Lucifer #46 begins a new arc where Lucifer has commanded that all immortals are to be banished from his Creation. Elaine Belloc, Mazikeen, and four others set out to accomplish this task. It is also where we are introduced to Thole, an immortal yet humble being who only wishes to build a nest-home to fulfill his lifelong goal of mating and raising young.
Thole’s story begins in his own words, letting us know how he is a masterful spinner of stitchglass, a substance created within his body from emotions that he harvests from the world. It is from stitchglass that his home is being carefully built. The process of gathering emotion for stitchglass is mostly non-destructive, but Thole has no use for negative emotions in his home-building, so he uses a nearby portal to YHVH’s Creation to dump out the “slop” created by these darker emotions. Unfortunately, that portal leads directly to the attic of a family living on Earth.
All this negative emotion pouring through the portal is poisoning the minds of the family living there, most especially a boy named Martin, who is overcome by the emotions and cannot control himself properly anymore. One night, Martin is closed up in the Attic as a punishment, and begins to weep. Thole hears this weeping from his side of the portal and comes through to investigate. Seeing the direct result of what his “slop” has done to this “animal boy” grieves him, so he fashions a “self stone” for Martin, to protect him from any emotions that are not his own. Martin eventually finds his own way through the portal and finds Thole, and soon after, they form a bond of friendship.
Events transpire that bring a rather rude female Spinner to Thole’s love nest and Thole eventually has to try to protect Martin from her murderous hunger. He signals for help, which comes in the form of Mazikeen and eventually Elaine herself. After resolving the conflict, Thole makes the ultimate sacrifice to be able to stay with Martin in their new home, raising him as his son.
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In a series that is often very dark and brutal, the character of Thole – humble, compassionate, and brave – is incredibly poignant and memorable, making his story a cherished one by many fans.