Art by: Cian Tormey, Raül Fernandez, Wade von Grawbadger
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
Letters by: Pat Brosseau
Cover art by: Guillem March
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: April 25, 2023
Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4 ends the war against the gods with a show of force, a truce, and a very slight change to the status quo.
Is It Good?
Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4 doesn't end badly, but it will likely leave you questioning a) what any of this has to do with Lazarus Planet, and b) why it needed to be split out into its own mini-series. In effect, the war ends with a shrug and a "meh."
When last we left the god-adjacent DC heroes, ascended Wonder Woman came to blows with Hera after being gifted the power of Shazam from Mary Marvel. Meanwhile, Nubia and the Amazons commenced a defense of Themyscira after an invasion by Hades and his undead army.
Now, Wonder Woman delivers the smackdown on Hera with one super punch, bringing an end to the war in a single panel. Elsewhere, Hades decides the fight for Themyscira wasn't worth the effort, so he leaves.
Yes, the entire issue is as anti-climactic as it sounds. Wonder Woman appears to no longer be an ascended god or in possession of the power of Shazam, and the only way you'd know that is by noticing her costume reverts to its original form. Not even a single comment is made about how she lost her power. That's it.
Ares steps in with Eros's hand by stating he intends to keep the hand to ensure the gods never attack again. It's unclear why keeping Eros's hand acts as an insurance policy, but the gods all seem to be put off by it.
Hera is "kicked out" of Olympus, and the Wizard Shazam casts a spell on her without explaining what the spell does or why it matters. The Wizard Shazam bears no consequence for his participation in Zeus's murder or the damage caused by Earth during the attack. The non-Olympian gods shown in the first issue are nowhere to be found and aren't mentioned again.
There's more to relay. A lot more. But the bottom line is this - the war ends weakly, almost everyone's status quo is restored (Billy and Mary are returned to proper Shazam shape in the backup), and there are no consequences for the war to anybody except Hera. Multiple plot threads are left dangling, and I'm not sure enough people are reading this arc to even care.
In the final analysis, Revenge of the Gods walked a wobbly path to where it was going, and the destination wasn't worth the journey.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4 ends the war with the gods with the mildest whimpers instead of a bang. Almost everyone's status quo returns to where they started, and nobody (besides Hera) experiences any consequences for the death and destruction.
4/10
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