Lazarus, round two.
I’ve decided to give Lazarus a full year before passing any harsh judgments. Right now, I’m finding the clichéd aspects of writer Greg Rucka’s creator-owned project too difficult to ignore. I was hoping the second issue would move away from the well-worn sci-fi/action movie path, but it hasn’t. Thing is, I trust Rucka. I’ve loved his work in the past, and I’m curious if he’s baiting us with clichés to lull us into a false sense of security before unleashing his master plan. I want to like Lazarus, so I’m going to strap in for a solid year.
My yearlong commitment not withstanding, I can only comment on what’s in front of me. Lazarus #2 expands the central characters hinted at in the first issue. The family Carlyle, one of the few families who run the entire world. Two brothers vie for the approval of their father. Steve Carlyle, reserved, a man who looks before he leaps. Jonah Carlyle, headstrong, violent, quick-tempered and dangerous. Beth Carlyle, scientist, thinker, but with a bad temper. Finally, there’s Johanna Carlyle, though little is said about her. These children, along with their father, are looking to discover who attacked one of the Carlyle compounds.
This brings us to Forever Carlyle, the family Lazarus. She is their soldier, a woman who is crossed with training and science to become the ultimate human specimen. She can heal from multiple gunshots, she is an expert in weaponry, hand-to-hand combat and strategy. While dedicated to her family, Forever Carlyle is at war with herself. What she’s born to do sometimes goes against what she feels needs to be done. As Lazarus #2 unfolds, we discover that there is a secret in the Carlyle family, one only hinted at, but involving Forever.
The clichés in Lazarus come fast and furious. The two brothers, one hot headed, the other cool and calm. The weird incest vibe a la Game of Thrones. The father who favors Forever. The jealousy in the family. The secret behind Forever. Her war with herself. There’s even a scene where a master killer is tracking Forever, but she thwarts him, leaving a note warning him off.
Finally, when Forever walks into Morray territory, she’s confronted by a man who is basically Forever, only male. One after the other, Rucka keeps Lazarus rife with plot points we’ve all seen before. I’m hoping this is a bait and switch, I’m hoping within a year, Lazarus becomes something more than just rehashed sci-fi plots.
The art from Michael Lark is satisfactory, but not overly exciting. Noir shadowing in a story like this is key, but Lark often overdoes it. The backgrounds rarely have enough detail to really show us this new world, and the characters tend to look stagnant. Lark’s real Achilles’ heel is the lack of movement in the panels. Each one sits on the page, there’s no energy to them.
Lazarus is a competently told story, but needs to find its own voice quickly.
(2.5 Story, 2.5 Art)
