Lemire & Crain Invade the Stalinverse with DIVINITY III: KOMANDAR BLOODSHOT #1

Valiant is proud to present your first look at DIVINITY III: KOMANDAR BLOODSHOT #1 – the first of four essential specials revealing the worldwide Communist regime behind the winter’s most startling comics event! On December 28th, out of the pages of DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE, join New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Death of X) and comics superstar Clayton Crain (4001 A.D.) as they present a blood-curdling examination of the Stalinverse’s ultimate state-sponsored assassin: the merciless KOMANDAR BLOODSHOT!  He’s put down protests, led the purge of political undesirables, and executed dozens of traitors to the Soviet super-state. His name is KOMANDAR BLOODSHOT…and his existence is a hushed whisper among the terrified populace of the 21st century’s global Soviet Union. But just who is this unrelenting enforcer of state superiority… and what is the shocking truth about his power, his allegiances, and his true identity?

“This isn’t an Elseworlds story. This happens in the Valiant Universe. This is the Valiant Universe. How do we wake up one day and see Stalin portrayed as a hero instead of a mass murderer?,” Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons told Newsarama. “Bloodshot is an unstoppable force.  He’s imbued with millions of nanites that allow him to heal from any wound, change shapes, interact with technology — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A weapon like this — who’s built and controlled by a communist regime that’s killed tens of millions of civilians — is a frightening prospect.”

On December 28th, Valiant’s first reality-shattering event explodes outward with a gut-wrenching tale of power, sacrifice, and authority as Jeff Lemire and Clayton Crain take Valiant’s bloodstained icon to his most punishing depths yet! Don’t miss the shocking twists and turmoil that await in DIVINITY III: KOMANDAR BLOODSHOT #1 – featuring an iron-clad line of covers from Clayton Crain (Carnage),Ryan Bodenheim (The Dying & The Dead), Greg Smallwood (Moon Knight), Trevor Hairsine(DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE), and Kano (Daredevil)!

Plus: On December 21st, discover the roots of the new world order as DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE #1 (of 4) rewrites the fabric of reality itself! This winter, the sold-out sci-fi saga that redefined the Valiant Universe begins a reality-shattering comics event that will collide the world’s most formidable heroes with a disturbing new vision… One where a worldwide Soviet empire now rules a world order… The Iron Curtain extends across continents, shattering governments and armies in its wake… And the communist global super-state rules not only with an iron fist, but powers far beyond the comprehension of mortal men.

Earth has a new god. The world you know is gone. Welcome to the Stalinverse, comrade.

Then: Stay tuned as the Stalinverse spreads with more top-secret DIVINITY III one-shots detailing the redacted history of the Soviet Union’s most notorious patriots, agitators, and outcasts in January and beyond!

Valiant Joins Local Comic Shop Day® 2016 with HARBINGER RENEGADES #1 and BLOODSHOT U.S.A. #1

Valiant Entertainment will be supporting Local Comic Shop Day® 2016 on November 19th, 2016 by offering special editions of BLOODSHOT U.S.A. #1 (of 4) – the highly anticipated standalone event by New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Moon Knight) and blockbuster artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice) – and HARBINGER RENEGADES #1 – the all-new ongoing series for Valiant’s subversive teenage superteam by multiple Harvey Award nominee Rafer Roberts (A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG) and comics superstar Darick Robertson (The Boys, Transmetropolitan) – to participating retailers! Spotlighting two major releases from “THE FUTURE OF VALIANT” initiative – an all-new wave of ongoing series and prestige projects from the largest independent superhero universe in comics  – find out why Valiant has established itself as the most critically acclaimed publisher in comics today with this pair of perfect introductory jumping-on points, available only on Local Comic Shop Day® 2016!

Limited to just 1,000 copies, the BLOODSHOT U.S.A. #1 LCSD VARIANT will feature an all-new, never-before-seen cover by renowned artist Antonio Fuso (Cobra), created especially for Local Comic Shop Day® 2016! From the Bronx to Broadway, an unstoppable, nanite-enhanced pathogen is about to turn New York City’s populace against itself…and Bloodshot is the only soldier tough enough to lead a one-man invasion of the city that never sleeps! Join the firefight here as superstar creators Jeff Lemire and Doug Braithwaite unleash a perfect entry point into Valiant’s award-winning publishing line with the self-contained action event of the fall!

Then, acclaimed creators Rafer Roberts and Darick Robertson activate the most-demanded, most dangerous superteam in comics in the HARBINGER RENEGADES #1 LCSD VARIANT – featuring an explosive new cover by action-packed artist Stephen Segovia (Action Comics)! They’re in your towns. In your schools. And inside your mind…Now, with a revolutionary upheaval in motion all across America, Kris Hathaway, John “Torque” Torkelson, Faith “Zephyr” Herbert, and Peter Stanchek are about to discover their calling. Together, the HARBINGER RENEGADES are moving from town to town, building their ranks, and subverting authority one mind at a time…and setting out to prove once and for all that behind their power, there has always been a purpose. Don’t miss a moment as the Renegades come roaring out of the underground and into the streets for an uncompromising new ongoing series, right here on Local Comic Shop Day® 2016!

“We’re very happy that Valiant is once again supporting Local Comic Shop Day®,” said Marco Davanzo, ComicsPRO Executive and owner of Alakazam Comics in Irvine, California. “Valiant is very retailer and fan-friendly, and has always been a HUGE supporter of local comic shops.”

Local Comic Shop Day® shines a bright spotlight on locally owned independent comic book specialty stores and their role in shaping the pop culture market. This year, Local Comic Shop Day® will beSaturday, November 19th, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

On Local Comic Shop Day®, participating retailers will have exclusive, and in some cases, limited items debuting from supporting publishers. The goal of Local Comic Shop Day is to jump start the holiday buying season for storefront comics specialty retailers by giving comics fans more of what they most desire.

ComicsPRO - the trade organization of comic book specialty stores and the organizer of Local Comic Shop Day®, invites all brick and mortar comic book specialty stores to be part of Local Comic Shop Day®. To register, please visit www.comicspro.org/lcsdstore2016

Review: Bloodshot Reborn #15

A few years ago,I ventured into my local comic book shop and my esteemed comic dealer and friend told me about a then, little-known comic called Bloodshot.  I instantly liked the idea, the premise was imaginative and on flicking to the first page I was immediately impressed.  The art was great, the dialogue quick, and the story well paced.  So you’ll be pleased to hear then that Bloodshot Reborn follows this tradition and certainly does not disappoint. There’s something about Jeff Lemire’s writing that is playful but humble in the way he draws his characters and the turbulent situations they find themselves in.  The easiest way to describe the plot of Bloodshot Reborn #15 (and #14 for that matter) is Planet Hulk combined with some morbid version of Groundhog Day.  Ray Garrison aka Bloodshot has awoken on a tropical island surrounded by, wait for it... other Bloodshots!  It seems some sadist has taken these soldiers from various points in history and dumped them all on this island to be massacred over and over by an elusive enemy known only as Deathmate.  You see, in case you didn’t know, a Bloodshots’ nano-technology allows them to heal from even the most extreme, mortal wounds.  Death has no meaning to them, even more so as they are released from their cell every day only to be murdered over and over again.  It’s horrific.  But our Bloodshot is having none of it, he won’t accept this vicious Bill Murray-like cycle, and unites his nano-enhanced brothers against their shared enemy, hoping to escape this rinse-and-repeat nightmare.

The cyberpunk style of Mico Suayan’s art only enhances the story, and the cool grey tones from David Baron help provide the machine-like aesthetic, whilst still oozing out bright splashes of colour during the action scenes.  Many of the panels are exquisite in their detail, from internal machinery to the clothes on the soldiers’ backs.  It all feels just like I remember and that makes me very happy indeed.

I confess to not starting this comic from the very beginning but this issue was fun and intriguing enough to make me go back and catch up.  I’ve really missed following the extremely bloody and at times downright trippy exploits of Bloodshot as he shoots and revives his way through the battlefield that is his life in Project Rising Spirit.  I’m rooting for him but our enigmatic hero’s going to need all the help he can get.

Will you join the fight?

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Bloodshot Reborn #15

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Mico Suayan

Colorist: David Baron

Publisher: Valiant Comics

Price: $3.99

Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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