Lazarus Appreciation 2018

[Paulie Blade]

I loved X+66. Especially the last chapter, about the Dragon. Cold, dark and meticulous. Slow pace, a story that gets room to breath. Mmmm, good stuff. The new books about Jonah were tremendous. I don't mind taking a break every once in a while and return to this book and to the main characters after a year or so. Do people get so angry when they need to wait additional year for the new season of Game of Thrones? Or two years for the new Star Wars? I've been waiting for a new Tool album ten years now and when it comes out, you won't see me resentful and refusing to check it. Great art takes time to be created. I'd rather appreciate a fine piece of art which this book is than get upset over such trivial matter as the time I waited.

[OldManBrian]

As I said before, the book is an absolute favorite of mine, but I've given up until it's completed in its entirety and hardcover collected. I hope those that don't mind the waits have done the math. There have been two issues released over the past 17 months. If Rucka still plans a 60 plus issue run, which I seriously doubt at this point, at that pace is 22 years until completion. Thanks but no thanks for me. I'm patient, but nowhere near this kind of patient. As far as quality, I'd be fine if they could actually get at least one issue out every three months. This schedule they're on now has nothing to do with producing quality. If there is something going on behind the scenes or in their personal lives that have effected the schedule then so be it. If it's a health related issue or something similar, my heart goes out to them, I wish them the best and wouldn't blame them for having something more important to worry about. That is none of my business, or the publics. It's just a terrible shame that a book this good can't reliably be finished.

[millernumber1]

I agree with OldManBrian. They need to get books out. It's a job, even if it's also a labor of love. And the way they're shedding readers, I think they're going to need to go the OGN route if they want to complete it.

[Paulie Blade]

I hope those that don't mind the waits have done the math. There have been two issues released over the past 17 months. If Rucka still plans a 60 plus issue run, which I seriously doubt at this point, at that pace is 22 years until completion. Thanks but no thanks for me. I'm patient, but nowhere near this kind of patient.

That's very convenient to take only the extremes into your calculation of average. It's the same as saying "between Februrary and March the book has come out twice, therefore it's a monthly book". Thanks but no thanks. Also very convenient to ignore the six issues of X+66.

They need to get books out. It's a job, even if it's also a labor of love.

Ouch. They don't need to do anything. Sometimes I'm glad I'm not a pro comic book creator, cause I don't have to deal with an attitude like that.

[millernumber1]

Ouch. They don't need to do anything. Sometimes I'm glad I'm not a pro comic book creator, cause I don't have to deal with an attitude like that.

They don't want my money. So I'm not saying that I'm demanding it. I'm saying: if they want to earn any reader's money, they need to get it out.

[cc008]

Ouch. They don't need to do anything. Sometimes I'm glad I'm not a pro comic book creator, cause I don't have to deal with an attitude like that.

There's nothing wrong with that attitude. If they want to make money, they need to get the book on the shelf.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

The thing that needs to be understood, though, is that this is an Image book so the creator's only get the money once the book starts to sell. This is fine for Rucka who can clearly write more than one book a month but for Michael Lark, a slow down in sales means that he would have to take commissions or commercial art projects to make ends meet, which further delays the book, which in turn causes the sales to drop, which starts the whole process again. I don't know if this is definitely the case but it's worth keeping in mind the complexities around artists working on indie, self-owned books - especially one as complex and with such highly detailed art as Lazarus.

I totally understand the frustration and I'm right there with you but simply assuming that they just need to get off their asses and get to it mostly just comes off as entitlement if you aren't fully clued in as to why the book is as late as it is.

[millernumber1]

My problem with that argument isn't that you're wrong, it's that nothing you're saying actually contradicts what I'm saying. Yes, it takes time, and it takes a toll on health, and artists aren't as free as writers (though it really feels like Rucka's holding things up at this point, since EVERY SINGLE ONE of his titles is late at this point). But if you look at sales, the slowdown is at least, if not mostly, responsible for a MASSIVE drop in sales.

Fans aren't entitled to product, absolutely. But neither are creators entitled to fan dollars. If they don't produce the work consistently, they're going to lose sales, and then they won't have money.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

My problem with that argument isn't that you're wrong, it's that nothing you're saying actually contradicts what I'm saying. Yes, it takes time, and it takes a toll on health, and artists aren't as free as writers (though it really feels like Rucka's holding things up at this point, since EVERY SINGLE ONE of his titles is late at this point). But if you look at sales, the slowdown is at least, if not mostly, responsible for a MASSIVE drop in sales.

Fans aren't entitled to product, absolutely. But neither are creators entitled to fan dollars. If they don't produce the work consistently, they're going to lose sales, and then they won't have money.

Yeah, I think that's pretty clearly the case and from interviews I've heard with Rucka he clearly accepts this. I have no issue with people dropping off the book or waiting for it to be finished - that's totally understandable. My only issue is that people often make pretty unfair assumptions about these kinds of delays without knowing the whole story.

I'm actually still unsure if the main problem is Rucka. He got the X+66 books out in a timely manner and cranked out 24 issues of Wonder Woman over a year but yeah, the main Lazarus series and Black Magick have both fallen very, very far behind. The Old Guard too but that was only ever supposed to be effectively a recurring series of minis for whenever he has an idea for a new arc. Both Black Magick and Lazarus have excptional and often intricate art so it makes sense to me that their delays would be on the art front but it's certainly possible that Rucka has fallen behind as well.

[millernumber1]

Yeah, I think that's pretty clearly the case and from interviews I've heard with Rucka he clearly accepts this. I have no issue with people dropping off the book or waiting for it to be finished - that's totally understandable. My only issue is that people often make pretty unfair assumptions about these kinds of delays without knowing the whole story.

I'm actually still unsure if the main problem is Rucka. He got the X+66 books out in a timely manner and cranked out 24 issues of Wonder Woman over a year but yeah, the main Lazarus series and Black Magick have both fallen very, very far behind. The Old Guard too but that was only ever supposed to be effectively a recurring series of minis for whenever he has an idea for a new arc. Both Black Magick and Lazarus have excptional and often intricate art so it makes sense to me that their delays would be on the art front but it's certainly possible that Rucka has fallen behind as well.

I know Rucka is capable of it. He did it for Wonder Woman, for Detective Comics, for Adventures of Superman, for 52, for Gotham Central - he's clearly capable of keeping a schedule. But it's not just Old Guard, Lazarus, and Black Magick (and it's so weird - for Black Magick, whenever Rucka does an interview, he says Nicola Scott is hard at work, but we've gotten no word of when those are coming out). His Black Label project doesn't even have an artist (which isn't his fault, but extrapolating from the fact that all of his other series are stalled, it could be that either he's holding things up in the search, or he's behind on schedule, so DC doesn't want to sign anyone to the project until they know they can put it in the pipeline). I haven't heard anything from anyone about other projects, either, though it's possible that Disney's pulled him for more Star Wars projects, which is why I think he dropped out of Cyclops in 2015. Or he's working on a novel.

Plus, Stumptown is also pretty dead, which is a shame, as it was quite enjoyable.

It'd be one thing if we knew anything about what Rucka's doing in the next year, but as far as I know, we don't have any releases of any type - comic, novel, or otherwise - announced or schedulled, and a lot of projects in limbo without explanation.

I really want to buy most of these projects, but it's going to be very disappointing for everyone involved if the waits destroy momentum, which is so fragile in the market these days.

[OldManBrian]

That's very convenient to take only the extremes into your calculation of average. It's the same as saying "between Februrary and March the book has come out twice, therefore it's a monthly book". Thanks but no thanks. Also very convenient to ignore the six issues of X+66.

I could have said 3 issues over the last 23 months, it might have cut the time frame a bit. Does it really matter at this point? End of the day, they released the first 16 or so issues in a timely manner with 3-4 month breaks between story arcs. I think everybody was fine with that. Since then the release schedule has done nothing but deteriorate to what it is now for whatever reason. There was nothing "convenient" about leaving X+66 out of it. That was completely intentional as it is not the book proper. I'm also glad that some people are that patient and sticking with the book. I'd like nothing more than for them to be able to finish the book as they originally planned and then I'll happily buy the collected editions and read it.

The thing that needs to be understood, though, is that this is an Image book so the creator's only get the money once the book starts to sell. This is fine for Rucka who can clearly write more than one book a month but for Michael Lark, a slow down in sales means that he would have to take commissions or commercial art projects to make ends meet, which further delays the book, which in turn causes the sales to drop, which starts the whole process again. I don't know if this is definitely the case but it's worth keeping in mind the complexities around artists working on indie, self-owned books - especially one as complex and with such highly detailed art as Lazarus.

I totally understand the frustration and I'm right there with you but simply assuming that they just need to get off their asses and get to it mostly just comes off as entitlement if you aren't fully clued in as to why the book is as late as it is.

I agree completely with this. As I mentioned before, I'd guess there is something personal behind the scenes that are the root of the delays. Could be a number of things including financial issues and making ends meet.

[Paulie Blade]

I could have said 3 issues over the last 23 months, it might have cut the time frame a bit. Does it really matter at this point? End of the day, they released the first 16 or so issues in a timely manner with 3-4 month breaks between story arcs. I think everybody was fine with that. Since then the release schedule has done nothing but deteriorate to what it is now for whatever reason. There was nothing "convenient" about leaving X+66 out of it. That was completely intentional as it is not the book proper. I'm also glad that some people are that patient and sticking with the book. I'd like nothing more than for them to be able to finish the book as they originally planned and then I'll happily buy the collected editions and read it.

They could have easily treated X+66 as a storyarc after Cull rather than a mini series. In such case the breaks between arcs would have been the same as they usually had been. Seriously, it's just a name. People ignored its existence because of the four extra signs? I guess in hindsight it was a bad PR move after all, to label it as such, as it gave the readers the opportunity to use the "2 issues every 17 months" argument.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

They could have easily treated X+66 as a storyarc after Cull rather than a mini series. In such case the breaks between arcs would have been the same as they usually had been. Seriously, it's just a name. People ignored its existence because of the four extra signs? I guess in hindsight it was a bad PR move after all, to label it as such, as it gave the readers the opportunity to use the "2 issues every 17 months" argument.

Rucka has explained in interviews that the agreement is that every page of Lazarus itself will be drawn by Michael Lark and used X+66 as a way to keep the visual consistency of the main book intact. Besides, it wasn't about the Carlyle family so it makes sense from a story point of view that it be treated as a side story. In terms of marketing, maybe not, but considering how much world building goes into Lazarus, I don't think it would surprise anyone who regularly follows the book that it's an essential part of the overall Lazarus story.

[DIVINITY]

I LOVE Lazarus!!!! (Named my 4th daughter, Forever!)

I HATE the way the creators are handling the book.

Lark is very active on Twitter, never any Lazarus updates though, Smfh!!!! A lot of social activism, which is commendable but, still, it’d be nice to know what’s going on with Lazarus!!!!

The quarterly schedule was to begin in September, December solicitations are out, still no Lazarus!!!

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but, X+66 #6 was Amazing!!!! The Dragon!!! Wow!!! And it’s all connected to the overall story in the main book, so if you gave up on it, go back and check it out, totally worth it!!!!

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Well, looks like it will be back as a quarterly book in March 2019.

At this point, though, I have to wonder if it wouldn't be better served by just releasing the series as original graphic novels.