BRZRKR: Bloodlines is the fantastical John Wick I never knew I needed. Volume One follows Unute the Berserker through 2 different periods in his life full of emotion, betrayal, and (of course) bloodshed. On its face, BRZRKR: Bloodlines is a fun romp through blood-spattered artwork with the world's favorite boogeyman surviving anything thrown at him. However, the joy I found in this comic was in the places where we got to see the depths of Unute's character that I'm excited to explore in future volumes. The other highlight of BRZRKR: Bloodlines was the phenomenal artwork. I found myself mesmerized by the color palettes, the stylized drawing, and the layout that really sucks the reader into the story in a way I've seen many graphic novels miss.

The only thing that kept this volume from 5 stars for me was the disconnect between the two vignettes. While both stories shared similar themes and were equally interesting to explore, I craved a stronger narrative between them than the storyline allowed for.

BRZRKR: Bloodlines is 2 on-shot stories about Unute's past, They are both very good but not as good as the main series. Still I'm looking forward to anything new in the BRZRKR world.

Thanks to BOOM! Studios and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley & Boom! Studios for allowing me to read Brzrkr: Bloodlines
Bloodthirsty, gory, and a little bit of explicit spice.

The artwork is fantastic.
I haven't read any of the other Brzrkr comics as I haven't had access to them, but I enjoyed these two stories.
I enjoyed the take on Atlantis and it's fall in Poetry of Madness, and the self-contained saga within Dead Empire.
The artists captured the likeness of Keanu Reeves really well. Even in small gestures. Great for Keanu fans.
A lot of action in a small number of pages, which entice you into reading more.

**Review of *BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness* and *BRZRKR: Dead Empire***

*BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness* and *BRZRKR: Dead Empire* delve deeper into the rich, violent tapestry of Keanu Reeves' *BRZRKR* universe, expanding on the mythology and exploring new facets of its legendary protagonist. This pair of self-contained stories showcases the collaborative brilliance of a stellar creative team, including writer/artist Steve Skroce, screenwriter Mattson Tomlin, and artist Rebekah Isaacs.

In *Poetry of Madness*, the narrative plunges into the ancient realm of Atlantis, where B., the immortal warrior, takes on the role of protector. The story immerses readers in a whirlwind of epic battles and dark intrigue as B. safeguards the city from an internal rot symbolized by a sickly monarch. Skroce’s artwork vividly captures the grandeur and decay of Atlantis, with an intensity that mirrors the chaos and brutality of B.’s interventions. The depiction of the city’s downfall is both tragic and profound, revealing that the security B. provides is built on unstable foundations. The story weaves a poignant commentary on the nature of power and the fragility of seemingly invincible realms.

*Dead Empire*, on the other hand, shifts focus to a lone survivor from a kingdom obliterated by B. This story unfolds as a somber recounting of a once-great empire brought to ruin. Isaacs’ artwork in this tale is evocative, using haunting imagery to depict the wreckage of the fallen empire and the emotional weight of the survivor's narrative. The fable-like recounting is laden with themes of lost love, betrayal, and the destructive impact of imperial power. The question of the narrator’s reliability adds a layer of suspense, making readers question what truths are hidden beneath the surface. This story amplifies the tragic dimensions of B.’s legacy, illustrating the far-reaching consequences of his actions.

Together, these stories not only enrich the *BRZRKR* universe but also deepen the exploration of its central character. The juxtaposition of B.'s role as a savior in Atlantis and as a harbinger of destruction in *Dead Empire* presents a complex portrait of a being whose impact on history is both awe-inspiring and devastating. The themes of power, betrayal, and the ephemeral nature of glory resonate strongly across both narratives, tied together by the powerful and often brutal art styles of Skroce and Isaacs.

Overall, *BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness* and *BRZRKR: Dead Empire* offer fans a compelling expansion of the *BRZRKR* saga, combining visceral storytelling with deep, introspective themes. Keanu Reeves' vision is brought to life with remarkable artistry and narrative depth, making this collection a must-read for both new and longtime followers of the series.

Note: I received a free unpublished proof of this book, for a limited time, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

This book contains a great deal of violence, blood, gore, sex, abuse, war, suicide, and other mature themes, hence I only recommend it to adults (18+).

So, this is actually one of the comics in the series that led to the book I reviewed a couple of months ago, The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville. My full review of this book is here, and I recommend that you read it because it encompasses most of my thoughts, feelings, observations, and bits of humor on the premise and main characters of the franchise as a whole: https://qr.ae/psl1lc

Full disclosure, I didn’t need to be approved for this one because it was a “Read Now”, so getting this one in my hands was not a unexpected as The Book of Elsewhere.

Anyways, if you’ve read the earlier plot, this one continues on pretty nicely. I’ve read the first graphic novel and The Book of Elsewhere which I believe pulls from a few of the first graphic novels, in which that groundwork is set pretty nicely, but if you haven’t, this one will not make any sense. Even if I told you that the general idea revolves around a guy with god-like power and glowy eyes who kills millions of people, that doesn’t quite do it justice.

If I had a nickel for every successful graphic novel series surrounding a guy with god-like power and glowy eyes who kills millions of people…you know how it goes.

Unlike other works that attempt to take on similar themes, however, I particularly enjoy this one because the main character, B, somehow remains a bit sympathetic throughout the narraative, despite, well, everything. It’s not his fault that he kills millions of people, for starters, and I don’t think anybody would envy that difficult position in which to find oneself. While he makes both good and bad choices around his power, he has a refreshing degree of self-awareness for such a character.

B doesn’t give grandiose speeches about how what he’s doing is actually the right thing because he is the hand of God, even though he literally is the hand of God to some extent and is sometimes proud of his actions. He’s clearly a bad person in some ways as he doesn’t regret all of his actions, but he understands that there is a negative side to his violence no matter how inescapable it is or how good it makes him feel in the moment. He feels genuine affection for the people he cares about, and actively seeks to protect them rather than just using them as pawns in a game of 4D chess. He feels pain, regret, anger, confusion, betrayal, and the full palette of human emotion despite being such an overpowered character, and he comes across as a multidimensional character who makes some good decisions and some terrible ones. Characters like this are so often written as edgy antiheroes who are justified in everything they do or purely evil villains with no redeeming qualities, and while there are moments where the authors lean into those tropes ther overall narrative paints him as neither.

I think that readers who enjoyed the rest of the series will enjoy this new installment, and readers who enjoy dark and violent comics that raise questions about divinity, morality, and human nature will enjoy the series as a whole.

This was everything I hoped it would be. I love Keanu Reeves but was a little unsure whether I was going to like this or not. However, it ended up being pretty good. It feels a lot like John Wick but in a more fantasy setting. It's not super deep story wise but is overall enjoyable for those who just want a good old action packed comic.

I gave this comic 3 stars, I thought it was beautifully illustrated and had the potential to be a fun amazing read but the story fell short for me.

BRZRKR: Bloodlines reads as if it's some epic fantasy action film featuring Keanu, with violence and gore, love and betrayal and monsters. However, I felt that a lot of context and world-building was missing to understand what was going on.

How did Unute become who he is?
What are the origins of his power/curse?
What will happen if he doesn't succumb to the rage?
Where did he come from? Does he have a family?
What is the world he is walking through? What are the rules of myths/legends/history?

Now, my lack of knowledge could just be from not being familiar with this series and BRZRKR: Bloodlines Volume 1 being the first book I've read of this series, so maybe by exploring the other issues I'll get some answers and context to what I feel is lacking.

The illustrations are vibrant and detailed and reminiscent of the art style I grew up with in the 2000s when I started to dabble with reading comic books. Steve Skroce and Rebekah Isaacs helped me be able to understand the story more with their illustrations alongside the text. The level of detail and the colouring made it just really fun to look at.

If you're a fan of Keanu Reeves's work in film, you may enjoy this as a little fun read, but there are more fleshed-out fantasy comics out there.

I read books for plots and comics/graphic novels/manga for the artwork. BRZRKR: Bloodlines contains great vibrant western style artwork. The bright red of blood is splashed throughout this comic. The fact that the main character, B, has the face of Keanu is just an added plus. Unfortunately, the plot, of an immortal who just wants to die, is paper thin. To be honest, it was done better in the Berserk manga series that I read over twenty years ago. The artwork pushes it just over the average read for me. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Thanks to BOOM! Studios and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

BRZRKR is one of the most over-the-top, hyperviolent piece of graphic fiction I've ever seen. The gore and movement and blood kind of fade into a vague blobby blur at times, the story is just as vague, and I couldn't have had more fun. If you love Conan, John Carpenter, and the works of Joe Abercrombie, BRZRKR is for you.

‘BRZRKR: Bloodlines Vol. 1’ created by Keanu Reeves with story by Steve Skroce and Mattson Tomlin is a graphic novel that looks into the brutal past of the immortal warrior B., aka Berzerker.

This book consists of two stories. The first, Poetry of Madness, has B as the defender of Atlantis, fighting all single handedly who would try to destroy the city, both outside and inside. In Fallen Empire, a former kingdom destroyed by BRZRKR yields a sole female survivor who tells a different story of him than he recollects, but is she to be trusted?

It’s a highly visceral set of stories featuring a protagonist who revels in ending his foes in the most gory way possible. The stories are solid as is the art.

Really enjoyed this graphic novel. Two stories, involving the history of B. Enjoyed both stories, the characters, the pacing, and the artwork. Can't wait to read more in this world. #BRZRKRBloodlines #NetGalley

I liked the art style and the story as well and I appreciate Netgalley giving me the chance to read a work created by Keanu.

That being said I did not expect it to be so much blood and gore. When I was reading the story I was enjoying it but unfortunately the amount of gore in the art was personally just too much for me. I also didn’t like how the art style changed on the gore pages.

Was this installment in the BRZRKR series necessary? Not really.
Was it what I hope it would be? Not exactly.
Is it a bad read? No, actually.

Let's start with the positive aspects.
- I did like the 2 stories presented in this volume. The origin story of BRZKR is very intriguing and this “anecdotes” help to understand the character a little more, but shyly. It doesn't really add any new layer of depth.
- What never lacks to impress is the art. It's incredible!

On the other hand, and as I've already mentioned, my biggest issue with Bloodlines and with the whole series is the aftertaste. The plot usually happens to be very promising, but the delivery always falls short.

All in all, there was a lot of potential to do something that the other 3 volumes couldn't do: dive deeper into the character, but somehow it couldn't do more than scratch the surface.

🔞 Trigger Warning: Death, Gore, and Nudity.
🔴 Some readers may find the description of this review disturbing.

It's been years since I read a graphic novel, and choosing BRZRKR: Bloodlines was a worthy decision. I mean, how can you say NO to something that is created by none other than Keanu Reeves in and as a face of the merciless demigod who feeds on his rage, baths in blood and the pile of the dead bodies he leaves behind wherever he goes!

He isn't the carrier of the death, but DEATH himself.

There are two stories in this book: Poetry of Madness and Fallen Empire. In the first story, our Demigod Unute is the king's guard, serving king Azaes since Azaes was a kid. As long aas the Kings guard stood by his king, his kingdom was undefeated. In the very beginning, there's an intense battle where Unute fights alone against the whole marching army to protect the kingdom. The gore and the portrayed action is so disturbing and detailed when the king's guard massacred the hundreds of them alone. With his regeneration and healing abilities, he and the kingdom cannot be defeated.

After all, Death never dies!

Compared to the first one—even with its adrenaline filled action— I loved the Fallen Empire story the most. It was a proper drama that included deception, betrayal, character arcs, and unforgiving wrath of a warrior who has a monster within him that comes out now and then to quench the thirst, he had for killing.

Compared to the first story, the second story had less action, but it was more gripping and kept me invested and glued to the book. Imagine an Invincible force—our Demigod protagonist— going against the standing kingdoms and making them history by turning them into ruins with no survivors left alive.

It's highly recommended by me because Keanu Reeves as a creator/writer, Steve Skroce, Mattson Tomlin and the team literally nailed the execution with this graphic novel. Whatever the rating scale I would rate it the fullest.

Overall, if you are looking for a fun and enjoyable start to a series featuring an immortal being who loves carnage, then this just might be what you are looking for. With no shortage of blood, gore, action, drama, and a decent amount of “steamy” stuff throughout, ‘BRZRKR: Bloodlines’ (Volume #1) pulls no punches in delivering the aforementioned elements. The plot aspect could have been done better in my opinion, but nonetheless, this was a pretty good enough read altogether.

Rating: – 7/10 (A fun read).

This just really didn't end up being for me which is totally ok! The story didn't land like I wanted it to, but I thought the artwork was good. I'd definitely give another book in the series a shot.

Thank you Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

0.5 Star.
WOW!! That was just the worst comics I've ever read in my life! My eyes are hurting me right now.

I recieved an ARC of BRZRKR Bloodlines from Netgalley.
To start this adventure off right I read the original 3 Graphic Novel run first. This series is incredibly brutal in the best way. Very graphic, very raw, and through all of that so much heart comes through in the story. The character is Conanesque with heart and a lot of detention. The stories were well told and plotted out. I love that it was broken into two seperate stories, and while I liked the second one more the first one still has a lot to give.

There is also a novel coming out set in this same world that i have been kindly given an ARC to and I am looking forward to that as well! I want to know so much more of this world and I hope we get more volumes of Bloodline soon.

I had a tough time putting this graphic novel down. Both stories were a bit intense, but took me on an amazing adventure. We see this character has been through much, and it has changed them over the years. Along the way they have made some hard decisions, ones that came with dire consequences. As this graphic novel came to a close, it was clear these adventures have only just begun.

This book contains two stories of B.'s past that show that violence has always been his bread and butter, even when he had carved himself a home or thought he'd found love. They're deeply emotional and show that there are worse monsters out there than B.
I'm only giving this one 3.5 stars even though I love the stories and think the writing is excellent, but it's so incredibly and unnecessarily bloody. I get that it's all about how dangerous B. is, but is it absolutely necessary to see guts, brains, and body parts on almost every single page?
The art is good and there are amazing images that made me go back to enjoy them after finishing the story. The faces are a bit wonky at times and the female characters are hard to separate at moments, but it kind of works for the story.
I honestly think the stories could have been told just as effectively without all the gore, but that's a personal preference.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for the read!