The Endgame Draws Near In Bloodshot Salvation #10

It’s a mark of an excellent comic book writer for a set-up issue to be engaging and exciting. It’s definitely something Jeff Lemire is good at, and it continues in Bloodshot Salvation.
The action is split across two different timelines, but this issue actually makes the series as a whole start to tie together. In the present GATE and Magic are dealing with Jesse’s return—now as a child, rather than the baby she was when they last saw her. Omen, however, detects her when her nanites activate, launching a manhunt. Meanwhile, Ray has been sent into the distant future by Baron Samedi where he fights of a pack of dinosaurs, and is tasked with slaying one of Samedi’s enemies.
Lemire twists his entire series in this issue in a wonderful way, as well as setting up the story’s endgame. Suddenly we realize the series’ first arc, seeming split between two timelines about 8 years apart, actually was only a matter of weeks. It’s a brilliant twist that completely flipped the entire series for me as I read the issue. On top of that, Lemire sets up a thrilling endgame. Ray has one more mission and then Samedi will return him home, setting up what’s sure to be an action filled brawl. On top of all that, you add the dinosaurs, which came from nowhere, but honestly who doesn’t like a fight with dinosaurs?
Doug Braithwaite and Jordie Bellaire’s visuals are stellar. Braithwaite’s line art is a bit more grounded than the series has been to date, but it sells the emotion of Jesse’s return extremely well. Magic seems to be just barely holding it together, and that’s great. Meanwhile, the action in Ray’s portion of the story is thrilling. Again, who doesn’t like a fight with dinosaurs, and Braithwaite draws an Ankylosaur here, not just the usual sorts of dinos we’d normally see. Jordie’s colors grounds these fantastic events, and it’s all a great package.

If you’ve been sleeping on this series, why?  It’s one of the best superhero books on the stands right now, and you should be reading it.
Bloodshot Salvation #9 is currently available from Valiant Entertainment.