The next short arc of Lucifer takes us back into Hell, which is where my favorite story arc of the series thus far has taken place. Mixing elements of fantasy, Victorian society and horror liberally, Carey, Gross and Kelly paint an intriguing portrait of Hell and its politics, and continue to develop the relationship between Lucifer and Mazikeen at the same time. With several plot elements and surprises developing throughout, this is another strong opening to a Lucifer arc, and I've no reason to suspect that the rest of the story won't be equally as good.
One of my favorite characters in all of Lucifer has been the damned soul that became a plaything in Hell and eventually a duke of his own province. That character returns this issue, as major player and narrator of this arc, and his interactions with Lucifer are fantastic. Both Lucifer and the human duke come from a time long past, and they both have a habit of speaking rather plainly with one another, albeit couching their words in the poetic terms of their time. The result is that there is instant chemistry between the characters, and given the foreboding words that begin the story, I have to wonder whether they'll end the arc as enemies or allies.
In the background of that story, which seems to me to be the core of this arc, we have several other plots which further the stories of longstanding Lucifer characters. Mazikeen's hunt for Susano is an exciting action set-piece, but it also speaks volumes about her skill and devotion to Lucifer, as it does about Susano's thirst for vengeance and his own capabilities. The scheming of the angels to essentially cheat in Lucifer's duel also reveals quite a bit about the interaction between Heaven, Hell and Lucifer and goes back not just to earlier issues of Lucifer but to the very origins of these characters in the first place.
In order to keep readers interested, the art team has got to convey a sense of epic fantasy while also keeping the characters and settings recognizable enough to relate to. Gross and Kelly deliver a barren and hostile setting in the Duke of Gly's realm or the areas of Hell that Mazikeen tracks Susano through, giving the book a strong sense of place. And though the characters often appear inhuman, whether it's Mazikeen's half-mask or the appearance of the Artificer, it's easy enough to read their expressions and understand the human emotions that drive them.
As with each arc of Lucifer, the story stands on its own but also builds upon a larger tapestry. I really feel that the best place to start with this series is at the beginning, catching up on trades before diving into the newest story, but I'm impressed that the creative team has been able to break the book into discrete arcs while still giving the sense of one strong story that is being built upon with each new chapter.
