Update: R.I.P. Oliver, Lazarus and 12 Monkeys

Just thought I'd do an update as it's been a few weeks and I've been a little preoccupied with work and whatnot.

R.I.P. Oliver.

A sad departure was my budgie Oliver who had been in declining health all last year, but worse in the run up to Christmas. Budgies are social creatures by nature and the loss of the female, Snowflake, the year before had hit him hard, plus he was around ten years old, which is about their lifespan.

He was a great budgie and he's missed already. Chez Lemon is very quiet.

Lazarus

On a different tack, I've been reading a copy of Greg Rucka's latest story, Lazarus, from Image comics:

It takes place in a dystopian future where society has descended into technically advanced fiefdoms run by families, each of which has a super soldier, or Lazarus of the title. The stories focus on the Lazarus of the Carlyle family, Forever, but in the second book, a story of a "waste" (a disenfranchised social class) family runs parallel to hers.

So far, there's little in the story which is positive or uplifting, but this is in keeping with Rucka's style (Queen and Country was a little bit like that, with no real winners, just survivors). The art work is also good, so it's all promising, if a bit grim.

12 Monkeys

Continuing on with the dystopian theme, the TV version of the Terry Gilliam film has been made over in the 'States and it looks good.