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Lucifer (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Lucifer is a DC Comics
character that starred in an eponymous comic book
published under the Vertigo imprint
, whose entire run was written by Mike Carey. Though various depictions of Lucifer — the Biblical fallen angel
and devil
of the Abrahamic religions
— have been presented by DC Comics in their run, his modern interpretation by Neil Gaiman
first debuted in The Sandman in 1989. Like many modern interpretations of Satan
, DC's Lucifer owes much to the character's portrayal in John Milton
's epic poem Paradise Lost
, though Gaiman adapts the character to fit the fictional DC Universe
where their comics are set, where the character exists alongside superheroes and deities from multiple religions.
Later, the character acquired an ongoing
Lucifer spin-off series, depicting his adventures on Earth, Heaven, and in the various other realms of creation after abandoning Hell
in the Sandman series. Lucifer also appears as a supporting character in issues of The Demon, The Spectre, and other DC Universe
comics. Two angels, several demons, a human, and briefly, Superman
, have taken his place as ruler of Hell, and the Reign in Hell
series further straightened things out.
, Lucifer abandoned his lordship over Hell
. While Lucifer had previously appeared in various stereotypical guises in earlier DC books, Gaiman's version was unique and premised on English poet and prose writer John Milton's
Paradise Lost
(at Gaiman's request of the artist Lucifer looks like David Bowie
). In the Sandman series, Lucifer had ruled as lord of Hell for ten billion years, after rebelling three seconds after Creation. Over that time, he had manipulated the various demons of Hell against each other, provided a place for dead mortals to be tormented, and led the war against Heaven.
However, at some point during his rule, he had become bored with his existence. He became tired of the various stereotypes that mortals held of the devil, such as the idea that he purchased and traded for souls, which were largely untrue, and that he forced mortals to commit evil acts. He had become tired of his reign over Hell, and felt it an unfair punishment that he should have to rule there forever simply because he once rebelled. In the Sandman story Season of Mists
, Lucifer expels all demons and damned souls from Hell before locking Hell's gates and handing over the key to Hell to Dream of the Endless, the title character of The Sandman series. Eventually, control of Hell was handed over to two Angels, Duma
(the angel of silence) and Remiel
("set over those who rise"), while Lucifer simply retired to Earth, initially to Perth, Western Australia
and later to Los Angeles, California
.
In the series, Lucifer runs a piano bar (an element introduced in the Sandman story The Kindly Ones
) called "Lux" in Los Angeles
, with the assistance of his female consort, Mazikeen
who is a Lilim, one of the race descended from Lilith
. Lucifer is portrayed as a sophisticated and charming man, according to the stereotypical gentleman-devil
.
The theme of the Lucifer series revolves around the free will
problem. Carey's Lucifer is a Nietzschean figure representing will and individual willpower, who challenges the 'tyranny of predestination'. While in heaven's eyes this is blasphemy, Lucifer points out that rebellion (and indeed all sin) and damnation as consequence were pre-planned by his Creator. Lucifer rejects God's rule as tyrannical and unjust. Violent, aggressive, vengeful, and dictatorial aspects of heaven's rule are represented mostly by the archangel Amenadiel, who has a particular hatred of Lucifer and leads attacks of various kinds against him, such as verbal criticism, marshalling the host of heaven as well as challenging him to individual combat - almost all of it without the slightest care for the countless innocent, unwilling and unwitting victims he is more than willing to sacrifice for his own pride. For his part, Lucifer disdains Amenadiel, treating his emotional outbursts with contempt and repeatedly defeats his assaults with Machiavellian scheming.
Elaborate codes of conduct and schemes of entrapment based on these codes are vital elements of the DC\Vertigo magical universe. Lucifer appears as the master of these Machiavellian arts. In an encounter during the first Sandman story arc (around issue 5#) a weakened Dream outsmarts Lucifer. Lucifer first swears revenge on Dream, but later comes to accept Dream's critique of his role and project as Lord of Hell. This inspires Lucifer's abdication, a vital element of the Sandman saga, and the point of departure for the Lucifer series.
For Lucifer and Dream, their word is bond. This shared characteristic is key to both character's mastery of manipulation and maneuvering in the realms of magic. As David Easterman, a character who sees himself as a victim of Lucifer, puts it: "when the devil wants you to do something, he doesn't lie at all. He tells you the exact, literal truth. And he lets you find your own way to hell" Refusal to lie is also central to the moral position of both characters- they see themselves as neutral or amoral facilitators of forces within individuals (will and dreams respectively) with Lucifer actively and effectively combating what he regards as corrupting moral codes. While both characters avoiding lying, their callous morality seldom extends to compassion. Both sagas are moral dramas, but while Sandman involves a tale of atonement, Lucifer is concerned with war and peace in the heavens, with Lucifer regarding the sacrifice of millions of souls as unimportant collateral damage, with there being few, if any beings he respects and even less he cares for. It should be reminded, however, that it is very difficult to discern when Lucifer acts as a slave to predestination and when he effectively acts according to his own free will.
As the series opened in 2000
, Lucifer's "restful" retirement was disturbed by a series of associates from his past, and after various catalytic events, he endeavored to create a universe in competition with (and presumably against the wishes of) his father, Yahweh
. This puts him on a collision course with several powerful mystical entities that have a vested interest in the new creation and draws the angelic host into the fray - including his brother, the archangel Michael Demiurgos
, and his niece, Elaine Belloc
.
The series paralleled The Sandman in several ways, with epic fantasy stories being told in arcs separated by one-shot episodes depicting a smaller, more personal tale. Unlike Sandman, the series has had a consistent art team in Peter Gross
and Ryan Kelly, with most of the odd issues illustrated by Dean Ormston. The title's 50th issue was penciled by P. Craig Russell
, homaging Sandman #50. Structurally, aside from the meeting in Hell that Lucifer arranges with angel Amenadiel in much the same way Dream did with himself in the pages of Sandman, the series follows its own path. Numerous Gods appear, with greater focus on Judeo-Christian religion (as viewed by John Milton in Paradise Lost), Japanese and Nordic mythology than in Sandman. As for the Endless themselves, all but Desire and Despair appear, but their appearances are small and very rare.
However subtle, the influence of the Endless throughout the series is undeniable, as their roles are paralleled by other almost similar notions : Destiny of the Endless acts like predestination - Lucifer finds Destiny "offensive as a concept" and tells him "[He knows he is] really just a SIDE effect of [his] FATHER. Or rather, his deterministic APPROACH to the act of creation." His contempt for Destiny (though "It's really nothing PERSONAL.") is mostly due to the fact that Lucifer has spent the major part of eternity trying to break free from predestination; Lucifer is a psychopomp, like Death; the way Lucifer manipulates reality resembles Dream's ability to bring dream objects into the waking world; both destruction and creation are tied together by Michael's death and the way Lucifer uses its power to create a new world, which reminds us of Destruction's dual nature; One of the various reasons why Destruction left his realm and responsibilities was that "light and matter are interchangeable", which is confirmed in the series by the fact that angels are made of pure light; Fenris takes on the role of absolute dissolution and destruction; just like Destruction, Lucifer abandoned his realm and responsibilities partly because of a revelation as well (due to Dream's comment in Hell); Many characters just follow their immediate desires, without regards for others - similarly, "Desire is a creature of the moment" and "Desire is cruel", as it uses to play horrible games with mortals; Hell and the House Of Windowless Rooms are places of almost ultimate despair (the House Of Windowless Rooms somehow parallels Despair's realm); Several characters are in a state of delirium.
Cover artists included Duncan Fegredo
, Christopher Moeller
and Mike Kaluta
. The letters are inconsistent, with the first half of the series carrying particularly established fonts of Gaudium, Michael and God only to drop almost all of them save Lucifer's towards the end with numerous changes in the letterers.
The series ended in June 2006
with issue #75 and has thus far been collected in eleven books, with a standalone story (Lucifer: Nirvana) published as a smaller graphic novel
. The series' parent title, The Sandman, also ran for 75 issues.
In its concluding issue, the Lucifer story mirror the theme of other contemporary DC comic series. When Lucifer ventures outside creation, he sees something resembling the comics pages themselves, a meta-effect which was a year earlier also used in the finale of the Promethea
series by Alan Moore, published on Wildstorm, a subsidiary of DC.
In the end of the Lucifer story arc, God and the devil are no longer part of the universe and a former human (Elaine Belloc
) is instead presiding over it. New concepts for heaven and hell are created, inspired and influenced by other human or superhuman characters in the story. The new situation is described on several occasions by the fallen cherubs Gaudium and Spera. In essence it is "growing up" i.e.: the need to find your own truth and values without being told by your parents.
This resolution is similar to the one in the DC series Preacher
, where the struggle between good and evil ends with both God and the devil out of the picture and man in control of his own destiny.
:
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
character that starred in an eponymous comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
published under the Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, whose entire run was written by Mike Carey. Though various depictions of Lucifer — the Biblical fallen angel
Fallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
and devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
of the Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
— have been presented by DC Comics in their run, his modern interpretation by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
first debuted in The Sandman in 1989. Like many modern interpretations of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, DC's Lucifer owes much to the character's portrayal in John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's epic poem Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
, though Gaiman adapts the character to fit the fictional DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
where their comics are set, where the character exists alongside superheroes and deities from multiple religions.
Later, the character acquired an ongoing
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
Lucifer spin-off series, depicting his adventures on Earth, Heaven, and in the various other realms of creation after abandoning Hell
Hell (DC Comics)
Hell is a fictional location, an infernal underworld utilized in titles published by DC Comics. It is the locational antithesis of the Silver City. The DC Comics location known as Hell is based heavily on its depiction in Judeo-Christian mythology...
in the Sandman series. Lucifer also appears as a supporting character in issues of The Demon, The Spectre, and other DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
comics. Two angels, several demons, a human, and briefly, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, have taken his place as ruler of Hell, and the Reign in Hell
Reign in Hell
Reign in Hell is a 2008-2009 comic book limited series written by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Thomas Derenick and published by DC Comics. The title is a reference to a line spoken by Lucifer in John Milton's Paradise Lost: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."-Plot:During the events of...
series further straightened things out.
Sandman continuity
In the earlier related series The Sandman, written by Neil GaimanNeil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, Lucifer abandoned his lordship over Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. While Lucifer had previously appeared in various stereotypical guises in earlier DC books, Gaiman's version was unique and premised on English poet and prose writer John Milton's
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
(at Gaiman's request of the artist Lucifer looks like David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
). In the Sandman series, Lucifer had ruled as lord of Hell for ten billion years, after rebelling three seconds after Creation. Over that time, he had manipulated the various demons of Hell against each other, provided a place for dead mortals to be tormented, and led the war against Heaven.
However, at some point during his rule, he had become bored with his existence. He became tired of the various stereotypes that mortals held of the devil, such as the idea that he purchased and traded for souls, which were largely untrue, and that he forced mortals to commit evil acts. He had become tired of his reign over Hell, and felt it an unfair punishment that he should have to rule there forever simply because he once rebelled. In the Sandman story Season of Mists
The Sandman: Season of Mists
Season of Mists is the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman.It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, and P...
, Lucifer expels all demons and damned souls from Hell before locking Hell's gates and handing over the key to Hell to Dream of the Endless, the title character of The Sandman series. Eventually, control of Hell was handed over to two Angels, Duma
Duma (DC Comics)
Duma is a fallen angel in the DC Vertigo series The Sandman, created by the British author Neil Gaiman. His name means "silence", and he is based on an angel from Jewish mythology.-Outside the Sandman mythos:...
(the angel of silence) and Remiel
Ramiel
Râmîêl is a fallen Watcher in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, one of 20 leaders, mentioned sixth. Ramiel means "thunder of God" from the Hebrew elements ra'am and El, "God". Remiel is one of the archangels of the Christian and Islamic traditions, the Hebrew name meaning "Mercy of God" or "Compassion...
("set over those who rise"), while Lucifer simply retired to Earth, initially to Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and later to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Solo series
Lucifer was the main character in an eponymous series that ran for 75 issues and the Lucifer: Nirvana one-shot, from June 2000 to August 2006, the entire run of which was written by Mike Carey. (This series was preceded by 1999's Carey-penned The Sandman Presents: Lucifer miniseries.) Carey described the book as being "autobiographical", in so much as Lucifer is so much the opposite of the author and all humanity that he "defines [us] in negative": to Carey, the essence of the character was that "we play safe. Most of us do, most of the time . . . but Lucifer doesn't know the meaning of safe, and he never bothers to look down at the tramlines. He goes wherever the hell he likes, picks his fights where he finds them and generally wins . . . following [his] own will and [his] own instincts to the very end of the line, no matter what the obstacles are".In the series, Lucifer runs a piano bar (an element introduced in the Sandman story The Kindly Ones
The Sandman: The Kindly Ones
The Kindly Ones is the ninth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Marc Hempel, Richard Case, D'Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston and Kevin Nowlan, coloured by Danny Vozzo, and lettered by Todd Klein.The...
) called "Lux" in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, with the assistance of his female consort, Mazikeen
Mazikeen (comics)
Mazikeen is one of the Lilim, that is, the children of Lilith; she is a comic book character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Sandman vol...
who is a Lilim, one of the race descended from Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
. Lucifer is portrayed as a sophisticated and charming man, according to the stereotypical gentleman-devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
.
The theme of the Lucifer series revolves around the free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
problem. Carey's Lucifer is a Nietzschean figure representing will and individual willpower, who challenges the 'tyranny of predestination'. While in heaven's eyes this is blasphemy, Lucifer points out that rebellion (and indeed all sin) and damnation as consequence were pre-planned by his Creator. Lucifer rejects God's rule as tyrannical and unjust. Violent, aggressive, vengeful, and dictatorial aspects of heaven's rule are represented mostly by the archangel Amenadiel, who has a particular hatred of Lucifer and leads attacks of various kinds against him, such as verbal criticism, marshalling the host of heaven as well as challenging him to individual combat - almost all of it without the slightest care for the countless innocent, unwilling and unwitting victims he is more than willing to sacrifice for his own pride. For his part, Lucifer disdains Amenadiel, treating his emotional outbursts with contempt and repeatedly defeats his assaults with Machiavellian scheming.
Elaborate codes of conduct and schemes of entrapment based on these codes are vital elements of the DC\Vertigo magical universe. Lucifer appears as the master of these Machiavellian arts. In an encounter during the first Sandman story arc (around issue 5#) a weakened Dream outsmarts Lucifer. Lucifer first swears revenge on Dream, but later comes to accept Dream's critique of his role and project as Lord of Hell. This inspires Lucifer's abdication, a vital element of the Sandman saga, and the point of departure for the Lucifer series.
For Lucifer and Dream, their word is bond. This shared characteristic is key to both character's mastery of manipulation and maneuvering in the realms of magic. As David Easterman, a character who sees himself as a victim of Lucifer, puts it: "when the devil wants you to do something, he doesn't lie at all. He tells you the exact, literal truth. And he lets you find your own way to hell" Refusal to lie is also central to the moral position of both characters- they see themselves as neutral or amoral facilitators of forces within individuals (will and dreams respectively) with Lucifer actively and effectively combating what he regards as corrupting moral codes. While both characters avoiding lying, their callous morality seldom extends to compassion. Both sagas are moral dramas, but while Sandman involves a tale of atonement, Lucifer is concerned with war and peace in the heavens, with Lucifer regarding the sacrifice of millions of souls as unimportant collateral damage, with there being few, if any beings he respects and even less he cares for. It should be reminded, however, that it is very difficult to discern when Lucifer acts as a slave to predestination and when he effectively acts according to his own free will.
As the series opened in 2000
2000 in comics
-February:*Strange Adventures vol. 2, #4, final issue cover-dated February - January :* January 5: Goseki Kojima, co-creator of Lone Wolf and Cub, dies at age 71.* January 6: Mad magazine fixture Don Martin dies at age 68....
, Lucifer's "restful" retirement was disturbed by a series of associates from his past, and after various catalytic events, he endeavored to create a universe in competition with (and presumably against the wishes of) his father, Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
. This puts him on a collision course with several powerful mystical entities that have a vested interest in the new creation and draws the angelic host into the fray - including his brother, the archangel Michael Demiurgos
Michael Demiurgos
Michael Demiurgos is a fictional character in the Lucifer series by DC comics, and is a creation of Mike Carey, based on the archangel Michael....
, and his niece, Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc is a fictional character in the DC/Vertigo Comics series Lucifer created by Mike Carey. Elaine was created by Carey specifically for the Lucifer series, and her character is that of a young girl with special powers who encounters Lucifer and takes part in the adventures and battles...
.
The series paralleled The Sandman in several ways, with epic fantasy stories being told in arcs separated by one-shot episodes depicting a smaller, more personal tale. Unlike Sandman, the series has had a consistent art team in Peter Gross
Peter Gross (comics)
Peter Gross is an American comic book writer and artist known for such works as The Books of Magic, Lucifer and The Unwritten.-Biography:Gross attended St. John's University and did graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Superior...
and Ryan Kelly, with most of the odd issues illustrated by Dean Ormston. The title's 50th issue was penciled by P. Craig Russell
P. Craig Russell
Philip Craig Russell , also known as P. Craig Russell, is an American comic book writer, artist, and illustrator. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards...
, homaging Sandman #50. Structurally, aside from the meeting in Hell that Lucifer arranges with angel Amenadiel in much the same way Dream did with himself in the pages of Sandman, the series follows its own path. Numerous Gods appear, with greater focus on Judeo-Christian religion (as viewed by John Milton in Paradise Lost), Japanese and Nordic mythology than in Sandman. As for the Endless themselves, all but Desire and Despair appear, but their appearances are small and very rare.
However subtle, the influence of the Endless throughout the series is undeniable, as their roles are paralleled by other almost similar notions : Destiny of the Endless acts like predestination - Lucifer finds Destiny "offensive as a concept" and tells him "[He knows he is] really just a SIDE effect of [his] FATHER. Or rather, his deterministic APPROACH to the act of creation." His contempt for Destiny (though "It's really nothing PERSONAL.") is mostly due to the fact that Lucifer has spent the major part of eternity trying to break free from predestination; Lucifer is a psychopomp, like Death; the way Lucifer manipulates reality resembles Dream's ability to bring dream objects into the waking world; both destruction and creation are tied together by Michael's death and the way Lucifer uses its power to create a new world, which reminds us of Destruction's dual nature; One of the various reasons why Destruction left his realm and responsibilities was that "light and matter are interchangeable", which is confirmed in the series by the fact that angels are made of pure light; Fenris takes on the role of absolute dissolution and destruction; just like Destruction, Lucifer abandoned his realm and responsibilities partly because of a revelation as well (due to Dream's comment in Hell); Many characters just follow their immediate desires, without regards for others - similarly, "Desire is a creature of the moment" and "Desire is cruel", as it uses to play horrible games with mortals; Hell and the House Of Windowless Rooms are places of almost ultimate despair (the House Of Windowless Rooms somehow parallels Despair's realm); Several characters are in a state of delirium.
Cover artists included Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo is a British comic book artist born in Leicester in 1964.-Career:Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a short lived British magazine called Heartbreak Hotel...
, Christopher Moeller
Christopher Moeller
Christopher Moeller is a writer and painter, specializing in fully painted graphic novels. Moeller's signature creation is the Iron Empires science-fiction universe, comprising two fully painted graphic novels Faith Conquers and Sheva's War, a short story in Dark Horse Presents, and a second in...
and Mike Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...
. The letters are inconsistent, with the first half of the series carrying particularly established fonts of Gaudium, Michael and God only to drop almost all of them save Lucifer's towards the end with numerous changes in the letterers.
The series ended in June 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
with issue #75 and has thus far been collected in eleven books, with a standalone story (Lucifer: Nirvana) published as a smaller graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
. The series' parent title, The Sandman, also ran for 75 issues.
In its concluding issue, the Lucifer story mirror the theme of other contemporary DC comic series. When Lucifer ventures outside creation, he sees something resembling the comics pages themselves, a meta-effect which was a year earlier also used in the finale of the Promethea
Promethea
Promethea is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm....
series by Alan Moore, published on Wildstorm, a subsidiary of DC.
In the end of the Lucifer story arc, God and the devil are no longer part of the universe and a former human (Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc is a fictional character in the DC/Vertigo Comics series Lucifer created by Mike Carey. Elaine was created by Carey specifically for the Lucifer series, and her character is that of a young girl with special powers who encounters Lucifer and takes part in the adventures and battles...
) is instead presiding over it. New concepts for heaven and hell are created, inspired and influenced by other human or superhuman characters in the story. The new situation is described on several occasions by the fallen cherubs Gaudium and Spera. In essence it is "growing up" i.e.: the need to find your own truth and values without being told by your parents.
This resolution is similar to the one in the DC series Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
, where the struggle between good and evil ends with both God and the devil out of the picture and man in control of his own destiny.
Powers and abilities
Lucifer possesses incalculable power; he can shape the matter of creation into anything he can imagine including matter, energy, and more abstract concepts such as time. However, he does have certain limitations. Simply put, he cannot create something out of nothing. He needs existing matter (and where that is unavailable, the Demiurgic power of the archangel Michael) to provide the foundation for him to shape. Only his brother Michael Demiurgos is his equal in power. However, in certain dimensions he is powerless and his mobility is limited without his angelic wings. He may choose to temporarily abandon his powers (including immortality) and it is strongly suggested that even he could not survive if his heart were to be eaten by another character. In the story "Lilith", it is implied that his father could destroy him at his whim - which makes "[Lucifer] sometimes WONDER [...] why he hasn't dealt with [him] ALREADY." He is never without the formidable resources of his brilliant intellect and his unbending will however. Although Lucifer's overt exercises of power are limited in the books, if he is provoked to violence his preference always seems to be to use fire as a weapon. His original role was "God's lamplighter," using his unmatched will to condense clouds of hydrogen into star-masses, and setting them alight. As terrifying as they are brief, battles with Lucifer usually begin (and end) with him drawing down the flames of some superheated star and incinerating to ash anything in the immediate area. However, the true reasons why he favors light and fire are partly explained in the story "Lilith" (from "Lucifer : The Wolf Beneath The Tree").Other versions
- The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe lists Lucifer as first having appeared in a dream in Superman's Pal Jimmy OlsenSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (comic)Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues...
#65 (1962). He appears when Jimmy OlsenJimmy OlsenJimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
attempts to memorize a devil's food cakeDevil's food cakeDevil's food cake is a moist, airy, rich chocolate layer cake. It is considered a counterpart to the white or yellow angel food cake. Due to differing recipes and changing ingredient availability over the course of the twentieth century, it is difficult to precisely qualify what distinguishes...
recipe with his alleged photographic memory and dreams that he is in France 300 years in the past. Putting on the clothing of a bandit who has ditched them, Jimmy is arrested and sent to rot in Devil's IslandDevil's IslandDevil's Island is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut located about 6 nautical miles off the coast of French Guiana . It has an area of 14 ha . It was a small part of the notorious French penal colony in French Guiana until 1952...
Penal ColonyPenal colonyA penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
. A bald man known as Lord L offers five years of freedom for people to escape in exchange for their souls. Convinced that the magic the man uses is technological in nature, assuming him to be an ancestor of Lex LuthorLex LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
, he asks to be returned to from where he came, believing Lord L will be long dead by then and unable to claim him. Lord L shows up at his front door, still bald but now with a goateeGoateeGoatee refers to a style of facial hair incorporating hair on a man’s chin. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture.Traditionally, goatee refers solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin...
, and insists that he is Lucifer and has given him over 300 years extra, but will dine with him before taking him, but disappears when Jimmy serves him cake. SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
wakes Jimmy soon after and reveals that the card he memorized was really for angel food cake, and this is why Lucifer disappeared. - In Weird Mystery TalesWeird Mystery TalesWeird Mystery Tales was a mystery anthology from DC Comics, which ran from July/Aug. 1972-November 1975. Like its sister books House of Mystery and The Witching Hour, it was known for its "monstrous stories" with shock endings....
#4 (Jan-Feb 1973), a story by Jack OleckJack OleckJack Oleck was an American novelist and comic book writer particularly known for his work in the horror genre.The brother-in-law of comics pioneer Joe Simon, Oleck's comic book career was basically in two parts. During the Golden Age of comics Oleck wrote for EC Comics and the Simon-Jack Kirby...
and Rubeny depicts Lucifer, looking much like his present incarnation, save for a few panels in which he appeared as a more traditional devilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, held prisoner by an order of monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s. It also presents a prisoner switch trick not unlike the one performed in The Sandman: Season of MistsThe Sandman: Season of MistsSeason of Mists is the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman.It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, and P...
, in addition to being hosted by DestinyDestiny (DC Comics)Destiny is a DC Comics character created by Marv Wolfman and Bernie Wrightson, first appearing in Weird Mystery Tales #1 , and was regular host of that series for the first fourteen issues, after which he hosted Secrets of Haunted House. He is one of the Endless in Neil Gaiman's comic book series,...
, another character later used by Gaiman. In the story, Lucifer gave Philip Burton his form in order to trade places with him and fulfill his wish for immortality. Lucifer walked away in the body of the elderly Burton. - A character called Lucifer, The Fallen Angel appears in Blue DevilBlue DevilBlue Devil is a superhero featured in material published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert published in Fury of Firestorm #24 . That story led directly into Blue Devil #1, also cover dated June 1984...
#31 (the final issue). He has angelic wings and a halo, and his face includes dark facial hair. He does not have horns. Madame XanaduMadame XanaduMadame Xanadu is a fictional character, a comic book mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.-Publication history:...
recognizes that even with a magic book, he is not the real Lucifer. He is simply a washed-up actor who decides to be a costumed criminal for a living. He is dragged into Hell on a train at the end of the issue. - The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe lists Lucifer's first genuine pre-CrisisCrisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
appearance as DC Special SeriesDC Special SeriesDC Special Series was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. DC Special Series was published in four different formats: Dollar Comics, 48...
#8 (1978's The Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
Special Starring BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, DeadmanDeadmanDeadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
and Sgt. Rock). This character has hair and wings like Lucifer as he appears in Sandman #4, but he is red-skinned and has a face like a traditional devil, complete with goatee, though his horns may be part of a headband. His appearance in the comic is brief, but he is specifically referred to as "Lucifer," rather than by other epithets. He has an advisory board consisting of Guy FawkesGuy FawkesGuy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
, Benedict ArnoldBenedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, Jack the RipperJack the Ripper"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
, NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, and BluebeardBluebeard"Bluebeard" is a French literary folktale written by Charles Perrault and is one of eight tales by the author first published by Barbin in Paris in January 1697 in Histoires ou Contes du temps passé. The tale tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the...
. He has an operative, Edward Dirkes, set bombs, while using a bronze BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
statue transported by the Easy CompanyEasy Company (comics)Easy Company is a fictional comic book World War II US Army infantry unit led by Sgt. Rock in stories published by DC Comics. The group first appeared in Our Army at War #81 , and were created by Bob Haney and Ross Andru.-Publication history:...
like a voodoo doll. - Writer Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
introduced a character intended to be the Devil as an antagonist in his run on the HellblazerHellblazerHellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
comic: however, as the character appeared at the same time as Gaiman's reuse of the Lucifer character, Ennis had to introduce a new back story for his character to distinguish the two: the Hellblazer character was named the First of the FallenFirst of the FallenThe First of the Fallen is a fictional demon published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. He debuted in Hellblazer #42 , and was created by Garth Ennis and Will Simpson,-Publication history:...
, and was ruler of Hell prior to and after Lucifer's reign. How this fits in with the reigns of the angels and Christopher Rudd has not been clarified, although the First of the Fallen mentions Duma and Remiel ruling Hell during Ennis' run. - SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
has appeared as a distinct figure in numerous DC comics. - In one of DC-Vertigo's "Fables" spinoffs, "Jack Of Fables", the titular character made various (totally stupid) pacts with several devils. One of them is heavily inspired by Milton's "Paradise Lost".
Collected editions
Lucifer, including the Sandman Presents miniseries and the Nirvana one-shot, has been collected together into eleven trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
External links
- Lucifer mini-site (cached) at DC Comics.com
- Rauch, Stephen. Review: Lucifer, PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, September 1, 2006