You gotta give Valiant Entertainment credit for keeping their summer event down to four issues. That’s not a typo: there are only four issues in their summer event, an amazing feat considering Marvel and DC love to skyrocket their events into eight or twelve issues. So far I’ve loved this series, but how is the penultimate issue? Is it good?
Armor Hunters #3 (Valiant Entertainment)
Mexico City is gone. It was wiped off the map by the Armor Hunters to prove they are powerful enough to mean business. All they want is our X-O armors so they can end their hunt. The last ones are on Earth, of course, and they’ll stop at nothing to finally retire and call it a day. Unfortunately for them, humanity is a stubborn bitch. In the last issue and many of the tie-ins, the focus was on some alien dogs sent to weaken the heroes of Earth. They also sent one of their own, who took on Bloodshot himself. Things are looking bleak. This issue opens with a bit of recap of all of this and the news that we are falling back to a floating battleship called the Love Boat while we lick our wounds.
Oh look a helicarrier…I mean…
Once again Robert Venditti plots out a fantastic issue. One of the reasons I’ve loved this series so far is because it doesn’t waste time with boring decompression, but always has key moments for our characters and story progression in every issue. This issue features a very beaten up set of heroes—even if Bloodshot is ready to die fighting—and their last ditch effort to stop the hunters. The opening pages do read a bit slowly, mostly because it’s rehashing where we are a bit too much and has much too much woe-is-me chatter, but things pick up nicely when the plan is set. The fact is, any other publisher would have dragged out the plot of this single issue into at least two. Thankfully that doesn’t happen, which means we not only get a major turn of events, but plenty of cool action for all the heroes. Livewire gets a major role in this issue, but Ninjak shows off how fearless and badass he can be too.
Artist Doug Braithwaite continues to draw some excellent epic stuff. Things get a little crowded in this issue, largely due to lots of exposition and dialogue, but it’s always looking sharp and glossy. It’s a testament to an artist when the writer gives them the chance to draw full pages of panels with no dialogue or narration. He gets a chance here and it only increases the drama and mood within.
Bloodshot for the win!
Is It Good?
There are plenty of moments to cheer for, as well as moments to be surprised. It’s basically a amusement park ride in comic book form.
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