Sunday, August 15, 2021

Brzrkr #4 Review!

Brzrkr brings more bloody battles, but there are of course consequences for the sacking of rivals!  The comic has a cover by Rafael Grampá with the lead character kneeling on a box with the blood dripping from his hands against a white background.  The creative team continues with writers, Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt, and art by Ron Garney.  Diana, the scientist working with Brzrkr, b., trying to record his story.  He is suspicous of using him to create immortal soldiers, their creators would be in danger if they are not also immortal.  B. has had enough and walks away while Diana replays the recording.  She walks out of the building lined with trees which shifts to 16,000 years to the prehistoric village of Brzrkr.  His father confronts his mother about the lightning that entered the cave at the birth of B.  This was in issue #2.  She has crafted a feathered headdress, but his father tosses it into a well.  I’m not certain why she would be married to this brute and why B. would let him push around his mother when it was the lightning “god” who is his true father.  


Brzrkr walks up to them when a warrior reports that scouts have found a large army at the valley.  His “father” wants him to fight against this army, he actually just orders him around, and not fight side-by-side with his “son.”  They ride into a canyon and arrows start to rain down on them, very bloody.  Some of the figures and arrows are in silhouette which makes me think of Frank Miller’s 300 (1998). Several panels of village warriors struck by arrows, the enemy soldiers leap down, B.’s eyes flare blue, and it is a slaughter.  He tears apart a body and his father tries to stop him and warn him about the village is in danger.  Brzrkr is unreasoning, animalistic, and punches through the chest of the warrior who brought the report.  Father tries to point out the threatened village, but B. eyes still flare blue.  The chief and surviving warriors ride back with Brzrkr running, they reach the massacred village.  He tears through the invading warriors and is struck by spear in flames.  B. rips out the spear sets another on fire, and then in a splash page unleashes his rage!  He starts to recover after the bodies of his enemies lie in a pile and he forms the word, “Mother.”  Brzrkr starts to walk to the family hut.  

The village never improved its defense even after attacking so many other villages.  This is especially when they have a super strong warrior who can work day and night.  In his narration, B. notes that his memory is strong, but it is cloudy about this part.  The chief is holding the body of his mother saying it was a trap.  B. walks away saying that his “father” deserved all of the death.  The chief pleads for his return, but he is surrounded by the invaders and killed.  Live by the sword, die by the sword.  The feather headdress is seen dripping with blood.  The village burns and Brzrkr keeps walking until he sees countless invaders who have come to kill him.  He is ambushed by warriors.  One of his teeth is pulled out and the invaders leave his body.  We see time passing with his corpse pecked by vultures as he explains to Diana that he remembers that time.  There is some sort of pod or egg lying in the desert.  Diana listens to the recording.  She calls in Caldwell to tell him that she is taking some sort of leave.  Diana may sense something about Brzrkr’s immortality or maybe thinks of having a child with him?   B. stumbles from the pod.  It is sort of like the pod in The Matrix (1999). He has discovered that he can’t die.  Brzrkr is giving a picture of this warrior who can't die, the pod is unusual, but it became obvious when the village leveled cities and other villages, they would join forces to wipe out B.'s village!            


Four Protocols out of Five! 


#Brzrkr, #Headdress, #Caldwell, #300, #TheMatrix 


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