Since this is still the beginning of this series let me give you a rundown of what this comic is all about. We have the world, probably sometime in the future, run by families. These families hold all the money; hence why they rule the world now. All the other people are just their slaves. They work for the families and are referred to as waste. Each family has a Lazarus; a family member who is trained into becoming their ultimate warrior. They are robot like and serve their family to all ends necessary. Our story focuses on Forever. She is a Lazarus to the Carlyle family. But like any main character, Forever is different. She wants to be a part of the family, but has feelings when she has to kill for them. She is monitored very closely by the family in order to keep her feelings minimal. You would think Lazarus would be all about death, action, suspense, and explosions. But honestly this comic has very little action. At second glance, you will find that the comic has a lot to do about family drama and power. This seems to be a political book; not so much an action adventure. Which I am totally fine with. I just think it needs a disclaimer before reading. The covers are all very “hey I am a badass with my sword and guns. Come at me bro.”
We catch up with Forever trying to make amends with the Morray family. Morray was supposedly behind an attack done on the Carlyle family. Last issue, we knew Forever wasn’t sent there to declare war but instead to do something else; something her father told her. Besides for using slaves in his everyday life and making these people feel worthless in a society based on their work, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Jonah, Forever’s brother, is a different story. Him and Jo, Forever’s sister, are plotting some sort of attack on her. I don’t know what their true intentions are, but their father seems to know everything by his actions. Forever goes through with what her father wanted and it isn’t a huge surprise what his goal is.
I don’t love this comic. It is far from being fully entertaining but still draws on some of my attention. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but I think it has to do with the family drama aspect. It doesn’t seem authentic. Also, Forever just isn’t relatable to the normal audience. I have no connection with her. I get it; she is different and wants to break out. It is a huge selling point when done the right way. She hasn’t even done anything yet to defy her family. So I am confused as to why she thinks she is so different, and why Jonah seems to think she is the problem as well. They keep prolonging the big hook for this comic while they should be speeding it up to keep an interest.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Michael Lark
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 8/28/13