Lucifer (DC Comics)
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| Lucifer | |
 Lucifer #16 |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Vertigo DC Comics |
| First appearance | Dream: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #65 (December 1962) Historical: DC Special Series #8 (February 1978) Modern: The Sandman #4 (April 1989) |
| Created by | Neil Gaiman Sam Kieth Mike Dringenberg |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Samael |
| Team affiliations | The Host The Triumvirate of Hell |
| Notable aliases | Lucifer Morningstar Lightbringer Atse'Hashke The Maker The Mocker Mike Morningstar |
| Abilities | Virtual omnipotence Master manipulator Infinite will |
Lucifer is a DC Comics character that starred in an eponymous comic book published under the Vertigo imprint. The series, a spin-off of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, concerns the adventures of the fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar on Earth, in Heaven and through other realms of creation after abandoning Hell in the Sandman series. Lucifer also appears as a supporting character in issues of The Demon, The Spectre, and other DC Universe comics. Two angels, a human, and briefly, Superman, have taken his place as ruler of Hell.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Sandman continuity
In the earlier related series The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman, Lucifer abandoned his lordship over Hell. While Lucifer had previously appeared in various stereotypical guises in earlier DC books, Gaiman's version was unique and premised on English poet and prose writer John Milton's Paradise Lost (at his earliest appearance in the Sandman he looked extremely similar to young David Bowie). In the Sandman series, Lucifer had ruled as lord of Hell for ten billion years. Over that time, he had manipulated the various demons of Hell against each other, provided a place for dead mortals to be tormented, and led the war against Heaven.
However, at some point during his rule, he had become bored with his existence. He became tired of the various stereotypes that mortals held of the devil, such as the idea that he purchased and traded for souls, which were largely untrue. He had become tired of his reign over Hell, and felt it an unfair punishment that he should have to rule there forever simply because he once rebelled. In the Sandman story Season of Mists, Lucifer expels all demons and damned souls from Hell before locking Hell's gates and handing over the key to Hell to Dream of the Endless, the title character of The Sandman series. Eventually, control of Hell was handed over to two Angels, Duma (the angel of silence) and Remiel ("set over those who rise"), while Lucifer simply retired to Earth, specifically to Perth, Western Australia.
[edit] Solo ongoing series
In the regular series, written by Mike Carey, Lucifer runs a piano bar (an element introduced in the Sandman story The Kindly Ones) called "Lux" in Los Angeles, with the assistance of his female consort, Mazikeen who is a Lilim, one of the race descended from Lilith. Lucifer is portrayed as a sophisticated and almost charming man, according to the stereotypical gentleman-devil. Beneath his charisma, however, Lucifer is a deadly and Machiavellian character, with no regard for human life or indeed anyone or anything but himself (and perhaps Mazikeen): a proud and vindictive fallen angel who has no qualms using powers second only to those of his father, Yahweh. In fact, during the fourth book of the Sandman series, Lucifer is described as having been the wisest, most beautiful and most powerful of all the angels in heaven. Despite his egotistic and narcissistic tendencies, he does follow something akin to a code of honor, refusing to lie (which he considers crass and undignified), insisting on paying back debts, and keeping his word.
As the series opened in 2000, Lucifer's "restful" retirement was disturbed by a series of associates from his past, and after various catalytic events, he endeavored to create a universe in competition with (and presumably against the wishes of) his father, Yahweh. This puts him on a collision course with several powerful mystical entities that have a vested interest in the new creation and draws the angelic host into the fray - including his brother, the archangel Michael Demiurgos.
The series paralleled Sandman in several ways, with epic fantasy stories being told in arcs separated by one-shot episodes depicting a smaller, more personal tale. Unlike Sandman, the series has had a consistent art team in Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly, with most of the odd issues illustrated by Dean Ormston. The title's 50th issue was penciled by P. Craig Russell, homaging Sandman #50. Structurally, aside from the meeting in Hell that Lucifer arranges with angel Amenadiel in much the same way Dream did with himself in the pages of Sandman, the series follows its own path. Numerous Gods appear, with greater focus on Judeo-Christian religion (as viewed by John Milton in Paradise Lost), Japanese and Nordic mythology than in Sandman. As for the Endless themselves, all but Destruction, Desire and Despair appear, but their appearances are small and very rare.
Cover artists included Duncan Fegredo, Christopher Moeller and Mike Kaluta. The letters are inconsistent, with the first half of the series carrying particularly established fonts of Gaudium, Michael and God only to drop almost all of them save Lucifer's towards the end with numerous changes in the letterers.
The series ended in June 2006 with issue #75 and has thus far been collected in eleven books, with a standalone story (Lucifer: Nirvana) published as a smaller graphic novel. The series' parent title, The Sandman, also ran for 75 issues.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Lucifer possesses incalculable power; he can shape the stuff of creation into anything he can imagine including matter, energy, and more abstract concepts such as time. However, he does have certain limitations. Simply put, he cannot create something out of nothing. He needs existing matter (and where that is unavailable, the Demiurgic power of the archangel Michael) to provide the foundation for him to shape. Only his brother Michael Demiurgos is his equal in power, and only the God of the Covenant is superior to both of them. However, in certain dimensions he is powerless and much of his power depends on having his angelic wings. Lucifer is also a master manipulator, and regularly prefers to use his mind instead of his powers.
[edit] Guest appearances
Appearances outside Sandman and Lucifer
- Secret Origins Vol. 2 #48 (April 1990), Stanley and His Monster
- Books of Magic Vol. 1 #1 (January 1991)
- Demon Vol. 3 #0
- Demon Vol. 3 #2 (August 1990)
- Demon Vol. 3 #5 (November 1990)
- Demon Vol. 3 #6 (December 1990)
- Demon Vol. 3 #7 (January 1991)
- Demon Vol. 3 #19 (January 1992)
- Demon Vol. 3 #50 (August 1994)
- Spectre Vol. 3 #25 (January 1995)
- Spectre Vol. 3 #57 (September 1997)
- Hellblazer Vol. 1 #192 (March 2004)
- The Witching Vol. 1 #1 (August 2004)
- The Witching Vol. 1 #2 (September 2004)
- The Witching Vol. 1 #9 (April 2005)
[edit] Earlier versions of Lucifer in DC Comics
- In Weird Mystery Tales #4 (Jan-Feb 1973), a story by Jack Oleck and Rubeny depicts Lucifer, looking much like his present incarnation, save for a few panels in which he appeared as a more traditional devil, held prisoner by an order of monks. It also presents a prisoner switch trick not unlike the one performed in The Sandman: Season of Mists, in addition to being hosted by Destiny. This story may or may not be considered in continuity, or have been an influence on Gaiman and Carey. In the story, Lucifer gave Philip Burton his form in order to trade places with him and fulfill his wish for immortality. Lucifer walked away in the body of the elderly Burton.
- The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe lists Lucifer as first having appeared in a dream in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #65 and first genuine pre-Crisis appearance as DC Special Series #8 (The Brave and the Bold Special Starring Batman, Deadman and Sgt. Rock).[1] The latter figure has hair like Lucifer as he appears in Sandman #4, but he is red-skinned and has a face like a traditional devil, complete with goatee, though his horns may be part of a headband. His wings are typically demonic-looking rather than the angelic wings of the Vertigo character. His appearance in the comic is brief, but he is specifically referred to as "Lucifer," rather than by other epithets.
[edit] Collected editions
Lucifer is reprinted in the following volumes:
- Lucifer: The Devil In The Gateway, contains introductory 3-issue miniseries The Sandman Presents: Lucifer, and issues 1-4 of the ongoing series (ISBN 1-84023-299-4)
- Lucifer: Children and Monsters, issues 5-13 (ISBN 1-84023-391-5)
- Lucifer: A Dalliance With The Damned, issues 14-20 (ISBN 1-84023-470-9)
- Lucifer: The Divine Comedy, issues 21-28 (ISBN 1-84023-693-0)
- Lucifer: Inferno, issues 29-35 (ISBN 1-4012-0210-1)
- Lucifer: Mansions of the Silence, issues 36-41 (ISBN 1-4012-0249-7)
- Lucifer: Exodus, issues 42-44, 46-49 (ISBN 1-4012-0491-0)
- Lucifer: The Wolf Beneath the Tree, issues 45, 50-54 (ISBN 1-4012-0502-X)
- Lucifer: Crux, issues 55-61 (ISBN 1-4012-1005-8)
- Lucifer: Morningstar, issues 62-69 (ISBN 1-4012-1006-6)
- Lucifer: Evensong, issues 70-75 and the Nirvana one-shot (ISBN 1-4012-1200-X)
[edit] Trivia
- Lucifer makes a cameo appearance in an episode of Ben 10: Alien Force as Mike Morningstar, a teenager who uses his powers to drain the life force from young girls at a nearby university. At first he appears to be an ally of Ben's, but his true nature comes to light by the end of the episode.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Lucifer Morningstar at the Comic Book DB
