Lucky Devil #1: Gotta Get Away

Writing

Cullen Bunn is one of those writers that can vary from genre to genre, but you know if he is doing his own stuff he is going to be swinging in the horror direction. Lucky Devil #1 is another venture into his horror centric mind, but this series has an odd yet fun sensibility about it.

Bunn drenches Lucky Devil #1 with this ghoulish, grim, yet amusing tone. The issue feels very lighthearted yet still entrenched in that macabre/horror style. It is honestly one of my favorite story feelings. I am not a huge “horror” person but, when it has some humor and that lightheartedness sprinkled in I am immediately drawn to it. Bunn mixes those in together superbly well in this first issue.

Bunn does an excellent job of immediately connecting us with the character and story. Fantastic first issue of a comic book as he drops us in and gets the story going right off the bat. Bunn keeps the focus on our main character Stanley for the whole issue as he tells his story. It lets the reader latch onto him and get into his head. I do think the solicit for the series does give a bit too much away. I am glad I read the issue before reading what it was about. For people who read the solicits it actually gives away more than what is in this first issue.

I love the premise of Lucky Devil #1. It was something that I was not expecting and do not know if I have every really seen/read before (I mean I know there is probably something similar out there), but for me it is a very original idea.

Art

Lucky Devil #1 is my first exposure to Fran Galan. What a wonderfully talented artist! He captures that tone I was talking about perfectly from the jump. The “sad sack” Stanley is brought to life without words. You can tell exactly how this character is feeling directly from the first page. His body posture, the look in his eyes tells a whole story unto itself.

I love the scratchy, roughness of Galan’s art as well. Seeing all the different lines gives the art an almost textured/rough feeling to it. Galan also catches the more horror/gore elements of the story well. He measures it to where it is shocking, but it also has that comedic tone to it as well. His art sits in that mid ground and works perfectly for this series.

Great detail throughout the issue as well. Some magnificent background detail is shown throughout each and every page. The world of Lucky Devil is fully fleshed out and realized as Fran Galan details everything marvelously well.

We cannot overlook his coloring work as well. Galan bathes the more horrific elements in a red/orange tone that brings the demon out in Stanley. But, the rest of the issue has this nice “real world” feel to it with a dark undertone.