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Lazarus #27-28 + Lazarus: Risen
Lazarus: The Fourth Collection
It all culminates here, as Lazarus battles Lazarus and Forever ends the war.
Forever Carlyle is a Lazarus, genetically engineered to be an unkillable weapon wielded by the Carlyle Family. Controlled by the mechanisms of her father, Malcolm Carlyle, she has inched ever closer to the truth not only of herself, but of the world the Families have made—a world where very few hold dominion over everything and everyone.
In the unending hunger for more, the Families have waged war the last several years. Amidst this carnage, Forever has discovered truths not just about herself but about her 14 year-old “sister,” Eight, the clone being groomed to eventually replace her.
Now, in alliance with her sister Johanna, the acting Head of the Carlyle Family, Forever has a plan. If it works, the war will end, Carlyle will triumph, and most importantly, Forever and Eight will obtain what they have been denied—they will move from slavery to freedom.
But every family has its secrets, and every secret has its cost. Her father has a plan, too, one that involves his eternal rival, Jakob Hock. Truth, like freedom, will be paid for in blood….
This fourth deluxe hardcover collects LAZARUS #27 and #28, and for the first time, the complete seven-issue run of LAZARUS: RISEN, with extras.
Forever Carlyle is a Lazarus, genetically engineered to be an unkillable weapon wielded by the Carlyle Family. Controlled by the mechanisms of her father, Malcolm Carlyle, she has inched ever closer to the truth not only of herself, but of the world the Families have made—a world where very few hold dominion over everything and everyone.
In the unending hunger for more, the Families have waged war the last several years. Amidst this carnage, Forever has discovered truths not just about herself but about her 14 year-old “sister,” Eight, the clone being groomed to eventually replace her.
Now, in alliance with her sister Johanna, the acting Head of the Carlyle Family, Forever has a plan. If it works, the war will end, Carlyle will triumph, and most importantly, Forever and Eight will obtain what they have been denied—they will move from slavery to freedom.
But every family has its secrets, and every secret has its cost. Her father has a plan, too, one that involves his eternal rival, Jakob Hock. Truth, like freedom, will be paid for in blood….
This fourth deluxe hardcover collects LAZARUS #27 and #28, and for the first time, the complete seven-issue run of LAZARUS: RISEN, with extras.
416 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2025
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Greg Rucka
1,486 books1,914 followersGreg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 7, 2025
(Zero spoiler review) 2.5/5
I had been waiting years for this. I don't believe that there has been a comic, possibly any piece of writing, that I was looking forward to as much as this. And with such anticipation, disappointment is all but guaranteed. A twenty one year old Jennifer Connelly could have jumped out of the book, topless, and started making me a sandwich and I would still have somehow found a way to feel let down by this. That didn't happen (sadly), but you best believe there is very legitimate reasons to be disappointed by this.
I recall hearing it said a long time ago, Greg Rucka mentioned having a hundred or more issues of story for this series. And given the glacially slow release schedule this book has been on for over half a decade, it very much seems that he chose to speed run the ending. Condensing what may have been a far richer and more rewarding tale into a monumentally underwhelming effort that fails to meet, much less improve upon the brilliance that came before.
Given how modern times have infested pop culture / nerd-dom/ life in general, I had dim hopes that Lazarus, this (mostly) product of the mid 2010's could escape untainted. And whilst it could have been worse, it really could have been better. Giving Forever that heinous buzz cut has to go down as one of the great comics blunders of the 21st century, and believe me, there is no end of stiff competition. Any narrative need for this is flimsy at best, yet Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could have seen the stupidity of it a mile away. It was / is an unforgivable slight on my best girl.
And then there is the actual ending itself. A quick check (as I was studiously avoiding any chance of spoilers so had avoided looking into this series at all) reveals that no further single issues have been released for this in years, so its safe to assume, the story is done. And yet if this is the ending we get, then fuck me with a pineapple, it is the drizzling shits on steroids. There is no way, and I mean no way that the excellent first two thirds of this series was ever going to end like this if done as planned. But here it is before me in all it's glory, no matter how much I wish it wasn't.
Previous characters are awkwardly shoe horned in despite serving no further purpose in the story. Other characters are ignored entirely and left hanging in the most amateurish of ways. The rich and interesting world building disappears, so what was once a captivating, engaging sci/fi thriller is now an increasingly shrinking tale of minimal import. Shrinking to the point of insignificance, mind. And then there's the time skips and characters jumping all over the map...
Other characters receive the table scraps of an ending and are posthumously forgotten about as quickly as you can say Game of Thrones season 8. No, it's not that bad, Season 7, maybe, not not 8. But god damn this is weak.
The more I sit here and ruminate on this, the more it festers. The more my indignance turns to outright anger. Anyone who thinks this is anything beyond barely competent doesn't understand storytelling to any nominal degree. And Michael Lark's art (which I love) seems to have undergone a noticeable downgrade by the end. Maybe he was just as pissed off as I am?
Is it really, truly awful? No. God only knows I've read much worse. But compared to how good it was, this feels like a betrayal from a dear friend. Let this be a lesson to you, kids. Never, ever get your hopes up for anything. It hurts too much when it all goes to shit. 2.5/5
OmniBen.
I had been waiting years for this. I don't believe that there has been a comic, possibly any piece of writing, that I was looking forward to as much as this. And with such anticipation, disappointment is all but guaranteed. A twenty one year old Jennifer Connelly could have jumped out of the book, topless, and started making me a sandwich and I would still have somehow found a way to feel let down by this. That didn't happen (sadly), but you best believe there is very legitimate reasons to be disappointed by this.
I recall hearing it said a long time ago, Greg Rucka mentioned having a hundred or more issues of story for this series. And given the glacially slow release schedule this book has been on for over half a decade, it very much seems that he chose to speed run the ending. Condensing what may have been a far richer and more rewarding tale into a monumentally underwhelming effort that fails to meet, much less improve upon the brilliance that came before.
Given how modern times have infested pop culture / nerd-dom/ life in general, I had dim hopes that Lazarus, this (mostly) product of the mid 2010's could escape untainted. And whilst it could have been worse, it really could have been better. Giving Forever that heinous buzz cut has to go down as one of the great comics blunders of the 21st century, and believe me, there is no end of stiff competition. Any narrative need for this is flimsy at best, yet Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could have seen the stupidity of it a mile away. It was / is an unforgivable slight on my best girl.
And then there is the actual ending itself. A quick check (as I was studiously avoiding any chance of spoilers so had avoided looking into this series at all) reveals that no further single issues have been released for this in years, so its safe to assume, the story is done. And yet if this is the ending we get, then fuck me with a pineapple, it is the drizzling shits on steroids. There is no way, and I mean no way that the excellent first two thirds of this series was ever going to end like this if done as planned. But here it is before me in all it's glory, no matter how much I wish it wasn't.
Previous characters are awkwardly shoe horned in despite serving no further purpose in the story. Other characters are ignored entirely and left hanging in the most amateurish of ways. The rich and interesting world building disappears, so what was once a captivating, engaging sci/fi thriller is now an increasingly shrinking tale of minimal import. Shrinking to the point of insignificance, mind. And then there's the time skips and characters jumping all over the map...
Other characters receive the table scraps of an ending and are posthumously forgotten about as quickly as you can say Game of Thrones season 8. No, it's not that bad, Season 7, maybe, not not 8. But god damn this is weak.
The more I sit here and ruminate on this, the more it festers. The more my indignance turns to outright anger. Anyone who thinks this is anything beyond barely competent doesn't understand storytelling to any nominal degree. And Michael Lark's art (which I love) seems to have undergone a noticeable downgrade by the end. Maybe he was just as pissed off as I am?
Is it really, truly awful? No. God only knows I've read much worse. But compared to how good it was, this feels like a betrayal from a dear friend. Let this be a lesson to you, kids. Never, ever get your hopes up for anything. It hurts too much when it all goes to shit. 2.5/5
OmniBen.
June 4, 2025
Another really good book for this series, still really enjoying this!
For some reason I was convinced this was the last book of the series but after reading the end and doing some googling it isn’t the end which makes sense. This is a lot less action packed than the last book but instead there are a lot of interesting revelations to do with the Carlyle family which was equally enjoyable as constant badass action for me.
Overall I’m looking forward to seeing where they take this next.
For some reason I was convinced this was the last book of the series but after reading the end and doing some googling it isn’t the end which makes sense. This is a lot less action packed than the last book but instead there are a lot of interesting revelations to do with the Carlyle family which was equally enjoyable as constant badass action for me.
Overall I’m looking forward to seeing where they take this next.
October 6, 2025
This is (as the title implies) the fourth hardcover collection of Lazarus, which has been my monthly comic of choice through the summer. It is mostly fun cyberpunk action and soap opera with occasionally-validated pretensions of depth and themes of oppression and socioeconomic inequality and – though I can feel the wheels starting to rattle as we reach the point where the big mysteries finally need resolving. More kindly, a lot of that can be put down to production issues – this series has ostensibly been running for more than a decade, and has a bit under 50 issues across three titles to show for it. The results – in plot points rushed over and revelations that don’t really land – are unfortunately but non-fatally obvious.
Set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where a much-reduced humanity is ruled over like feudal serfs by a select elite of oligarchical families born from the old world’s elite, the series continues to primarily follow Forever Carlyle. Forever is the titular Lazarus, the transhuman operative, assassin, and bodyguard created to champion and defend the interests of the family she’s been conditioned to believe is her own. This collection sees things going well for her, after one-too-many near death experiences – forming a real working partnership with her sister Johanna, annihilating two rival Families and upending the balance of the grinding, 5-year world war for the umpteenth time, and – most importantly – meeting and starting to talk and plan with her replacement, the currently teenaged Forever-Eight. It’s the family drama – with Johanna, with Eight, and with Forever’s ostensible parents – that’s the core of the book, and on the whole it very much does work. I am compelled by these terrible, terrible people.
There’s also much, much more. Most of the collection is issues of Lazarus: Risen, a (very, hilariously theoretically) quarterly release of 60-70 page issues. That leaves plenty of room for sideplots and tangents, including a whole (really very good) issue dedicated to a couple C-list supporting characters and their travails that fill out the world a bit. It also means that in addition to the usual letter column science news and/or political essay (and/or, increasingly, explanation and apology for the ‘quarterly’ issue taking 9-12 months to release), there’s room for even more back pages content. This is used in part to publish supplementary material for the licensed Lazarus tabletop rpg setting which apparently exists (something I can’t help but find incredibly charming) and a 3-5 page short story exploring some odd corner of the setting at the end of each issue.
It probably doesn’t say much for my appreciation of comics as an art form that the short stories and their 1-2 evocative illustrations apiece are up there as some of my favourite parts of he whole sprawling series? All from the largely-ignored perspective of the oppressed masses (whether trusted agents, simple workers, or penal labour slowly dying in a prison-factory), and often from the perspectives of those ruled by families who the narrative hasn’t bothered giving much if any attention before. They do good – and vitally needed – work returning a bit of the focus to the wider sociological themes the story aspires to and away from conspiratorial family drama and intrigue. And, despite the total grab-bag of authors, they’re all consistently at least decently written (which is no easy thing for such high-context stories set in someone else’s world).
Sadly, alongside those highlights there’s a lot that works less well. The war story aspect especially - it’s clear that the creators have just about lost all interest in the Saving Private Ryan pastiches that occupied so many panels in the previous collections. A sentiment I agree with entirely, to be clear, but it’s still painfully clear how the narrative is rushing to wrap up loose ends and call the whole section of the narrative complete (I’m still not entirely sure the actual point of everything with the Zmey was. Beyond ‘scary Russian hulk’, I guess).
By far the bigger issue is the last couple issues and the series of shocking revelations piled into them. Some of it was just execution and the scars of production issues, I’m sure (the whole dramatic reveal of Forever’s mother after half a hundred issues especially landed with a dull thud). But broader than that, the big drawing room scene with the Carlyles and Hock left me with this terrible feeling of the world shrinking, all the effect of depth the story had worked so hard to achieved being revealed as a trick of the light. Which is to say, as we get into the home stretch, it seems increasingly likely that the whole lovingly laid out dystopian world will be revealed as, not the consequence of spiralling inequality, climate change, and political collapse, but instead the result of the arrogant scheming and self-regarding melodrama of, like, three guys. Maybe four. I hate it.
Deeply related to this is how the book clearly intends us to receive the fact that before the collapse Malcolm Carlyle killed and then faked the suicide of his girlfriend as some particularly shocking moral stain, and also that learning this will cause us to be a bit more sympathetic to Doctor Hock. And just – no! Both of these men rule as kings, they have death squads and concentration camps! The overwhelming feeling of reading the final issue is a cousin of the fantasy cliche of the hero who will blithely slaughter a hundred guards by refuse to murder the Evil Prince or whoever – an incredibly clear expectation that this incestuous hyper-elite are the ones I should care about. Or, well, that’s probably being too dramatic by half, but still. It irks. Violently. And that’s not even mentioning the damage to verisimilitude if this all really does turn out to be one sprawling century-long Machiavellian plot.
Anyway, it all still is a fun enough read. The current (final, theoretically) run is actually releasing monthly now, at a glance. So when it finally finishes and get bundled, I’ll give it a try. Until then, I’ll need to find a new comic for the last couple of months of the year.
Set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where a much-reduced humanity is ruled over like feudal serfs by a select elite of oligarchical families born from the old world’s elite, the series continues to primarily follow Forever Carlyle. Forever is the titular Lazarus, the transhuman operative, assassin, and bodyguard created to champion and defend the interests of the family she’s been conditioned to believe is her own. This collection sees things going well for her, after one-too-many near death experiences – forming a real working partnership with her sister Johanna, annihilating two rival Families and upending the balance of the grinding, 5-year world war for the umpteenth time, and – most importantly – meeting and starting to talk and plan with her replacement, the currently teenaged Forever-Eight. It’s the family drama – with Johanna, with Eight, and with Forever’s ostensible parents – that’s the core of the book, and on the whole it very much does work. I am compelled by these terrible, terrible people.
There’s also much, much more. Most of the collection is issues of Lazarus: Risen, a (very, hilariously theoretically) quarterly release of 60-70 page issues. That leaves plenty of room for sideplots and tangents, including a whole (really very good) issue dedicated to a couple C-list supporting characters and their travails that fill out the world a bit. It also means that in addition to the usual letter column science news and/or political essay (and/or, increasingly, explanation and apology for the ‘quarterly’ issue taking 9-12 months to release), there’s room for even more back pages content. This is used in part to publish supplementary material for the licensed Lazarus tabletop rpg setting which apparently exists (something I can’t help but find incredibly charming) and a 3-5 page short story exploring some odd corner of the setting at the end of each issue.
It probably doesn’t say much for my appreciation of comics as an art form that the short stories and their 1-2 evocative illustrations apiece are up there as some of my favourite parts of he whole sprawling series? All from the largely-ignored perspective of the oppressed masses (whether trusted agents, simple workers, or penal labour slowly dying in a prison-factory), and often from the perspectives of those ruled by families who the narrative hasn’t bothered giving much if any attention before. They do good – and vitally needed – work returning a bit of the focus to the wider sociological themes the story aspires to and away from conspiratorial family drama and intrigue. And, despite the total grab-bag of authors, they’re all consistently at least decently written (which is no easy thing for such high-context stories set in someone else’s world).
Sadly, alongside those highlights there’s a lot that works less well. The war story aspect especially - it’s clear that the creators have just about lost all interest in the Saving Private Ryan pastiches that occupied so many panels in the previous collections. A sentiment I agree with entirely, to be clear, but it’s still painfully clear how the narrative is rushing to wrap up loose ends and call the whole section of the narrative complete (I’m still not entirely sure the actual point of everything with the Zmey was. Beyond ‘scary Russian hulk’, I guess).
By far the bigger issue is the last couple issues and the series of shocking revelations piled into them. Some of it was just execution and the scars of production issues, I’m sure (the whole dramatic reveal of Forever’s mother after half a hundred issues especially landed with a dull thud). But broader than that, the big drawing room scene with the Carlyles and Hock left me with this terrible feeling of the world shrinking, all the effect of depth the story had worked so hard to achieved being revealed as a trick of the light. Which is to say, as we get into the home stretch, it seems increasingly likely that the whole lovingly laid out dystopian world will be revealed as, not the consequence of spiralling inequality, climate change, and political collapse, but instead the result of the arrogant scheming and self-regarding melodrama of, like, three guys. Maybe four. I hate it.
Deeply related to this is how the book clearly intends us to receive the fact that before the collapse Malcolm Carlyle killed and then faked the suicide of his girlfriend as some particularly shocking moral stain, and also that learning this will cause us to be a bit more sympathetic to Doctor Hock. And just – no! Both of these men rule as kings, they have death squads and concentration camps! The overwhelming feeling of reading the final issue is a cousin of the fantasy cliche of the hero who will blithely slaughter a hundred guards by refuse to murder the Evil Prince or whoever – an incredibly clear expectation that this incestuous hyper-elite are the ones I should care about. Or, well, that’s probably being too dramatic by half, but still. It irks. Violently. And that’s not even mentioning the damage to verisimilitude if this all really does turn out to be one sprawling century-long Machiavellian plot.
Anyway, it all still is a fun enough read. The current (final, theoretically) run is actually releasing monthly now, at a glance. So when it finally finishes and get bundled, I’ll give it a try. Until then, I’ll need to find a new comic for the last couple of months of the year.
October 17, 2025
Not even the super rich are free of the consequences of their actions. A lot of cool family drama happening. The only real disappointment is learning that this isn't the end of the story. Turns out there's a Lazarus Fallen series set to wrap up the story that's coming out right now
September 29, 2025
I read Lazarus #27 and #28, as well as the entirety of Lazarus: Risen, as single issues, so full disclosure on that front - I read the contents of this collection, not the collection itself or any additional goodies it may have. Vice versa, the prose stories at the end of Risen may not have been included in the collection.
I liked this a lot - it was a great return to form for the series. Jonah's story, Forever and Eight's story, so many great plots coming to a head - it felt like the hiatus gave the story time to regain steam. Had a great time, loads of kickass and satisfying moments. I won't lie - reading this issue to issue, the prose stories kind of broke the flow, but most of them were very good and made the world feel more alive.
Barely even noticed Risen's contents being double-sized, which is something Rucka/Lark deserve praise for.
I liked this a lot - it was a great return to form for the series. Jonah's story, Forever and Eight's story, so many great plots coming to a head - it felt like the hiatus gave the story time to regain steam. Had a great time, loads of kickass and satisfying moments. I won't lie - reading this issue to issue, the prose stories kind of broke the flow, but most of them were very good and made the world feel more alive.
Barely even noticed Risen's contents being double-sized, which is something Rucka/Lark deserve praise for.
July 8, 2025
2014: First Collection is released.
2016: Second Collection.
2019: Third Collection.
2025: Fourth Collection is released.
Two years, three years, six years... these are the gaps between each hardcover collection's publication years.
The longer this series goes on, the better it gets, but the wait for the next volume's release gets longer and longer. Not complaining, just saying.
Now it's been announced that there's only one final storyline left, that Messrs. Rucka and Lark are wrapping up their epic. This series has been quite a ride and I'll be sorry to see it end.
I just hope to see it collected in hardcover before 2035!
I don't have the Longevity formula running through my veins, guys! lol
I love Lazarus! Great job!
2016: Second Collection.
2019: Third Collection.
2025: Fourth Collection is released.
Two years, three years, six years... these are the gaps between each hardcover collection's publication years.
The longer this series goes on, the better it gets, but the wait for the next volume's release gets longer and longer. Not complaining, just saying.
Now it's been announced that there's only one final storyline left, that Messrs. Rucka and Lark are wrapping up their epic. This series has been quite a ride and I'll be sorry to see it end.
I just hope to see it collected in hardcover before 2035!
I don't have the Longevity formula running through my veins, guys! lol
I love Lazarus! Great job!
July 1, 2025
This turned out to be a bit of a disappointment especially when compared to the previous volumes. Lark's art continues to impress although I don't think that he was firing on all cylinders for the whole of this volume. It is the script that lets it down a bit and I did find it hard to follow at times - possibly because of the period of time since I read volumes 1-3. The ending left we with a "meh" type feeling. I see that this week (June 2025) a new series of Lazarus has commenced so we will see what comes from that.
May 26, 2025
Some threads are left dangling, but central plot is wrapped up artfully. I see myself rereading this series from start-to-finish soon.
Really impressive that the ending was so cohesive, given the huge gap in publication.
Really impressive that the ending was so cohesive, given the huge gap in publication.
May 9, 2025
(This review covers the complete series)
A gritty, near-future dystopian thriller set in a world ruled by powerful families who treat territory like feudal estates and people like assets. The story follows Forever Carlyle, the genetically enhanced enforcer, or "Lazarus", of her family, as she begins to question her role and the truth behind her origins. The world-building blends science fiction with political drama and military intrigue, with the layered writing and atmospheric, realistic art grounding the story in a sense of physical and emotional weight.
A gritty, near-future dystopian thriller set in a world ruled by powerful families who treat territory like feudal estates and people like assets. The story follows Forever Carlyle, the genetically enhanced enforcer, or "Lazarus", of her family, as she begins to question her role and the truth behind her origins. The world-building blends science fiction with political drama and military intrigue, with the layered writing and atmospheric, realistic art grounding the story in a sense of physical and emotional weight.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews