Last verified: September 9, 2026
Unofficial AI-assisted editorial rendering for this reading guide. It is not official BOOM! Studios, Netflix, or publisher artwork.
BRZRKR: Bloodlines is the collected-edition name for four historical one-shots: Poetry of Madness #1, Fallen Empire #1, A Faceful of Bullets #1, and The Lost Book of B. #1. For a first reading, start with BRZRKR #1–12, then read the historical specials in publication order. That order is a reader-friendly route, not a claim that their fictional events occurred in that sequence.
The collections at a glance
| Collection | Stories | What the official record establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Bloodlines Vol. 1 | Poetry of Madness #1; Fallen Empire #1 | BOOM! announced the pair as stories from B's long past; Penguin Random House lists the paperback as published April 2, 2024. BOOM! announcement · publisher listing |
| Bloodlines Vol. 2 | A Faceful of Bullets #1; The Lost Book of B. #1 | A second collection of the historical specials. Its two stories are best approached after Vol. 1, even if a collection presents them in a different internal order. |
| Blood Oaths Vol. 1 | The Bleeding Tide #1; Light Draws Breath #1 | This is a distinct collection name, scheduled by the publisher for October 27, 2026—not an official Bloodlines Vol. 3. Publisher listing |
Recommended reading order
- BRZRKR Vols. 1–3 (issues #1–12)
- Poetry of Madness #1
- Fallen Empire #1
- A Faceful of Bullets #1
- The Lost Book of B. #1
- The Bleeding Tide #1
- Light Draws Breath #1
Collection readers can substitute Bloodlines Vol. 1 for steps 2–3, Bloodlines Vol. 2 for steps 4–5, and Blood Oaths Vol. 1 for steps 6–7 after the latter is released. The Book of Elsewhere is a related prose novel, not a Bloodlines comic collection; read it after the original twelve issues rather than between two specific one-shots.
What the stories cover
Poetry of Madness places B in legendary Atlantis, while Fallen Empire follows the remembered destruction of Olos. Those settings do not come with defensible modern calendar years, so an exact timeline would be invented. BOOM!'s collection announcement confirms that Vol. 1 pairs those stories and frames them as separate episodes from B's past.
A Faceful of Bullets moves to the nineteenth-century American West. The Lost Book of B. is anchored to the thirteenth-century Mongol world and B's service under Genghis Khan. Those historical references give readers useful context, but they do not make the whole Bloodlines branch one continuous chronological story.
The later one-shots extend the same broad historical reading route. The Bleeding Tide uses a maritime setting; Light Draws Breath begins in the Bronze Age and follows an independent life created from material taken during B's regeneration. The publisher's current Blood Oaths Vol. 1 listing identifies both as the collected stories and names Marjorie Liu, China Miéville, Season Butler, Garry Brown, and Alessio Avallone among the credited creators.
Bloodlines versus Blood Oaths
The distinction matters for readers and collectors. Bloodlines is the official label for the first two collections of four historical one-shots. Blood Oaths Vol. 1 is the announced collection for the next two. They belong in the same broad guide because each explores B's past with different creators and settings, but they should not be given the same collection name.
Frequently asked questions
What does *Bloodlines Vol. 1* collect?
It collects BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness #1 and BRZRKR: Fallen Empire #1.
What does *Bloodlines Vol. 2* collect?
It collects BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets #1 and BRZRKR: The Lost Book of B. #1.
Is there a *Bloodlines Vol. 3*?
No official Bloodlines Vol. 3 is listed in the current publisher record. The Bleeding Tide and Light Draws Breath are collected as BRZRKR: Blood Oaths Vol. 1.
Should I read Bloodlines before the main series?
For a first reading, read BRZRKR #1–12 first. The historical one-shots work best once B's immortality and the modern story have been established.
Are the one-shots part of BRZRKR's published comic line?
Yes. They are official published specials, though exact historical dates and the reliability of individual in-story accounts should not be overstated.
Is *The Book of Elsewhere* part of Bloodlines?
No. It is a related prose novel by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, not a Bloodlines comic collection.