Greg Rucka lifts the concept of a person who cannot die from his other book, Lazarus, and applies it to several far more interesting characters, and then gives them a much more compelling story, and that's The Old Guard. Yep, it's good!
So, I hate Lazarus. I think it may be Rucka's worst comic. It's just so lifeless, characterless and bland, I can't see what's so great about it. So when I heard about The Old Guard, his new book with a similar premise, I felt skeptical. Surprisingly enough, it was nothing like Lazarus — it was actually quite enjoyable.
The Old Guard is about a small team of immortal people, all of them different ages — some are a hundreds of years old, some thousands. They do risky and dangerous jobs for money, and try to stay off the radar so that the secret of their immortality doesn't get out into the world. Unfortunately, at one such job, they get set up, and the secret is out, so they have to deal with the consequences.
It's not the deepest book out there. In fact, it's more of a violent action comic. The book offers plenty of bloody shootouts, as well as many creative executions of the main characters (they're immortal, so they obviously get killed a lot), all masterfully illustrated by the series artist Leandro Fernández. His style looks like a cross between Eduardo Risso and Gabriel Bá, and it's really cool, although it can be a bit tough to differentiate between some of the characters, especially when you just start reading the comic. I got used to it pretty fast, though, and by the second issue didn't have any problems with it.
It's not all action though, as we also get to see the backstory of the main cast, and those flashbacks are some of the most compelling moments in the book. The historical perspective is fascinating, as we see events such as the French invasion of Russia, The First Crusade, the Byzantine Empire etc., all through the eyes of the main characters who now live in our modern world. Their relationships with each other are also quite interesting, at times sweet and touching, although not without their hardships.
There are definitely some weak parts to the book, and the worst thing has got to be the villain, the one who set the team up for his own selfish reasons — I won't spoil anything here, but I just don't understand what this guy was hoping for. He goes down very easily, as expected, and doesn't pose any threat to them at all.
Still, The Old Guard is a solid comic, and one of Rucka's better creator-owned titles. Just don't expect it to be too deep or thoughtful — this one is more on the fun action side.