Lazarus

Synopsis

Lazarus is a dystopian science fiction comic book series. The world has been divided among sixteen rival families, who run their territories in a feudal system. The main character is Forever Carlyle, the military leader of the Carlyle family. The major themes of Lazarus are the meaning of "family" and nature versus nurture. Critics have given it mostly positive reviews and have praised its worldbuilding, although it is sometimes criticized for slow pace. It has received particular attention for its political themes, and comparisons have been drawn between elements of the story and the presidency of Donald Trump.

Publication History

Created by writer Greg Rucka and artist Michael Lark, the two began developing the idea in 2012 and partnered with colorist Santi Arcas to finish the art. Image Comics has been publishing the book since the first issue was released on June 23, 2013. Other creators were brought in later to assist with lettering and inking. A six-issue spin-off limited series, Lazarus: X+66, was released monthly in 2017 between issues 26 and 27 of the regular series. Rucka initially said the series could run for up to 150 issues, but later reduced the estimate by half. Lazarus is being collected into paperback and hardcover editions, which sell better than the monthly issues.

Lazarus is being adapted into other media. Green Ronin Publishing is using the plot as a campaign setting for their Modern AGE role-playing game in 2018. A television adaptation is in development with Legendary Television and Amazon Studios

The Characters

FOREVER CARLYLE

Forever is a Lazarus, A Lazarus is a genetically modified human who has been raised since birth to serve under a major family, following any order given by the head of the family without any remorse even to the extent of executing people they know are innocent.

Forever was created for the Carlyle family, However it is revealed that she actually isn't Carlyle's real daughter, and her siblings refer to her as "replaceable". She was trained since birth by numerous teachers, however she obviously doesn't go through a normal type of school. Forever was learning how to kill efficiently.

Each Lazarus is different, Forever is genetically modified to be a "Super Soldier", while another one may of been modified with major cybernetics.

MALCOLM CARLYLE

The leader of the Carlyle Family, who spearheaded the Lazarus project.

All indications are that he was never a particularly loving father, generally being more of the strict, distant, and demanding sort. All his children have certain issues about trying to live up to his expectations and always failing to do so or otherwise being trapped in his shadow.

He's ostensibly trying to keep the world together the best he can, but his treatment of Forever, including deciding it best to drug her further to make her forget about what she learned about herself does not paint him in a flattering light.

CARLYLE FAMILY

The Carlyle Family motto,

"Oderint dum metuant"

“Let them hate
so long as they fear,”

Members of the Carlyle Family include: Malcolm, Forever, Steven, Beth, and twins Jonah and Johanna.