The action-packed, punchy, ultra violent epic about an immortal warrior, B, created by Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt continues in this volume, collecting the one-shots Poetry of Madness and Fallen Empire, created by Keanu Reeves with Steve Skroce, Mattson Tomlin and Rebekah Isaacs.

Poetry of Madness finds the immortal warrior in Atlantis, facing Lovecraftian terrors, while Fallen Empire takes place in a desert empire, with the immortal warrior falling in love and facing betrayal.

Both stories are best enjoyed after the main series, and aid in deepening our understanding of B’s past, and what drives him.

Full of action and bloodshed, these stories are not for the faint hearted, but will be loved by action fans.

BRZRKR: Bloodlines offers two intriguing, self-contained stories that delve deeper into the 80,000-year history of the immortal warrior, B. While the artwork is, as expected, nothing short of spectacular, the narratives themselves, while promising, could use a bit more fleshing out to truly hit their mark.

The first story, "Poetry of Madness," throws B. into the legendary city of Atlantis as its brutal protector. The concept of his unparalleled violence being the bedrock of a utopian society is fascinating, and the artwork by Steve Skroce vividly brings the underwater realm and its eventual descent into chaos to life. The pages bleed with the gore and devastation you'd expect from a BRZRKR title, and B.'s struggle against an insidious cult and a "sickly monarch" is compelling.

Then there's "Fallen Empire," a more introspective tale beautifully illustrated by Rebekah Isaacs. This story recounts B.'s past as a "God King" through the eyes of a sole survivor from a kingdom he eradicated. The unreliable narrator element adds a layer of mystery, making you question the truth behind the "fable" of lost love and warring empires. Isaacs's art captures the tragedy and desolation perfectly.

Where Bloodlines falls a little short is in the narrative detail. Both stories are rich in concept and visual execution, but they feel like appetizers when you're hungry for a full meal. "Poetry of Madness" could have benefited from a deeper exploration of the Atlantean society and the cult's origins; we get a tantalizing glimpse, but the swift progression leaves some questions unanswered. Similarly, "Fallen Empire," while emotionally resonant, leaves you wanting more context around the "God King" era and the motivations of the survivor. A bit more world-building and character development would have elevated these compelling concepts to truly cohesive and unforgettable narratives.

Ultimately, BRZRKR: Bloodlines is a worthwhile addition for any fan of the series, especially if you're drawn to the stunning visuals and the expansive lore. It offers thrilling glimpses into B.'s violent past, but a desire for more intricate storytelling keeps it from being a five-star masterpiece. If you're ready to dive into some gorgeously rendered brutality and don't mind filling in a few blanks yourself, this is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a copy of this story

I don't think this story was for me. I decided to give this a try because of Keanu Reeves, but was kind of disappointed. I did enjoy the art, but i think this needed to be longer. I don't like reading a story that is just other people summarizing events they witnessed because it doesn't provide the opportunity to build up the story so you are emotionally connected; it just summarizes the highlights of the story. I think this story would have been better if the structure was changed and maybe he told his past of being atlantis to the queen instead of the time jump. If the story was told completely in his point of view it would have been better as well.

BRZRKR: Bloodlines by Keanu Reeves and Mattson Tomlin was SO MUCH FUN! I feel so luck to have read a copy. I'm hooked!

BRZRKR: Bloodlines, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
by Keanu Reeves
This book is a dark look at a curse and it's consequences. The main character was cursed not only to live, but a lust to kill others every day.
Interesting concept of what is the meaning of life and sacrifice.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 BRZRKR: Bloodlines — A Brutal, Beautiful Expansion of the Immortal Saga

BRZRKR: Bloodlines by Keanu Reeves is a thrilling continuation of the BRZRKR universe — a graphic novel that expertly blends unrelenting action, mythic scope, and surprising emotional depth. This installment takes everything that made the original series a smash hit and dials it up with a deeper focus on legacy, identity, and the cost of immortality.

As we dive further into the blood-soaked life of B, the immortal warrior cursed (or blessed) with eternal life and unmatched violence, Bloodlines adds emotional layers to his backstory. The narrative explores B’s ancestral roots and genetic legacy, offering compelling new context for his superhuman abilities. This deeper dive into his origins gives the story an emotional gravity that elevates the carnage — and the carnage still rips.

The artwork is nothing short of phenomenal. Explosive fight sequences burst off the page with cinematic intensity, while quieter moments are rendered with an introspective nuance that matches the book’s more philosophical themes. It’s a masterclass in balancing visceral visuals with character-driven storytelling.

Keanu Reeves continues to prove that he’s not just lending his name — his storytelling fingerprints are all over this project. With sharp co-writing and tight pacing, Bloodlines feels like the natural evolution of the BRZRKR mythos, bridging blockbuster action with a soul-searching undercurrent.

Verdict: BRZRKR: Bloodlines is more than just a blood-drenched thrill ride — it’s a compelling exploration of power, pain, and purpose. A must-read for fans of the original series and newcomers alike.

I'm a fan of the main series and loved following the mysterious story of Unute, so I jumped at the opportunity to check out this volume of spinoff tales. I'm sure this one would read just fine as a standalone volume for newcomers, but for maximum enjoyment I do recommend at least looking up the story in the main series for context.

The two stories were classic tales of corruption and greed, one set in Atlantis and one in a long-forgotten kingdom, both wiped down by time (and maybe a bit of involvement from the main character). The artwork, as usual, is stunning and portrays the inevitable violent clashes of the berserker in painstaking detail.

This volume is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of storytelling. I was used to the abundant brutal scenes and graphic artwork from the main series, but I felt like storytelling was a bit of an afterthought in places. That said, there were a couple of great scenes that really stuck with me and were worth the read.

If you're already a fan of the series and would like to see what else Unute got up to over his long life span, you'll likely find this volume an enjoyable read.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Brzrkr: Bloodlines Vol 1 is the start of a new graphic novel series featuring an immortal character and a lot of violence and gore. I was expecting the violence and gore, but with Keanu Reeves' name on this series, I was also expecting...Well... more than I got.
I can't help feeling let down by this book and the start to this series. I didn't feel the story had much of a story to it and that the main character was quite cardboard within the mayhem around it. The illustrations are fantastic, but the story/plot itself just didn't do it justice, unfortunately.

First I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author, the Artist and the Publisher for this ARC.

Aw man!!!!
Where to begin.

I'm a big fan of everything Keanu Reeves does. His Art, Music, Movies,...
I'm also a big fan of Graphic content, be it violence, death, gore, nudity, sexual,....
But it also depends on the art. I can be very picky.

This Graphic novel tells two tales:
The first is the tale of Unute as the undefeated protector of Atlantis and the destruction of it. With only 2 survivors, the narrator , who is also a scroll-keeper, and Unute.
The second tale is about that same B. but a couple of hundred years later and the destruction of another city, but this time the narrator has something to hide and in the end, does not survive.

Both tales are not for the faint-hearted. They show violence, conspiracy, a little nudity and a lot of blood.

I personally loved the art, although I guess it might not be for every one.
I enjoyed looking at it, enjoyed reading it.
And I would definitely recommend this.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Honestly, I was really excited for the intial volume of BRZRKR. How could I not be? Keanu Reeves is breathtaking and bloody, brutal, immortal John Wick is a great pitch, but I was rather disappointed. I had kinda checked out of the comic, but when I saw the cover for this with Fantasy John Wick in the 1992 Dracula armour and I couldn't not pick it up.

I wasn't disappointed.

This volume contains two stories of the ancient history of Fantasy John Wick.

In the first, FJW is the one man army and king's guard of Atlantis and singlehandedly defeats an entire army, before Lovecraftian cult results in him going mono a monster with Cthulu!

The second has the air of A Thousand Arabian Nights with the sole survivor of a recent epoch of FJW's bloody fury desperately tell the grizzly story. No longer a guard, FJN was captured and made an gladitoral champion, chained and unleashed for amusement, much like Angron, Lord of the Red Sands, of Warhammer 40K and the World Eaters fame. Through plotting and eventual romance he escapes, taking himself off to sate his regular periods of rage, which results in further intrigue and blood.

I had a lot more fun with these than the initial volume. There seems to be a better understanding of just how ridiculous and silly the concept is and the story and artwork captures and reflects this in a way that makes the whole thing all the more enjoyable.

It's still very much 'dudes rock the comic' with women sidelined, impressed and horny for, or betraying FJN and the other men in their lives, which isn't the best. There's a genuine attempt at inclusion with his squire in the first story and the fact the whole second story is framed by the telling by a woman, but this being the trope fest that it is (complimentary and derogatory) it's not the best.

It's also hard to get past the Last Samurai white saviour element with some of the depictions of other characters teetering on the line of possible racist caricature. I don't have enough knowledge or understanding to say too much on this though.

Ultimately, it's some very silly, extremely bloody fun and I genuinely had a good time with it and would be interested in carrying this series on.

I have previously read the first volume of this new comic book series, which I enjoyed. This book has two new writers and has two stories from the distant past of the Berserker.

If you’re not familiar with the premise a man known by different names at different times lives to fight and can not die. He becomes berserk and falls into a trance. Think Conan mixed with Wolverine and John Wick.

It’s ultra violent, filled with adult language and situations and megaplex entertainment. If you can sit down and spend fifteen minutes or so you can be thoroughly satisfied by the action.

I have not read the original BRZRKR series (because I did not know it existed until now!) but I was quite interested to check out BRZRKR: Bloodlines once I saw Keanu Reeves’ co-authored it. The artwork is super cool and I appreciated the direct, for-adults language. For fans of Vinland saga and invincible. This series is soon to be adapted by Netflix so I will be checking out the rest of the story there.

A riveting and visual feast of a narrative that gives a much anticipated insight into the origins of Brzrkrr. It’s gnarly, gritty, and engaging. Great artwork that brings the action to life in your eyes.

I went into this graphic novel with zero expectations. Was it a debut, or part of an ongoing series? I didn't know, and it didn't matter. I fell for the premise, and my curiosity over what a Keanu Reeves-led graphic novel entailed. Result: Is there more?

Two distinct stories are in "BRZRKR: Bloodlines." While each story shares the singular arc of the anti-hero main character, they served different results. The first story (Poetry of Madness) followed an mythology-tinged setting complete with the Greek pantheon, Cthulhu, and Atlantis. As an introduction to this graphic novel, I was confused by who was who, what was what, and why the hell is Cthulhu there?! I "kind of" got a feel for the MC but not enough to sate my questions. Story: 3 out of 5.

The second story (Fallen Empire) was miles above the previous one. It had mystery, suspense, horror, romance, betrayal, revenge - listen, it had ALL THE COOL STUFF! I enjoyed the story so much. The writing was tighter, providing a satisfying look into the MC and the people around him. I was gobsmacked by certain info, which is what I hope to find when I read comics and graphic novels. Story: 5 out of 5.

Looking at the creative team's bios, I am excited to get my hands on more of their projects. I'm hooked!

Loved the whole BRZRKR series and read it in one sitting. I can't wait for it to be adapted into a show. I love the character B and his whole backstory as I could relate to some of the trauma aspects. The art was also done beautifully and fit the story well

So I been following the BRZRKR comics and this is one of my favorites. It has a lot of action inside of it and kept me engaged and entertained. I love the writing style for it is magnificent and could totally hear the different voices for each character everytime they came up. Thank you Keanu and Mattson for the fabulous graphic comics and can’t wait to read more when they are released.

I will start this review off by saying that this series will not be for everyone. There is a gratuitous amount of violence and gore depicted throughout the graphic novel. Fans of the manga series and Keanu Reeves himself will most likely be aware of the tone of this graphic novel before starting it.

I am one of the people that this did not work for, as although I do not mind gore or violence in graphic novels, I do think that it was over-the-top (intentionally so, as again that is the tone of the series). It did more to distract me than it did to add to the story.

Volume 1 has two storylines, Poetry of Madness and Fallen Empire. Poetry of Madness features the immortal protagonist named B, who is a warrior and has a high status in the realm of Atlantis. The protagonist is tasked with defending the realm when the King (with the help of a cult) brings literal evil to the world that must be defeated. Fallen Empire also involves a royal, this time a politically motivated Queen, who uses B to overcome her opponents, and our immortal protagonist proves to be a force to be reckoned with.

Thank you to BOOM! Studios and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this work.

I truly enjoyed this comic book. I am generally weary of comic books these days, but this was fun. I will continue to read this title, more than likely in physical format rather than digital.

Brzrkr: Bloodlines is my introduction to the world of Unute the Berserker. What a fun character, I don’t know if this book serves as a prequel of sorts or an “early years”, whatever it is, I’m into reading everything else that’s come before. An interesting narrative and fun artwork (maybe a little light hearted when compared to the grim material).

I dug it. Thank you for the opportunity.

You there! Yes, you! Are you looking for a comic read that’s more style over substance? What about a super action-packed gore-fest that has elements of Lovecraftian horror? Well, look no further than Brzrkr: Bloodlines.

Before we begin, thank you to Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first series. I liked it enough. Thought it was fun, engaging, and gory. This one here is more of the same. With one notable exception… there’s even less of a story here.

While there are moments of intrigue and promise, the storyline occasionally meanders, leaving some of the character motivations and plot points underdeveloped.

The book’s pacing is a mixed bag: it rushes through potentially interesting subplots and then lingers on action scenes without providing enough context or emotional weight.

Over all, I enjoyed it. If you’ve never read this series before, I wouldn’t start with this one. Fans would appreciate this more. But if you just want to look at some gory artwork, I’d say go for it.