When a spark of plan ignites in the mind of God’s former lamplighter, there’s nothing that can stop him from incinerating it to action. That’s what’s proven in the second volume of Mike Carey’s The Sandman spin-off, Lucifer: Children and Monsters.

After coercing the Basanos (a magical deck of tarot cards created by the angel Meleos) to give him a reading, Lucifer moves to execute a clandestine scheme. Heaven has given him a “letter of passage”, the payment for his last cleanup job in Devil in the Gateway. He turns the letter into a portal to the Void, the vacuum outside existence that is not under control of anyone—even of the heaven. This new creation attracts unwanted attention, and as we move further, we realize that Lucifer does not want to play neutral or wallow in the easy luxuries of the mortal world anymore… and we’re given a glimpse of his proud heart that caused his Fall.

Children and Monsters is a good follow-up to volume one, as Carey is now beginning to cook up a very intriguing, plot-driven story. In retrospect, Lucifer had magnetized attention by abandoning his realm; he did it again, but this time by creating a new territory. As it is in Sandman, various mythologies are beginning to incorporate themselves with the story. I find the Japanese pantheons of the Afterlife fascinatingly grotesque, and I’m simply in awe about the new things I’m learning from here.

The series is becoming more and more reminiscent of The Sandman series, only this time with Lucifer in the shoes of Morpheus. In that setup, we can that these characters are poles apart. In Season of Mists, Lucifer gives Morpheus the key to Hell and the dream lord’s new ownership attracts attention from different realms; likewise in The House of Windowless Rooms issue, where Lucifer opens the void and all sort of beings want to have access to it. Morpheus goes to Hell in Preludes and Nocturnes to get his helm of office back; in THOWR, Lucifer goes to the desert-like Japanese version of inferno to collect his wings. Note that both things possess power that is significant to their owners. There are stunning episodes of contests of wit in both graphic novels where the protagonists win, closing with the defeated swearing to destroy the winner. We all know what happened to The Sandman. Somehow, I want Lucifer to survive what the Japanese pantheons have in store for him in the end.

There are a lot going on in this volume like Mazikeen losing her demon half-face; the appearance of the archangel Michael, Lucifer’s brother; involvement of a girl with an important parentage; and ultimately, Lucifer’s first steps in defying predestination.

I hope this series gets better, or the next volume will be on par with this volume. :D I’m beginning to love it.