Writer: Charles Soule
Artist & Designer: Ryan Browne
Colorists: Ryan Browne & Kevin Knipstein
Letterer: Christopher Crank
Logo: Thomas Quinn
Production Design: Erika Schnatz
Cover Artists: Ryan Browne & Jonski
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 15, 2025
Hell is in an uproar. Good deeds on the surface are inflicting spike-lightning, lava boils, and shakequakes on the lower levels of Hell. While the hierarchy of Hell represses the lower classes, Wrench Fortune grows concerned about what is happening to his kingdom. So, he calls the other Nine-Zed devils to his Hell City office to find the fiendish do-gooders.
Sandpaper Pinch doesn't know Collar and Rake, the rising Four-Zed devils with their eyes on the Five-Zed prize. Still, Sandpaper Pinch promises to find which shoulder-demons are encouraging their Humans to do good instead of evil. Will Sandpaper Pinch discover how Collar and Rake have improved Cameron Stane and Starr Winslow's lives? And what will Sandpaper Pinch's investigation cost her? Let's hang onto our halos, leap into The Lucky Devils #5, and see!
Story
Collar was a nobody. Even Rake didn’t think much of the lowly, three-million-year-old devil when they met. But Rake’s poetry slam about changing the system got him thinking. What if he could change the way Hell worked? He was not alone in this. As Wrench Fortune told his fellow leaders, the devils at the lowest ranks of society take solace in a fable about good on Earth nearly destroying Hell. But Collar drew inspiration from this popular tale. And as he and Rake rise through the ranks, success boosts his confidence that he can fulfill prophecy and upend Hell again.
While The Lucky Devils #5 follows Rake and Collar’s story, it also looks in on Cameron Stane and Starr Winslow. Cam is a philosophy professor, a college dean, and a burgeoning author. Starr has risen through the nursing ranks to oversee the Lazarene Healthcare hospital network in Chicago. At first, Cam didn’t want to believe in Collar’s existence. But Starr, a preacher’s daughter, always knew Rake was real. Cam and Starr’s shared experience unites them. They wonder if it's right to retain the success they've achieved at their rivals' expense.
While Rake, Collar, Cameron, and Starr find themselves at turning points in their lives, Sandpaper Pinch has already passed through the crucible that could have torn her apart. Instead of fast-tracking her investigation, the bounty hunter tried to turn the short-term gig into a meal ticket. Then she came home one night to find it gone. Sandpaper Finch may be mourning. But in Charles Soule’s story, she’s determined to find the no-good, do-gooders who caused the lava boil that vaporized her family.
Art
She used to watch TV with her family. Now, Sandpaper Pinch perches on a barstool and stares up at the devil-framed flatscreen in a bar. Fen, the bartender who reluctantly serves her, belongs to the same devil-species as Wrench Fortune and Collar in The Lucky Devils #5.
As he throws balls at targets wearing fiendish faces, Cameron insists that Satan can go to Hell. When Starr pulls him away from the Down The Devil carnival game, Ryan Browne shows Cam waxing lyrical about eradicating evil at the Beer booth. After the philosophy professor purchases a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle popsicle, the preacher’s daughter clasps her soft serve ice cream cone, points her finger upward, and tells him the best way to defeat evil.
While Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein lavish a loaded palette on The Lucky Devils #5, colors prove significant in both domains. Collar's orange skin matches the nearby lava and explosions. Rake's pink skin matches the sky above her home. Like the inverted pentagram window looking out on their deck, the air grows red as Collar confesses. Yellow fire burns above Collar’s head as he justifies his actions, while yellow energy surrounds Cam’s face as he does likewise. Pink fire rises from Magenta’s head amid her wrath, while Starr, clad in a dark magenta suit, refuses to compromise.
White uppercase letters in red banners introduce locations in Chicago and Hell City. Uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and never shrink. White letters in red balloons signify Hellish outrage, while sound effects arise as devils destroy the trophies marking their success. Thanks to Image Comics and Silent E Productions for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Cameron Stane and Starr Winslow reap the fruits of the status they've attained. Yet Collar and Rake discover the differences between them are as formidable as the streams of lava flowing past their suburban home. If all of them don't destroy their lives on their own, a bounty hunter discovers a key to bringing their dreams crashing down in The Lucky Devils #5.
Rating 9.8/10
For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
No comments:
Post a Comment