Even crazy assassins need to call it quits one day.
Lazarus, launched in June 2013 by writer Greg Racka and artist Michael Lark, felt like a big, bold action series like in a few other times. And considering the shape of the world over the past decade or so, we can see whether both Lazarus are so popular and very foresighted. In a world ruled by the vague feudal politics of the 16 Olihead families, the protagonist forever is the bloody mission of Carlisle’s truth and freedom. Lazarus not only spans 26 issues and a series of spinoffs each month (including Risen in 2019), but also role-playing games and (probably yet?) television series in development.
But now, the end comes at the end as Racca and Larkin prepare for the release of Lazarus. Here, they were forever freed from the Carlisle family and no longer function as their Lazarus (effectively the super badass bodyguard/murder machine of each family). Her destiny finally, with her own destiny, burning this unjust system forever, giving the world the opportunity to ultimately shape her destiny. Whether you’re a longtime Lazarus fan, Lazarus returns after the “main” story, Lazarus: Fallen is a deeply satisfying ending with a long journey exploring very realistic political abuse and social unrest.
Lazarus: Fallen #1 will drop on June 4th (FOC is Monday June 2nd of FYI). So we discussed some of their favourite moments, what they would have done differently throughout Lazarus, what to expect from something that fell, and other topics and little things.
If you need Lazarus Refresher, the first issue can be read through Image Comics.
Courtesy of the image comic.
aipt: With Lazarus closing, how do you feel overall? Is there anything you want to change, or is there anything you want to do instead?
Greg Racka: Oh, there are a lot. Hindsight is 20-20, right? From above my head, I will absolutely change the Jonah/Johanna dynamics established at the start of the series. It was a mistake on my part, but I had a pretty solid foothold of the logic that led me to it, but I wouldn’t want to share that the family were desperate to grab a grip on what they had.
And for Carlisle, it’s with longevity and their effective (if limited) play, they wouldn’t need marriage to make a “new generation.” Obviously, don’t worry about Game of Thrones (I’ve never seen or read it) being engrossed in the incest aspect at that point. It was just… for the characters who Joe and Jonah were, and what I wanted to be them was the wrong choice. So that was the first mistake I made, right?
Overall? Despite the occasional failure, I stand for it. I think my biggest regret is the moments when I didn’t have the time and space to share – the scenes and the beats. I have tried to write complicated people at every stage, and I think I have mostly succeeded. But the other side is that their motivations are not always clear. But looking back at everything we did, I am extremely proud of what we did, but the most missed opportunity is the most missed opportunity.
Courtesy of the image comic.
For better or worse, they believe that the audience is not only smarter than me, but more refined, and they believe that I will reach where I go before me. But this means they take what they are saying and doing at face value, not at the context of the whole character. I’m thinking of James Mann now. James has always been Quisling. He was always, always, always trying to save himself. The way he intended to do so was essential and ultimately more than anything else to remain true to Malcolm Carlisle.
Some were surprised at his actions at the end of Lazarus: For me, was it always a man? He was a coward and opportunist in his mind, even if he had kindness and empathy. People are never one thing.
Michael Lark: That’s an impossible question to answer. Because when I see my art, what I see is something I want to see in a different way. I think it’s important to just think of it as a snapshot of the moment and know that you’re doing your best in that moment.
AIPT: I feel that this story predicted a lot of modern society/politics with Trump’s “rise.” Do you agree, and is it a source of pride or anger?
I’ll talk a bit about this in Backmatter: Fallen #1 by GR: Lazarus. I have been writing professionally for over 30 years. I was terrorist attacked in one of the Queen & Country novels, fiction. I explained it a few weeks before the novel was released, so it’s almost exactly going through it. When I wrote Bravo, my second Jad Bell novel, I described the currently running plot to take over the US government. It’s back in 2015.
Courtesy of the image comic.
And I said elsewhere that Lazarus itself came out of the financial crisis that began under the bush. I still remember that the whole world economy was about to collapse, and they were in terrified of what was coming, so I stocked up supplies and ammunition, but spoke with sincerity and sincerity. Writing is on the wall and if you go back and look at our first issues and look at the background there, I will talk about a number of related topics, such as wealth inequality ratios, and how disparities are growing.
And there’s a way that there are endpoints where there are no left to own, since very few people have bought everything worth it. Please look around, okay? Look at the photos from the recent inauguration and see who was on the platform, although it had nothing to do with the federal government. That’s year x.
There were a lot of people who saw this coming. You can read trail signs and take pride in your ability to know where we are heading, but I’m not so proud of being that right. Most of the time, I’m angry like hell. I’m not doing everything about it because I’m angry with myself and angry like hell at the so-called elected representative. There was an adjustment. That’s what makes me mad. To be honest, there was some correction.
ML: For current White House residents, it must be a source of pride or so. We started this book before 2015, so it really reflects the rise of unregulated capitalism and the Olihead, and current residents are merely symptom. Greg didn’t have to be Nostradamus to see what was going on, so even to us, so many people, especially the US media, are sources of anger and frustration to ignore the obvious.
Courtesy of the image comic.
Our books start as science fiction and end as documentaries, often “joking” (very brave humor). But it should never have been obtained that way. For those who refused to stop it, the fact that it has should be a source of shame.
AIPT: What are your favorite or outstanding moments in Lazarus? Something to speak to the true power of this book? And why at that moment/page/etc. in particular?
GR: Ah, there are a lot. From the bottom of my heart, there are many. I still – to this day, when Michael’s page comes in, I get a thrill when I see what he did. If I’m talking about the “power” of this book, it’s from Michael’s pen, and that’s not what I’m blowing smoke. He can capture the sensitivity of such emotions – he can break your heart with panels with pen strokes. The fourth Lazarus Hardcover collection, just released, begins with two issues from the original series and is eventually reprinted. I have put down the places I want to share those two issues in particular. I wanted to drop in relation to the moment of Lazarus: Fallen, which will be released on June 25th, especially since I knew the connection between them.
But these two issues, one of Michael’s favorites, are, for me, his storytelling masterpieces. Just a beautiful, human love story – tragedy. I can look back at the obvious things of the eight of them and take pride in it. But at the end of the day, it is always a human moment to win for me. I’d been hurt forever, scared, alone. When Michael Barrett is tall. If Malcolm is bent under the weight of his burden, then he simply returns to full asher mode. The moment when we were able to reveal something more about the character to our readers – not necessarily seeing them.
There are several moments where you flip the script in an interesting way. I imagine some readers would think it’s lacking in character, but… trust me, this is who these people have been all along.
Courtesy of the image comic.
ML: There are so many moments. But the journey of my eternal brother Jonah was truly outstanding to me. In the latest hardcover collection, there is a sequence when you see what the family did to him and see the pain and fear these oligarchs have caused the world. And the page at the end of his little issue 2 story – it means so much to me when he stands on a hill watching the world around him burn on the ground.
On that panel he has been completely changed. I didn’t see it coming and when I drew it, I don’t think I realized how important it would be to me. But now it’s my favorite part of the series so far!
AIPT: Fallen is seen forever “free from his father’s control” and is ready to dig their systems diligently. What can we expect from this ending? Will it all be a sword fight or play with the expectations of the audience?
GR: Har! So there’s really not all that hacking and thrashing about the series about badass with weapons with blades. There is definitely a lot of blood on the ground. We portrayed a world where violence is the only way of resistance. We have established a world of broken, corrupt, immoral, patently despicable. You can definitely change some of your hearts. But some motherfuckers, yeah, they need to die.
What can you expect? A revelation of who people are, if not myths or the world. Romance. Humor – Yeah, I know, but there’s at least one really funny thing in the first arc. A broken heart. Nobles. Craven’s co-illness, selfish dul, and misguided justice.
Courtesy of the image comic.
This series is always about eternal journeys. And, in many ways, Eternal Journey is a story of surviving abuse. Overcoming the emotional and physical abuse she experienced and finding a healthy life, let alone happiness, is not easy. At the end of the day, he was always a good-hearted person forever. So the question is whether a good person can change the world for the better, or whether she is destined to fail.
ML: Ah, there’s a sword fight! But there were many moments, but in the story arc of Lazarus’ first numbers. Especially when I read the final page of the script, I actually ran out of breath. Greg always does it for me – the characters change and grow in ways I didn’t expect from them. But at the same time, it was never forced or unnatural. That’s always going to get to those moments and look back and think, “Of course this is how he/she is reacting.”
When that happens, I love it. I love it when he makes me sympathize with a character whom he loved me and didn’t really care about before. It continues to make me come back more – and hopefully most of our readers feel the same.
