Keanu Reeves, the actor best known for his work on films like The Matrix, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and John Wick, will soon add a new title to his resume: comic book author.
Reeves’ 12-issue book series, entitled BRZRKR, will be released through Boom! Studios, a Los Angeles-based publisher that specializes in comic books and graphic novels.
USA Today reported that Reeves collaborated with Matt Kindt, an experienced graphic novelist who has worked on projects including Justice League of America (DC) and Spider-Man (Marvel). Kindt has won the PubWest book design award and been nominated for six Eisner Awards and six Harvey Awards.
Reeves is currently in Berlin filming The Matrix 4. However, he kept in regular contact with Kindt and other artists working on the series, including illustrator Alessandro Vitti, cover artist Rafael Grampa, letterer Clem Robins, and Boom! Studios editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon.
BRZRKR is an action-packed adventure
The series follows an 80,000-year-old half-god, half-mortal known as Berzerker, who has a perfect memory and speaks numerous languages.
Boom! Studios’ website explained that Berzerker is “cursed and compelled to violence” and works for the U.S. government fighting dangerous and violent battles while searching for answers about his own existence.
Co-writer Matt Kindt hinted that BRZRKR would be more than just a violent action story.
He described the series as “the tale of an immortal warrior laced with history, conspiracies, spirituality… all with intense purpose and ultimately a heartbreaking discovery.”
Reeves explained through Boom! Studios that he wanted to work on the project because comics have played a huge role in his artistic development.
“I have loved comics since I was a young kid, and they have been a significant influence on me artistically.”
He called the opportunity a “dream come true.”
Reeves pitched the idea
The idea for the series came from Reeves, who pitched an early version of the Berzerker character to the studio last year.
“I had this image in my head of a guy fighting through the ages because of his father’s compulsion to violence,” he explained.
Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon called Reeves “a creative force like no other” and described the series as a “visceral, masterly crafted comic book epic.”
A preview of the comic will be revealed at the Boom! Studios Discover Yours Panel at Comic-Con@Home on July 26.
Fans will be able to purchase the print or digital copies of the first issue on October 7. Later issues will be released monthly.