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803 reviews for:
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3: Commercial Suicide
Brandon Graham, Jamie McKelvie, Leila del Duca, Stephanie Hans, Kieron Gillen, Tula Lotay, Kate Brown
3.61 AVERAGE
803 reviews for:
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3: Commercial Suicide
Brandon Graham, Jamie McKelvie, Leila del Duca, Stephanie Hans, Kieron Gillen, Tula Lotay, Kate Brown
3.61 AVERAGE
As much as I love this series, nothing striking really happened in this book. There is some character background, and some random grieving, but it was ultimately a set up for the next arc. Glad I am reading the the trades instead of the single issues because there really wasn't a lot going on in this one. Lots of different artists including Brandon Graham, whom I enjoy immensely. Looking forward to the next volume.
This volume is definitely different from the previous 2, but still fascinating, and we're finally starting to get at least a few answers, if not many. Once again, if you haven't read the first 2 volumes of this series, I'd stop reading this review now.
The main difference: different artists for every issue! I prefer Jamie McKelvie's art above all others, but it was definitely interesting to see the different ways artists interpreted the same characters, especially when Jamie isn't available (why???) and using different artists is a must. I particularly enjoyed issue 15 illustrated by Stephanie Hans, whose work reminds me of a painting, and issue 16 illustrated by Leila del Duca, whose work reminds of my first comic obsessions, Betty and Veronica, a sort of classic comic look. The second at the back, with behind the scenes on how each artist worked, was really interesting as well.
As for content, the main difference as far as storytelling went was. BUT! That "Inevitable cliffhanger"! Does that page mean I'm even more anxious for volume 4 now!
With less focus on a primary narrator, the volume becomes more about each individual god, complete with backstories for some of them. Morrigan's was particularly interesting, and now it makes sense why she takes so much blame for Baphomet's actions. Not only was he her king, she practically made him the way he is by asking Ananke to make him her king. Which makes me think - how does Baphomet fit into the way the gods are chosen to be reincarnated? The Morrigan as Marian and Baphomet as Cameron clearly had an intense connection as humans. How is it possible that the Morrigan's request to Ananke resulted in the highly unlikely coincidence that her human ex boyfriend also became a god reincarnate? This is just more evidence to me that Ananke has an explicit hand in picking which humans become vessels for the gods, and which gods return.
That thought alone leads to a whole new list of questions: was Cassandra made into Urdr to stop her from her unending quest for the truth as a documentarian? Was Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, reincarnated into a 12 year old so that she would have her vision of what was really going on clouded by childlike innocence? Why was Laura made into Persephone
What is obvious is that Ananke is up to something. After Tara's death (Ananke's own doing, blamed on Baphomet), she tells the gods that Baphomet has fallen under an evil influence, that they may be facing a demon. But what if Ananke is actually that demon? Is tricking the gods so that they battle and kill one another her plan? What would be the lasting repercussions of the gods not lasting their full 2 years on earth, and all dying ahead of time?
There are more gods featured in this volume, but I find there are a few gods that I just can't seem to get myself to care about. Volume 17 is devoted to Sakhmet, but feels so unimportant in the grand scheme of the story. Wooden's story is a bit more interesting, as he seems to actively be working for Ananke, but I can't seem to figure out why he would, and how much he knows. Tara's story was really heartbreaking, but her death would have had more of an impact on me if we had met her earlier. One issue is just not enough time to build up last affection for a character, at least for me.
Volume 4 can't come soon enough! I know people were excited that the team wrote a new volume of Phonogram, but I couldn't really get into that title, so I've missed having them working on WicDiv. This is one of the rare times where I am actually completely caught up for a comic, so I'm really looking forward to Gillan and McKelvie's WicDiv panel at ECCC next weekend. Hopefully they have some good info to spill!
2nd Reading: Picked this one up again to read through before reading volume 4. Although I appreciate the look into other characters, this volume still didn't resonate with me as much as the others.
The main difference: different artists for every issue! I prefer Jamie McKelvie's art above all others, but it was definitely interesting to see the different ways artists interpreted the same characters, especially when Jamie isn't available (why???) and using different artists is a must. I particularly enjoyed issue 15 illustrated by Stephanie Hans, whose work reminds me of a painting, and issue 16 illustrated by Leila del Duca, whose work reminds of my first comic obsessions, Betty and Veronica, a sort of classic comic look. The second at the back, with behind the scenes on how each artist worked, was really interesting as well.
As for content, the main difference as far as storytelling went was
Spoiler
we no longer have Laura (Persephone!!) as our narrator, since Ananke exploded her head at the end of volume 2. I have to admit, I'm still super sad about this, and have had a hard time reconciling myself to the fact that Laura is just gone. I was really invested in her longing to become one of the gods, and when it finally came true, and then was stolen away so quickly, it was quite the shockSpoiler
that Persephone is not really dead? How is that even possible? Or is it just a front and means that someone knows what really happened to Persephone, and is going to expose Ananke?With less focus on a primary narrator, the volume becomes more about each individual god, complete with backstories for some of them. Morrigan's was particularly interesting, and now it makes sense why she takes so much blame for Baphomet's actions. Not only was he her king, she practically made him the way he is by asking Ananke to make him her king. Which makes me think - how does Baphomet fit into the way the gods are chosen to be reincarnated? The Morrigan as Marian and Baphomet as Cameron clearly had an intense connection as humans. How is it possible that the Morrigan's request to Ananke resulted in the highly unlikely coincidence that her human ex boyfriend also became a god reincarnate? This is just more evidence to me that Ananke has an explicit hand in picking which humans become vessels for the gods, and which gods return.
That thought alone leads to a whole new list of questions: was Cassandra made into Urdr to stop her from her unending quest for the truth as a documentarian? Was Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, reincarnated into a 12 year old so that she would have her vision of what was really going on clouded by childlike innocence? Why was Laura made into Persephone
Spoiler
just to be killed right after? And how is it possible a 13th god was reincarnated this cycle?What is obvious is that Ananke is up to something. After Tara's death (Ananke's own doing, blamed on Baphomet), she tells the gods that Baphomet has fallen under an evil influence, that they may be facing a demon. But what if Ananke is actually that demon? Is tricking the gods so that they battle and kill one another her plan? What would be the lasting repercussions of the gods not lasting their full 2 years on earth, and all dying ahead of time?
There are more gods featured in this volume, but I find there are a few gods that I just can't seem to get myself to care about. Volume 17 is devoted to Sakhmet, but feels so unimportant in the grand scheme of the story. Wooden's story is a bit more interesting, as he seems to actively be working for Ananke, but I can't seem to figure out why he would, and how much he knows. Tara's story was really heartbreaking, but her death would have had more of an impact on me if we had met her earlier. One issue is just not enough time to build up last affection for a character, at least for me.
Volume 4 can't come soon enough! I know people were excited that the team wrote a new volume of Phonogram, but I couldn't really get into that title, so I've missed having them working on WicDiv. This is one of the rare times where I am actually completely caught up for a comic, so I'm really looking forward to Gillan and McKelvie's WicDiv panel at ECCC next weekend. Hopefully they have some good info to spill!
2nd Reading: Picked this one up again to read through before reading volume 4. Although I appreciate the look into other characters, this volume still didn't resonate with me as much as the others.
Really enjoyed the single-page inserts but the flash-backs made this kinda drag a little for me.
This was mostly filler with all the guest artists and didn't really push the story forward at all. I didn't mind the guest artists except for the artist on issue 17. Sooo ugly. All the other ones I could stomach, even if they didn't fit the style of the comics. I'm excited to get to volume 4 now!
Errrhm, I don't know what the fuck happened here?! I really enjoyed the first two volumes, but this... ew no. I was expecting so much more from this, especially giving how the previous one ended! Commercial Suicide, indeed.
I did not like all of the art in this volume, but I actually liked seeing the gods drawn in different styles (I knew before that all issues were drawn by someone else, so I knew what I was getting into). I also liked that we saw a little more of each god and their backstories.
Spoiler
I think I liked this also because there was no Laura, I seriously didn't like the "fangirl" view on everything and found her character rather annoying. Will she be back in the next issues? I hope not..
The Wicked + The Divine Vol.3 collects issues 12 to 17 of the ongoing series written by Kieron Gillen. This time, Jamie McKelvie is joined by 5 guest artists: Kate Brown, Tula Lotay, Stephanie Hans, Leila del Luca and Brandon Graham. Like the art, the story gets a change in pace as well, as instead of following Laura’s investigation, we follow lots of the different Gods, as well as Beth, Cassandra’s former intern.
I think it will be best I go issue by issue, since each one focuses on a different character and has a different artists. So as such we start with issue 12 and Kate Brown.
I was not a fan of Brown’s art; it’s a very loose, zine style art, that could work in a different story, but in a glossy story about rock stars and Gods, it really didn’t fit. The colors are muted and washed out, making the inks thin and lacking in impact. All of the characters look too similar, and I was having a hard time distinguishing between them, especially because the hairstyle was the only difference.
This especially sucks, because issue 12 deals with what I was asking last time, which was the relationship between Baal and Inanna. Baal has quickly become my absolute favorite character, and Inanna was a close second. I really loved the scene where Baal gives Beth the exclusive interview, and even Brown’s art manages to capture the range of emotions he goes through (though I still feel someone like McKelvie would have nailed that scene). I liked the fight between Baal and Morrigan too, because they are essentially on opposite sides of the same conflict; Morrigan loved Baphomet who killed Inanna.
Issue 13 focuses on Tara, and I enjoyed it a lot. The art is actually gorgeous; Tula Lotay is an artist to look out for. Her colors and pencils work perfectly together; the whole issue has a very melancholic feel, which works really well, as it’s told through Tara’s suicide letter. The way she draws Tara and Baal is beautiful, and it works perfectly with the story of Tara constantly being uncomfortable in her own skin because all anyone ever focuses on is how beautiful she is. We find out a bit more about Anake’s plans too, and I am a bit sad this is the only time we see Tara in the series (at least so far).
Issue 14 was my favorite, both in terms of plot and the art, as Jamie McKelvie is back. I don’t know why McKelvie was absent this issue, and if the different artists were a deliberate choice, but since this issue has a lot of reused art from previous volumes, I imagine he had other engagements. It also focuses on Wooden, who is rather simple to draw since he has a Daft Punk get up and no face. Surprisingly, Wooden was a character I liked reading about; he is definitely a character you love to hate; he’s a coward, a sadist, a sexist and an overall messed up person. Being in his mind was an exercise in some pretty dark trains of thought. He has a twisted obsession with Cassandra, which is made all the more creepy when we find out what happens behind closed doors with his Valkyrie; made more extreme by the fact that this is the most nudity and sex we have seen in the series so far.
This issue gives us a lot more insight into what is happening with Anake, including who killed the judge, and why Wooden is working for her. If all the issues in this volume were like this, it would be a 5 star read.
Issue 15 is illustrated by Stephanie Hans, who is an excellent artist, especially for cover art, but her work just didn’t wow me here. I really love her style; it’s very much digital painting rather than comics, and her use of bold color and overexposed lighting makes some of the panels downright gorgeous, especially in combination with this issue focusing a lot on Ameratsu’s reminiscing of her past. However, I feel like maybe Hans was rushed because the present day panels were more than a little wonky, with weird posing and off model characters.
The actual story was interesting, but nothing I was too thrilled by; it follows up on Cassandra and Hazel’s fight from volume 1, about Hazel ‘cosplaying a Japanese deity’. It’s an interesting discussion on appropriation, culture and what we derive meaning from, but I feel like it was ill placed, especially after the bombshell of an issue we had with Wooden. The only real revelation we get is that most, if not all the people who got chosen for the Pantheon were fans before they became Gods, which I’m sure will be relevant in the future.
Issue 16 focuses on the Morrigan and Baphomet and it’s illustrated by Leila del Luca. Again, I don’t have a problem with del Luca’s art per say, but it’s just really jarring compared to what I’m used to expect from this series, and even following Hans’ art from the previous issue. She has a simple style; scratchy inks and pencils and muted, flat colors, which worked in the scenes where we are following the humans, but could have benefited from a lot more atmosphere and grandeur when we move into the Gods. I do like the way she draws the Morrigan and Baphomet; not only does she make them very handsome, she gives them a vulnerable feel which works well with their youth, and the gothic love story we get.
Like I said, we find out how Morrigan and Baphomet became Gods, and that Morrigan was in fact the one who created Baphomet, which is why both she and Baal think that Baphomet is her responsibility and think he’s a false God. There are some hints that the Pantheon is finally realizing what is happening, but mostly the focus is on the characters which I appreciated.
The last issue, issue 17 happens to also be the worst one. I won’t mince words; the art is plain ugly. It’s loose, very stylized, none of the characters look like they have anything to do with the series so far and the colors are barely worth mentioning. If this hadn’t been an issue that’s a part of a series I enjoy, I would have never picked this up. The art was so bad it actually made me not pay attention to the story, to the point I had to read the issue twice.
The story too, is not great. It focuses on Sakhmet, who is the one of the Pantheon, who is my least favorite character, and not a particularly interesting presence, seeing as she is a hedonist through and through. I liked the implication the Morrigan makes, when she tells Sakhmet she is likewise imprisoned, but just can’t see the bars of her cage.
The end part of the issue is set up for what happens next; it’s also illustrated by McKelvie, which is nice, but really it’s just a cliffhanger. I won’t lie and say they didn’t sell me on reading more of the series; I really want to know what happens next.
Lastly, I want to comment on the Video Games section; they are 1 page comics illustrated by McKelvie, that show a bit of personality from Inanna, Tara, Amaterasu/Brunhilde and the Morrigan. They were fine; I liked the one about Inanna the best.
Overall, storywise, the best volume. If the art hadn’t been so inconsistent and all over the place I would give it 5 stars; as is it’s still an important escalation for the series, but not entirely flawless.
I think it will be best I go issue by issue, since each one focuses on a different character and has a different artists. So as such we start with issue 12 and Kate Brown.
I was not a fan of Brown’s art; it’s a very loose, zine style art, that could work in a different story, but in a glossy story about rock stars and Gods, it really didn’t fit. The colors are muted and washed out, making the inks thin and lacking in impact. All of the characters look too similar, and I was having a hard time distinguishing between them, especially because the hairstyle was the only difference.
This especially sucks, because issue 12 deals with what I was asking last time, which was the relationship between Baal and Inanna. Baal has quickly become my absolute favorite character, and Inanna was a close second. I really loved the scene where Baal gives Beth the exclusive interview, and even Brown’s art manages to capture the range of emotions he goes through (though I still feel someone like McKelvie would have nailed that scene). I liked the fight between Baal and Morrigan too, because they are essentially on opposite sides of the same conflict; Morrigan loved Baphomet who killed Inanna.
Issue 13 focuses on Tara, and I enjoyed it a lot. The art is actually gorgeous; Tula Lotay is an artist to look out for. Her colors and pencils work perfectly together; the whole issue has a very melancholic feel, which works really well, as it’s told through Tara’s suicide letter. The way she draws Tara and Baal is beautiful, and it works perfectly with the story of Tara constantly being uncomfortable in her own skin because all anyone ever focuses on is how beautiful she is. We find out a bit more about Anake’s plans too, and I am a bit sad this is the only time we see Tara in the series (at least so far).
Issue 14 was my favorite, both in terms of plot and the art, as Jamie McKelvie is back. I don’t know why McKelvie was absent this issue, and if the different artists were a deliberate choice, but since this issue has a lot of reused art from previous volumes, I imagine he had other engagements. It also focuses on Wooden, who is rather simple to draw since he has a Daft Punk get up and no face. Surprisingly, Wooden was a character I liked reading about; he is definitely a character you love to hate; he’s a coward, a sadist, a sexist and an overall messed up person. Being in his mind was an exercise in some pretty dark trains of thought. He has a twisted obsession with Cassandra, which is made all the more creepy when we find out what happens behind closed doors with his Valkyrie; made more extreme by the fact that this is the most nudity and sex we have seen in the series so far.
This issue gives us a lot more insight into what is happening with Anake, including who killed the judge, and why Wooden is working for her. If all the issues in this volume were like this, it would be a 5 star read.
Issue 15 is illustrated by Stephanie Hans, who is an excellent artist, especially for cover art, but her work just didn’t wow me here. I really love her style; it’s very much digital painting rather than comics, and her use of bold color and overexposed lighting makes some of the panels downright gorgeous, especially in combination with this issue focusing a lot on Ameratsu’s reminiscing of her past. However, I feel like maybe Hans was rushed because the present day panels were more than a little wonky, with weird posing and off model characters.
The actual story was interesting, but nothing I was too thrilled by; it follows up on Cassandra and Hazel’s fight from volume 1, about Hazel ‘cosplaying a Japanese deity’. It’s an interesting discussion on appropriation, culture and what we derive meaning from, but I feel like it was ill placed, especially after the bombshell of an issue we had with Wooden. The only real revelation we get is that most, if not all the people who got chosen for the Pantheon were fans before they became Gods, which I’m sure will be relevant in the future.
Issue 16 focuses on the Morrigan and Baphomet and it’s illustrated by Leila del Luca. Again, I don’t have a problem with del Luca’s art per say, but it’s just really jarring compared to what I’m used to expect from this series, and even following Hans’ art from the previous issue. She has a simple style; scratchy inks and pencils and muted, flat colors, which worked in the scenes where we are following the humans, but could have benefited from a lot more atmosphere and grandeur when we move into the Gods. I do like the way she draws the Morrigan and Baphomet; not only does she make them very handsome, she gives them a vulnerable feel which works well with their youth, and the gothic love story we get.
Like I said, we find out how Morrigan and Baphomet became Gods, and that Morrigan was in fact the one who created Baphomet, which is why both she and Baal think that Baphomet is her responsibility and think he’s a false God. There are some hints that the Pantheon is finally realizing what is happening, but mostly the focus is on the characters which I appreciated.
The last issue, issue 17 happens to also be the worst one. I won’t mince words; the art is plain ugly. It’s loose, very stylized, none of the characters look like they have anything to do with the series so far and the colors are barely worth mentioning. If this hadn’t been an issue that’s a part of a series I enjoy, I would have never picked this up. The art was so bad it actually made me not pay attention to the story, to the point I had to read the issue twice.
The story too, is not great. It focuses on Sakhmet, who is the one of the Pantheon, who is my least favorite character, and not a particularly interesting presence, seeing as she is a hedonist through and through. I liked the implication the Morrigan makes, when she tells Sakhmet she is likewise imprisoned, but just can’t see the bars of her cage.
The end part of the issue is set up for what happens next; it’s also illustrated by McKelvie, which is nice, but really it’s just a cliffhanger. I won’t lie and say they didn’t sell me on reading more of the series; I really want to know what happens next.
Lastly, I want to comment on the Video Games section; they are 1 page comics illustrated by McKelvie, that show a bit of personality from Inanna, Tara, Amaterasu/Brunhilde and the Morrigan. They were fine; I liked the one about Inanna the best.
Overall, storywise, the best volume. If the art hadn’t been so inconsistent and all over the place I would give it 5 stars; as is it’s still an important escalation for the series, but not entirely flawless.
I really enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to, considering how this third volume was often described to me. I liked getting more insight about several of the different gods, while also learning some of the motivations and back dealing that's led to the events of the main story. I didn't miss that the main story wasn't advancing too much until that very last page. The only one I didn't like was Sakhmet's story because the art was far rougher than anything ever seen in this book and the story was a lot more surface level. It hints at something deeper, but never seems to commit.
I think it was a nice way to give McKelvie time to work on a different project without delaying WicDiv too much.
I think it was a nice way to give McKelvie time to work on a different project without delaying WicDiv too much.
So many unanswered questions! This series as definitely got my hooked. The story line, the art... all keep getting better with each volume