It has been awhile since the last issue of Lazarus hit the shelves; I was a little worried that this issue disappeared into a black hole or something, but no — it’s finally here now and we can conclude the second arc of the series. How does it all end? Is it good?
Lazarus #9 (Image Comics)
The Barret Family has finally reached The Lift after a painstaking journey. Michael and Casey Solomon (a family friend) head on in to be tested to see if they are worthy for becoming servants for the Carlyle Family. Meanwhile, Forever continues working on finding a man named Angel, who is planning on blowing up the area and taking out a member of the Carlyle Family. What will happen?
Also, time to wrap up that flashback that has been around for a while.
With that, we finish the second arc and my opinion is a mixed one. On one hand, the conclusion for the Barrett Family felt great and reached a well-deserved conclusion, especially after everything that has happened to them. The ending featured intriguing moments and great characterization, even some touching and heartbreaking bits that really worked since we’ve grown so attached to our protagonists.
The flashback storyline with Forever’s origins also came to a good conclusion, as we see her reach a decision that really reflects well and makes sense given her current personality and feelings. I certainly hope we see more follow up down the line on what happened next.
One problem I had is with the whole Lift itself and present Forever’s story in dealing with the bomber. After all the buildup for the Lift throughout these past months and issues, most of it is just really quickly glanced over. I can understand why writer Greg Rucka choose to do that, but it seems anti-climactic after all that buildup. Then there’s the bomber storyline and it’s just ultimately falls flat. Outside of one scene, there’s no real tension there and it also ends in anticlimactic fashion. It does have importance mind you and leads to a great moment in the Barret Family story, but that’s really it.
Regardless, it’s still an enjoyable issue and I’m still satisfied with what I read. The characters were great like usual (though Forever didn’t get much of a chance to shine outside of the flashback), the pacing was tight, the story flowed well, the dialogue was decent, and the ending was great. With how it ended, there’s a lot of potential going forward and I’m excited about the story possibilities that have just opened up. Hopefully, the next issue will be out quickly for us to see what happens next.
The artwork by Michael Lark is genuinely good like usual. The characters are well depicted, the settings and tone are well-done, the colors are beautiful, the artwork is able to capture a lot of the emotion of the characters and setting. The action and panel layouts are especially good this time. The fight scene at the beginning looks really great and flows so very well. Outside of one or two instances of off anatomy and the long waits with the book (seriously, considering how long it took, how was Lark able to keep a schedule when he drew Gotham Central?), this is another fine looking issue for the series.
Is It Good?
Lazarus #9 is a solid conclusion overall to the second arc. Some parts are a bit anti-climactic, but it all mostly came together in the end and featured some fantastic moments. Here’s looking forward to the third arc when it hits.
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