The Divine Comedy (2003)
Author: Mike Carey | Illustrators: Peter Gross / Ryan Kelly / Dean Ormston | Page Count: 190
"Grace and perfection and eternity were her heritage. […] And a soul so bright it could be seen from Hell."
Volume 04 of 11 in the Lucifer series. The many consequences of things unseen would be a simple way to describe the book. To elaborate on that will be hard to do without giving anything away because almost everyone of any significance in the previous books is gathered in Carey's playground (nestled still within a fractured part of Gaiman's wider Sandman universe).
It's a five pointed star with all the points pointing inwards. No one is safe when everyone wants the same thing and most of them are prepared to do anything to obtain it. It's as powerful as a series finale, and yet it's not even close to the end. Nevertheless, not everyone is lucky enough to make it out unscathed.
When giants walk through the forest, the bugs that get trampled underfoot also have a story to tell. The narrative breaks from the more dominant power play to focus upon the consequences the big players have upon some of those small inhabitants. In doing so it attaches more drama to the main play and reminds us that our actions can impact upon the innocent.
The Lightbringer's pride, which is arguably his most defining attribute, is once again the thing that gets him into the most trouble. It makes him think he can stop any opposition and it puts him in the debt of a gift given willingly. He won't let that pass without due recompense. The Devil keeps his promises, even the unspoken ones.
The book collects together Lucifer issues 21 – 28.
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