The spark of God's former lamplighter is dancing precariously in the middle of a gusty compromise. One false glide would mean hissing out of existence forever, and this time the embers are unlikely to rise again like the last time....what would Lucifer do?

Inferno, the fifth volume in the Lucifer series, successfully wraps up everything for the first major story arc while setting up the stage for the next book.

Lucifer Morningstar, after being brought back into existence with the help of Elaine Belloc, goes to the city of Effrul in Hell to fulfill a promise he made twelve moons ago: a duel with the angel Amenadiel. But this is no combat between heaven and hell. Amenadiel is only seeking a private vendetta after his host’s assault on Los Angeles to destroy the Lightbringer goes awry. The Devil may have survived his downfall the last time, but will he be able to evade his demise now in his vulnerable state?

It is refreshing to see Lucifer as a very fragile character, for most of the previous volumes depict him as a semi-omnipotent creature. I’m sure the Devil would have ended up in a stereotypical Gary Stu mold if Carey hadn’t been so adroit in shaping him into a compelling antihero. One obvious way of making fictional beings strike a chord with readers is to give them human-like qualities, even if no single iota in their bodies are classifiable as human’s. I’ve seen that in Neil Gaiman’s Morpheus (brooding about his love lives the same way an emo kid might emote about being dumped) and Death (perky down-to-earth gothette…need I say more?). Carey succeeded in doing just that, and after reading this I really feel that The Sandman readers who haven’t picked up this series yet are doing themselves a disservice.

Issue by issue, some of Lucifer’s protective covering—both emotional and physical—are being shed, revealing more of who he has become. Apparently the changes brought about by recent events propelled the falling off of his facades. For instance, he is beginning to show more intimacy to Mazikeen, and he realizes that no matter how strong his will is, sometimes his body cannot follow. The only things that seem to be constant about Lucifer are his pride and wit.

The duel between Lucifer and Amenadiel is entertaining enough, what with a clever twist at the end and misleading first pages of the first issue. Christopher Rudd’s poetic narration is spot-on; his character has grown on me a little and I wish he gets a few more major roles in the sequels.

Here we also meet a character from Mazikeen’s past, and Solomon makes his debut appearance as a badass, hard-boiled detective (you win so much at life, Carey!). The ever-silent Duma plays a key role in aiding the Fallen for the second time, and it isn’t so surprising that he’s taking the Lucifer ticket as well in the end. Dig this, friends: three rebel archangels! It’s nice to see Loki again, still his trickster self despite his pus-filled eye sockets (courtesy of the Corinthian from The Sandman) and his entrails-cuffed incarceration. I’m a sucker for stories with Norse folklore, so needless to say I quite enjoyed the last two issues of this tome. The standalone story “Bearing Gifts” is bizarrely interesting and I quite liked it.

Kudos to the illustrators, by the way! The art is becoming more and more gorgeous. I'm definitely looking forward to more of this series.