We liked “Lazarus” #1. We really liked it. But a good #1 isn’t the hard part, the hard part is keeping that same quality going forward. Thankfully, this is Greg Rucka and Michael Lark we’re talking about and not only did they keep the same quality, but they got better.
Written by Greg Rucka
Illustrated by Michael Lark
“FAMILY,” Part Two – The Carlyle Family has been attacked by their enemies to the south, and Forever’s father suspects a conspiracy amongst his children. To root it out, he sends Forever into the arms of the enemy, Family Morray.
Rucka and Lark really showed last issue that they know how to create an effective, morally ambiguous dystopia that feels authentic. Here, in the second issue, they continue that trend by focusing on the Carlyle family and showing that they can create incredibly three-dimensional characters that already feel full formed. Even from the first pages, every family member shown feels and looks distinct and is entirely memorable and engaging. It’s only from masters of their crafts like Rucka and Lark that introducing four characters in the first five pages of the comic can not only look easy, but can engage the reader instantly and show them how vastly different each character is. It’s truly astonishing to see how easy they make it look and how well it reads.
While the rest of the Carlyle family is introduced here, the focus of the comic is still firmly on the titular Lazarus of the Carlyle family, Forever. Forever reads like the protagonists that Rucka writes best: women who are fierce and loyal and headstrong and powerful. In a medium that so often pushes aside the women in the story as love interests, it’s amazing to see a character like Forever not only exist, but get the spotlight in the comic. We also see in this issue that the mystery surrounding Forever and her true nature as a Lazarus is starting to form. Two of the Carlyle’s almost let something slip, but it’s just enough to intrigue the reader into knowing something is off. It’s a very smart play on the part of Rucka and Lark, drawing the reader into their long game.
Rucka has shown in this issue that his writing of characters as fully formed, three-dimensional people can engross the reader in the world that he and Lark created, but that wouldn’t work half as well without Lark there to visualise that world with his pencils. Lark’s design of the Carlyle estate doesn’t feel like it’s from a dystopia or even from science fiction; it feels like a manor for the incredibly wealthy existing in the near future. However, as soon as we leave the estate and get a glimpse of California, Lark details slums and over-population, destruction and poverty in three very simple, but effective panels. It’s yet another layer that engages the reader in the world they’ve built.
If there’s only one complaint I can bring myself to voice about this issue, it’s that it is a very slow burn. Rucka and Lark are taking us into this world and this journey very slowly and developing the world as they go. It’s not necessarily a bad thing and, in fact, works so as not to overwhelm the reader with this world and these characters. However, it leaves little to be talked about from the issue. The focus of this issue is definitely on the characters of the Carlyle family and that family dynamic and how things may not be so idyllic for the wealthy as one would think. This issue works because Rucka’s dialogue between the family members is so sharp that it’s hard not to get swept up in it. Lark’s pencils soak the world in a grim reality that keeps the world feeling authentic and real despite the fantastic dystopia it exists in. The series is at a stage where they are using the characters to engage the reader in the world and using that to further the story and it works. When those last pages roll around, the month long wait for the next issue seems forever away.
Slow burn, character oriented, dystopian fiction is tricky to pull off with comics. The serialisation of the story means it’s a difficult task to keep the story flowing at a pace where not everything pays off a once, but the reader also doesn’t feel like they’re are sitting waiting for something to happen. Thankfully, Rucka and Lark have nailed that balance perfectly thanks to wonderful characters and a world design that speaks volumes in a handful of panels. These are two amazing creators at the top of their game working together on a book that should have readers engrossed for a long time coming. And while it’s nothing something that usually gets a mention, but the issue’s back-matter in addition to a letter column provides even more world building in the form of a timeline of the Carlyle family. That’s the kind of attention to detail that makes this book great.
Final Verdict: 9.2 – Definite buy. You’ll be on this book for the long haul.
