Lazarus #19

The real power of the issue is, of course, the rise, with its ultra-violent, but almost cathartic characteristics. Lark and Arcas take that scene and break it down with just exceptional pacing that it feels like a hyperventilating cry, but bloody instead of tearful. The juxtaposition of the cool tones in the laboratory and the warm of Forever's movements " their joy and her pain " is just a magnificent example of how carefully this book (and its creators) considers violence and those who perpetrate it. Read Full Review

The last aspect of this issue I want to touch on is the visual story telling. There are, as with the last issue, quite a few panels that are completely silent, and they're some of the best of the issue. However, it's even better when the visual story telling is used to complement the written story telling. There are a few panels where facial expressions and body language are just as important as the dialogue, and they mesh perfectly with one another. The creative team really takes full advantage of the medium, and this entire series " but especially the last couple of issues " have been incredible lessons in how to make comics. Read Full Review

All told, this issue is one more nearly flawless work; it flows easily from one panel to the next and sets the stage for some more of the books signature violent conflict resolution. It also looks like we may get to see Sonja in a body dismembering team up before this arc is complete. I'm excited. Read Full Review

This is another incredibly crafted chapter. Read Full Review

The change in focus works really well here as the secondary characters get more of the spotlight for the first time in this series. Of course as the series has a presumably preset path upon which it is going to unravel some of the mysteries of this world, it would be nearly impossible to tell this story focusing solely on the main character. Her future allies seem set in the discussion of where she is going and only the question is of how she will get there. In the mean time this was an excellent issue to draw some of the focus away from her only in this series and to put it elsewhere. It adds another layer of complexity to the series and helps to elevate by doing so. Read Full Review

LAZARUS deserves far more attention than it receives. It's a smart, expansive story that Rucka, Lark and the rest of the team have clearly put a lot of effort in to. To whit, each issue is packed with back matter, including more information about the Families and their histories, letter submissions and responses, and commentary from Rucka himself on whatever interests him at the time of the writing, which generally relates to technology seen in the book. There aren't a lot of creative teams that could pull off a book like this, but Greg Rucka and Michael Lark are one of the rare teams that consistently hits a home run, 19 issues and counting. LAZARUS #19 pushes the series many plotlines forward a few inches each, and sets the stage for potentially big shifts to take place in future issues. At the heart of it all is Forever, and it'll be interesting to see how her death and resurrection affect her going forward. Read Full Review

Lazarus is building up to something big, as usual. The plot threads have wove themselves together and it looks like the world that Rucka and Lark have built might change profoundly over the next couple of issues. I for one, want to see where that ride goes. Read Full Review

Lazarus returns to its strengths: family betrayals, near-superhuman physical feats, and a dystopia where people are commodities. Read Full Review

Still, this is a brilliant issue that's thrillingly paced and is over all too quickly. Bring on next month where it looks like we get to see Johanna Carlyle's scheming finally come to a no doubt catastrophic conclusion. Read Full Review

JBL Reviews

Feb 01, 2016

Forever is dead then gets up.

Gizmo

Sep 09, 2015

Lazarus is the sum of it's parts, and while this issue in itself in a stepping stone in the progression of the story, it is still a relevant and worthwhile read, coaxing out enough suspense to keep me entertained but not blowing me away as some other issues have.