Saturday, March 1, 2014

Review- LAZARUS VOL. 1

LAZARUS VOL. 1 (Image, 2013; Softcover)
Collects Lazarus Nos. 1-4 (cover dates June- October, 2013)
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artists: Michael Lark with Stefano Gaudiano and Brian Level
Colorist: Santia Argas

In the not too distant future the super rich will rule all. Families who own things will own lots of things, those who are in their employ are Serfs, while the rest of us (the Waste) are confined to the rubble that was once America. Some of these families (at least the two that we are shown in this book) have genetically and/or cybernetically modified watchdogs called Lazarus, called such because they cannot be killed. The Carlyle family has one called Forever, while the Morrays have their own as well. The Carlyles send Eve (Forever) to Mexico to do trade business with the Morrays, and this is when things hit the fan. I won't say any more, as I don't want to rob you of the joy of discovery.
I am only familiar with Greg Rucka's work on Whiteout, and both books were brilliant. Michael Lark has done tons of good stuff, like Daredevil. This is a fast-paced read that hits all of the sweet spots. Lazarus is filled with over the top action and violence and has some underlying, blatant political commentary. It is a solid, entertaining comic book, and I will be back for volume 2.
Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.
The OCD zone- Image makes good quality trade paperbacks.
DVD-style Extras included in this book: The four page preview which ran in Diamond's Previews #295.
None of the variants or second printing covers are included. To be fair, this book retails for the low low price of $9.99 MSRP. I am just listing their absence because the folks who live and die for The OCD zone want to know these things.
Paper rating: 4.75 out of 5. Decent weight semi-glossy coated stock.
Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.
Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination makes for happy OCD campers.

http://www.instocktrades.com/TP/Image/LAZARUS-TP-VOL-01-%28MR%29/AUG130621

4 comments:

  1. Amazon keeps recommending that I buy this, but I didn't really know what it was until I read this post. Sounds like it's worth a look, for only ten bucks.

    Have you read Gotham Central? That was a really great book by Rucka (and Ed Brubaker, too).

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    1. I have not. I want to but some of those books are out of print. Seems like a good candidate for an Omnibus though.

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    2. Oh, definitely. I didn't realize they were out of print, so yeah, an Omnibus seems pretty likely given the Gotham TV show coming up next fall.

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  2. Kris, I have all 4 hc's you can borrow anytime.

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