Lucifer #1

Spinning out of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, this June 2000 Vertigo series launches with a cover by Duncan Fegredo that sets a striking tone: a platinum-haired Lucifer stands with hands raised, glowing with otherworldly energy, while dark graffiti-like sigils and shadowy robed figures crowd the wall behind him — an image that perfectly captures a being of immense power navigating a world steeped in the occult. Writer Mike Carey joins artists Chris Weston and James Hodgkins for the opening chapter, "A Six Card Spread," promising a mature-readers story as layered as that symbol-covered backdrop. It's a compelling opening statement for what looks, from the very first cover, like a series with serious ambitions.