He is an ancient, immortal warrior. Some say he cannot die. Some say his love is like a truck. He is the Berzerker! Your Major Spoilers review of BRZRKR #3 from BOOM! Studios awaits!
BRZRKR #3
Writer: Matt Kindt/Keanu Reeves
Artist: Ron Garney
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Eric Harburn/Matt Gagnon
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 16, 2021
Previously in BRZRKR: The shocking history of B is revealed as Diana digs deeper into his memories. Meanwhile, the mysterious Caldwell makes his next move to take advantage of this information – and put his master plan into motion.
THEY CALLED HIM UNUTE
Sometime in the distant past, when B was only two seasons old (which implies that he aged to adulthood in just two years, another mystery to throw on the pile), he and his father had a fateful conversation. He learned that what he thought was his name was in fact their word for both ‘tool’ and ‘weapon’, making him wonder if they considered him a person at all. As he won victory after victory over his people’s foes, Unute also began to realize that his father wasn’t his father, discovering that his mother called up on the gods for a boon and received him. In the present, his handler, Diana tries to unravel the knots of his identity, while her boss insists that they double the “protocols” that control his rages, doubling the number of drugs he’s taking. BRZRKR #3 also ends on an ominous note, as it becomes clear that the analyses are designed to try and replicate his abilities in other soldiers.
BLOOD AND GUTS
The first thought that I had about BRZRKR #3 was the hilarious mental image of Keanu performing all of BRZRKR’s dialogue in his Bill. S Preston voice. The second was that it’s actually more solid of a narrative than I expected. The worry with a property like this is that it’s little more than storyboards for a movie, but Garney’s art makes this issue really sing. A majority of this issue is devoted to Conan-style sword combat, and it escalates in interesting ways until we finally see B tearing apart a village of innocents, repeating only one sentence, “Father said no one lives.” It’s effective visual storytelling and makes me worry that our protagonist is actually a monster. The amount of well-drawn combat is actually a problem for me in this issue, though, as it makes the parts of the story that AREN’T flashbacks to times of carnage feel a bit cramped, and the ending sequence is a confusing one for me.
BOTTOM LINE: FEELS A BIT SLIGHT FOR MY TASTE
Even with those issues in terms of pacing, BRZRKR #3 is an interesting read, giving us more insight into the past of our seemingly undying warrior and really delivering on the4 representation if an unstoppable juggernaut of battle, earning a better than average 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. If and when we get the inevitable film adaptation, I hope they can capture even a fraction of what Garney’s art achieves, as we’ll have a great-looking Keanu movie.
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BRZRKR #3
A well-drawn issue, but the focus on B's battle prowess also makes it feels light on narrative content, as much of the issues is battle sequences. Garney's art is amazing throughout.
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Writing5
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Art8
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Coloring7
