Lúcifer: Nirvana

Lucifer (2000) (Single Issues)

by Mike Carey

O elenco de personagens incomuns de Lúcifer: Nirvana se destaca no universo das histórias em quadrinhos — a começar pelo principal, Lúcifer, também chamado Estrela da Manhã, um demônio que gerencia um piano-bar em Los Angeles...; e ainda há Perdissa, um anjo na forma de uma linda mulher; também, o Homem de Seda, um ser monstruoso da época da Criação; há um minúsculo fantasma encerrado numa gaiola de bambu; e uma jovem e frágil viúva chinesa.

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

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

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

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one-shot is ultimately somewhat underwhelming. A zealot angel has it out for Lucifer, hiring the Silk Man to go after him. About the most interesting thing in this is that Dream makes an appearance. Jon J. Muth's art is very dreamy but not detailed enough for my tastes.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This relatively quick volume dreams up a villain to assassinate Lucifer using a... unique concept. The story is okay, although Lucifer is not the central character - instead we have the human Cai, whose desire for her dead husband and her attempts at Nirvana weave an unexpected trap. It's her emotional and mental wellbeing that are the center of the story, with Lucifer's presence a catalyst for her journey. The ending is somewhat unexpected, but makes sense in the context of the story. The art is painterly, giving the 48-page story a little extra heft. All told, it's not a vital piece of the Lucifer story, but it is a decent enough read. I'm still not exactly sure where in the time-line it takes place - it's definitely after the Sandman series ends, but I'm not sure about how the Lucifer series fits in. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok this was disappointing. It was the first thing that Mike Carey has done that I've read and not really liked. The problem was that it was terribly poorly researched. For other cultures that have existed in this universe there's been an interesting and good interpretation of their mythology. Here everything was wrong. He used a strange mixture of pinyin and wade giles for Chinese words. Then he just totally made up words that weren't actual Chinese words for people's names. You can't do that in Chinese. Why not simply go and look up what names actually are? There was no reference to Chinese mythology or supernatural culture. One of the characters was Buddhist, but she didn't follow Chinese Buddhism, sort of an odd mix between Indian and Japanese Buddhism. The main villain used a type of magic I'd never heard of before (and I have studied many forms of esoteric Chinese beliefs). In Chinese "magic" you can use heavenly writing for talismans and "spells", you can use paper figures for causing death from afar. Never have I come across someone who used magic by "adding another stroke" That would be like purposely misspelling a word in English to make it magical. (In which case dyslexics would be magicians and I'd be happy) The places were drawn (very prettily) but incorrectly. And no one would go on about how brilliant European culture is while sitting in the ruins that were caused by it. It was a pretty volume but I wish the story had just ended with the main series.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I loved the most about Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and Mike Carey's Lucifer series, were their incorporation of deities and magic and belief systems from so many different cultures.
In this short little one-shot we have Lucifer and Dream, and also angels and elements of Chinese myths, Confucianism, and even Chinese communism. Oh, and a little anthropomorphic badger dream in a three piece suit.
A beautiful story, beautifully drawn by Jon J. Muth.

[Daniel Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous in this one-shot. That's about the nicest thing I can say about it, because the rest left me pretty indifferent.

Sure, it takes place in China, where I've lived for three years. But this Beijing never rises about mere exoticism. The Chinese characters speak, think and act like Westerners, and although Buddhism is supposed to play a part in the plot, there was nothing here that felt authentic.

Oh, Daniel of the Endless shows up, but it's not like he contributes much of anything to the plot. If anything, the implication of dreams felt shoehorned.

Nah, this one's entirely skippable, except for one thing: Lucifer. The art makes him look so incredibly good here, at once wise and malevolent. I don't think the character has looked this good sinceSeasons of Mists. Too bad the story was nowhere near that level.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.. a part of my life is over. This "short story" was all that I had left to read of the Lucifer series. The art was interesting, not my favorite style, but it had some shining moments, though it did seem quite jarring when held up next to the rest of the series.

I'll miss Lucifer as a character. He was a jerk, but he was a good jerk. Sometimes. Very anti-hero like? With his own agenda. This, like Sandman, might be another series I will purchase to re-read every few years.

[Hennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This just... wasn't it.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucifer "Yes, Mazikeen. So I'm told. But I didn't walk out of hell so I could do the same thing again somewhere else. And what I've created is not a realm. It is a TOTALITY. A multiverse ... A King needs an army. A God needs only a canvas. I had my fill of being a king."

Nirvana : A man in love with death commits suicide, his soul is the bait on which to tempt his surviving wife to throw in her lot with an ancient undead sorcerer and an Angel, whose only quest is to get revenge on Lucifer. Set in China, the meaning of the water color type art is not clear until the final pages. Good, but not a great stand alone story.

[Jorge Pineda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Al comenzar tuve la impresión de que era mala el terminar tuve la convicción de que era peor de lo que pensé.Detesté el arte, la cadencia y la historia, un disparate pretencioso muy lejano a lo que venía viendo en esta serie.

[Emy M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The watercolor art of this was absolutely beautiful and my only complaint was that it ended too soon but it was lovely while it lasted...

[Sevia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nirvana má nádhernou kresbu. Bohužel mě ale hodně rozptylovala a na příběh jsem se dost nesoustředila. Možná i proto mi ve výsledku přišel takový průměrný.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a sequel to Sandman, the gateway into the Morningstar series. Nicely painted, yet poorly researched. Not the best offering Carey has had to offer.

[Fenris Hircin · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a comic

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept with beautiful art.

[David Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

An okay story that doesn't add anything to the original series. I would have given this three stars but the art here is to die for.

[Ganesh Sreeramulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special edition, they say, and hence a slightly longer story. The story was a bit of a let down, especially for a special edition. But the artwork - especially the "Water-paint" style just stands a class apart. It shines, even better than the already stunning artwork in the rest of the "Lucifer" series

[Gonçalves Rafael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diferentemente do "Opção Estrela da Manhã", essa história foi um pouco mais rápida e nem tão rica em conteúdo.
Mas, a ilustração não deixou a desejar em nenhum momento.
Nirvana, é mais um ótimo trabalho de Mike Carey, mas quando se faz aquelas 75 edições de forma fantástica e como já mencionado, "Opção Estrela da Manhã", até o ótimo se torna mediano, pois sabemos que ali se consegue ser fantástico.

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The angel Perdissa wants Lucifer dead, so she hires the Silk Man, a being left over from a previous creation, to set a trap for him. Previous installments of Lucifer have featured deities from several different mythologies and this time Buddhist philosophy plays a role. Lest we forget this is a spin off from the Sandman, Dream of the Endless makes a cameo appearance. This one off story also features beautiful watercolor style artwork.

[M0rningstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is ethereal and atmospheric. I find myself lingering over the pages to enjoy the artwork long after reading all the text. The chief antagonist's motivation is a little weak, and the finish way too tidy, but the story is still pretty good overall. A great read for fans of Lucifer and Sandman.

[Beitris_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was amazing, I love watercolor in the comics.
Although is a one-shot, the plot should have been developed in a better way and they should have done a deep research on cultural elements. Anyway, it was nice.

[Sean Goh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps its because its a stand-alone short story, but it felt like it was overly compressed, or rushed through.

[Joe Vincent Iscala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucifer is really a tough sob to kill...

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully painted graphic novel with a dreamlike but too mystical storyline.

[Ankit · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is true Lucifer. You confound conventional morality. Also, you take your readers through an unconventional journey that they are unlikely to forget.