Lazarus vol. 8: Rise

Forever Carlyle, Lazarus to Family Carlyle, has gone rogue along with her sister/replacement Infinity.  They’re ready to end the grip the Families have over the world, but they won’t be able to do it alone.  That’s why they’re looking to hook up with the Free – a group of rebels who have managed an underground resistance without getting wiped out.  Meanwhile, Malcolm Carlyle is busy reasserting control over his family and trying to get back the one thing he wants most:  A Lazarus.  The only thing is that he wants his previous one dead first and he might find himself having to do a lot more killing to achieve that than he expects.

I had thought that this was the penultimate volume of “Lazarus,” but a quick internet search before writing this told me otherwise.  This final arc is currently planned to run for twenty issues, so we’re not quite a third of the way there yet.  Which is actually a good thing as vol. 8 is more concerned with easing you back into the world of the series than ramping up the action in preparation for the end.  So prepare to soak in the relaxed but sharp plotting from writer Greg Rucka and the gritty yet seasonal vistas from artist Michael Lark

What action we have here is good and the drama is quite solid too.  Usually when Malcom is front and center as he re-asserts himself as an utter bastard here, though it’s hard not to respect his intelligence and ability to command the room while doing so.  What’s odd is that it feels like he’s driving most of the story here in his pursuit of Forever, while she’s just reacting in her attempt to stay one step ahead of him.  That changes on the final page as a long-running mystery from the series is finally answered in a way that promises more excitement from its ostensible protagonist’s perspective next time.