Ryan Day
May 21, 2004, 02:01 am
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0504/LuciferCVR50.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0504/LuciferCVR50t.jpg" align=left alt="Lucifer #50"></a>Reviewer: Ryan Day Dreamhunter00@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Excellent
Story Title: Lilith
Suggested for Mature Readers
Love, angels, demons and the amazing P. Craig Russell
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: P. Craig Russell
Lettering: Jared Fletcher
Colors and separations: Lovern Kindzierski
Cover Painter: Christopher Moeller
Assistant Editor: Mariah Huehner
Edited by: Shelly Bond
Based on characters created by Gaiman, Keith & Dringenberg.
That announcement has introduced every issue of Lucifer, along with every other book to be spun out of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. But with each issue of Lucifer, that credit holds less and less meaning. Lucifer may be a "spinoff" from Sandman, but only in the sense that it probably wouldn’t exist if not for Gaiman. This particular interpretation of the fallen angel may stem from Gaiman’s vision, but true creation would seem to rest with John Milton and a bunch of long-dead Hebrew priests. There’s only one regular character in Lucifer who was wholly created by Gaiman, and that’s Mazikeen, Lucifer’s fearless and faithful servant and one of the more minor third-string characters in Gaiman’s epic.
It’s natural to want to compare Lucifer to Sandman, but in the end it’s kind of pointless. Sandman was a work of true literature, and Gaiman told some of the best stories ever set to the comic page. Lucifer is merely a really, really, excellent book. Mike Carey shares many of Gaiman’s qualities, to one degree or another: A sense of grand, continuous narrative balanced with intimate character studies, a clever sense of humour and an awe-inspiring knowledge of the myths and religions of the world. Carey’s style may be similar to Gaiman’s, but it never feels like he’s trying to write like Neil Gaiman.
Still, Vertigo clearly knows what the market is for this book: People who miss Sandman. Perhaps with that in mind, they set up what must be a deliberate Sandman parallel for Lucifer’s fiftieth issue: This issue is illustrated by P. Craig Russell, known most recently for his Death story in Endless Nights, but also for the fiftieth issue of Sandman, the tale of Ramadan. That was a story of magic and demons set long ago; Lilith is a tale of angels and demons, set nearly at the beginning of time.
That setting makes this an exceptional starting point for those who’ve wanted to read Lucifer but never knew where to start. You needn’t have read a single issue of the series to understand what happens in Lilith because none of it has happened yet. Lucifer is still an angel among the Heavenly Host, obeying his father’s word. He and a fellow angel, Ibriel, are sent to the Red Sea to deal with a growing problem: Lilith, the first wife of Adam.
If you’ve never read any of the legends, they go something like this: First, God created Adam. When He realized Adam needed a mate, He created Lilith; like Adam, she was created of the Earth. She was his equal in every way, which is where the problems arose. Lilith demanded equality, if not outright superiority, and was banished from Eden so Adam could have a nice, subordinate little wife made from a rib. Lilith fled to a cave, where she mated with demons.
This is where Lucifer, still called Samael, and Ibriel come in. Lilith’s activities, to say nothing of her offspring, are offensive to Heaven and must be stopped. But neither angel can bring himself to slay the woman, and both become ensnared by her. Not to say she bewitches them; rather, she gives them exactly what they want. She encourages Ibriel’s desire to create a great city for the Heavenly Host, and nurtures Samael’s desire for independence.
It is here that the seeds are sown for Lucifer’s inevitable rebellion. "I may have been made for Adam," Lilith tells the angels, "but I live for myself. Which is what living means." This is a recurring theme in religious literature, from the Old Testament to Paradise Lost right up to Lucifer: The first sign of free will is disobedience. In the timing of this, though, Carey has made Lilith the first in all of creation act on her own. Lucifer’s fall from Heaven is yet to come, and Adam and Eve’s eviction from paradise follows that.
Her coupling with Ibriel leads to the inevitable: A baby is born to Lilith, one that Ibriel is not at all pleased to see. To regain his favour, Lilith tries to make his dreams come true and offers the service of her offspring to build Ibriel’s Silver City. But Ibriel’s affections for the woman who defied God do not sit well with the angel Gabriel, and his answer to Gabriel is not appreciated by Lilith’s young daughter, Mazikeen.
Suffice it to say that many of Lucifer’s unspoken secrets are explained with this issue. Lucifer’s fall from Heaven, Mazikeen’s fierce loyalty to her master and her place as head of the Lilim are all explained here. Carey tells an epic story of love, politics, deceit and rebellion that stands perfectly on its own and complements the first 49 issues. If there’s a flaw to be found, it’s that the epic grandeur of the story limits some of the intimacy Carey does so well; Ibriel and Lilith’s relationship could use more depth, as things seem to proceed a bit too quickly. But the ultimate focus on the parallels between Lucifer and Lilith and the way their paths intertwine is fascinating; one presumes it sets up Carey’s upcoming story perfectly, given Lilith’s reappearance at the end of #49.
One of the consistent highs of Lucifer has been the artwork. Peter Gross’ artwork has evolved considerably over the course of the series, to the point where he’s high-profile enough to take on one of Mark Millar’s books. Gross, along with regular fill-in artist Dean Ormston, has been key in establishing the darkly fantastical feel of the book, and it would normally be a shame to do without him for even an issue. But when the fill-in artist is P. Craig Russell, it’s pretty difficult to make any serious complaints. The simple fact of the matter is that it’s difficult for most artists to make a bunch of naked guys with wings look cool, but Russell pulls it off. He captures both the power Samael and the innocence of Ibriel; his angels are graceful, elegant and nearly flawless. Lilith is a similar triumph: Seductive, alluring and utterly confident and in control of herself. The Lilim themselves are wonderfully bizarre and demonic, calling to mind a more refined version of Sam Keith’s Hell in Preludes and Nocturnes. The sole flaw is an understandable one: When drawing a bunch of naked, blonde men with wings, it can be difficult to differentiate them all. As such, Lucifer and Ibriel are slightly indistinct on a few pages.
Lilith provides ample evidence of Lucifer’s best traits: Epic storytelling that can still be contained in one issue, compelling character development and artwork that is nothing short of gorgeous. And it’s all wrapped up in a giant-sized issue with, it appears, considerably fewer ads than usual.
For all its reputation as a Sandman spinoff, Lucifer is a surprisingly low profile book; it doesn’t receive the hype of Fables or Y: The Last Man. It just keeps ploughing along, turning in consistently good, often excellent, stories about humans, demons, gods and angels. The greatest potential problem the series is its complex, occasionally tangled continuity: When Mike Carey tells an epic story about creation, he means business. But Lilith offers no such complications, so long as you’re familiar with such concepts as "angels" and "God." Lucifer is a book that can totally ensnare a reader, and there’s no better place to start than this.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg
Quick Rating: Excellent
Story Title: Lilith
Suggested for Mature Readers
Love, angels, demons and the amazing P. Craig Russell
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: P. Craig Russell
Lettering: Jared Fletcher
Colors and separations: Lovern Kindzierski
Cover Painter: Christopher Moeller
Assistant Editor: Mariah Huehner
Edited by: Shelly Bond
Based on characters created by Gaiman, Keith & Dringenberg.
That announcement has introduced every issue of Lucifer, along with every other book to be spun out of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. But with each issue of Lucifer, that credit holds less and less meaning. Lucifer may be a "spinoff" from Sandman, but only in the sense that it probably wouldn’t exist if not for Gaiman. This particular interpretation of the fallen angel may stem from Gaiman’s vision, but true creation would seem to rest with John Milton and a bunch of long-dead Hebrew priests. There’s only one regular character in Lucifer who was wholly created by Gaiman, and that’s Mazikeen, Lucifer’s fearless and faithful servant and one of the more minor third-string characters in Gaiman’s epic.
It’s natural to want to compare Lucifer to Sandman, but in the end it’s kind of pointless. Sandman was a work of true literature, and Gaiman told some of the best stories ever set to the comic page. Lucifer is merely a really, really, excellent book. Mike Carey shares many of Gaiman’s qualities, to one degree or another: A sense of grand, continuous narrative balanced with intimate character studies, a clever sense of humour and an awe-inspiring knowledge of the myths and religions of the world. Carey’s style may be similar to Gaiman’s, but it never feels like he’s trying to write like Neil Gaiman.
Still, Vertigo clearly knows what the market is for this book: People who miss Sandman. Perhaps with that in mind, they set up what must be a deliberate Sandman parallel for Lucifer’s fiftieth issue: This issue is illustrated by P. Craig Russell, known most recently for his Death story in Endless Nights, but also for the fiftieth issue of Sandman, the tale of Ramadan. That was a story of magic and demons set long ago; Lilith is a tale of angels and demons, set nearly at the beginning of time.
That setting makes this an exceptional starting point for those who’ve wanted to read Lucifer but never knew where to start. You needn’t have read a single issue of the series to understand what happens in Lilith because none of it has happened yet. Lucifer is still an angel among the Heavenly Host, obeying his father’s word. He and a fellow angel, Ibriel, are sent to the Red Sea to deal with a growing problem: Lilith, the first wife of Adam.
If you’ve never read any of the legends, they go something like this: First, God created Adam. When He realized Adam needed a mate, He created Lilith; like Adam, she was created of the Earth. She was his equal in every way, which is where the problems arose. Lilith demanded equality, if not outright superiority, and was banished from Eden so Adam could have a nice, subordinate little wife made from a rib. Lilith fled to a cave, where she mated with demons.
This is where Lucifer, still called Samael, and Ibriel come in. Lilith’s activities, to say nothing of her offspring, are offensive to Heaven and must be stopped. But neither angel can bring himself to slay the woman, and both become ensnared by her. Not to say she bewitches them; rather, she gives them exactly what they want. She encourages Ibriel’s desire to create a great city for the Heavenly Host, and nurtures Samael’s desire for independence.
It is here that the seeds are sown for Lucifer’s inevitable rebellion. "I may have been made for Adam," Lilith tells the angels, "but I live for myself. Which is what living means." This is a recurring theme in religious literature, from the Old Testament to Paradise Lost right up to Lucifer: The first sign of free will is disobedience. In the timing of this, though, Carey has made Lilith the first in all of creation act on her own. Lucifer’s fall from Heaven is yet to come, and Adam and Eve’s eviction from paradise follows that.
Her coupling with Ibriel leads to the inevitable: A baby is born to Lilith, one that Ibriel is not at all pleased to see. To regain his favour, Lilith tries to make his dreams come true and offers the service of her offspring to build Ibriel’s Silver City. But Ibriel’s affections for the woman who defied God do not sit well with the angel Gabriel, and his answer to Gabriel is not appreciated by Lilith’s young daughter, Mazikeen.
Suffice it to say that many of Lucifer’s unspoken secrets are explained with this issue. Lucifer’s fall from Heaven, Mazikeen’s fierce loyalty to her master and her place as head of the Lilim are all explained here. Carey tells an epic story of love, politics, deceit and rebellion that stands perfectly on its own and complements the first 49 issues. If there’s a flaw to be found, it’s that the epic grandeur of the story limits some of the intimacy Carey does so well; Ibriel and Lilith’s relationship could use more depth, as things seem to proceed a bit too quickly. But the ultimate focus on the parallels between Lucifer and Lilith and the way their paths intertwine is fascinating; one presumes it sets up Carey’s upcoming story perfectly, given Lilith’s reappearance at the end of #49.
One of the consistent highs of Lucifer has been the artwork. Peter Gross’ artwork has evolved considerably over the course of the series, to the point where he’s high-profile enough to take on one of Mark Millar’s books. Gross, along with regular fill-in artist Dean Ormston, has been key in establishing the darkly fantastical feel of the book, and it would normally be a shame to do without him for even an issue. But when the fill-in artist is P. Craig Russell, it’s pretty difficult to make any serious complaints. The simple fact of the matter is that it’s difficult for most artists to make a bunch of naked guys with wings look cool, but Russell pulls it off. He captures both the power Samael and the innocence of Ibriel; his angels are graceful, elegant and nearly flawless. Lilith is a similar triumph: Seductive, alluring and utterly confident and in control of herself. The Lilim themselves are wonderfully bizarre and demonic, calling to mind a more refined version of Sam Keith’s Hell in Preludes and Nocturnes. The sole flaw is an understandable one: When drawing a bunch of naked, blonde men with wings, it can be difficult to differentiate them all. As such, Lucifer and Ibriel are slightly indistinct on a few pages.
Lilith provides ample evidence of Lucifer’s best traits: Epic storytelling that can still be contained in one issue, compelling character development and artwork that is nothing short of gorgeous. And it’s all wrapped up in a giant-sized issue with, it appears, considerably fewer ads than usual.
For all its reputation as a Sandman spinoff, Lucifer is a surprisingly low profile book; it doesn’t receive the hype of Fables or Y: The Last Man. It just keeps ploughing along, turning in consistently good, often excellent, stories about humans, demons, gods and angels. The greatest potential problem the series is its complex, occasionally tangled continuity: When Mike Carey tells an epic story about creation, he means business. But Lilith offers no such complications, so long as you’re familiar with such concepts as "angels" and "God." Lucifer is a book that can totally ensnare a reader, and there’s no better place to start than this.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg