BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness #1

BRZRKR: Bloodlines #1

by Steve Skroce (Writer/Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer)

A sea of gore and devastation awaits as B, through a fateful chance encounter, safeguards the advanced and ancient realm of Atlantis as its unstoppable protector.

But a sickly king serves as a symbol for the rot inside, as the security and bliss created through B’s violence is shallow… The cracks created by a secret cult might spell a monstrous end for the legendary city, one beyond even B’s ability to save.

Renowned filmmaker and record-shattering comic creator Keanu Reeves joins acclaimed writer and artist Steve Skroce (Doctor Strange) for a one-shot special that fans of Lovecraftian horror would be mad to miss!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Mythology

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2023

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 2 out of 5]

(C+) 66% | Almost Satisfactory
Notes: All fantasy/sorcery, nothing that tortured me (fanfic-level slop), it starts out fine but fast declines, a bloody belly flop.

*Progress update

[Tawfek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some wounds will never heal, Despite all the pain and suffering that he has endured, He still does not cry...

Nothing is faster than reading modern comics, old comics drag on, but modern comics feel like they are paying by the word and they are still cheap and don't want to pay the writer too much, not saying that this is really what's happening anyway.
So finally i am here reading BRZRKR which is funny i was never going to buy this to read it, i have no faith in actors becoming writers and making something worth while, but people encourage them to do that regardless.
While Keanu Reeves didn't write this, it's his character, it's his world, it's his brand of action.
A character that's in desperate need for an actual personality.
Action scene that are in desperate need of fight dynamics, not just a man cutting everything with no push back, splatter the entire screen with blood so that the readers don't realize just how superficial this is in fact.
I liked the story of Atlantis the king the cult.
I liked the art of how the protagonist looks, how the non action scenes look it's a good artist just lacking fight scene imagination to direct the scene and make it interesting, i also liked how Cuthulhu looked even though there should be enough material to support drawing it.
Regardless i am reading this by way of NetGalley, i won't be doing the usual thanks here, but in the volume itself, and believe it or not even after all this review i don't feel sorry to have read this, it was a good idea but bad production.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

In 1995, Garth Ennis wrote a book called The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe- an over the top one shot story that does what it says on the cover. Almost 30 years later, it has been republished on the regular, Ennis has given us an extremely over the top yet somehow now mainstream story in The Boys, and Mark Millar and others have continued to push comics to the extreme.

Poetry of Madness is the BRZRKR one shot prequel maybe no one asked for. It is also BRZRKR destroys everything

Steve Skroce replaces the creative team of Matt Kindt and Ron Garney. BRZRKR is always a tough sell because it’s such a generic action adventure. Mike Mignola has been tossing off better stories and he should be out of ideas by now. Jim Zub and Jason Aaron have been bringing fresh ideas to Conan, of all characters.

Kindt did bring some sense of nuance to the story. There no nuance in Poetry of Madness, which is I guess is the point. I do really like Skroce’s art which looks very Keanu-istic. I mean most of the art is just pretty mindless and senseless gore but at least it’s well rendered gore.

This got really good reviews online. I’m not saying BRZRKR can’t or shouldn’t be silly, but this wasn’t really for me. It really felt like Ennis’s throw away stuff like Crossed he did for Avatar press. There really isn’t any nuance at all here, though maybe that will be the appeal for some.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent, simple story with plenty of blood, guts and violence. The intestines and bulging eyes really make it seem comic; it really seemed to go overboard here compared to the original series. I'm a sucker for blood and guts and some of the art was fantastic, but it was just a bit too much for this particular story.

I did really enjoy the story here though; nothing very new, but it played out really well.

A familiar story but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the main BRZRKR series you will enjoy this abbreviated story that essentially follows the same plot. It might even be a story cut from that main series. The story is narrated by a young lady all in on crazy sword guy John Wick. Unute is the defender of Atlantis until an ancient evil is summoned and all heck breaks loose. Fun if you are into all the blood and gore.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see a collection of one shots like this. Pick a time period, any time period and start from there. Brzrkr
will kick a#s, anywhere and any time!

[Ann-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For Atlantis's true legend isn't in its spires or its riches...but in the demi-god who protects them."



I really liked how the storyline mixed in the city of Atlantis with Unute's own myth as well as Lovecraftian horror.

This mature comic is a prequel to the original BRZRKR series and it's just as brutally violent and full of vivid carnage.

[Hannah Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a sick king, a dangerous cult, and an assistant who is very into B. Poetry of Madness is entertaining, very bloody, and extremely well-drawn. This story started quite interesting, but it devolved downhill from there. B is very melodramatic and it shows at the end of Poetry. If you like action, slashers, and lots of gore and blood, this BRZRKR issue is for you.

Thanks to Boom! for a review copy of the Bloodlines volume which included this issue.

[Ricardo Nuno Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great quick read for fans of the BRZRKR saga.
Full of gore, actions, mortal combats (invariably for Unute's opponents, even if they count on the thousands!) and humor, yup, you heard that right: this one-shot tale even has humor and snarkiness.

All in all, it's a bloody (pun intended) funny tale to read.

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re fan of Steve Skroce’s art, then you won’t be disappointed with this. It’s as gory as you would expect, as crazy and as beautiful.
Storywise - if you are fan of BRZRKR main story, this does not differ from it, just quick and nice look into more years of his neverending life.

[DayDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

SIMPLE: Just turn your brain off, and have a good time.

[Pages Bursting Hearts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, not much to that, other than a bunch of killing and obscene gore! I didn't mind hehe

[Santi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5

Buen dibujo, como siempre. La historia sigue pareciendo un poco floja.

[iamjacsmusings · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat little action adventure. I wouldn't say it adds much to the overall BRZRKR arc, though I would gladly read more of these vignettes set throughout Unute's epic lifespan.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fine. The art feels less good and the story is barely there, though. Not worth your time.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I would enjoy this one as soon as I found out it would take place in Atlantis and has some Greek mythology themes--and not to mention Cthulhu!

[Mark Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the series. Nice Cthulhu part but overall a weak addition. Generous 3/5

[Anthony Blount · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Wick, the fantasy comic.

[Nightwing’s Thiccness · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first issue of the title that I just did not enjoy. Atlantis, Cthulhu, and an ancient woman so outwardly wanting Keanu Reeves to bed her should be an excellent story…but I cringed so HARD at the dialogue, the manchild king, and the cult leader that it did kinda ruin it :(

[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness is an action packed, gore heavy dark fantasy comic exploring themes of dependence, hubris, corruption, cultism and cosmic horror

After stumbling upon the orphaned princess of Atlantis and deciding to protect the child from