Ultimately, the title rings hollow. It feels like a B-movie when conceptually it could be so much more. Science fiction comics shouldn't be to the lowest common denominator (best testified by Saga), but it seems like that's what the Big Two hold it as. Maybe Guardians of the Galaxy or Nova will provide something better.

Ultimately, the skepticism I once felt feels calmed for the moment, as the deft Johns that many have grown to yearn for has shown himself. Here’s hoping it lasts with Throne of Atlantis next month.

Ultimately, Bloodshot #5 represents a rejuvenation that many fans were hoping with the Marvel and DC relaunches, with varying results. Bloodshot is a superhero story without the baggage of a complicated history, and without a forced genre overlay. It bears a simplicity that many books run away from, rather than embracing. Bloodshot and the rest of the Valiant reboot really should be a lesson to the Big Two of what truly works in a superhero comic.