Lazarus Planet: Omega
Writers: Mark Waid, Gene Luen Yang
Artists: Riccardo Federici, Mike Perkins, Billy Tan
Colour Artists: Brad Anderson, Sebastian Cheng
Letterers: Steve Wands, Saida Temofonte
Review by Davydh Tidey
Lazarus Planet: Omega marks the end of the first part of Lazarus Planet event, and the conclusion to the story that began in Lazarus Planet: Alpha.
It’s been a wild ride, but all good things must come to an end, and what an end they’ve come to.
Yep, Damian’s Definitely Good Again
A team like this should make short work of… King… Fire… wait…
– Robin
I can’t lie to you guys, it looks bad. King Fire Bull is well on his way to winning this, as The Devil Nezha, probably the only being capable of facing him, is nowhere to be found. Damian’s actions come to a startling head in this issue, and the heroes (along with a weirdly large amount of villains) must band together to end the threat of King Fire Bull once and for all. This makeshift team will have to pull out all of the stops to face this threat, but can they even succeed? How on Earth are they possibly going to deal with this?
Spectacularly. They’re going to deal with it spectacularly.
Smoke On The Water
KCALB ECILA, OT YM EDIS!
– Zatana
As always, Waid delivers. Building on ‘s come before, in Batman Vs. Robin, this is the only way the conflict between father and son could have gone. Right from Lazarus Planet: Alpha, Damian’s had the attitude of “I’m the only one who can fix this.”, and seeing how everything eventually ends up is incredibly satisfying when you bear that in mind. Monkey Prince is given his chance to shine during the main story, being the newest character there he really needed that chance, and Waid provides it.
Lazarus Planet has been about Damian learning a lesson. Revenge doesn’t pay, impatience doesn’t pay. You get exactly what you deserve in the end, and BOY did Damian deserve this. Waid uses this sentiment beautifully, wrapping up this story in the only way it could be wrapped up; you’ll just have to read it to find out how!
Fire In The Sky
Hot soup! Comin’ through!
– Monkey Prince
Federici and Perkins are both on fine form here. It’s actually difficult to tell which artist provided which panel for a casual comic reader. Of course, people who know the artists’ work well would be able to pick it out eventually, but the pairing make for a seamless experience overall. Anderson brings the gloom again on the colours, once again providing the dank, oppressive atmosphere of Alpha, giving the reader a sense of hopelessness and despair. Even the bright colours of Monkey Prince and Superman are dulled down for this, sucking all the hope and brightness out of the book… riiiiight up until the end…
Not to pivot too hard, but can we talk about how cool the possessed-Batman look from Alpha is?! DAMN, that design is menacing. We haven’t seen the last of it yet either, as this story will continue in Batman Vs. Robin #5…
Always Carry A Backup
You’re not the only one with fire in his eyes, SCUM!
– Red Boy
Red Boy?! Who?! Read on…
Monkey Prince gets his own backup again for Lazarus Planet: Omega, following up the one we got in Alpha, and it’s just as good as the first.
Gene Luen Yang, Billy Tan and Sebastian Cheng pick up and run with Waid’s theme of revenge, and tell the story of the Demon Nezha and King Fire Bull, and how they came to have the contentious relationship they have now. The story is a great little cap for the book, mirroring the main story in all the right ways. The story reflects the relationship between Batman and Robin with an uncanny likeness, showing the reader just how bad their conflict could have gone.
Pick up Monkey Prince #12 to see if the young man learned the lesson!
Conclusion
Lazarus Planet could better be described as an experience rather than a series, and Lazarus Planet: Omega tops off what’s been a wonderful experience to read. The entire DCU is affected by the Lazarus storms, with long lasting effects that are already showing. Brand new characters, brand new stories and brand new directions for characters have unfolded during these events, and I can’t wait to see them.
It all ends here! …or does it?
Make sure to pick up Batman Vs. Robin #5 and Monkey Prince #12 to find out…
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
