panel to panel, my eyes always had something fresh to look at. Speaking of panels, the flow of the book - while simple - was easy to follow and nicely laid out.
As I am new to the character and ongoing story, I found this issue to be formulaic and reminiscent of stories I have previously read. However, it is intriguing and visually different enough to have piqued my interest in the next issue.
Final score. 3.5 / 5
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