The Lucky Devils hooked me with its first issue. Not only did it reunite Charles Soule and Ryan Browne, but it had a genius approach to how Hell actually works. The Lucky Devils #2 continues this, revealing that despite the imagery of fire and brimstone that most people would think of, Hell is actually a byzantine bureaucracy that most devils find themselves trapped in – including Rake and Collar, a couple who wants nothing more than to escape the shackles of said bureaucracy.
To that end, they’re pushing to improve the lives of the humans they’ve been assigned to, Cameron Stane and Starr Winslow. But in one of many twists within the narrative, it turns out Rake and Collar want to cause chaos by improving their humans’ lives. For Rake, that means helping Starr get a promotion for her nursing job. For Collar, that’s inspiring Cameron to write the paper that will lift him out of his adjunct professor position.
This leads to some humorous moments – in part, with how Starr and Cameron react to their devils’ presence, and how devils slowly influence mankind to do bad. But it also shows how skilled of a writer Soule is that he can balance the humor with some good character moments. Cameron believes that Collar is nothing more than a figment of his imagination, while Rake grows frustrated with Starr’s resistance to her plan. Of course, anyone who’s read his work on Marvel’s Star Wars comics or his other Image titles, particularly Undiscovered Country, won’t be surprised. (And that’s not even getting into how he answers the lingering question: “What’s Heaven like in this comic?”)
A genuine surprise is how Browne continues to outdo himself with the artwork. Most of the issue takes place in Hell, which looks like any other major city apart from the fact that literal devils are walking the streets. Those devils also tend to be very expressive; whenever they’re angry, or excited, flames surge up from their heads or hands. Sometimes those flames even take different forms, like when one devil literally crafts a pyramid scheme out of Hellfire. Browne and Kevin Knipstein also continue to utilize red in the color work, especially when it comes to the different devils. This also has the effect of making them stand out like a sore thumb in the human world.
Something else that’s unique is how Christopher Crank’s lettering switches with the devils. When it’s in Hell, it’s regular black and white. But in the human world, their words take on a reddish-yellow shade, which helps draw eyeballs in their direction. It serves as a reminder that great lettering can help a comic stand out just as much as the script or the art.
The Lucky Devils #2 continues to put its own unique spin on Hell and its inhabitants, resulting in a humorous, character-driven romp. The next time you stop by the comic shop, check this series out. It won’t take a devil whispering in your ear to convince you it’s good.
