BRZRKR #10
Unute’s homeland is revealed, and his handlers have a plan, as does Diana, in BRZRKR #10, by writers Matt Kindt and Keanu Reeves, artist Ron Garney, colorist Bill Crabtree, and letterer Clem Robins. This is another good issue, but it sometimes feels a little too opaque for its own good.
Unute and Diana discuss what happened before, and Diana reveals that they know where his mother lived. From there, Unute’s handlers begin preparing for the new mission, with Caldwell and Diana both making their own moves. In Saudi Arabia and with Diana’s help, Unute remembers his old village and finds the Bird that his mother had that would take away his powers. He digs it up as Caldwell and company watch from afar. As the Bird rips into Unute and grows larger, another force shows up, their intentions unknown.
Kindt and Reeves do another good job, but it’s not perfect. This book has long excelled at visual storytelling - something that this issue does a great job with - but the exposition isn’t always the best. There’s a lot going on, but it takes a bit of reading into. That’s fine, and it all works for the plot, but sometimes it feels like it would be better if there were some caption boxes.
This book is pretty opaque, and it works sometimes, like with whose side Diana and Caldwell are actually on, but it also can be a bit frustrating. One gets the feeling this would be a cool movie, but this issue feels underwritten, a problem that this series has had in general. This is still an intriguing comic, but during quiet chapters like this, the lack of exposition at times makes it feel a little hollow.
Garney and Crabtree are still sensational. The page layouts and the character acting are wonderful, which is a big part of this issue. There are no big action scenes, but the most impressive visuals come at the end, as the Bird tears into Unute, growing larger and more powerful. Those pages look amazing.
BRZRKR #10 could use a bit more exposition, but it’s still a nice read. It sometimes feels like Kindt and Reeves are writing this like a movie a little too much, but it does work in a lot of ways. Garney and Crabtree continue to kill it on the art, which does a lot of heavy lifting. The book is still interesting, and this issue is quite entertaining despite some deficiencies.