September 1, 2014

"No colaboration. No capitulation."

LAZARUS, VOL. 2: LIFT
Greg Rucka & Michael Lark
Image Comics, 2014
104 pages, cmyk, digital

The second volume of Lazarus continues to explore the dystopian future where the stratification of society is taken to an extreme. 

"Lazarus" is the story of Forever "Eve" Carlyle, a genetically engineered human whose sole purpose is the protection of her family, one of the elites that control society. Eve is starting to doubt her place in the world, specially after receiving a message that sugests that she is being tricked into believing that the Carlyles are her true family. But that seems to be a notion that will be further explored in upcoming volumes.

In this volume the focus is cast upon the Barrets, a family of "waste" (the caste in the lower strata of society) and their struggles to make a living in a world where resources are manipulated by a small group of people and where they can be taken hostage by their whims and desires. After losing most of their possessions due to a natural disaster, their only chance to survive is entering the "Lift", a process where through extensive and rigorous tests, a few of the "waste" can rise in social significance by becoming "serf", the servants of the upper families. For this chance they are willing to sacrifice everything, and unfortunately for the Barrets, at a greater cost than expected. But not all "waste" are willing to participate in what is a clear mechanism of social control and see the "Lift" as an opportunity to strike back at their oppressors.

Another element of this book, we delve further into Eve's relationship with her father and sibblings, particularly her sister Johanna, and understand that, very much like the lower caste, the elite also have their parts to play in the name of family.

Rucka is an excelent all-around writer and Lark is an amazing artist with his realistic but unstilted representations that are flawless in conveying motion and emotion. I just can't praise this book enough.

If you're into post-apocalyptic stories with a heart, this is your book.