There’s a lot of intrigue going on in Vertigo’s Lucifer series with death, multiple realms to explore, and most importantly some angels with some deep mental anguish to work out. Issue #7 comes out today, but is it good?
Lucifer #7 (Vertigo Comics)
To catch you up, here’s Vertigo’s synopsis:
The mystery of God’s murder has been solved, and Lucifer is back to running his bar, Ex Lux, in Los Angeles. With all resolved in Heaven and on Earth, it means Hell is probably fine too, right? After all, usurpers to the throne of the Nine Circles have always been status quo…
Why does this book matter?
Writer Holly Black has managed to make this series feel quite complex with many archetypes and character dynamics floating around, making it quite a fun read. Lee Garbett suits the story and its themes, as it has a fairy tale vibe with each panel quite picturesque.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
It’s getting epic in here.
This is the start of a new story arc and if you thought the “who killed god” story of the last arc was intense get ready for round two. Black navigates the inclusion of previously introduced characters, new complexities to the whole God being dead thing, and some compelling concepts around good and evil. The book opens with a fantastic narration by Lucifer about the debate over why evil needs to exist at all. One wonders if this question will be answered in this story arc and it’s a compelling idea to explore as characters die, fight, and vie for power.
Lucifer may be the title character, but Metatron plays a huge part in this story as he deals with the troubling idea of a Heaven with no God. The current queen of Hell also plays a big part, as well as Lucifer’s family. This feels more like an ensemble series at this point with Lucifer right at the center of it all. While the first arc was more of a buddy road trip movie with Lucifer and Gabriel behind the wheel, this issue proves this arc will be more of a political drama between Heaven and Hell. The truth is the characters in this story will benefit from a story like this because there’s so much backstabbing and conniving that goes into killing gods and angels.
Garbett continues to do great work with this series starting with a great first page showing off Lucifer in all his glory. With his new wings, a cane and a swagger about him, he trounces around the town with a confidence he’s never had before. There are plenty of epic moments made stronger due to the art–like a giant egg (no spoilers) and a pretty disturbing looking Beelzebub–that make the story feel otherworldly. Smaller moments work too because of Garbett’s handle of facial expressions, two of my favorites being an outraged Metatron and a hilariously frightened cat minion that works for Lucifer.
It can’t be perfect can it?
The complexity of this issue might not be the most new reader friendly first issues of a new story arc. There are a lot of characters involved, twists, and plot elements that require the reader to keep track, and more importantly know what they mean between each other. The complexity is part of the fun, but it does make your head spin at times!
Definition of swagger.
Is It Good?
Black manages to spin what appeared to be a wrapped up story right back into a complex tangle of dramatic goodness. This is the type of series written for folks who enjoy mythical storytelling that feels larger than life and Lucifer is about as large as you can get.
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