Throughout the history of comics, there have been creative partnerships that yielded legendary stories. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko shaped the foundation of the Marvel Universe. Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly delivered unique takes on DC’s icons with JLA: Earth-2 and All-Star Superman. Charles Soule and Ryan Browne defintiely have one of those partnerships, and The Lucky Devils #1 only cements that.
The Lucky Devils centers on the day of two seemingly ordinary people in Chicago: philosophy professor Cam and nurse Starr. Both of them seem to be going through one of the worst days of their lives; Starr gets passed over for a promotion, while Cam has a date go south, followed by a stressful night of grading papers (and his cat isn’t helping matters.) That changes when they encounter two devils, Collar and Rake.
Collar and Rake reveal that they, like other devils, are tasked with focusing on one of the Seven Deadly Sins…and using it to agitate their chosen human. So why have they chosen to reveal themselves now? It turns out that they want to help Cam and Starr actually achieve success. But that might be easier said than done…
Image Comics
Soule’s script is a delight to read; in addition to packing it full of comedic gags, he comes up with the genuinely brilliant explanation that all of life’s inconveniences are the devils at work. Forgot your credit card? Missed out on that important promotion? A car drove by and splashed you with a puddle? Demons might be at work. But what really kept me hooked is the idea of Rake and Collar actually trying to do good. It’s an intriguing idea – if there’s fallen angels, why not have demons try to rise above darkness? It’s further strengthened by the fact that Cam and Starr have refused to give into their darker impulses.
The story takes on life thanks to Browne’s art, which remains impishly animated. Not only do I love how Browne draws actual words accompanying his characters’ actions – Cam’s typing at his computer is actually accompanied by the words “Type, Type, Type” – but the design of the devils makes them wholly unique. Collar’s squat physique is a direct contrast to Rake’s lankier frame, but both of them share similar features like a flaming crown, a unsettling grin, and a long, darting tail. The pages also shift around, bouncing back and forth from Cam and Collar to Starr and Rake without losing a beat.
But what really makes The Lucky Devils #1 pop is the variety of colors employed by Browne and Kevin Kipstein. Red is prominent throughout; it’s in Rake and Collar’s skin, it pops up whenever Cam and Starr get frustrated, it even shows up in Christopher Crank’s captions. And it blends very well with shades of blue or black, resulting in an eerie effect when the devils first appear.
Image
The Lucky Devils #1 is a witty, cleverly crafted comic that cements Charles Soule and Ryan Browne as a top notch creative team. It’s the type of concept that works well in their hands, and it’s the kind of comic that reminds readers Image is usually the ground floor for groundbreaking comics. Fans of Curse Words or Eight Billion Genies will definitely want to pick this up.
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