Lucifer, Book Five

Lucifer

by Mike Carey, Peter Gross (Artist), Ryan Kelly (Artist)

Cast out of Heaven, thrown down to rule in Hell, Lucifer Morningstar has resigned his post and abandoned his kingdom for the mortal city of Los Angeles. In this final LUCIFER volume, the war in Heaven reaches its universe-shaking conclusion, as the forces of Heaven, Hell, and everyone in between wage a final battle to determine the fate of both Yahweh and Lucifer's Creations - a fate no one, not even the Lightbringer, could foresee. And in the aftermath of the battle, how will Lucifer and his cohorts pick up their lives and tie up loose ends?

Collects LUCIFER #62-75.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Comic Book, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.

Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.

Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly goddamn amazing.

This whole series has the epic awesomeness of the Sandman series with half the empty (albeit interesting) calories of all those side-stories. Indeed, the plot is pretty epic and all characters are important.

It's the end of creation. God abandoned his creation. The sparks of everyone's souls are dimming, dissoluting, and all sides go to war over the throne of God. Some want to reforge creation and others want to see it all become Silence.

This is no-one's simple tale of battle and rage and power-grab. Lucifer himself is a supremely reluctant hero because he knows the meaning behind his own decisions as no one else can.

Elaine has grown into something brilliant and beautiful.

The philosophical questions that arise throughout these comics are deep, complex, and unswervingly bold, courageous, and RIGHT. :) Everyone is criticized.

But more than that, I had a GREAT TIME with all of this! The plotting is tight, the characters delicious, and the art much better than most comics. :) I have nothing bad to say about any of it!

:)

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fifth and final book to the outstanding Lucifer series. After the universe shaking events of Book Four, we come full circle to the end days. God has left his creation and it is starting to unravel. Now there are three creations- one is Lucifer's, the other is Ellaine Belloc's and finally there is God's creation.

As the conflict rages between the denizens of the three creations, other forces (Lillith; the forces of chaos, etc) meet on the plains of Armageddon for the final battle. Lucifer, once again, shows his brilliance by shaping events to fall within the outcomes he wishes. More than that I will not spoil. While the final volume ties together the various subplots and sub-characters, the best part by far (in terms of dialogue) is near the end when God and Lucifer meet at the end times. We also see a bird's eye view of the original rebellion led by Lucifer against what he assumed to be God's plan for the Angelic host. Lucifer's cry for freedom and choice truly do make him the first rebel.

The artwork and overall storytelling making this one of the best of an already great series. The cosmic level events and the deep subtle games of the Morningstar are a joy to behold. This entire series is truly a hallmark of the comic art form. A wonderful story, filled with wonderful dialogue and great concepts. Mike Carey deserves all the credit for this amazing series and it ranks amongst the best I have ever read. Highly recommended.

[Eilonwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little afraid to read this final installment of the Lucifer comic strip/graphic novel. It’s been a terrific story, but also very dark and very ugly. How much blood would have to flow to finish this series?

As it turned out, much less than I expected! Yes, armies gather and war is fought. But overall, this was about the tamest of these collections. But it was also absolutely terrific, referencing back to everything that happened in the previous 4 volumes, and tying all of the stories, characters, and plot threads up wonderfully and satisfyingly.

My only quibble is that once again, Elaine Belloc’s portrayal swings wildly between looking like a young teen and looking about 25. Is she supposed to be growing up and changing even though she’s dead and a goddess? The way she’s drawn keeps confusing me, and I’d like a bit of explanation for it.

But otherwise, this was well worth working my way to over the past year of reading, and it made me want to start the whole series over again just so I could look it at from the perspective of what I know now, plus I could pay better attention to details instead of reading as fast as I could to find out what would happen next.

I might need to create a “Rewarding Payoff” shelf for these long, ambitious comics (or other series). But since I don’t have one at the moment, just picture this with a ribbon on it with those words.

[Sikata · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of the Lucifer saga and now I don't know what to read and inspite of my numerous books lying around, I don't have any books to read. So yeah life sucks.

Coming to the book- the war continues with many twists and turns. It sort of ties many loose ends together. Lots of action. I took off a star because I found certain post war parts to be "meh". The ending is something I thought would eventually happen. Now let's see where the TV show is headed because there is simply no connection with the comics.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole series was beautiful and confusing and mostly amazing.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that was a great story.

Lucifer is so interesting and Carey wrote the shit out of this. There's so much myth and legend ploughed into this, it's great and I enjoyed it far more than Sandman.

A very satisfying ending.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well you didn't think I was going to wait to finish the saga did you?

Okay I think at the point I need to point out (and I think I an justify this without breaking my own no spoilers rule) that although there are some serious name similarities and that there is a vague idea of how it all started - this is NOT the tv series.

For one thing there is most definitely a story line that arcs across all 5 volumes and there is no escaping it even if there are a number of side distractions along the way. Also the characters of the various namesakes are totally different (in fact there is a rather sly joke about that early in the tv series which highlights it).

However there is much to praise and enjoy in this series - yes it can take shorts at the Christian idea of heaven and hell but also there are ideas of responsibility and how people react to it. Also of what happiness is and loyalty where you would assume there wasnt any.

This series has garnered a lot of praise over the years and I easily see why. The question is after the final turn of the last page - what shall I read next

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The War in Heaven reaches its conclusion as Hell, the Host of Heaven, and everyone inbetween battle on the Plains of Armageddon to decide the fate of God’s, Lucifer’s, and Elaine’s creations—some want to save them, others to see them crumble to nothing. This final volume collects The Wheels of God (single issue), the epic six-part finale Morningstar, which comes with an interlude, and the extended coda consisting of Fireside Chats (single issue), Evensong (two issues), The Gaudium Option (single issue), Eve (single issue), and All We Need of Hell (single issue).

Overall, this spin-off series about one of my favorite side-characters in Sandman unfortunately didn’t live up to my expectations, as it felt like a different character; willful, yes, but less cheeky and sarcastic, while more uptight and dare I say... dull? Yet I’m glad that I stuck with it, as this volume was a rewarding payoff, and my favorite: Every little confusing and seemingly random crumb Carey laid out from the very beginning led here, and it was tied up beautifully. I never felt that I had any idea where he was going to take this, but now that it’s over, I don’t see how it could’ve ended any other way, which I’d say is the mark of a skilled storyteller. I definitely had the sense that Carey had a strong vision for what he wanted this series to be and where he wanted it to go: There were virtually no filler-issues in the whole run, the writing was great, the art and pencilling were consistently good with some flashes of magnificence especially at the beginning of the run, but Lucifer just never managed to grab me the same way Sandman did, which I however feel is mostly on me; your mileage may vary.

I’d suggest anyone with a Sandman-shaped hole in their hearts give this spin-off series a try—as well as anyone who likes stories that borrow heavily from christian and world mythology with some rather blasphemous artistic liberties, and an ambitious, over-arching, sometimes convoluted plot that tackles deep philosophical questions, features complex characters, and ends most satisfyingly.

—————

My other Lucifer reviews:

01: Book One · ★★
02: Book Two · ★★
03: Book Three · ★★
04: Book Four · ★★
05: Book Five · ★★★

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucifer Book 5 collects issues 62-75 of the DC Vertigo series written by Mike Carey with art by Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly, Colleen Doran, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Zander Cannon, Dean Ormston, and Aaron Alexovich.

Heaven is under siege by Lilith and Fenris the Wolf in order to destroy the Primum Mobile and bring upon Armageddon. Lucifer and Michael join forces in order to defend all of creation, but will their power be enough?

The final book on the Lucifer series comes to an epic and satisfying conclusion that ties the series’ long term storylines and themes over its 75 issue run. The series started off as a spin-off but quickly pivoted to its own unique tale of good vs evil. The book takes arguably the world most famous villain of all time- the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, The Lord of Lies, whatever you want to call him - and largely had you rooting for him against other mythological creatures, angels, and even God itself. There is a lot to unpack including ethical dilemmas and theological questions and the book does a fantastic job of making you think.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could give this a 4.5 stars, I would. Everything finally pops into place--and just when you think it's over, it's time for a few more pieces that you didn't realize were in the center while the climactic battles were filling out the edges.

[David Cordero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodbye to all the amazing characters. And many thanks to Carey and Gross.

[Leah K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful end to this graphic novel series. The author did a great job of tying up all the loose ends. Great illustrations. Well done!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Creations rise and then they fall. Each as long as it exist, seeming to fill the immensity of the void with the teeming, proliferating certainties of direction and purpose. But since the void is infinite and eternal... the portion of it that can be saved amounts, in the end to zero. All things come back to nothing. That is the rule"



"Then promise me this. if Creation endures, rebuild it without a heaven or hell. Let sick souls be healed, not whipped like dogs, nor bartered like sweetmeats."



Wow, this series, with all its (initially) confusing and seemingly random stories, really came together rather well in the end.

4, 5 emotional - never stop questioning who you are - stars

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that I'm going to be reading this on a yearly basis, as with Sandman (which makes Seasons of Mists slightly repetitive, but given how good it is, who cares). Definitely one of the greatest works in comics (Watchmen who?) and probably one of the greatest works of literature full stop. And perhaps its greatest achievement is that the protagonist is *extremely* annoying, at least from this human's perspective, and remains so solidly for five volumes. He remains unwavering, unrelenting, and as such, ultimately unknowable (except, perhaps, for that scar). But his function is to make us take a second look at everything we assume about life, the universe and everything, not to make us comfortable.

In all honesty, a work of genius. Here's to 2019.

[Goatllama · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5 or so. Maybe lower. Strong start to the series, but by the time I reached this volume Lucifer, to me at least, became overly esoteric and verily boring. There is almost no tension, as Lucifer is supremely in charge and capable. It makes me think of One-Punch Man, in that the series namesake only shows up every now and then to trounce the competition and win forever. Lucifer, however, has none of the entertainment value of Saitama.

[Saif Saeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great series. Loved it from start to finish.

So I hate making comparisons but I'm gonna make comparisons. I hate it especially since Sandman and Lucifer are written by different people and have different art teams etc etc like the only real connection they have is that Lucifer was introduced in Sandman and really he was only in a couple of issues but Carey takes some cues from Gaiman so I think its valid to draw some comparisons if only to illustrate the finer points.

Lucifer is epic. A huge story, serious philosophical themes are explored, sacred characters written about and even killed off. If you consider this sacrilegious then don't pick up the book. It goes about it rather respectfully though, I feel. A Miltonian view of Christian religious figures, along with pretty much every other world religion (sans the other Abrahamic religions, thank god for that). Every god, angel, and demon has their power and they're quite well written, with motivations and agendas aplenty.

Judging the story, its massive in scale. Words can't describe the events that take place in Lucifer and it explores some heady themes too. I can't help but draw parallels to Hellboy who is a similar character to Lucifer, a main character that refuses to be what he was created to be (or do they?). Lucifer obviously tackles the themes of determinism and free will more directly what with capital G God being in the actual story and the original rebel himself Lucifer AKA Samael AKA the Morningstar AKA the devil being the main character. Still, something of note is that while I think the main overarching story is better than the main story in Sandman, the filler chapters are not. Its got that same style of some issues letting you take a breather in between the story, it doesn't feel as though the chokehold the overarching story has on you ever softens. Something I felt Sandman did very well. You can call that never ending tension a good thing, currently I'm of the opinion that its not. Otherwise an unforgettable story.

The art is nothing special. It's bland compared to something like Sandman and there are some guest drawn comics that are kind of awkward but mostly its just servicable.

Overall, I liked this series a lot and I think its because I like Lucifer and this style of character a lot. I drew a parallel with Hellboy and I guess I just like protagonists that try to buck the trend. Some do, some don't, what matters is the choice. Lucifer is also incredibly active in these stories. He's not like Hellboy who keeps getting swept into things or like Dream, just passing through. He shapes his own destiny, its not just that he's given a choice and makes it, he seeks out power no matter the cost, forces alternative choices consequences be damned, and that's something you don't expect from characters, but he's literally satan so I guess he can do whatever he likes. I mean Hellboy is the son of Satan but whatever.

Read this if you like stories of heaven and hell, complex characters and themes, Christian theology with some artistic liberties, and Satan.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy end to the story arc of five books.

All the story arcs that were carefully, deftly and meticulously set up in the previous four books come to a point in this one. That is not to say we don't have time for interesting little diversions like; The Beast Can't Take Your Call Right Now, which don't necessarily move the central narrative along, but do provide backdrop.

Centre stage, of course, is that War and destruction have come to the Silver City. Not the first time, of course, but this time God has absconded, so the defences are a little thin. And the angels are facing Lillith and her multitudes of children, the Lillim who incidentally built the Silver City and so know a bit about it.

All the different plots come together as the worlds race toward the destruction that the withdrawal of the word of god has doomed them to.... it is a fine, epic story.

At the end, we bid farewell to Lucifer; sad, but, it is his story, it says so on the title and really with a being that powerful you can't really end a story with him still around. Before he goes though, Elaine ties things up and the reader and the authors all get to say a final goodbye to characters they have enjoyed through the books. A really satisfying ending.

Now I want to go back to the first one and start all over again - I am sure I will get new things out of it on second reading.

[Aidan]

Can’t believe this series I’d considered dropping early on ended with me feeling so emotional about saying goodbye to this cast of characters. I stared at that last page for many minutes after reading the final sentence, searching for one last glimpse of Lucifer, or one small detail of where he’s headed, even after he’d gone

[S. Nemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series so much. Lucifer truly is a strong character, you can feel that from the pages. And he gets to me in a way maybe only Morpheus did. And I long for those stories. And maybe, just maybe, add my own some day, just because I hear their whispers still.

[Jamie Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece. Like all the books in this series. This series is one of the best things I’ve ever read. It is a true wor of art. This is a must read. 5 stars.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

really liked this series.

[Valuxiea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Adversary, long may he reign. It's hard to say goodbye to so many great characters. Mike says Lucifer is a voice in his head now, and I think it will be the same for me.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the end. Fun ride.

[BookMoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the 12th one of these and this series is fantastic, complex and delightful. I love how dark and sinister it can be, and how the over all plot is on such an epic scale. Really appreciated this series so much

[Marie (find me on StoryGraph) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In its final volume, the stories revolving around Lucifer finally come to their climax. As the end gets nearer, the parallels to The Sandman become more and more obvious. Like in Sandman, many, many realms and beings are visited, and certain transfers happen. Also like in Sandman, Lucifer is not really so much of a protagonist, but more of a shaper – only rarely is he actually the focus of a storyline. He's a really odd character, very elusive, very cunning, but not really likeable at all. In my opinion, Lucifer is more worth reading for all the ideas that hide behind the stories...

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watching everything come together that started over 60 issues ago is a joy, as Lucifer's schemes all come to a head, and there are still a lot of surprises in store. I'm glad that everything didn't just end after the Morningstar arc the way Carey originally intended, because the final 6 issues or so add a very welcome coda to every major character in the series, tying up any loose ends, and ending the series on almost a happy note.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid and satisfying conclusion, with all the majesty that the story of Lucifer Morningstar deserves in its grand climax, and a long but well-earned and well-deserved denouement to bring us back to Earth, circling back to where this story began in Gaiman's "Season of Mists" so many years earlier.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good ending to a run. It was well thought out, and well told. A story that ended as it begun, with a nod to Gaiman's first introduction to Lucifer. I loved this story, and I was moved by the characters. I think this series has done the Devil a service in telling an aspect of his story, and by telling our story by proxy.

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the last four months, I've been slogging my way through the five volumes of Mike Carey's Lucifer series, which collect his 75-issue run for DC's Vertigo line of comics from back in the early 2000s, nearly 2,000 pages following the adventures of Lucifer Morningstar after he has forsaken his job as ruler of Hell, bestowed its keys to Morpheus, Lord of the Dreaming in the pages of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and left for Earth to enjoy sunrises on the beach and open a swanky nightclub in LA, entertaining his clientele on the piano. And I say "slogging" because while I began the project with great anticipation and found points in the storyline both fascinating and thought-provoking, more often than not the writing and its characters disappointed me, and as the series moved along my involvement lagged and reading pace became slower and slower. So rather than try to review and discuss each volume, I'm just doing a reaction here to the series as a whole and giving everything a middling three stars.

I get it. Following in the footsteps of Neil Gaiman is a daunting task, to say nothing of those even greater footsteps of John Milton. So if Carey fails to "justify the ways of God to men" in these pages, that's okay with me because I'm not sure that Milton really accomplished that anyway. But Carey's Lucifer is such a flat, wooden character going through the motions and seemingly enjoying little about his life post-Hell that I can't think Gaiman is all that appreciative of where Carey took his character, despite his glowing reviews in the volumes' introductions. I'm pretty sure we'll never get a truly honest assessment from Gaiman about the way Lucifer has been depicted post-Sandman--there are friendships, intellectual property rights, and income streams to be protected--but for me, Tom Ellis's spastically arch consultant for the LAPD on the FOX/Netflix television series Lucifer comes much closer to how a Lucifer at large on Earth after an eternity in gloomy hell should be portrayed. Ellis exudes a flamboyant joie de vivre, and for a character that Gaiman modeled on David Bowie, that makes a lot more sense to me. Of course, the FOX show descends into sophomoric silliness at times and I'm no great fan, but of all the depictions of Gaiman's Lucifer post-Sandman, I'm more drawn to Ellis's portrayal. And don't get me started about the dough-faced Gwendoline Christie. While I love her as Brienne of Tarth, casting her as Lucifer in the Netflix Sandman series strikes me as an awful misstep in an otherwise brilliantly cast production.

And while we're on the subject of poor portrayals, Cary also does a horrendous job trying to bring Mazikeen to life in his Lucifer run. I realize that Gaiman doesn't give him a lot to work with in the original storyline, but Cary's depiction of Lucifer's right-hand woman (demon? Lillim?) is duller and even more wooden than his Lucifer. Mazikeen's character should smolder with a murderous sexuality befitting the daughter of Lilith, but I found myself rather bored with her, and the artwork depicting her didn't really help matters. On the other hand, Fox series actress Lesley-Ann Brandt slays in this role, and while you might argue that her portrayal is no more accurate to the original than Carey's, at least it sizzles with a seductive danger befitting the sexy psychopathic demoness. Somehow Carey's angel Amenadiel also takes a backseat to D.B. Woodside's portrayal, and while I am intrigued by Carey's presentation of Yahweh, I think I even prefer our State Farm spokesman from the Fox series. (Certainly there is room for argument here, and no doubt my comments will ruffle the feathers of many Carey fans, but oh well. As I said, I'm not even that great a fan of the Fox series.)

So what did I like about Carey's run? Well, certainly not the whole Basanos concept, which is such an integral part of the series' arc that maybe this accounts for my problem with Carey's Lucifer as a whole. But I did enjoy the way he blends Japanese and Norse figures of mythology into his plot, going back to what Gaiman introduced in Sandman's Season of Mists. Lucifer's journey to the Japanese underworld and our reintroduction to Susano-o-no-mikoto, along with the voyage Lucifer and company take on the Naglfar with Berglmir are perhaps my two favorite sections of Carey's storyline. Lady Lys is a great creation and while a minor figure she manages to bring the heat missing in his portrayal of Mazikeen. Christopher Rudd, her part-time lover and part-time ruler of Hell for a short while, also is an interesting addition to the storyline. And I'm intrigued by the figure of Elaine Belloc (up to a point) and have become quite fond of the fallen cherubim brother and sister pair, Gaudium and Spera.

Warning: there are two additional post-Carey Lucifer series that I plan to dig into sometime soon: the 2015 run by Holly Black and the even more recent series from the Sandman Universe, which was ostensibly launched by DC to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Gaiman's Sandman and supposedly overseen by Gaiman. But with the exception of the Corinthian run, most of it just been awfully terribad, so I'm not sure I believe that to be true. You can count on a lot more complaining from me to follow...

[Grg · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this series was a movie or a tv show, I would have fast forwarded through half of it. The other half was pretty good.