An alternative title for this post could have been: Review/Recommendation: The Wicked + the Divine; or – my all time favourite comic (?) and the day I got it signed and couldn’t stop myself from telling everyone about it, but I figured that it would be a tad too long and not particularly aesthetically pleasing, which after all is the one thing everything should aspire to be.
Sadly I left my other issues of wicdiv back home in Norway (and my collected editions of Journey Into Mystery, also by Kieron Gillen), but I bought a variant cover edition and got it signed by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Tula Lotay, so I can’t find it in me too complain. I was also able to get a oh so fancy limited edition art-print (for free, my favourite two word combination), which is currently hanging all nicely above my bed (above my equally wonderful but slightly less limited edition map of the Shire).
As I currently can’t stop myself from talking (or in this case: writing) about wicdiv right now, I figured that it is fitting for me to do a review/recommendation of it!
The Wicked + the Divine is an ongoing series written by Kieron Gillen, with the majority of the art in the first couple of issues having been done by James McKelvie. It is one of those stories where the plot is nearly impossible to summarise in a coherent manner, but the main premise can be summarised as this:
“Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead.” (x)
That sounds like the perfect recipe for angst and misery doesn’t it? – I am not going to lie, it is, but it incredibly well-developed and not done for shock value. One actually grows fond of the characters (something I often find hard in this format), and while they easily could have become so, the characters feel like actual people and avoid becoming caricatures.
One of the major complains I’ve seen among the less favourable reviews is that the plot is convoluted/confusing, however I did not find this to be the case at all. While one does not get a lot of mythological background/trivia, a quick bit of research (and by quick I mean ‘read an wikipedia article or two’ quick) is sufficient. I have always been interested in mythology and thus know the myths surrounding a lot of the characters quite well, but for the ones I was less familiar with gaining the information needed in order to fully appreciate the references/plot points did not prove challenging.
Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the humour in this series is spot on (at least in my humble opinion), and the plot itself is incredibly interesting and refreshing, I’ve found it nearly impossible to guess where the plot is heading, something that rarely the case.
Lastly, the artwork in this series is absolutely stunning, and the introduction of various styles in the later issues only adds to this.
The Wicked + the Divine has become one of my all time favourite comics (if not the favourite), and I can’t wait to read more and become more familiar with it’s characters and universe. I would definitely recommend that you give it a try, even if you are normally not an avid reader of comics.
Let me know if you’re planning to read it, and if you have – what did you think about it?
Oscar Wilde Child 