by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, and Santi Arcas
Lazarus is a comic about a dysopian future where North America has been carved up between plutocrat families and where humanity has been divided between powerful Family, a privileged group of Serf specialists, and hordes of wretched, impoverished Waste. The protagonist of the comic is Forever Carlyle, the genetically engineered super solider "Lazarus" for her powerful family. In Lazarus: Lift we see Forever work to foil a terrorist plot and get glimpses into her terrifying childhood spent training and conditioning to be her family's loyal enforcer. We are also introduced to the Barrets, a Waste family, on a desperate pilgrimage to be made Serfs and lifted out of squalor. Lazarus is a really good comic: the story is solid and the art is endlessly atmospheric. Lazarus is also not a very fun comic. I find it far too prescient, far too much the logical extrapolation of the worst trends of hyper-capitalism, economic inequality, environmental disaster, and authoritarianism for it to be a good time. It is hard to look at a cautionary tale of impending doom and find it full of laughs and awesome moments. But Lazarus is interesting, gripping, and probably one of the most uncomfortably engrossing reads I've had in recent memory. From a series structure Lazarus: Lift feels like the first real act in what promises to be a challenging and worthwhile story. Just be ready to be terrified.
Word count: 232
Previously:
Lazarus Vol. 1
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