Lucifer Vol. 4: The Divine Comedy [Paperback]

Mike Carey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lucifer Morningstar is a fallen angel of Heaven, who ruled Hell for a time, then left for Earth before growing disenchanted with his time there. He later created his own realm and universe to have a place where his beliefs about life and the afterlife could be realized. He's populating his land with lost souls, and anyone who settles in his land is free to live as he or she chooses, his only mandate that they must worship no one. The forces of Heaven view Lucifer's universe as an atrocity against God and insist the domain must be closed at any and all costs. In this compendium of issues 21-28 of the Eisner Award-nominated series, the Archangel Michael finds himself torn between his service to God and his service to his brother Lucifer. Lucifer's new land isn't as "heavenly" as he may envision it, though, and several non-heavenly forces are at work against him. A group of demons have planted their seed in a woman and plan to use their offspring for their own diabolical needs. Will the story end when Lucifer is slain, or can a being such as this fallen angel defeat Death and get yet another chance? Although writer Carey weaves an unusual story with an original take on the forces of good, evil and beyond evil, the art (by Gross, Ormston and Kelly) lacks detail and is often simplistic. But the group doesn't go overboard in background details, nor do they spare the gore and monsters.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School--In book four of the series, the Basanos, a tribe of horrifically evil spirits derived from a deck of tarot cards, plot to invade and take over the peaceful, religionless realm of Lucifer, the heroic (at least here) archangel cast down from Heaven by God. After kidnapping a Vegas nightclub singer, the Basanos impregnate her and murder Lucifer with the hope that the offspring will take Lucifer's place. It's up to Elaine, the teenaged angelic daughter of Michael (the brother of Lucifer and son of God), to stop them even if it means giving Lucifer her own life. Divine Comedy is chock-full of weighty ideas, clever imagery, and eerie circumstances, and has a well-written text. It also contains an extreme amount of violence, gore, and horror--including the up-close and personal murder of children. For this reason, it is most appropriate for sophisticated readers. Previous knowledge of earlier Lucifer titles is not required, but recommended.--Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library
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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401200095
• ISBN-13: 978-1401200091
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The big story is good, but the small stories are even better, October 8, 2003

By 

Rorschach (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucifer Vol. 4: The Divine Comedy (Paperback)

After making it clear to everyone, that 'the strong one is most powerful alone' Lucifer is finally reaping the fruits of his arrogance in the 'Paradiso' and 'Purgatorio' story arcs. When he only survives by the skin of his teeth he finds himself indebted to some characters that he used to treat pretty much like cockroaches in previous encounters.

Truly a masterful parable about power and arrogance that may have a lot of meaning in this day and age. However it is again the short interludes where the genius of Mike Carey shines most brightly. 'The Writing on the Wall' is not only a masterful story in itself (... thousand years are but one day ...) but also a prism shining light on the greater story arc. (Re-read the first page about the importance of communication after you know the whole story and be amazed!)

5.0 out of 5 stars The Devil's in the Details, March 3, 2010

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David M. Wright "King Geek" (Citrus Heights, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lucifer Vol. 4: The Divine Comedy (Paperback)

This installment of Lucifer is perhaps the best of the series, so far. Mike Carey's writing is brilliant, depicting biblical fantasy like no other. One of the reasons for this is not the overall story, but for the stand alone stories that focus on the people who are affected by the titantic struggle between Lucifer's desire for freedom, on a personal and universal level, and those that seek to curtail his bid for liberty. The story about the young centaur girl who crosses oceans and worlds in a vain attempt to warn the Lightbringer of the impending doom about to befall his new kingdom is heartbreaking in its tragedy. Balancing out that story is one at the end with the hilarious squabbling sibling fallen cherubim Guadim and Spera who attempt to traverse the realms of pain with shoddy merchandise. Still, the star of the show is Lucifer, and the cataclysmic battle between him an implacable foe that wants his newly created world for himself is exciting, bringing back characters long absent, and featuring a cameo from a beloved character from the Sandman universe. For those missing Neil Gaiman's seminal work and those looking for a fresh take on weighty issues, look no further.

4.0 out of 5 stars The last battle with the Basanos. Maybe., August 19, 2008

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Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lucifer Vol. 4: The Divine Comedy (Paperback)

Mike Carey, Lucifer: The Divine Comedy (Vertigo, 2003)

I'd thought the third volume wrapped up a story arc or two. I was wrong. Carey had more up his sleeve here as Lucifer, the Lilim, the Basanos, and Elaine Belloc all converge on Lucifer's alternate universe for a big, nasty struggle in which Lucifer finds himself help from a few places he didn't realize it was coming, the Basanos try to take over the world (so what else is new?), and the Lilim keep whining. Meanwhile, Michael may be back in Heaven, but it seems he learned some things down on Earth that don't have his boss all that pleased... once again, Carey takes the legacy of Neil Gaiman, runs with it, and comes up with a winner. Fantastic stuff, this. ****