Lazarus

Although the creative team of Rucka and Lark (Gotham Central) is enough to bring comics fans to their new project, Lazarus, the dense cyberpunk Mafia world will keep them coming back to the comic racks for weeks to come. Rucka crafts the story of a world shattered into fiefdoms and controlled by high-tech Mob families. Each family has their very own Lazarus, a cybernetic warrior pledged to carry out the family's dirty work on their path to control their population. Our protagonist is the Lazarus and daughter of the Carlyle family, Forever Eve Carlyle, who appears to have far more depth than her role as coldhearted killer would initially suggest. The more information Rucka unfurls about the political dealings of each family, the more it becomes scattered with betrayal, power struggles, and corruption. Lark's sharp yet brooding art manages to be violent without becoming gratuitous, pulling back for the sake of tension and the movement of the story. Fans of Rucka and Lark's Gotham Central or Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Sleeper will enjoy this rich universe.--Spanner, Ben Copyright 2010 Booklist

Forever Carlyle is the Carlyle family's Lazarus, a scientifically enhanced soldier whose raison d'etre is to protect the family and preserve its interests, whether they be political, economic, or personal. The Carlyles, along with a handful of other families, control the world through a combination of ultra-high finance and mafia-style brutality, with Forever acting as both ambassador and enforcer. Meanwhile, her step siblings resent her place in the family and treat her as little more than a tool in their schemes for power. Rucka, who's written street-level crime sagas (Stump-town) and high-flying superheroics (Wonder Woman), settles into a satisfying and flexible niche of believability, weaving a complex story of intrigue and action in a science fiction setting that may not be fiction for long. Artists Lark and Arcas's muted and subtle visuals ground the story as well, while handling its swift and violent fight scenes and plotted interludes with consistent skill. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.