Brzrkr: Poetry of Madness: Pen & Ink #[nn]
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBRZRKR: Poetry of Madness Pen & Ink #1 (March 2024) is significant as part of BOOM! Studios' ongoing Pen & Ink reprint initiative, which strips away color to present interior artwork in pure black-and-white line art alongside newly written artist commentary — a format designed to illuminate the craft behind some of the publisher's biggest titles. The issue reprints the first-ever BRZRKR one-shot special, which itself expanded the BRZRKR universe by taking the immortal warrior B. (Unute) deep into prehistory, placing him within a Lovecraftian horror framework set in ancient Atlantis — a narrative register quite distinct from the contemporary espionage tone of the main series. As the Pen & Ink treatment of the Poetry of Madness one-shot, it also represents BOOM!'s extension of that reprint program beyond the main BRZRKR #1, demonstrating the franchise's breadth and the publisher's confidence in Steve Skroce's artwork standing alone without color. The original Poetry of Madness one-shot received positive reviews from outlets including CBR and Screen Rant, further validating the decision to give it this deluxe art-forward treatment.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The source material, BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness #1, was the first-ever standalone one-shot set in the BRZRKR universe, published July 26, 2023, co-written by Keanu Reeves and Steve Skroce with art by Skroce and colors by Eisner Award-winning colorist Dave Stewart, edited by Matt Gagnon. BOOM! Studios' Pen & Ink program itself launched in 2023, beginning with Something Is Killing the Children #1, followed by The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1, and then BRZRKR #1 (the main series), before expanding in early 2024 to cover the Poetry of Madness one-shot — each entry featuring premium cardstock covers, thick wood-free interior paper, Spot UV variant covers, and a blank sketch cover. The Pen & Ink edition of Poetry of Madness shipped March 27, 2024, with a Cover A by Skroce, a Cover B Spot UV variant, a Cover C blank sketch variant, plus convention-exclusive variants including a Gold Leaf Gild edition by Andrew K. Currey debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.
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- Published March 27, 2024 by BOOM! Studios as part of the publisher's Pen & Ink reprint collection; 56 pages, full black-and-white interior art.
- Reprints the content of BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness #1 (originally published July 26, 2023), the first-ever standalone one-shot special in the BRZRKR franchise.
- Written by Keanu Reeves and Steve Skroce; drawn and covered by Steve Skroce; original one-shot colored by Eisner Award-winning colorist Dave Stewart and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.
- The story is set in prehistoric Atlantis and follows B. (known here as Unute) serving as guardian and protector of King Azaes, exploring his Lovecraftian encounter with a secret cult threatening the city — a prequel set before recorded time.
- The Pen & Ink format presents the raw line art without color, accompanied by brand-new, exclusive page-by-page commentary written by writer/artist Steve Skroce, offering insight into the creative and visual process.
- Cover variants for the Pen & Ink edition include: Cover A (Steve Skroce), Cover B (Spot UV Virgin variant), Cover C (Blank Sketch variant), a BOOM! Direct Reserve Exclusive by Andrew K. Currey, and an SDCC 2024 Gold Leaf Gild Virgin Variant by Andrew K. Currey.
- The original Poetry of Madness one-shot was later collected in BRZRKR: Bloodlines Vol. 1 (ISBN 978-1939867780).
- The BRZRKR Pen & Ink program also includes entries for BRZRKR #1 (main series, Oct. 2023), BRZRKR: Fallen Empire Pen & Ink #1, and others, positioning Poetry of Madness Pen & Ink as part of a growing franchise-wide art-library initiative.
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