INTERVIEW: Duane Swierczynski on Valiant’s BLOODSHOT

In this modern age, war isn’t a black-and-white story with clear-cut good guys and bad guys or simple objectives. Today, war demands a new kind of soldier… and Valiant’s Bloodshot is one of those. If Captain America was created for World War 2 and the Six Million Dollar Man created for the wars of the 70s, then Bloodshot is a dark reflection on the times we live in today and the soldiers we need to fight them.

On July 11, the cult-favorite character returns to duty revived and revamped as part of Valiant Comics’ 2012 relaunch. Written by Duane Swierczynski with art by Manuel Garcia and Arturo Lozzi, Bloodshot has a new lease on life — even when the first issue begins with his death. We spoke with Swierczynski about the return of this pale-skinned soldier and the new mystery surrounding Bloodshot’s origin.

iFanboy: Duane, you made your comics debut at Marvel but you’ve spread your wings to work at DC and now here at Valiant. Why was Valiant, and Bloodshot specifically, something you wanted to tackle?

Duane Swierczynski: Bloodshot’s my favorite kind of noir hero — tortured, yet still determined to do the right thing, no matter what horrible things he may (or may not) have done in the past. And frankly, it was the chance to work with editor Warren Simons again. He was the first guy to give me a break in comics, and we had a blast working together before.

iF: In the first issue we’re introduced to Raymond Garrison, a top-flight special forces operative who on the eve of retiring from field duty is pulled back in for one last assignment – saving a fellow soldier who saved his own life once. What can you tell us about him?

DS: I can tell you that the particular special forces op you mention is extremely dedicated to his wife and son, but he’ll also risk lying to them in order to save one of his closest friends from danger behind enemy lines. But is his name Raymond Garrison? Hmmm…

iF:  How is Bloodshot connected to Raymond Garrison – is he Bloodshot?

DS: That’s an excellent question. It’s also a question I can’t answer, because that’s one of the central questions of the new series.

iF: As we see in the previews, Garrison’s last mission is cut short when a guided missile slices right through him in mid-air. What is Garrison up against here?

DS: I’d say he’s up against a guided missile and that he’ll most likely hit the ground a smoking corpse?

iF: …and?

DS: Okay, okay… I can say this: that particular special forces op you mention is up against all kinds of enemies from all sides — including those inside his own head.

iF: Comic readers are faced with a lot of choices every Wednesday, Duane. Why should they give Bloodshot a chance?

DS: I’d never force readers to pick up a particular comic. That seems pushy.

But I will warn folks AWAY from this comic, especially if they happen to hate surprises, intrigue, heaps of physical violence, eye-popping action and one-lone-man-against-the-world type sagas.

In fact, if you hate these kinds of stories, your local comic shop will ban you from even glancing at the cover, yet idly flipping through the pages. You will be identified and escorted over to a different section of the store. Please trust that this is for your own good; we don’t want to be responsible for any kind of breakdowns or panic attacks that even a single panel of Bloodshot may induce.

iF: Readers, see four unlettered pages from Bloodshot #1, as well as two more variant covers for that issue.! Click each image to enlarge.