Jul
31
2015
0

Lazarus #18 Review

Written by: Greg Rucka

Art by: Michael Lark

Publisher: Image Comics

The opening panels to Lazarus #18 are some of the best of the series. The minimalist dialogue is used only for the purpose of fleshing out the world a little bit – something Greg Rucka has a penchant for. But these panels truly belong to Michael Lark. He perfectly captures Forever’s fluid movements, initially creating a sense of dread before allowing Forever to cut loose a little while taking out some of Hock’s soldiers. These panels, while violent, are things of beauty, from Forever’s shadowy silhouette to the petrified movements of the Hock soldiers. In addition to the art being great, it perfectly portrays Forever in her element – something we haven’t seen in a little while.

This issue continues the two major story arcs currently being pursued in Lazarus. Both involve the war between the Carlyles and the Hocks, though they are remarkably different. In typical Lazarus style, Rucka and Lark strike the perfect balance between exciting action sequences and suspenseful political subterfuge. Forever is, of course, still continuing her assault on Hock territory. In this issue, her supporting cast is fleshed out a bit more, which is nice. Of course, we already knew one of these characters form the Lift story arc, and her and Forever share a pretty great moment towards the end of the issue, right before a cliffhanger that’s probably not going to result in anything too surprising. Nevertheless, it still has some shock value, which I have to imagine is the main reason for its existence.

The second plot line follows Michael Barrett and the rest of the Carlyles at Puget Sound, as they try to maintain their alliances with other families while searching for a cure to save Malcolm Carlyle. The two are intrinsically linked, and this is where the book’s political side comes into play. Though it’s brief, we get some interplay between families, which is always cool to see. This is more Barrett’s story than anyone else’s – he probably gets the most page time of all the characters at Puget Sound. that said, we do get to check in with other characters – Sonja, Bethany, James Mann, Marisol, and Johanna all get their moments. These brief character moments are really the driving force behind this book. Forever’s the main character, but the supporting cast is just as important to the book as she is.

Lazarus #18 is exceptionally well written and looks great. At this point, neither of these should come as a huge surprise for those who have been reading the series from the beginning. The quality has remained consistent, and this issue is no exception. It’s great, and I probably couldn’t recommend it any more than I already have. Still, I’m going to continue to rave about it every month because, well, the quality of the book warrants someone raving about it.