This book has been a long time coming. Ever since it was announced at the Image Expo a couple of months back, it has been one of my personal most anticipated books of the summer, and the general hype surrounding it has been immense. So does it live up to all of the hype? At this point, that’s not an easy question to answer, since there’s only been one issue so far. That said, this premiere issue definitely puts it on the right path to meeting all the hype surrounding it. That being said, it falls into typical first issue traps, with much of it consisting of blatant set up. Of course, that’s fine, but this is a very busy issue, with a lot to introduce. As a result, it jumps around a lot, introducing new characters and plot threads nearly every page, and giving very little explanation as to what’s happening.
Which is why I would recommend not going into this series completely blind, like I did. You may need a brief synopsis of what the series is about to really understand what’s going on. Sure, there is a sense of awe when certain events play out with no knowledge about the book at all, but they sometimes come across as being a little bit confusing, which does detract from the book. It definitely pulled me out of the experience once or twice in my first go through. In some ways, this is reminiscent of a writing technique commonly employed by Grant Morrison, and from what I’ve read of Kieron Gillen’s work, it isn’t something he does often. This feels very different from everything else I’ve read from the Gillen/McKelvie duo, but that’s definitely a good thing. The two seem to be operating a little bit out of their comfort zone in terms of the plot, but that may be part of what made me appreciate this book so much.
For the most part, The Wicked and the Divine seems to be very character driven, specifically by the main protagonist, a teenager named Laura. The entire story is told from her point of view, so from the point of view of a mortal, looking up to the pop star goddesses. Her and Luci drive the story, through Laura’s narration and Luci’s dialogue. Unfortunately, it is a little bit unclear who Luci is. I would assume that she’s a relatively famous singer in this world, but also possesses supernatural powers, like many of the pop stars in this world do, because they’re gods and goddesses, both literally and figuratively. It’s an interesting take on the dynamic between musicians and their fans in the modern age, and that interpretation of the situation is definitely one of this issue’s strong suits.
The book’s biggest weakness is undoubtedly the fact that it’s a little bit uneven. There are certain scenes that stand out above the rest – namely the penthouse scene and the court room scene – and this can be jarring at times. The quality of the book definitely increases as it goes, with the first five pages being the weakest part and the last five or six being the strongest material in the book. That’s Ok, but I can’t help but wonder how much better the book would be if it maintained a consistent quality throughout.
It may be starting to sound like I didn’t enjoy this book, but the truth couldn’t be further from that. The Wicked and the Divine is off to a very solid start, in the very capable hands of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. The characters seem to come completely alive as a result of the way they’re written and drawn, and I already love every character that we’ve spent a significant amount of time with. And as much as I complained about the lack of explanation as to what’s going on, that isn’t as big an issue as I’m making it out to be, namely because the characters believe it. There’s really no need for a technical explanation of everything that’s going on at this point because the characters are so willing to believe it that it becomes easy to be sucked into the world.
The a Wicked and the Divine is definitely a series that is worth checking out. It may not be for everyone, but there’s a lot to enjoy here, from the characters to the stellar art. Plus, based on what we know of the plot so far, and the cliffhanger that we’re left on, this first story arc could shape up to be a really, really interesting story, and make this comic one of the creative team’s best works to date. Sure, it’s by no means a perfect start, but this book has a lot of heart to it, and that quality alone makes it worth reading. It feels alive and warm, so that’s a definite mark in its favor. And on top of that, it is quite different from many other books, another quality that makes it worth reading. When all’s said and done, this is a solid start to what will likely become another great Image book.
