The Wicked + The Divine #2

By Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Wilson

The Wicked + The Divine had a really impressive debut issue that introduced us to some cool characters that seemed a bit off. This month we get to see a little bit more about some of them and piece together an origin of sorts. Living up to a very good first issue can be a hard, but if anyone can do it, Gillen and McKelvie can.

We’re only two issues into this series and it’s pretty clear that Kieron Gillen is going to take chances. The way the story is written and how there are several completely black panels with only the narration on the page is a big risk in a visual medium. That being said, Gillen is a very good storyteller and this issue is solid, but isn’t as thrilling as the debut. Gillen really gives us some good characterization on Laura, which is very necessary, it’s just not quite as entertaining as the scenes with Luci from last month. Gillen also begins to plant some seeds this issue as Laura spends most of the book looking for information on Ananke. This was a well written issue, but it comes off a bit slow due to the first issue being so good.

The art by Jamie McKelvie this issue is excellent. He draws this book very moody and it’s a fitting tone for the story. His style works well with Gillen’s tale, and it’s very apparent near the end of the book as Laura goes underground to see The Morrigan. The colors by Matthew Wilson become darker as the characters descend into the underground. McKelvie also has a few great pages as Luci transforms into Lucifer. She seems to fall and all the walls are lined with Ananke’s face, which is tough to do, but McKelvie does it just right.

The Wicked+The Divine takes a step back in this second issue, but only because it had a pretty stunning debut. Kieron Gillen is a writer who plans things out long term and he definitely has a plan in place for this book. McKelvie and Wilson have been great in the first two issues and will no doubt keep the trend going as long as they are on the title. This series has a ton of potential and there is no way Gillen and McKelvie disappoint!