Connect with us

Comics

Review: “Lazarus” #8

Published

10 years ago

on

An action-packed sci-fi/western, “Lazarus” #8 presents readers a futuristic thriller that kicks ass every single issue. You don’t ever want to cross paths with Forever Carlyle, but if you do, she better not be pissed off. You won’t be able to resist the eye-catching action sequences that the “Lazarus” series delivers. It was just nominated for the Best New Series Eisner Award, so that tells you something.

lazarus8WRITTEN BY: Greg Rucka
ART BY: Michael Lark
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 21, 2013

Since she was a little girl, Forever Carlyle has been genetically altered to serve and be faithful. She has been trained to obey and protect the Carlyle Family since day one. But Forever has been lately seeing cracks in the political system, which is governed by the wealthy. As society has been divided by the rich and the so-called “waste,” a rebellion is about to take place. A time-ticking bomb is about to go off, taking millions of innocent lives, and Forever doesn’t know where it is.

In the opening pages, writer Greg Rucka provides an exciting flashback into Forever’s training days. As a little girl, we see Forever playing her own type of videogame. With great skill, we see her dodge, sneak away, and take down armored men and women one by one. We get a better understanding of how Forever was raised and that her childhood innocence was lost the day she was born. What’s surprising about this specific training day is that it takes place on Forever’s birthday.

In this installment, The Free are presented as a homeless band of terrorists. One of their members, Angel, has the time-ticking bomb that Forever wants. But whenever she tries to stop them, the Free are always one step away from her. The Free want to rebel against Forever’s sister, Johanna, who is an evil genius. Forever has to choose between stopping the rebellion or protecting a criminal.

I particularly liked how artist Michael Lark depicts Forever’s character design in the opening pages. Though she’s a little girl, Lark doesn’t play off her child-size stature for laughs. Notice how there is a look of awe on Forever’s face when she kills someone. She doesn’t understand the toll it means to actually murder someone. When she is older, those emotional moments are wiped off her face.

Lark also presents a side of the future where there is lack of water and plant life. Denver looks like a never-ending desert in Lark’s wide shot. Because people have no money for gas, they have to revert to the past and depend on horses. Interestingly, the church has hi-tech gadgets to take care of the wandering pilgrims when they enter their mobile hospital.

“Lazarus” #8 is an action-packed romp that doesn’t slow down. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next issue.

Reviewed by Jorge Solis

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

1 day ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

Continue Reading