Lazarus, Vol. 5: Cull

Lazarus #22-26

by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark (Illustrator)

The fifth collection of the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestselling series by Eisner winners Michael Lark and Greg Rucka plunges the Sixteen Families into chaos as the world goes to war. But Forever Carlyle, the Lazarus of the Carlyle Family, has been sidelined, and her loyalties are now in question as she struggles to come to terms with who and what she is. To win her trust, her sister Johanna must reveal the Family's most closely-guarded secret -- the truth of Forever Carlyle. Collects issues 22 through 26.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2017

About the author

Greg 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.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When everyone is lying, who can you trust?



Welp, you're not going to get the answer to that question in The Cull. In fact, I think I have even more doubts about who might be on Ever's side now!
But at least our girl gets a few answers to her own origin questions in this one.



And while Ever is trying to sort out what to do with the information she's learned, the rest of the Lazaruses she's friendly with are fighting together to win the war. I liked getting to know those guys a bit, to be honest. Fun group!



The ending, though? Man, I did not see that coming.
And now I have to chew my fingernails till the next volume comes out!



I don't know where this is headed, but I'm fully onboard with this title!
Highly recommended.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In which my girlfriend Forever Carlyle of the Mutant Lego Click-On Hair (FCotMLCOH™) *waves at Anne* is feeling kinda sorta under the weather after getting her lovely ass slightly kicked in the previous instalment and stuff.

This is definitely the mostest bestest volume in this series so far. Why, you ask? Because it has everything. And by that I mean every bloody shrimping thing.

① Michael Lark's most wondrous art :
There is the yummilicious cover, obviously. And there is also lickable stuff like this:







② Super packed, supercharged plot :
War, political intrigue and maneuvering, genetic engineering, spoiler spoiler spoiler, and much delightful scheming and backstabbing to be had here, courtesy of the loving, thoughtful, affectionate families that rule this lovely world. Think of it as a cute, dystopian Care Bears land peopled by heartless, cunning, treacherous, deceitful generous, considerate, benevolent, caring human beings. It really is quite enchanting. And never fails to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.



See what I mean? All is love, warmth and compassion in this world.

③ Twists and revelations and surprises galore :
Which I can't tell you about because spoiler spoiler spoiler, obviously. What I can tell you, however, is that all these shockers didn't sit too well with my Forever. And now she is slightly pissed off.



I smell lots of exquisitely slaughterish things to come. Yum.

④ Glorious battles and stupendous fights to the death and gruesome combat and stuff :
So much crazy action in this volume there is. So many things that go boom. So many delicious gallons of blood and gore. So many heart-warming Off with their Limbs Moments (OwtLM™).







So much sword-wielding lusciousness. It really is a thing of beauty and stuff. Here, have some more:



You're welcome.

⑤ A new homicidal boyfriend for lucky little me :



Joaquim Morray, you and your pork swords are mine mine mine.

⑥ A new badass girlfriend for lucky little me :







Sonja dear, you are so hot you make my exoskeleton tingle.

» And the moral of this Oh My Shrimpness This is So Good I Might Die Please Give Me the Next Volume Now Or Else Dun Dun Duuuun Crappy Non Review (OMSTiSGIMDPGMtNVNoEDDDCNR™) is:



Duh.

Chronological Reading Order:
· Volume 1: Family ★★★★
· Volume 2: Lift ★★★
· Volume 3: Conclave ★★★★
· Volume 4: Poison ★★★★
· Volume 5: Cull ★★★★★
· Lazarus X+66 (side stories about supporting characters) ★★★★
· Fracture: Prelude 1 (issue #27, previously published in digital format only and now included in vol. 7) ★★★★
· Fracture: Prelude 2 (issue #28, previously published in digital format only and now included in vol. 7) ★★★★
· Volume 6: Fracture I ★★
· Volume 7: Fracture II ★★★

· Sourcebook Collection Vol One ★★★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

Dat cover.

Dat volume.

Dat glorious display of severed limbs.



Dis is bliss.

➽ Full I'm a Total Comic/Graphic Novel/Whatever Neophyte But Bloody Shrimping Hell This is One of the Best Comic/Graphic Novel/Whatever Series I've Ever Read Crappy Non Review (IaTCGNWNBBSHTiOofBCGNWSIERCNR™) to come.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

One volume a year. I read one volume every year of this comics series, in the summer, because it comes out annually. Ach. Volume 4 I read in May 2016, so of course I had to review it to remember what is going on. This is a dystopian series by Greg Rucka, drawn by Michael Lark, set in a time when the world is ruled by rich Mafia-like families who are Medici-level murderous, incestuous, back-stabbing, all that. We don’t really get to know or care about most of them, and there are too many characters to follow/care about, but we do care about Forever Carlyle, the apparently indestructible “Lazarus” for the family Carlyle.

This is the most eventful volume so far, by far. So after a lot of very little happening, over four volumes (or little I recall, at least!), suddenly there is a flurry of activity. There’s a war on, and the volume culminates with a big-as-promised battle which action-freaks will appreciate, but for my money the most interesting thing about the volume is that Forever, having recovered (duh, of course) from horrific wounds she suffered in the battle of Duluth, in the last volume, learns The Truth about her being a man-made cyber Lazarus by her family. Daddy Carlyle, recovering from a poison attack, who says he likes his “daughter” Forever best, what will his relationship to her be now that she knows? So Forever, (or Lazarus model 8, as she discovers) has decisions to make about alliances.

Everything in early volumes felt generic to me, beautifully drawn by Lark (I liked his work on Gotham Central, with Ed Brubaker, at lot), but not really engaging, though there’s a hint of a promise for a Big Finish in this volume where surprises and Big Reveals take place. One neglected aspect of this series that could (I hope) play a role in the coming political alignment is how The Waste (the 99%, all of us who are not rich families like the Carlyles) will be involved.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I defy you to not like this series. Rucka's world building is complex and well thought out. Imagine if in the future, 20 or so Medici-like families ruled the Earth. War has come to the globe and in particular the family Carlyle. Forever is recovering from the injuries she received in the last volume, while the other Lazuri advance the front in Europe. Michael Lark's art and ability to draw action scenes are stunning. Now I'll probably have to wait another year for volume 6 unfortunately.

[ScottIsANerd (GrilledCheeseSamurai) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid volume. Forever is recuperating from the ass kicking she took in the last volume so much of the action in this one is left to Sonja, another Lazeri from the Bittner family. But that's okay cuz Sonja is badass.

A lot of talking going down in this one - which is good cuz that means things are starting to come together. Forever is figuring things out and gathering allies. I don't think I would want to be a member of the Carlyle family for much longer.

This series is consistently good and I find myself looking forward to the trades whenever they come out. Lots of intrigues, lots of action, solid writing and pretty good art. Hard to say no.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so consistently GOOD!

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didnt think this series could get much better. Its constantly surprising me with its direction in the plot. The world buidling is amazing. This would make an awesome film/tv show. Highly recommended!!

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series I've been following for some time and it's one I very much enjoy. What I like about this is the balance between action, adventure, warfare and emotion. We follow Forever and Eight as characters in this volume, and we see how much of a scar and burden being the Lazarus can be. It's draining, both physically and mentally, but most of all it's exhausting emotionally for Forever and for her family who have been keeping secrets about how she's made for many years.

I would say this one felt like it had a good balance of emotion and conflict, but I didn't feel quite as into the story as the previous volumes so I'm giving this 4*s. Still a series I'll continue with :)

[Artemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be the most event-packed volume of the entire series so far, and I really like the way the story escalates. Really, the only problem I have with this series by this point is how stupid the russian family name is (Vassalovka is not a legit russian name, nor is Kassia or most other russian names made up by pretty much all western writers, for that matter — I'm used to it, but I'll never be able to not cringe at that).

[Gucifi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The comic was so terrific.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of story packed in this volume. All sorts of story threads are coming together, with Families fighting all over the world, with Sonja helping the Carlyles, while Forever recovers from her grievous injuries in Duluth, and gives her family the evil eyeball every time they talk to her. Joanna, the scheming sister, as Head of Family, makes some interesting decisions about Forever, and expresses rather divergent opinions from the rest of her family, and decides to take a different approach to Forever by telling and showing the Lazarus the truth.
Meanwhile, looks like Forever's potential relationship with Joaquin has had a hiccup. Okay, more like a roadblock, with big swords.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very violent. Twisty. A lot of blood. Good storytelling.



Wow, and what an ending to this volume. I hope that this will all get wrapped up in the next one! Which isn‘t out yet. I seem to have found my first comic series that I will subscribe to, so I don‘t miss what happens next. The story telling is just that good.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need this series in hardbacks. One of the best graphic novels I've ever read.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series. One of the best, most carefully-crafted, dystopian futures currently on display anywhere. Rucka's vision of a future world controlled by corporation-families is a logical outgrowth of many currently-developing political threads. This time out, as Forever Carlyle, the Lazarus of family Carlyle, recovers from grievous wounds suffered in the battle of Duluth, the political infighting and maneuvering among the various families continues, with the Rausling family taking over much of the European continent formerly controlled by the Bittner family. The Carlyle coalition moves in to take the continent back, bolstered by the presence of the lazari of the Bittner, Morray, and Armitage families. Back home, the maneuvering within the Carlyle family continues, as daughter Johanna, the acting head-of-family in her father's absence (still recovering from a poison attack), looks to solidify her control by telling Forever the truth about her origins, including the fact that there's another Forever, model 8, currently being trained to eventually take her place. It's a complicated mixture of motives and backbiting, but Rucka does a good job of keeping things pretty clear. And it helps, as always, to have the clear, detailed artwork of Michael Lark. This is one of my favorite series and, as always, I'm excited to see where it goes next. Thanks to the publicists at Image for a galley preview.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah this shit getting GOOD.

The inter-family wars are escalating, the body politics around the Lazari is fascinating and the political intrigue within and between families is making me VERY FUCKING SAD I’m all caught up now, and have to wait another couple of years for a chunky dose of Lazarus.

Now that we see just how sociopath is even the Carlyle family treatment of Forever is, it’s even more compelling to watch Joanna take complete control of the Family and its dubious choices - like whether and how to confess to a Forever just how much of a lab project she is, and how to conduct war when you can’t really trust anyone (even today’s allies).

Makes me so fucking glad that my trust issues and paranoia don’t have to be tested daily like this.

I was thinking, it must be such a blast for Rucka and Lark to setup these global sociopathic scenarios and then get to play chess master with the characters. I’d hate to have to deal with them personally, but it’s so much fun to watch them run up against (and sometimes, to kill) one another.

Rucka does his homework - both in constructing military-esque dialogue that sounds suitably condensed, and in giving each of his characters (women especially) distinct personality flaws and runs with them.

[Machiavelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Lazarus Vol. 5: The Cull* by Greg Rucka is a standout volume in an already stellar series. This one hits hard—emotionally, narratively, and visually. The tension is razor-sharp throughout, with political maneuvering, family betrayal, and explosive action all colliding in a way that feels both inevitable and gut-wrenching.

Forever continues to be one of the most compelling leads in comics. Her loyalty, strength, and slow-burning inner conflict make every scene with her electric. Rucka deepens the worldbuilding without losing sight of the human cost, and the stakes in this volume feel higher than ever.

Michael Lark’s art remains top-tier—gritty, grounded, and emotionally resonant. The action is brutal, but it's the quiet moments that land the heaviest.

This volume delivers on so much setup from the earlier arcs and leaves you both satisfied and desperate to see what happens next. Easily a 5-star entry. One of the best dystopian books on the shelves.

[David Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this series just within the past year. Rather than play catch up on 26 issues, I decided to read the collected Volumes. I caught the first two on my digital library and zipped right thru them on my Kindle Fire. I picked up the next 3 volumes in their trade paperback form. I love them. This is a very well written and developed storyline. The art is fantastic. Forever is one kick-a## Lazarus. This whole storyline is very political in a "Into the Badlands" type of way.

But what now? Is Greg Rucka planning to go on? The story is nowhere near the end-point. I am hoping he plans to continue on. If so, from this point on I will collect the issues one by one, and then still pick up the collections.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I said the last book was visceral, but the end of this one was just plain damn brutal. And the heel face turn!! I cannot wait for the next one to come out.

[Koen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing left to say but: daaaaamn!

Just pick it up and be amazed ;)

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I had to flip ahead to make sure that Sonja made it out alive. This remains one of the few consistently awesome graphic series of the last several years. When I think of titles that came out at the same time, there's nothing that has stayed this great except Saga. The art is still fab, especially the sword fighting, and the storyline still sucks you in, damages you, and spits you out, upset that the volumes are always too short.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great battle scenes here and honestly a story that's quite the page turner. Still loving this.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

More and more gets clear in already its fifth instalment in this kickass series. If you dig a badass female lead role in a sci-fi but not to distant Future, check this one out. you wont be disappointed !

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first two hardcover collections of Lazarus (containing issues #1–21 and some extras) back in 2016 about four months apart. My plan was to keep going as soon as the third hardcover collection came out and my local library hopefully got it in, but now some four years later, I simply caved in and checked the TPBs of the continued story out from the library instead.

So how was the story in this volume, which collects issues #22–26, then? Well, it took me a few moments to get back into the future storyworld of the series, not to mention recalling where things were at in the plot, but the fact remains that Greg Rucka and Michael Lark's world-building is very solid and those moments were not too long.

It is also clear that Rucka appears to want to see if the status quo he has set up can be changed (and this cleverly builds on what goes before). The volume bears the title The Cull and at the centre of it all, the dystopian future is at war. Things are going quite well for Carlyle's alliance, despite the fact that the previous volume left Forever Carlyle, the family Lazarus, out of commission from physical damages, but also from having learned more about her true nature in the family.

As such, this volume focuses mostly on the war as led by other families' Lazari (primarily Sonja Bittner and Joacquim Morray) on the one hand, and on the other, on the affairs of the family at home, trying to salvage Forever, while simultaneously preparing her replacement clone Eve.

But there is also a threat coming from the East and Vassalovka family territory; their Lazarus – the Zmey; the Dragon – is on the move.

All in all, I still kind of wish I had read this in the very nice, big hardcover format I read the previous material, but I am also glad to have returned to this series. And it will not be as long till I read the next volume.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, this series is good.

Forever is still reeling from the events of the fourth volume but, as she attempts to recover, the true secrets behind the Lazari are revealed. The politics of Rucka and Lark's world take the front seat here, as Forever's rebellion begins and Johanna Carlyle makes her move - it all culminates in a massive five Lazari fight that alters everything you think you know about the series.

Lark's artwork remains flawless; his action scenes are second to none, and the use of shadows and heavy inks always works in his favour. Colourist Santi Arcas helps make the world of Lazarus really come to life, from the sterile palettes of the Sequoia compound to the dusty browns of the desert in which the final battle takes place.

Lazarus is how you do post-apocalyptic storytelling. So good.

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

En algun momento entre el vol 4 y 5 se convierte en una obra 5 estrellas, merecida por completo de tener su serie de television y amplien su mundillo con muchos mas libros. Como nos han metido en una situacion global en la que quieres controlar el mapamundi para ver que territorios son de cada familia es algo que nunca me habia pasado con ningun comic. Gran evolucion, veamos a donde nos lleva

[felicialowj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holey f**k.

[Trike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent continuation an an excellent continuation of the overall story of the war between the families.

Lots of surprises and revelations, with cool action to boot. A new Lazarus makes his debut in a brutal fashion, while we get to see some of the machinations going on behind the scenes. The hint that one of the Lazari is a robot is made specific, but the implication is that some houses might be compromised. Dun-dun-dunnn!

To be continued, apparently.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The war between the families rages on, alliances are made, betrayals go rampant (inside and out the families), monsters are unleashed...

Whew! All that in 5 well constructed issues, with good use of flashbacks and ellipses, sublimed by Michael Lark's wonderful art and storytelling.

If you'very read the first 4 volumes, this is NOT the time to quit the series.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A consistently fantastic comic, easily one of the best out there right now.
Shit starts to go down, with a lot of brutal Lazarus-on-Lazarus action as the eastern family unleashes its monster child. Forever Carlyle comes to terms with her own brutal truths, and everyone else connives against everyone else. A welcome antidote to the current superhero/fantasy schlockglut.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moves the story forward a weeeeeeee bi slowly. That's okay, given the gorgeous art work involved!

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The Seasonal Reading Challenge Task 20.4 (Siobhan's Task: Wedding Day)
The Sonic Screwdriver Bouquet Option (¡¡¡ Siobhan like-a her sci-fi, apparently !!!)
("Sequential Art", "Comics", "Comic Book", and "Manga" are allowed for this task.)
Read a book with a main page genre of Science Fiction.