The Lucky Devils #1 is written by Charles Soule and published by Image Comics. Artwork is by Ryan Browne, letters by Christopher Crank and colours by Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein.
The Lucky Devils #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Is it possible for two rebellious demons to start a revolution in Hell? Well, they might be able to with the help of two ordinary, 20-something humans they’re going to have to manipulate to do so. What follows is a cheeky, satirical look at Good and Evil that explores Faustian bargains and temptation in a rip-roaring, hilarious new way.
Review
Charles Soule and Ryan Browne are no strangers to the fantasy genre, especially after their last collaboration Eight Billion Genies. Now with this new series, The Lucky Devils, they look to dive head first into hell and temptations with a playful twist on the consequences of quite literally listening the devil inside our heads. The voice that tells us to do what we shouldn’t and tries to get us to give in to our intrusive thoughts.
From the word go this series looks to consistently play with our expectations. We’re immediately introduced to college professor Cam Stane and nurse Starr Wilson who appear to have progressively worsening days. From minor mishaps to things not going their way, the state that these two end up in by the end of the day makes them perfect candidates for the demons to work their mischievous magic. Also the way the artwork exaggerates each bad thing that happens to them is the perfect mix of over the top and relatable humour.
Once demons Collar and Rake appear, that’s when the comic starts to truly have fun with its premise. The first interactions between the humans and their respective demons is brilliantly funny in all the right ways, especially in a singular panel that sees Starr completely flatten Rake with a book. This entire conversation, despite being the opportune moment to explain who the demons are and what their goal is, allows the connections to gradually blossom between Collar, Cam, Rake and Starr as they all collectively come to some form of agreement.
This encounter takes up the majority of the issue and could, in anyone else’s hands, suffer from an overload of information and dialogue. Thankfully, this is where Browne’s gorgeously detailed illustrations come into play and fill this whole issue with a needed burst of vibrant energy. There is a constant intensity to the art style of this series that gets bolder with each page. Browne and Knipstein’s colouring also gives this series a punchy personality that compliments the main artwork very well.
The artwork continues to shine as Collar and Rake return to Hell and we see it in all of its multicoloured and warped glory. The depictions of demons and hell we are presented with in The Lucky Devils is one that is fairly unique and hard to compare to anything else. It’s dynamic, playful and full of life giving this series a distinct visual identity all to its own which is rare to see nowadays.
Charles Soule’s writing throughout this issue also matches the playfulness that Browne supplies with his illustrations. The pace of the storytelling is quick but digestible and continuously finds new ways to have fun with its concept. Even when we join the two demons back in hell, their friendship feels real and genuine in a way that makes them both oddly empathetic despite the chaos we know they want to unleash. Something you wouldn’t necessarily expect from two literal demons.
This is a brilliant first issue. It’s confident with what it is trying to do and because of this it knows how to make it fun and humourous in the process. As this issue mostly does a lot of work setting everything up, the potential this series has with a premise such as this is indescribably intriguing. Things can only go up from here.
Verdict
The Lucky Devils gets off to a hilariously bold start with this first issue. Soule and Browne pull out all the stops, delivering consistently intelligent writing and beautifully colourful artwork that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. This devilishly entertaining comic is a must read and is a brilliant one to start the new year with.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
