With the Vertigo Comics character, Lucifer, coming to life on our television screens, it only made sense that the comic universe would breathe new life into him as well. I sat down with Lee Garbett, comic book artist for the latest run of Lucifer, to discuss what’s in store for the fallen angel in this latest series.
Dual Pixels: So I know you’ve taken some notes from the previous Lucifer comics, but what is one thing that you’ve brought to the character that is just yours, something unique to the character that you wanted to make sure that Lucifer had?
Lee Garbett: When you follow these books, obviously you look at what’s happened before. But immediately, I could just see him. So I used the previous art as a touchstone for everything, but I could visualize him straight away. So when I first got the pitch for it and then the scripts, I kind of had an idea of what I wanted him to look like, a sort of aloof quality, slight sass, but not quite so cold and rigid. I wanted to get a little bit of charm in there.
Dual Pixels: One of the things that I think is interesting about Lucifer is that he has these mysterious powers, that are not as noticeable as Superman or your average superhero. So, if you could have one power or luxury of Lucifer’s, what would it be?
Lee Garbett: His bar, I think. I think I would have his bar. It’s a pretty cool place… Yeah his powers are kind of vague, and Mazikeen has a large chunk of those now.
Dual Pixels: Especially in the first few issues of this new run, we got to see Lucifer and Gabriel pair up for awhile. Will we get any other interesting pairings? Any other angels?
Lee Garbett: Yeah… without giving away too much. With the first arc, Lucifer was intrigued and got involved due to that, just to see how it was going to go and to clear his name. But it was almost as if it was amusing to him. With the second arc, it’s much more of a family reason for him coming in. I can’t really say too much. But we’ve already seen his son in the story, so that’s a big part of what’s coming next.
Dual Pixels: I don’t know if you follow the TV show or not, but I also review the TV show. In the show, Lucifer quips about not having blonde hair. Will there be any sneaky dialogue or locations, etc. as a nod to the TV show?
Lee Garbett: I do [follow the show]. I have been trying to do that. When Holly first said what she thought with a bar in New York, The Gold Bar I think, which is the original inspiration for Lucifer’s club, Ex Lux. Because the TV show is more established, you get more shots with how that works, and it seems to be a great set up. I love the fact you can see the crowd within the bar. So I put that in a bit more. So later on when you start seeing the bar, I tried to bring it more towards that. Definitely environments, just little nods really, so if you follow both things you’ll be like, “Oh that’s from that.â€
Dual Pixels: So anything you can tell us about what’s next for Lucifer?
Lee Garbett: Because of the situation he’s in and with what’s happening in the second arc, he’s finding himself drawn into a situation he didn’t want to be in. It becomes much more epic, sort of like a battleground. Different characters show their powers in unusual ways. But it’s all been leading up to this egg that we’ve been seeing, and what’s coming out of that really. I’ve just finished drawing that thing, and it’s pretty horrible. We’ve had the bar where you have some weird creatures. They’ve been sort of benign or a bit fun. This thing is unpleasant, and I want it to look as unpleasant as possible. Dark days are ahead for sure, maybe even end of days, but yes, it’s going to be serious.
If you enjoy the Lucifer TV show and want to get into the comics, this is the perfect place to start. With 8 issues now available, Lucifer is only just getting started, and I hope it can continue it’s success in both comic books and television.
Check out Vertigo comics and Lee Garbett at the following links:
Vertigo Comics website: http://www.vertigocomics.com
Vertigo Comics Facebook: @vertigocomics
Vertigo Comics Twitter: @vertigo_comics
Lee Garbett Twitter: @LeeGarbett
