Review of "Lazurus, Family Part Two," comic written by Rucka, Lark and Arcas

 Review of

Lazurus, Family Part Two, comic written by Rucka, Lark and Arcas

Five out of five stars

Powerful families fight each other and themselves

 The premise of this story of an apocalypse is that a few small families control the world, and they have a low opinion of the masses. When a location is stated, three categories of inhabitants are given. The numbers of family, serfs and waste. For example, in Los Angeles the respective counts are 3, 322,274 and an estimated 2,874,500 waste.

 Each family has a designated individual called their Lazarus, considered their James Bond type of agent. The focus is on the Carlyle family and there is bickering to the point of death threats between the children of the patriarch. The families engage in all manner of actions against each other, including going to war. Any hint of disloyalty within the workers of a family is considered treason and punishable by death. Yet, the family members plot and counter plot against each other.

 We are given a look inside Los Angeles and the majority of it is the most horrific of slums. Family members travel only in military style convoys amidst the despair and hopelessness. The storyline indicates that like the warring princes of feudal times, the families will do little to aid the suffering.

 This is a great story, for if you replace the families by corporations, this is a trend we see in the world. A consolidation of power among a few extremely wealthy and influential corporations and by extension a billionaire class whose wealth continues to expand at incredible rates.