Devil in the Gateway (2001)
Author: Mike Carey | Illustrators: Scott Hampton / Chris Weston / James Hodgkins / Warren Pleece / Dean Ormston | Page Count: 160
"Every time I try to improvise I find my moves were right there in the script all along."
Volume 01 of 11 in the Lucifer series. It'll help your introduction into the titular character's world if you've read The Sandman: Volume IV: Season of Mists (1992) previously; it's not an essential requirement, but it's recommended because Carey's version of the Miltonian anti-hero follows on from events therein.
The Dream King tried to find a balance but the Morningstar wants to upset the balance because he knows the balance is a lie. He wants to tear it away and leave a naked truth, one that's free to explore its own workings. But like the saying goes: as one door closes…
Far from being a casual (re)introduction, it presents characters that'll become important in later issues. It may seem as if their story has ended with the final panel, but it more often than not hasn't. That's aside from Carey's ability to leave a reader with the impression that his creations exist outside of the story; it feels like they don't stop living even when the book is closed - they continue to exist in new and more personal stories that readers simply aren't privy to.
He writes for adults. That doesn't mean he deals in a lame Hollywood sex and violence interpretation of the same - it means he presents characters with flaws, who are prone to introspection and are slave to selfish tendencies that influence their actions, like real people.
He places the fallen angel in their world. Lucifer has a goal that he'll do almost anything to achieve, but he needs help to actualise it properly, so he uses his talents to influence people, just like his biblical equivalent was said to have done. He may toss the aides aside afterwards, but he'll always allow them free will. Give the Devil his dues: it's not him that makes you walk the path to hell. It should be remembered that manipulation is just another part of the game. For good or ill, if Lucifer achieves his goal, then all of creation will be thrown into chaos.
The book collects together The Sandman Presents: Lucifer issues 1 – 3, and Lucifer issues 1 – 4.
NOTE: while the pathetic Fox / Netflix TV series named Lucifer shares the same origin and setting as Carey's version, the TV series is NOT representative of the book.
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