Comic Book Review - BRZRKR #5

Rob reviews BRZRKR #5...

It has been a few weeks since we last caught up with Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt's BRZRKR. The series so far has delved into the undying B's past, whilst not clarifying his future. Yet regardless of this shortfall, the series has been quite a success for both publishers - BOOM! Studios - and the creative team. 

BRZRKR #5 is the opening to the series' second story arc. Once again B is re-living his past under the watchful eye of Doctor Diana Ahuja. Throughout the introductory arc, it felt like the doctor was B's only friend, but here I'm not so sure. So this time the duo are analyzing the more human side to B's past as the immortal recounts his many loves - and his eventual losses. It's quite a poignant tale as B recounts who he is, his reality, and what he ultimately wants from life. 

Throughout we've caught a glimpse of an existential crisis from the character and here their finally explored in the open. He no longer wishes to be the "weapon" he was born to be and wants to live a life away from war. 

There's certainly a lot of character building here as Kindt composes the human behind the weapon. We get to see B fall in love over the years, to then deal with the loss as he lives forever on. It's a painful predicament and is certainly different from what we've seen from the character so far.  

Ron Garney's art is great and builds the sadness of B's memories. There's a lot of emotion at play in this issue with the art playing quite a big part in it. Garney delivers some striking facial expressions and subtle shifts in the characters body language as his world disintegrates time and time again. Bill Crabtree backs all of this up with some sombre tones that are a far cry from previous issues. 

BRZRKR #5 is a welcome addition to a series that's so far lacked any character depth. Matt Kindt moves away from the action-heavy story to convey an intimate tale of love and loss. B is a character who we know can kill, yet here we see something further - something more human. Of course, this all leads back to the present as we discover that the doctor's help is part of a vastly bigger plan. Just how big? Well, we have a few more issues to find that out. 

Rating 8/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev