Actor’s barbarian comic slays its way to quick sellout

Word Balloons #1231: Keanu Reeves and crew’s “Brzrkr: The Lost Book of B” #1 will go to second print

An immortal warrior’s onslaught on the 13th century marks the latest in a best-selling indie title’s onslaught on the sales charts. 

“Brzrkr: The Lost Book of B” #1 has sold out its first printing from the distributor, according to publisher Boom! Studios. Copies may remain available on stands at individual comic shops. 

The creative team includes actor Keanu Reeves, the series creator, co-writing alongside Matt Kindt (“Pistolwhip”). The action-packed art is from one of the best at drawing fast-paced action, Ron Garney (“Captain America,” “Wolverine”); Bill Crabtree provides colors. This is the same team that created the original “Brzrkr” miniseries, the first issue of which was reported to sell more than 600,000 copies back in 2021. 

In the first issue of “Brzrkr: The Lost Book of B,” readers find the immortal warrior known as “B.” or sometimes, “Unute,” in the 13th Century. 

Here’s how Boom! Describes the issue: B. serves as the ultimate weapon of the notorious warlord Ghengis Khan, and it seems that no enemy of his empire can withstand the Berserker’s onslaught of havoc and death. But as the war grows ever larger, B. must question where his loyalties should truly lie…

The second printing, with a cover by Ron Garney with colors by Bill Crabtree, will be available in stores September 25, 2024.

“Readers can’t get enough BRZRKR!” said Ramiro Portnoy, Editor, BOOM! Studios, in a news release. “Getting the original BRZRKR creative team back together to tell another chapter in B.’s long past has been an absolute thrill, and we couldn’t be more excited to send this issue back for a second printing to get it into the hands of even more readers and fans!”

There’s more “Brzrkr” on the way – Boom! Studios reports that “Brzrkr: The Lost Book of B” comes on the heels of the announcement of a prose novel featuring the character from Del Rey, co-authored by award-winning author China Miéville and Reeves.

Other 2024 releases include the first “Brzrkr: Bloodlines” collected edition featuring the work of Steve Skroce, Mattson Tomlin, and Rebekah Isaacs, and a “Pen and Ink” edition of “Brzrkr: Poetry of Madness,” also featuring Skroce art. 

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.