In a dystopian near-future, government is a quaint concept, resources are coveted, and possession is 100% of the law. A handful of Families rule, jealously guarding what they have and exploiting the Waste who struggle to survive in their domains. Forever Carlyle defends her family's holdings through deception and force as their protector, their Lazarus.
I believe I learned about this book from the Sliver of Ice blog, which reviews comics. While I read superhero comics as an adolescent, I've found that deeper stories are of more interest to me as an adult.
The story is told in the art without words on several pages of this graphic novel. The story drops you straight into a family melodrama. Some of it is over-the-top, but it sets the stage for the story. I look forward to reading more of Lazarus.
I hadn’t reached my graphic novel quota on the last day of May so I delved into my Humble Bundle hodgepodge of comics for something quick and pulled out the first volume of Lazarus, story by Greg Rucka and art by Michael Lark. It contains the first four issues and a “short” although it seemed to be a very short volume compared to others I’ve read. By the time I got into it, it was over and I felt a bit disappointed.
The world-building isn’t handed to you on a plate, which is fine (and usually good) but it did mean I didn’t quite get all the references. In a near-future, the world is run by “families”. It was unclear to me if they’re actual families or constructed. Forever is part of the Carlyle family, who don’t seem all that nice yet she fawns over her father, assumingly the head …
I hadn’t reached my graphic novel quota on the last day of May so I delved into my Humble Bundle hodgepodge of comics for something quick and pulled out the first volume of Lazarus, story by Greg Rucka and art by Michael Lark. It contains the first four issues and a “short” although it seemed to be a very short volume compared to others I’ve read. By the time I got into it, it was over and I felt a bit disappointed.
The world-building isn’t handed to you on a plate, which is fine (and usually good) but it did mean I didn’t quite get all the references. In a near-future, the world is run by “families”. It was unclear to me if they’re actual families or constructed. Forever is part of the Carlyle family, who don’t seem all that nice yet she fawns over her father, assumingly the head of the family.
What makes Forever different is that she’s a Lazarus. She cannot be killed and therefore she is used to handle the family’s dirty work. Yet the other members of her family don’t appear to want her around.
I don’t feel I read enough to get a good feeling of the series, which is something I would expect from a bind-up volume. I thought it had potential… yet I would worry that Forever’s daddy issues might grate, but they could do something interesting with it.
If you fancy this series, then I would be inclined to suggest getting more than one volume to start off. I might pick up volume two at some point, but a few weeks on from finishing, I’m not as tempted to buy another as I was when I was in the midst of reading. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether it’s worth continuing!
