With today’s release of Lucifer #1, the reinvention of Vertigo Comics begins anew! And if that statement sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
Over the better part of a decade, with the rise of creator-owned comics being published at such companies as Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics and new(er) publishing entrants like AfterShock Comics and BOOM! Studios (the latter of which has been around for a while but has moved more aggressively into creator-owned, mature comics of late), stalwart “sophisticated stories” publisher, Vertigo Comics, had gone a little wayward.
With hallmark titles such as Sandman, John Constantine: Hellblazer, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Shade the Changing Man and Doom Patrol, Vertigo Comics created the space, after all. But upstarts had come in, perfected the business of working with creators, and ate the DC Comics imprint’s proverbial “sophisticated” lunch.
The company attempted to right the ship on a number of occasions, often producing fantastic titles by new, creative voices, but never quite reached the late 1980’s and early 1990’s heights. Biff Bam Pop! wrote about those endeavours a few times over the last few years.
Today, that business and creative process starts up in full swing with the release of Lucifer #1, a return to one of the characters that previously enjoyed that late twentieth century storytelling acclaim.
Lucifer #1
Written By: Dan Watters
Illustrated By: Sebastian Fiumara and Max Fiumara
Published By: Vertigo Comics
That’s right. This isn’t Lucifer’s first ride on the sophisticated and mature comic book rodeo.
Although the Vertigo Comics version of Lucifer made his first appearance in the pages of Sandman, he has gone on to star in a number of his own titles, beginning with the most successful Lucifer (2000-2006) which lasted for 75 monthly issues, and then in shorter-run and less fruitful titles Lucifer (2013-2014) and Lucifer (2016-2017) during the waning and wandering days Of Vertigo Comics.
But yes, Lucifer had been a relatively popular character whose stories speak to free will, determination and identity.
This new Lucifer series aims to follow in the path of that first, and highly regarded, publication – while also finding its own voice.
Written by Dan Watters (The Sandman Universe, Limbo, The Shadow) and illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara (All-Star Batman, B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know) and Max Fiumara (Abe Sapian), this Lucifer is a tormented prisoner of mysterious and powerful forces. And all he wanted to do was go on a road trip to find the mother of his abandoned son.
That, car crashes, witches, a speaking tumor – and much more – highlights the fact that Lucifer #1 is a return to the heady days of Vertigo Comics, circa 1990.
Those were good days. Those were good comics. And that was a good (bad) Satan!
It would be a sin if you didn’t make the run to your local comic book store today to pick up Lucifer #1.
