Vertigo's Lucifer: A Hell of a Good Series
So good, reading it must be a sin
by Jeffrey Howe
After an impromptu retirement from Hell, the fallen archangel Lucifer whiles away the long hours managing his own nightclub, until Heaven shows up with a tempting job offer. Surprisingly reminiscent of the noir genre, this apparently simple contract with the Almighty begets a slew of complications, double crosses, and deaths rendering the very fabric of existence unstable.
Picking up where Milton’s Paradise Lost and Gaiman’s Sandman left off in the story of the ultimate antihero, this series further fleshes out the persona and motivations of one of literature’s most widely known, yet least understood characters.
Though no longer the raging adversary of the Old Testament or the overseer of Hell, as envisioned by Milton, Lucifer has not forsaken his ambition to be free of God’s design. Instead, he has evolved into a pragmatic, outside the box, opportunist. Rather than engage in war against the Almighty, or bow in acquiescence, the fallen angel conceives a third, frighteningly possible option, much to the chagrin of both Heaven and Hell.
The strength of the series lies in its plot and character development. While some of the minor characters maintain a one-dimensional outlook, all major players demonstrate multifaceted personalities and for the most part avoid absolute good vs. evil distinctions.
Although there is a conspicuous lack of New Testament lore, this aids rather than impedes the story, by allowing it to focus wholly on the conflict between Heaven and Lucifer. The story could be thought of as a universe where the New Testament has had little to no noticeable impact, if it even occurred at all.
Notable artwork to keep an eye out for: a one-shot story drawn by P.Craig Russell (Sandman, Coralaine), the Nirvana one-shot painted by Jon Muth (Moonshadow), the final volume in the series (Evensong), and the series’ covers done by Duncan Fegredo (Judge Dredd), Christopher Moeller (Batman: Shadow of the Bat), and Mike Kaluta (Books of Magic).
Well written by Mike Carey (Hellblazer, Crossing Midnight), Lucifer should appeal to fans of the precursor Sandman series and devotees of religious / apocalyptic fiction alike.
Jeffrey Howe has been a Fantom Comics customer since early 2006 and has read A LOT of graphic novels in any and all categories you can imagine. Jeffrey was a 2003 World Series of Hopscoth semi-finalist.