Wicked + Divine #5
The rockstar life(and death)style.
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Publisher: Image
This is the single best issue of The Wicked and Divine this far.
Previously, this book has been good and still slightly lacking because it was mysterious. Sure, you know the gods are going to die, you know that they're immensly popular celebrities (and for good reason) and, that's about it. There was a lot of talk, a lot of dramatic reveals and a lot of lofty ideas about salvation, celebrity and mortality thrown around. It was deep, layered and nuanced but...kind of boring. This issue, though, is more than just "good". This issue is a direct punch to the gut. A clear, concise, and gripping issue that provides both stellar action scenes and a stomach churningly good conclusion to the first arc. This issue is both the end of the rollercoaster track in some ways and the precipice at the drop of the next ride, too.
Gillen's storytelling abilities are at the forefront here. But, not only in the dialogue. No, here is a perfectly scripted sequence of events that isn't just about what people say to keep things moving forward like they have been in the previous few issues. Luci is on a warpath, Laura, and the other mere mortals don't know what to do (who would?) and the gods are furious. It's near impossible to say much else about the story here without spoiling something major. But, I will say, that the last two pages of this issue left me in complete and utter shock and dissrepair. So much so, that I considered not writing this review until next week or something just so I could be sure that people had read this so I could disscus it all fully. It's that good. The issues of mortality and compassion and celebrity and so much else aren't merely talked about here, they're on display in the best ways possible. It's...divine.
McKelvie's art compliments all of that. Baal is frighteningly badass. Luci is terrifying and sympathetic. The scene where Laura charges down the subway tunnel is taunt and tense. When the story is this good (and gods, it is this time) it helps that the art is this good too. McKelvie can usually carry the dialogue heavy issues of this book with his art because his character designs and expressions are so good but here, he has so much more to work with than that and it's so, so worth it.
I never know quite how I feel about Wicked and Divine issues until a few days after I read them because it's such a cool, intense concept that I usually feel isn't handled as best it could be. This time, I know exactly how I feel, and it's good.
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Publisher: Image
This is the single best issue of The Wicked and Divine this far.
Previously, this book has been good and still slightly lacking because it was mysterious. Sure, you know the gods are going to die, you know that they're immensly popular celebrities (and for good reason) and, that's about it. There was a lot of talk, a lot of dramatic reveals and a lot of lofty ideas about salvation, celebrity and mortality thrown around. It was deep, layered and nuanced but...kind of boring. This issue, though, is more than just "good". This issue is a direct punch to the gut. A clear, concise, and gripping issue that provides both stellar action scenes and a stomach churningly good conclusion to the first arc. This issue is both the end of the rollercoaster track in some ways and the precipice at the drop of the next ride, too.
Gillen's storytelling abilities are at the forefront here. But, not only in the dialogue. No, here is a perfectly scripted sequence of events that isn't just about what people say to keep things moving forward like they have been in the previous few issues. Luci is on a warpath, Laura, and the other mere mortals don't know what to do (who would?) and the gods are furious. It's near impossible to say much else about the story here without spoiling something major. But, I will say, that the last two pages of this issue left me in complete and utter shock and dissrepair. So much so, that I considered not writing this review until next week or something just so I could be sure that people had read this so I could disscus it all fully. It's that good. The issues of mortality and compassion and celebrity and so much else aren't merely talked about here, they're on display in the best ways possible. It's...divine.
McKelvie's art compliments all of that. Baal is frighteningly badass. Luci is terrifying and sympathetic. The scene where Laura charges down the subway tunnel is taunt and tense. When the story is this good (and gods, it is this time) it helps that the art is this good too. McKelvie can usually carry the dialogue heavy issues of this book with his art because his character designs and expressions are so good but here, he has so much more to work with than that and it's so, so worth it.
I never know quite how I feel about Wicked and Divine issues until a few days after I read them because it's such a cool, intense concept that I usually feel isn't handled as best it could be. This time, I know exactly how I feel, and it's good.
A Look Inside
