Stan Lee’s Lucky Man: Volume One: The Bracelet ...

Stan Lee’s Lucky Man: Volume One: The Bracelet Chronicles Review

stan lees lucky man graphic novel review volume 1 the bracelet chronicles

stan lees lucky man graphic novel review volume 1 the bracelet chronicles

Based on the Carnival Film’s TV show, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man is making its comic book debut with the release of Volume One: The Bracelet Chronicles.

Throughout this review we will be breaking down everything that you need to know about the graphic novel and whether it’s worth picking it up or not.

There will be some spoilers here so if you don’t want to know anything about the book then I highly recommend that you skip to the score and come back to this review after checking it out.

With that out the way I just wanna give a huge thank you for stopping by, now let’s get into Lucky Man: Volume One!

Lucky Man: Volume One Review


We follow Rich, the brother of Harry Clayton a gambler who after betting big ended being entrusted with a bracelet of immense power.

Granting incredible luck, many would believe that this is an amazing gift, however, from the off Harry seems to want to be rid of it no matter the cost. Unable to take it off, the mystery surrounding it grows and we as readers are desperate to get to the bottom of what is going on.

Rich Clayton


From the perspective of Rich we watch as he uncovers the mystery behind the bracelet in the opening chapter as well as why all those that end up wearing it seem to come to a gruesome end.

It’s a nice little concept and as someone who has never watched the show beyond the first episode, Lucky Man: Volume One instantly got me back up to speed with the events of the series without feeling like it was jamming the story so far down my throat.

Whilst most writers would just retell the events of the show from the protagonist’s point of view, what the scribes of this tale (Neil Gibson and Michael Gordon) do is switch up the perspective so that both newcomers and those that have binged the show will find something unique and enthralling that goes beyond a simple retread.

Though this is supplementary material, it also works as a standalone piece that is accessible to newcomers who haven’t had time to go through all of the source material. This is a wise choice and I found myself engaging with it from the off due to the fact it was easy to pick up without any prior knowledge.

The Story Of The Bracelet


The book really comes into its own early on with the retelling of the bracelets past and colourist Asoka Abeywardena shines throughout, embodying the story with unforgettable shades of blue and red that really make the work leap off the page.

It’s through this that we discover that with the luck brought by the bracelet is also a cost to someone else. A bargain if you will that always leads to tragedy.

It’s linked to Chernobyl, the crash of Wall Street, JFK and more which instantly elevates the importance of the bracelet and reminds us just how dire of a situation that Harry is in.

I’ve always found Gibson to be a fantastic writer that picks from history to add authenticity and legitimacy to his stories and in this retread through time he does an incredible job of empowering the bracelet with legends in order to make it a really memorable item.

There are shades of the ring from Tolkien’s work, The Infinity Stones and the bracelet recaptures what makes those items so fascinating.

However, similar to the aforementioned trinkets, there is just something about using the bracelet that always carries a cost and even with the best of intentions, things often go bad.

stan lees lucky man volume one the bracelet review

Hope In Harry


That’s what makes Harry so important, he has been chosen to wear it because of his good heart and it seems that he may finally be the one to use the bracelet to create a positive outcome.

It’s on this note that the graphic novel starts to wind down and it begins to set up the pieces for what’s to come, leading to an intriguing ending that left me wanting more. I don’t know what’s going to happen down the road but I left the book fully invested in the story.

The Verdict


Overall I had a blast with Lucky Man and the creative team accomplish their goal of getting me interested enough in the property to go and check it out which is no easy feat.

I can see both fans and novices like myself finding a lot to like here and whether you are looking for supplementary material for the television counterpart or just something fun to read from the brilliant mind of Stan Lee then this is the book for you.

They really don’t miss a beat here and throughout the work I went from not really caring to much about the Lucky Man franchise to wanting to binge it as soon as I put the book down.

I definitely recommend that you pick this up and give Lucky Man a try!

8.5/10

stan lee lucky man show

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