Just before the end of 2020, we got a new Lazarus Gray book, volume nine, from Barry Reese. I was expecting both volumes nine and 10 to come out in 2020, so it was a bit late. As Reese has already written through 13, I hope we’ll see the rest on a more regular cycle.
Lazarus Gray is a New Pulp character from Reese (The Peregrine, Gravedigger, and other characters and works). Gray is sort of inspired by the classic pulp hero The Avenger, having a group of associates organized as “Assistance Unlimited.”
He is located in a fictional town called Sovereign City (created by Pro Se Press publisher Tommy Hancock), and thus is part of the larger Sovereign City Project. He is also set in the same universe as Barry’s other characters, so has crossed over with them.
In addition to the current members of Assistance Unlimited — Morgan Stanley, Eun Jiwon, Samantha Grace, Abigail Cross, and Black Terror — we will see some new additions to the group in this one. Unlike the previous volume, The Adventures of Lazarus Gray, Vol. 9: The Sinking World is a single novel set in 1941.
We get a return of Murder Unlimited, which has Nemesis and Bushido. Nemesis is Lazarus’ opposite number, and Bushido was introduced in the previous volume. This time they are joined by Eidolon, who used to be part of Lazarus’ group, and The Golden Amazon, also introduced in the previous volume. Though with the last two, it seems theirs is more of an alliance of convenience.
Adding to the story, it seems that Asgard has fallen. Odin and Thor are dead, and most of the rest are dying. This is due to Loki. But it’s found that Thor has “hidden” his daughter, Thrud, on Earth, and his hammer will awaken her, but Loki is trying to stop it.
Loki wishes to cause the Earth to be reformed with him making the decisions. Lazarus and his team try to find Thor’s daughter, while Loki is looking for Murder Unlimited to “team up” with them. Sort of.
It should be pointed out that if your only knowledge of Norse mythology is from Marvel Comics (or their movies), be prepared for a surprise, as here they are based more on the original myths.
Soon the two teams are heading to a hidden land of Vorium, which will allow Loki to drown the world and reshape it. Thankfully, Lazaurs’ team has a new ally in The Fighting Yank, a comicbook character from the Golden Age of Comics. Things come to a head, and Murder Unlimited and Loki are stopped. This will be the end of both Nemesis and Bushido, but not in the way you migth expect.
At the end, The Golden Amazon and The Fighting Yank will become occasional allies of Assistance Unlimited. I do wonder if, like her original version, this Golden Amazon will come to a point where she stops trying to conquer the world and works more to save it. Eidolon will go his own way, but I wonder if we’ll see him in the future.
I hope we get the next volume soon, as I noted that Reese has written up through volume 13. In addition, if you check his timeline, you see references to a few other works that aren’t out. Yet. These include Worlds Apart, Satan’s Lair, and The Chronicles of Lilith. Hopefully we’ll also see more new stories with Assistance Unlimited set in the 1960s.
