Lucifer Morningstar, the fallen angel and sometimes ruler of hell, has returned to the pages of DC Comics as part of the publisher’s new Sandman Universe initiative under their Vertigo Comics line. The (literally) satanic character’s third series, written by Dan Watters and drawn by Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara, returns to a story that began in the original Sandman series that envisioned him as a romantic anti-hero.
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While it might seem strange to see the devil himself appear as part of DC Comics, Lucifer has proven himself to be a character with incredible potential both on the comics page and in adaptations to other media. Across 30 years of stories, he has revealed great depth as both a supporting cast member, a villain, and the hero of his own story. The return of this surprising leading man to his own comics series is a thrilling development.
However, if you still possess any deserved skepticism, here are eight great reasons to get excited for Lucifer #1 — and every issue to come.
A Brilliant Comic Book Foundation
Like everything in the Sandman Universe line, this is a story that stems from the brilliant, original 75 issues of The Sandman written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by too many talented artists to name. Lucifer was a running character throughout the series with his domain of Hell playing a big role in the introductory story arc. However, his defining place in the series came in the story “Season of Mists,” typically collected in the fourth volume. For many critics, it is the highest highpoint in The Sandman, focused on Morpheus handling ownership of hell after Lucifer decides to retire and hands him the key. While there are many great starting points later in Lucifer’s comics career, his appearances in The Sandman remain the best.
Rich With Literary Potential
It should come as no surprise that Neil Gaiman decided to provide Lucifer with such a prominent role in his epic comic series about the nature of stories though. In addition to his important role in the best-selling book in Western civilization, The Bible, Lucifer has been an important part of many literary classic. The romanticized version of the character from poet John Milton’s Paradise Lost serves as an obvious inspiration for the Lucifer readers meet in The Sandman. Furthermore, this canonical take provides a lot of rich detail still waiting to be explored by future writers and artists.
An Old-School Fanbase
A new Lucifer #1 is already cause for celebration among many readers. There is an entire cohort of comic readers who came up with The Sandman and to whom the series is a definitive text. In addition to that passion, the first Lucifer spinoff developed by writer Mike Carey ran just as long at 75 issues, resulting in a similarly passionate, albeit smaller set of devoted readers. Since his premiere, Lucifer has been a character that readers of DC Comics have enjoyed visiting with, especially when he is up to no good, and a new series is a good excuse for a warm welcome back.
And Eager New Fans
Looking beyond the comics, there are a lot of Lucifer fans who might not even know where their local comic book store is. A television series by the same name ran three seasons on Fox and found a devoted cult following. While Fox decided to cancel the eclectic blend of supernatural strangeness and police-procedural plotting, Netflix has provided a fourth season for the live-action adaptation to end its story. Viewers looking to find more Lucifer should be pleased to discover a new ongoing series, in addition to all of the existing comics already featuring this crowd-pleasing anti-hero.
Terrifying Artistic Talents
Jock’s early covers for this series are as nightmarish in tone as anything he has crafted so far in Wytches, but the names that potential readers should train their eyes on are Sebastian Fiumara and Max Fiumara. If you don’t already recognize this duo, then be sure to pull up a list of their work to date. They have tackled a variety of horrific stories, but the highlights come from Mike Mignola’s Hellboy line of comics like Abe Sapien and B.P.R.D.: 1948. This duo can just as easily stretch a shadow to build tremendous tension or reveal a monster that you can’t forget. While they’ve shown some serious range, it’s clear that horror comics are a specialty for both Fiumaras.
With a Rising Star Writer
Writer Dan Watters has a shorter bibliography than his collaborators, but any reader who picked up the series Limbo from Image Comics already knows that he is a rising star in the industry. It is a series that is almost too strange to blurb, combining the familiar plot of a detective mystery with some truly surreal elements. That’s the sort of take that a series like Lucifer requires as well, merging the nuanced and shockingly human personality at its core with all of the absurd horrors of hell. While Limbo flew beneath too many radars, Lucifer is likely to be Watters’ breakout series.
A Strong Foundation
History. Fans. Talent. All of these distinct elements build the sort of foundation that a new comic book series needs, especially one as quirky as Lucifer. Even for readers who have not read the first issue yet, it’s clear that this new concept has a tremendous amount of potential from the very start. There are no warning flags or risk of repetition like with many superhero relaunches on their seventh or 70th go. Lucifer is a series with a rock-solid start and no potential of being overdone already.
With Limitless Potential
That leaves the only real question about Lucifer as, where will it choose to go? The Sandman helped the Devil retire, and the original Lucifer series helped him challenge his essential nature. Lucifer’s story is far from ended though in a galaxy filled with potential and hell still roiling with conflict and so many fascinating demons. Some mighty stories lie in the past, but even more are waiting to be explored. Wherever the Fiumara’s and Watters decide to go, they are bound to find fertile storytelling potential walking with Lucifer Morningstar.
