Lucifer Reading Order (The Sandman spin-off)

Straight from the world of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, here comes Lucifer Morningstar himself. Let me start by saying that, if you are here to read about the TV version of Lucifer, you’ll probably be disappointed. Even if the FOX/Netflix show was based on this character, the similitudes are quite limited. That said, those books are really good.

From The Sandman Universe, Lucifer Morningstar is a fallen rebel archangel who was cast out of Heaven as punishment for leading the revolt of the angels. Once upon a time, he rebelled against the Kingdom of Heaven and end up in what became Hell, until the day he decided to close shop. He retired to Earth and ran bar named Lux with his mistress Mazikeen at his side.

What to read before Lucifer?

You’ll need to read a bit of The Sandman series.

• The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes
  Collects The Sandman #1–8. Lucifer Morningstar first appeared in The Sandman issue #4. Dream of the Endless visited Hell in order to get back what was his and he met with Lucifer. He discovered that he was forced to share his power after the Great Darkness’s return. A Triumverate was formed, but Lucifer retained the majority of power (this is not indispensable, but it’s a good read).
• The Sandman: Season of Mists
  Collects The Sandman #21–28. Now, the important part. Dream wanted to fix an old mistake. For that, he must visit Hell again. After some preparations, He found Hell empty and Lucifer gave him the key and left for Perth, Australia. It’s the real starting point for the character.
• The Sandman: The Kindly Ones
  Collects The Sandman #57-69 and Vertigo Jam #1. The last short (and mostly optional) apparition of Lucifer Morningstar in The Sandman. That’s when we learn about his new life in Los Angeles.

Lucifer Reading Order:

I. The Original Lucifer series by Mike Carey

If you want to skip the Sandman part, you can. This is where Lucifer solo adventures written by Mike Carey began, and everything you’ll need to understand the character is here.

• Devil in the Gateway
  Collects The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1–3 & Lucifer #1–4.
• Children and Monsters
  Collects Lucifer #5–13.
• A Dalliance with the Damned
  Collects Lucifer #14–20
• Lucifer: Nirvana
  It’s a one-shot, self-contained story that can be read when you want before the end of this first series. It’s collected in the Evensong TPB.
• The Divine Comedy
  Collects Lucifer #21–28.
• Inferno
  Collects Lucifer #29–35.
• Mansions of the Silence
  Collects Lucifer #36–41.
• Exodus
  Collects Lucifer #42–44 & #46–49.
• The Wolf Beneath the Tree
  Collects Lucifer #45 & #50–54.
• Crux
  Collects Lucifer #55–61.
• Morningstar
  Collects Lucifer #62–69.
• Evensong
  Collects Lucifer #70–75.

The first Lucifer series in other editions

The first TPBs are a bit old. You can find them on the used-books market, but if you can’t, there are other options.

The Omnibus Collection

Reprint under The Sandman Universe Classics banner, this is all you’ll ever need.

• Lucifer Omnibus Vol. 1
  Collects The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1-3, Lucifer #1-35, and Lucifer: Nirvana #1.
• Lucifer Omnibus Vol. 2
  Collects Lucifer issues #36-75.

The 2013 reprint edition

• Lucifer: Book One
  Collects The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1–3 and Lucifer #1–13
• Lucifer: Book Two
  Collects Lucifer #14–28 and the Lucifer: Nirvana one-shot issue
• Lucifer: Book Three
  Collects Lucifer #29–45
• Lucifer: Book Four
  Collects Lucifer #46–61
• Lucifer: Book Five
  Collects Lucifer #62–75

II. The Second Lucifer series

The first Lucifer series ended in August 2006. After that, there’s a Lucifer that appeared in the DC New 52, but – the way I saw it – it was not the same character. With Vertigo selling the rights of their comics for adaptation to who wants to buy, FOX put a TV show on the air and Vertigo had to launch a new ongoing series.

God is dead and Gabriel has accused Lucifer of His murder. He had motive and opportunity, but he can prove his innocence. If Gabriel finds the killer and takes the culprit into custody, his sins will be forgotten, and he’ll be welcomed back to Silver City.

• Lucifer: Cold Heaven
  Collects Lucifer #1–6.
• Lucifer: Father Lucifer
  Collects Lucifer #7–12.
• Lucifer: Blood in the Streets
  Collects Lucifer #13–19.

III. The New Sandman Universe

The Sandman Universe is back at Vertigo/Black Label and there’s also a new Lucifer ongoing series. For more information, you can go to The Sandman Reading Order.

The Prince of Darkness is missing, and from the look of things, he’s not coming back. Blind, crippled, and without a penny to his name, the onetime ruler of Hell is now a wizened, unkempt old man trapped in a small town where sinister forces torment him at every turn and nothing is as it seems. He has no memory of how he got here, no hope of escape, and no way to track down his child–the only entity capable of preventing the end of the world.

• Lucifer: The Infernal Comedy
  Collects Lucifer #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1.
• Lucifer: The Divine Tragedy
  Collects Lucifer #7–13.
• Lucifer: The Wild Hunt
  Collects Lucifer #14–19.
• Lucifer: The Devil at Heart
  Collects Lucifer #20–24.