Lucifer #18 - A Review

Lucifer has managed to repel an attack by his son. Unfortunately, he's running short on allies as a treacherous attack seems to have killed his lover, Mazikeen, and his brother Gabriel has been teleported to the fare end if reality. Throw in the selfie-snapping sorceress with a drug habit and things are looking pretty bleak for the rebellion.


The story of Lucifer is as strong as ever but the artistic pacing of this issue is a bit off.  Scenes stop and start in the middle of pages and the backgrounds do little to convey a sense of location. Indeed, the opening fight scene makes it all but impossible to determine where Lucifer moves to with his "portal trick" until we see the other characters present. This isn't a bad comic but it's far below its usual standard.

Final Analysis: 7 out of 10.

Lucifer #17 - A Review

Lucifer has come to expect a certain degree of turmoil in his life. After all, he's organizing a new rebellion against a God that has been reborn as a fascist out to destroy Free Will. The Japanese goddess of the underworld (who he once lay with) is plotting to place their son (who wants to kill him) on the throne of Hell, which is nominally under the rule of his ex-girlfriend, Mazikeen. And his most reliable allies are his idiot brother Gabriel, a junkie sorceress and a pair of tween girls who are bonded to a Tarot deck that can rewrite reality. Yet as strange and varied as his enemies are, Lucifer did not anticipate having his nightclub, Lux, foreclosed upon by the City of Los Angeles...


I know I said last month that I would probably stop reviewing Lucifer. I still suspect I should. There seems little point in reviewing a book that - due to the legacy it draws upon - is entirely inaccessible to new or casual readers. That's usually a big sticking point with me and why I don't write reviews of long-running titles like Knights of the Dinner Table.

When it comes to Lucifer, I've felt at times I've been doing little more than finding new ways to say"This is awesome, but you need to have been reading from the beginning of the saga to understand it." every month. Yet when I read this book, I can't help but want to share how amazing it is.

Take that appraisal for what you will. What Richard Kadrey, Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela present in this issue - and every month - is a worthy continuation of what Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey and the many artists who worked on the original Sandman and Lucifer series created. If you've read those classic series, you'll love it. And if you haven't, you really should.

Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Lucifer #13 - A Review

This festive week brings us a rare gift - a Christmas comic starring The Devil himself! Lucifer #13 features two different stories by two different creative teams. Both are set during the holiday season and concern themselves with the themes of Justice and gift-giving. Of course The Devil will have his due...


Krampusnacht centers upon two thieves who steal more than they bargained for, using the annual Running Of The Krampuses in Los Angeles as cover for their robbery. The story by Holly Black is engaging and Marco Rudy's artwork is simply gorgeous. It suffers slightly, however, in that Lucifer is a mere observer of the action in this case and The Lightbringer is always at his best as an active character. Taken on its own terms, however, it is solid enough and quite enjoyable regardless.


Secret Santa has Lucifer firmly set in the center stage, stuck with the rare dilemma of having to retrieve a gift at the last minute as part of his bar's Secret Santa gift exchange and the less rare dilemma of someone trying to raise a little Hell in his bar. Richard Kadrey's script delivers a wonderful mix of action and dark comedy. The art of Ben Templesmith proves a perfect pairing to this hilarious holiday story.

Lucifer #12 - A Review

Faced with a darker, more sinster Yahweh, Lucifer is ready to do the unthinkable. Before confronting his father, Lucifer will release the power of The Basanos - a sentient Tarot Deck that can alter reality - through the heir to its power, Noema Presto.

Mere words cannot express my love of this book. Every issue is a love-letter to a shared Vertigo universe I thought long dead. Like Lucifer himself, however, this series never fails to surprise me even as I recoil in horror at what it does.


If all you know of Lucifer is from the Fox TV series, prepare yourself for a magnificent treat. I still suggest starting with Neil Gaiman's Sandman and working through Mike Carey's Lucifer for full effect. Still, one can begin with the first volume of this series well-enough as Holly Black does a fine job of drawing upon the mythology and explaining it for newcomers. And every panel by Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela looks fantastic.

Lucifer #2 - A Review

God is dead and The Devil is the prime suspect. But Lucifer is not guilty and has himself been the victim of an attack with a strange weapon, the likes of which he has never seen before. To prove his lack of guilt (for Lucifer could never be said to have been innocent of anything), he will partner with his brother Gabriel and the two will journey to the one place where many may be found with motive, means and power enough to slay both God and Devil - Hell itself! Yet even now events play out on Earth that may hold even direr consequences for Lucifer...


Lucifer is a gorgeously Gothic work. Lee Garbett's utilizes a streamlined style that is light on details and heavy on the inks. There is an inherent darkness to Garbett's work that suits this series well. The colors by Antonio Fabela are mysterious and moody. And the letters by the legendary Todd Klein are as grand as one would expect.


Holly Black does not do things by halves. Within the span of two issues, she has perfectly captured the essence of the characters from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and Mike Carey's Lucifer and begun telling a tale that is familiar yet unique. It remains to be seen what may come of the subplots involving various mortals, including a school-teacher who finds a bottled demon in her parents home that may be familiar to long-time Vertigo Comics readers. All I know is I cannot wait for next month's issue!