Alien Books/Valiant; $29.99 (crowdfunded)

With his chalk-white skin, the giant red circle in the middle of his chest, and his nanite-given ability to regenerate, Bloodshot has been one of the most visually iconic characters since his debut in the heady days of Unity and the original Valiant.

The four-issue mini-series collected in this hardcover takes full advantage of the character’s compelling visuals and turns loose a variety of creators from newcomers to long-established professionals. It’s an anthology of short stories told in – as the title suggests – black, white, and red.

Each of the vignettes offers the reader something intriguing, but there are some standouts. Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, for instance, haven’t lost a step since their 100 Bullets days, and the one written and illustrated by Bloodshot co-creator Kevin VanHook, brings the original and the modern incarnation of the character.

This volume also includes a cover gallery featuring the main cover and the variant covers from the mini-series, including black, white, and red takes on Barry Windsor-Smith’s original Bloodshot #1 cover and one by the character’s late co-creator, Don Perlin.

The only thing missing from this hardcover is the sweet remembrance of Perlin by VanHook that ran in the first individual issue.

– J.C. Vaughn