There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This month we are taking a look at the adventures of an immortal warrior trying to learn more about his past, “BRZRKR,” published by Boom! Studios and created by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney. This warrior’s journey spans generations, but thanks to modern science, he can keep his powers in check and possibly get the one thing he wants, mortality. If you like complex protagonists, hyper-violence, and generation spanning mysteries, then this is the book for you. Join us as we tell you why you should be checking out the adventures of a man trying to find an end to his eternal life.
Who is this by?
There are many involved with bringing the adventures of this immortal warrior to life. “BRZRKR” is the debut comic of actor Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, John Wick), who is joined by Matt Kindt (“Department H,” “Folklords”). Kindt and Reeves build a surprisingly complex character who is incredibly violent but introspective and haunted. It’s an incredibly solid first outing, even with the help of someone who is familiar with writing comics.
Ron Garney (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Captain America,” “Uncanny X-Force”) brings “BRZRKR” to life with a an incredibly graphic, but stylized, violence. Garney’s violence also feels straight out of the 90s, it’s extreme and gory, but there’s a certain grace and fluidity to the way that Unute moves in and out of combat. In many ways, Garney’s action feels akin to Reeves’ films, which blend hyperviolence with beautifully executed action. Garney is joined by Bill Crabtree (“Invincible,” “Savage Dragon”) on colors, who brings Garney’s art to life and does a remarkable job coloring the scenes to make them appear to have different lighting, helping set a time and place for each sequence.
What’s it all about?
“BRZRKR” follows Unute, sometimes called “B,” an immortal warrior who believes he is half-god. Unute now works as a black ops agent for the United States government, doing missions off the book and usually pretty violent. In exchange for his service, Unute works with a team of scientists trying to learn more about his past and hopefully give him the one thing he wants, mortality.
To his original tribe 80,000 years ago, Unute was a gift from the gods to protect them, but ultimately a pawn for his father’s conquest. As “BRZRKR” unfolds, we learn more about Unute’s life, including his triumphs and defeats and how he handles his “gift” from the gods, a periodic uncontrollable thirst for violence, a berserker rage that must be sated.
What makes it so great?
There’s a lot to like about “BRZRKR.” It’s a comic that is incredibly high octane and revels in violence but knows how to pace out an intriguing mystery and build a character who is incredibly sympathetic while also being borderline monstrous. It’s not necessarily doing anything revolutionary, but it does everything well. The biggest thing that does the comic work is Unute’s characterization throughout the series. When we first meet Unute, he is a force of destruction, an unhinged warrior who kills without mercy and sometimes takes the mission too far. However, as the series progresses, we learn more about the mysterious man burdened by his eternal life.
In the third issue, we learn that Unute is not a name but a title, a word that means tool and weapon. Over the first six issues of “BRZRKR,” we see how Unute has been used and exploited over his life. While his parents asked the gods for a protector because of his brutality and prowess in battle. We quickly learn that his father exploited his gifts to turn from a tribe needing protection to a tribe of conquerors. While Unute doesn’t have much agency in the first few issues, as the series progresses, we learn more about his life and the challenges he faced during his life. He is a man who has had many loves but had to watch as they withered and died, along with his children. Reeves and Kindt want Unute to be more than a simple force of nature. He is conflicted about his past, his inability to control his anger, and the destruction he has caused over the years, even to the degree that he has thoroughly checked out. While he is now a tool for the United States, it’s not for any noble cause or purpose. He even acknowledges that the experiments he’s consenting to are yet another attempt to replicate his gift. He’s experienced it before; he’ll experience it again.
Continued belowWhile this might make Unute seem a passive character, a person who is simply drifting his way through life, “BRZRKR” makes Unute compelling by pairing him with a scientist searching for answers. Many of their interactions have an air of “man of science vs. man of faith.” The doctor is a skeptic, claiming that she doesn’t believe in gods and has difficulty believing that Unute is anything more than a scientific anomaly. Yet, as the series progresses, she seems to start having conflicted feelings about her role in Unute’s experiment. As the series progresses, though, her motivations continue to be mysterious. The series keeps you in the dark about the overall conspiracy but continues to present you with information that keeps you invested in Unute’s life and his desire to die.
The script is well-paced and exciting, but the art is where the series shines. “BRZRKR” sometimes feels like a throwback to a 90s comic, perhaps with less extreme character designs. Garney does an admirable job making each era of Unute’s life feel distinct and can convey the pain and weight of a person who has lived multiple lives on an unaging face. Bill Crabtree’s coloring also complements this. Thanks to Crabtree’s coloring, it’s easy to track what time we’re in and where Unute is in his journey. But where the art shines is in the violence. While it is brutal and graphic, the carnage has a perverse sense of beauty. While perhaps not as stylized as the films that Keanu Reeves stars in, you can tell that elements are homages to those films. The art provides a compelling contrast to the story being told, providing action that enhances the mystery unfolding. It’s a reminder of the power of comics as a medium, presenting a compelling mystery over dynamic action.
How can you read it?
“BRZRKR” is published by Boom! Studios and returns to comic shops and online stores like Comixology this month with its sixth issue. If you’re looking to catch up on the story, the first four issues of “BRZRKR” are available in trade paperback and can be purchased at your comic store, bookstore, or online venues.
