A review by ruthsic
Lucifer (2018) Vol. 1: The Infernal Comedy by Sebastian Fiumara, Max Fiumara, Dan Watters

3.0

Warnings: physical violence (including partner abuse), gun violence, torture, mutilation, body horror and gore, depictions of self-harm, terminally ill partner, animal cruelty

Another of the set of stories set in the Sandman Universe, the volume opens with a common chapter (to The Dreaming, so I am assuming for all of the four new stories) introducing the world to us, and where it is starting. In Lucifer, the story goes back and forth in time, in another world and this one, and has Lucifer trapped in a desolate place without his powers, while a police Detective is searching for the cousin that his dying wife mentioned. I will admit, compared to Dreaming, this one took a lot of time to catch on to as to what is actually going on, but that is mainly because of how the story jumps across time with no warning, which means having a timeline in your head gets confusing. Lucifer is trapped without the memory of how he got to that place, being cared for by a witch, in a small village where some famous characters through history reside, and he is being tormented by this other character called Jack. In another time, his son is approaching him to find his mother. Detective finds that metaphors may be real, as he goes to Gately House in search for his wife’s cousin, and finds the place to be more than it seems. There is a whole cast of characters whose stories intersect here, and while it takes time to connect the dots, it makes for a rich story that explains the characters and their motivations by the end. As for the story overall, it feels like there was so much of the backstory that comes towards the end, that it sort of ruins any enjoyment of earlier chapters as you are pretty much confused throughout much of it.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Vertigo, via Netgalley.