Keanu Reeves presents the fantasy fans want with a twist.
Though it is a rather straightforward narrative, Reeves and Skorce create a visually-fantastic and philosophically meaningful Fantasy comic by virtue not of their overt inversion of classic fantasy tropes but rather of their commitment to these ideas in revealing their fundamental weaknesses. Although B.'s Atlantis may be doomed and its hedonistic ways of life finally to blame in a classic Sodom & Gomorrah-type narrative, B may actually reflect a strangely positive view of a stock character type. Though he is a very defective warrior, he is an indelible, hypermasculine one. Though his own short-sightedness causes Atlantis to meet a terrible fate, B. captures the intricacy of a particular flawed, gloomy antiheroic ideal that still permeates action/adventure novels at large.
This complexity is further demonstrated by B's perspective on his own immortality and his surroundings—more especially, his relationship with the Atlantean people he guards. B. feels the full weight of the loss and suffering he goes through even if he is thousands of years old when he witnesses the people he has promised defend fall prey to their own vices. B. is unable to save Atlantis from itself despite his great might since the people of Atlantis are so decadent they cannot perceive that B. is really attempting to save them.
How BRZRKR Underfits Classic Fantasy?
Poetry of Madness offers a fascinating paradox through its main character: although B. is a violent savior of Atlantis's people, killing any adversary who threatens them, he is also using their love of violence by serving as their undefeatable demigod. Should he really have the kind of heroic soul required to save Atlantis from its own decadence, he would not merely satisfy the people's sense of entitlement and expected dominance among nations. Maybe then he may have escaped their fate under the control of the eldritch god. B. is only a flawed human being like any other; he is not supposed to be considered as a real untainted hero of mankind.
If this critique of the classic masculine hero is the aim, then Reeves and Skorce do a fantastic job in reconstructing this particular type of character in complete complexity, even while invoking the weaknesses of his archetype, which include uncontrollably fury and hunger for combat. B. is not a horrible man; his loyalty to Atlantis is unquestionably superhuman, but he is shown as a man who does not necessarily think through the long term consequences of his actions. Though Skorce turns in a riotous and remarkably vivid variation on the old-school fantasy comic vibe, the sense of sadness even among the turbulent, over-the-top sequences of graphic conflict is palpable. This remorse finally embodies the essence of Keanu Reeves' B., even in his pyrrhic success, and highlights his potential villain role.
Keanu Reeves Deftly Slashes Through Sword and Sorcery in BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness (Review)
Keanu Reeves poses himself as a sword-and-sorcery-style demigod for BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness in a dark fantasy dream duel, returning the impassive, immortal warrior B in all his glory. If that premise doesn’s not already sound like gold on paper, it gets better: the team of Reeves, co-writer and artist Steve Skorce, and colorist Dave Stewart delivers on this score, throwing Reeves's self-based hero into a truly magical adventure yarn in the vein of Conan and Heavy Metal Magazine, and the result is appropriately awesome.
Poetry of Madness offers a glimpse into the historical wanderings of the 80,000 year-old B., positioning the ancient warrior as defender of the legendary and doomed kingdom of Atlantis. In the story of Atlantis, Reeves and Skorce create a pulse-pounding set piece of monster-killing action as B. — then known by his original name Unute — fights through the last days of the decadent city of wonder against an unexpected threat: a cult trying to contact the Eldritch god Cthulu. And one might easily conjecture the outcome.
BRZRKR: Poetry of Mania
With the strong linework evocative of Heavy Metal magazine with a hint of vintage 1980s fantasy comics, Steve Skorce's art in BRZR: Poetry of Madness is among the best he has produced. Dave Stewart, who worked on The Sandman and Batman, has created colors ideal for this narrative. The ideal approach to vividly depict the narrative of B is to combine the art with color.
Boom! Studios currently sells Poetry of Madness under BRZRKR.
