Lucifer : Devil in the Gateway Book

Among the dismal array of spin-offs from Neil Gaiman's classic Sandman, Mike Carey's Lucifer shines like the Morningstar, which is only appropriate given he's the hero of Devil in the Gateway. Some might say "antihero": Carey has described him as willing to set fire to the world in order to light his cigarette. But Lucifer has charm, power and really nice suits; in many ways, he's a perfect role model, particularly in the first story here collected, "The Morningstar Option". He moves above the narrative more than within it, detached from any sense of danger not just by his supernatural abilities but also by his talent for a withering quip. Few people could find "RELENT!" written on their wall in blood and muse "A message written in blood. Everyone involved in this drama seems compelled to overact." Many Lucifer readers recommend the second collection, Children and Monsters, as a better starting point than this volume, but that perhaps assumes a greater familiarity with the material than the new reader is likely to have. Here's where you're reminded why Lucifer quit Hell to run a piano bar in LA, and here's where it begins to become clear why that escape proved unsatisfactory. The introductions to other characters who will loom large in the series are perhaps too leisurely for some tastes, but to others these character-led tales will provide welcome emotional grounding before the Biblical conflicts of later volumes. Similarly, while the series' regular artists had yet to be established at this point, the work here (particularly that of Scott Hampton) is hardly unimpressive. --Alex SarllRead More