Lucifer #3
Christina Hamlet
Recap
Lucifer is still straining at his leash, weak an unable to heal himself as he had before. As he struggles with his lot, an old friend comes to reminisce and offer his assistance.
In the course of events we learn the (mostly) fictional history of William Blake, continuing our occult literary tour. We also gain a little more insight to the strange and sinister dealings at the Gately House and predicament that John Decker is in. Mazikeen makes an appearance and shows what this universe's version of her has been up to.
We're no closer to figuring out the connection between the two stories (at least I'm not) but nonetheless things seem to be converging. We learn something of what sent Lucifer on his mission and his current prison, but no so much how Decker himself figures into it. It appears Lucifer's imprisonment is a part of a grand design, but how it figures in is unclear. Equally unclear is how the book is involved, or why it was kept.
As both Decker and Lucifer make their bids for freedom, will either find what they're looking for or run headlong into a deeper abyss?
Review
The issue centers around the notions of prophecy, sacrifice, obsession, and the high cost of each of these. There are many partnerships and alliances revealed in this issues, but also many chances for betrayals. That things will become a game of who can survive whose knife seems inevitable, and the story is written in such a way that it is really difficult to tell who has the worse lot or the upper hand.
In general this issue is the same as the last two, but that’s a good thing! Great art alternating flavor, colors, and tone for each story and two interesting plots threaded together. Literary nerds will once again enjoy the tie-ins to real (and fictional) works, but if that’s not your thing it’s not necessary to follow the story along. I do love how Watters figures a lot of literary and historical lore seamlessly into his own narrative, giving a new fictional life to people long-dead that have influenced and shaped many of the popular images of Lucifer. It’s not always easy to weave classic literature into a graphic work without it seeming somewhat pretentious, but the choices so far in this series have been appropriate and well-incorporated into the story interpreting characters and history without reducing them in any way. I don’t know if “fun” is the right word to use for a book with such dark themes, but entertaining certainly is!
Final Thoughts
Continuing a solid run for the Vertigo reboot, this book is still drawing me in and keeping me curious. If you haven't picked it up yet, it's definitely worth a try!
Lucifer #3: Songs of Experience
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
