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 #16 - A Review

This will probably be my last review of Lucifer for the foreseeable future. This is not because I don't enjoy the book. Indeed, it's one of my favorite monthly comics. Unfortunately, it's become all but impossible for me to review on an issue by issue basis.

Drawn as it is from the mythos of The Sandman, Hellblazer and the original Lucifer, this series has a LOT of backstory. If you're read those previous works, you'll find this series to be a wonderful continuation of the saga. Unfortunately, what makes this series so wonderful to a fan of classic Vertigo like myself also makes it inaccessible to 95% of the comics-reading public. Just summarizing the subplots in this issue outside of the context of the larger saga would require six or seven paragraphs!

Every issue of Lucifer is proof that good comics can be fine art. Richard Kadrey is a worthy successor to the legacies of Moore, Gaiman, Ennis and Carey. The artwork by Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela perfectly matches the gothic tone of the story. This is a fantastic book, but you can't just pick it up and jump into it.

Lucifer #15 - A Review

Even The Devil has his limits and Lucifer only has so many hours in the day to directly work on every aspect of the new war on Heaven and the new free-will hating God. To that end he enlists the help of a chain-smoking ex-beauty queen turned magus named Arabelle Crane in locating the long lost heart of the archangel Gabriel. Elsewhere, Gabriel searches for his lost brother Raphael alongside Raphael's lover - vagrant teen Lorin Hammon - as Lorin's friend Lula heads west in search of him.


Lucifer was already awash with subplots and my summary above ignores some of what this issue covers. Let it not be said that Richard Kadrey thinks small!  He continues on from where Holly Black started, yet has begun to add into the tale himself with this issue's reintroduction of Lula into the action of the story and Arabelle Crane a.k.a. "I Can't Believe It's Not Constantine!" The book is still as engaging as ever, thankfully, despite the new management.


The art team continues to flourish. Lucifer remains one of Vertigo's most atmospheric titles, with Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela continuing to impress me with every passing issue. This is another must-read series for all fans of the classic Vertigo Universe and anyone anxious to see more done with the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis and Mike Carey.

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.