The Lucky Devils #2 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 #2 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
We’ve descended to the Second Circle, where, according to Dante, they kept sinners consumed by lust. Will our punk-rock anarchist devils Collar and Rake keep that in mind as they work to transform two ordinary, good-hearted humans into the most powerful people on Earth? Well, they wouldn’t be devils if they weren’t at least a little horny.
Review
After a great first issue, The Lucky Devils has a lot to prove with its promising concept and colourfully detailed artwork. Thankfully, this second instalment has us dive head first into Dante’s second circle of hell, lust…and boy does it commit to it.
The issue opens with a speech from a renowned devil by the name of Onion Screws, yes that is actually his name. We see him tell the story of a devil who manipulated one person to a life of stealing and cheating that resulted in him earning millions of dollars, all the while amping up the crowd of devils listening in awe to Onion’s tale of endless success. He also goes on to explain how the growing population on earth will benefit those in hell as new positions in the ‘eight funnels’ will open up for any devil to take, something which Rake and Collar could very much take advantage of.
Ryan Browne’s artwork really comes into its own in this issue, adding a very intense visual style that is only heightened by the colouring work from himself and Knipstein that adds to the over the top nature of this story. Nowhere is this better exemplified than during the moments where Rake and Collar begin causing havoc in the human world.
From one of Starr’s colleagues having sex with a patient to two professors having a punch up outside of Cam’s class, the mischief that Rake and Collar start to unleash could easily come across as shocking just for the sake of it. However, when handled with the level of self-awareness Soule and Browne give these moments, it allows them to comes across as more humorous than distasteful. Plus, due to the intent of Rake and Collar’s story, it works perfectly well and is something that will only get more insane as this series progresses.
The self-referential humour even goes further than expected during the closing moments of the issue where Rake and Collar go to see Mr Bunion at the Department of Advancement. Bunion begrudgingly explains that he can’t level up ‘his guy’ due to him being a comic book artist which is a small but very funny self-deprecating jab from the creators.
This instalment sees the devils’ plan start to fall into place in minute but drastic ways. The manner in which Soule balances outrageous humour with well realised motivations and a theatrical flair works wonders here as the personality of this series seems to be benefiting from that with every new issue.
Verdict
Soule and Browne really crank up the insanity with this issue. It’s bonkers, raunchy and doesn’t hold back in many ways. This series continues to be a hilarious ride with vibrant artwork to match, I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
