Lazarus has enjoyed a relatively long run under its publication by Image, and it has done so almost completely through the use of its titular character, the Lazarus protector of the family Carlyle, holding the spotlight for a vast majority of the time in the series.  There have been other moments which have examined the post-apocalyptic world which the character lives in, as well as other asides some as the Lift for the elevation of regular citizens into something more, but Forever Carlyle has maintained most of the focus, whether it be her general appeal as a female superhero or whether it be the questions which pertain to her background.  A little of that changed in the last issue with the closing panels as Forever was shot and presumably killed with a head wound that she did not seem to be getting up from.  The question then becomes exactly what is this series without its main star.

Not surprisingly it is still a lot, and for the first time this gives the other characters time to shine.  With Forever out of commission, the squad questions how to proceed, as after all they were supposed to be a small unit on a covert operation, and without Forever they don’t seem to have much hope for the success of the mission.  Casey, once lifted in Denver and now a soldier, refuses to back down as she takes command and forces the mission to completion.  Meanwhile Michael at the Lazarus compound works feverishly for a solution to the various medical problems, the most obvious of which is Forever’s supposed death.

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.

Story: Greg Rucka Art: Michael Lark
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.  

During the course of its run thus far, Lazarus has been a series of slow developments.  Part of this is a necessity, as a comic series it tells the story in a different way, but the course of world building has to take place at a different pace than what one would expect from a novel or a television show.  This makes the pace its own, but as the setting is dystopian, there is also the necessity to build upon concepts which are perhaps more easily identified in a novel format.  The story has focused on Forever Carlyle, the Lazarus for the family Carlyle, but it has also focused on other developments, specifically at the Denver lift, an event were people move from the discarded proletariat to something more in life.  The previous issue hinted at the first time that these sub-plots intertwined, and this issue promised more of the same.

In one location, Michael is introduced to the closest inner circle of the Carlyle family as he searches for a cure to the poison of the family patriarch.  In the other location, and the sub-plot with more of the attention, Forever works side by side with a squad of soldiers, one of whom includes Casey, who unexpectedly also made the lift in Denver.  The story unfolds separately but also together through its previous connections as Forever slowly makes her way through various enemy positions in the stronghold of Duluth.

As part of the ongoing story in this series it is hard to gauge one issue of the series against each other.  It can easily be said though that this issue at least matches what has come before, while slightly shifting the outlook of the series, as has been implied throughout.  At some point Forever will become aware of the lies which are kept from her, but until that point it will be a sequence of slow developments to put all the pieces in the right place.  This issue does that well enough, and manages to find a few ways to shock at the same time.  Fans of the series will not be disappointed, and this issue might be a sign to those who aren’t that they maybe should be.

Story: Greg Rucka Art: Michael Lark
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.