The Valiant universe is never boring. With the events of The Book of Death barely over, the comics publisher has revealed that its nanotech-infused hero Bloodshot will be thrust 30 years forward into a post-apocalyptic future in Bloodshot Reborn #10 in a new arc titled “The Analog Man.”


We spoke to writer Jeff Lemire about monster trucks, the future of the Valiant universe, and how this has nothing to do with Mad Max: Fury Road—and we have the first look, too!

Here’s the official synopsis of the comic, due out in January:

Many years from now, Los Angeles has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland and the once unstoppable killing machine known as BLOODSHOT has become THE ANALOG MAN. Hopelessly outdated, Bloodshot’s taken on a new role as the protector of a small town, eking out a subsistence existence with the great love of his life – Magic – and protecting a group of stragglers who’ve weathered the storm. But when a gang of marauders arrives, the settlement’s survival is threatened, and Bloodshot is forced bring justice to the distorted and disjointed badlands of the Valiant Universe!


io9: What can you tell us about Bloodshot’s life 30 years in the future?



Lemire: I will say that Bloodshot has found some peace at last. Or at least he thinks he has. And then, of course, I’m going to rip that all away from the poor guy and send him on an adventure like none he’s ever had before. And Lewis LaRosa’s art for this arc is simply stunning. Wait until you see it! [Ed’s note: You can see it here, obviously!] Monster trucks, Shadowmen, Ninjak, old Bloodshot. He nails it all.


What other Valiant characters will be stopping by?

Lemire: We will get to see a lot of different Valiant characters and what they’re doing. The main guest star will be Ninjak. This is a great Bloodshot/Ninjak team-up story at its heart. But we will also see some of the Harbinger Renegades and a few others.


Was any of this story inspired by Mad Max: Fury Road?



Lemire: I actually wrote this entire arc a long time ago to accommodate Lewis. So I had finished writing this long before Fury Road came out or was really even on my radar. It was inspired not so much by Mad Max as from taking my then five-year-old son to see a monster truck rally here in Toronto. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Bloodshot driving a monster truck through the desert being chased by Shadowmen!? Having said that, I loved Fury Road!


In the story, the real enemy seems to be Goo-tech—hyper-advanced nanomachines. How does it affect Bloodshot to essentially be obsolete?


Lemire: This actually gives him the advantage. I don’t want to spoil things, but his tech is so old in comparison that it makes him invisible to the Goo-tech that is infesting the city. This is why Ninjak seeks him out.


Is this the official future of the Valiant universe, Kingdom Come-style?

Lemire: I can’t say. Let me just say that the last issue has quiet a twist that I’m pretty sure no one will see coming… One that will effect Bloodshot and the entire Valiant Universe in the present moving forward and set up major events for the Valiant U. in the coming years.


I expect we’ll get a few more details after Valiant’s “25 Years of Valiant” panel, this Saturday at New York Comic-Con. Stay tuned!


Contact the author at rob@io9.com .