Divinity #3

By Matt Kindt, Trevor Hairsine, Ryan Winn and David Baron

Divinity is a strange beast; this book is straight out of the mind of Matt Kindt which means there is some crazy things happening between the pages. Almost certainly Divinity is a read-more-than-once kinda book, because it’s unlikely you’ll catch everything on the first pass—unless you do, in which case look at you mister fancy smart guy—because there’s just so much packed into this issue. Seeing the manic pace of this issue, it’s hard not to wonder if maybe Divinity should have been a five or six issue mini-series instead of the slim and trim four.

Regardless of that, in  Matt Kindt we trust and even if there seemed to be a ton going on in this one issue, rest assured that Kindt will pull it all together for the finale next month. This go around, Kindt dives into the deep end of the origin of Divinity and how he came to be whatever it is he is, while simultaneously putting his immense powers on full display. Part of the reason this issue feels rushed to me actually may be the resolution to the confrontation with Divinity from the Unity team. While logical, or at least something that makes sense and still ties into the universe, it feels quick and almost too simple, considering the insane things that Divinity has done and potentially can do.

The art, however, is certainly at its highest mark to date as penciller Trevor Hairsine, inker Ryan Winn and colorist David Baron go to work on the elaborate script from Kindt. Some of the pages, particularly the ones in deep space where one would assume Winn and/or Baron just had free rein, while Hairsine focused more on the characters and, assuming that’s the case, the pages really do stand out and add major impact to the sequence unfolding. It makes it all seem so much larger and gives it that extra little nudge to really put what’s happening here on an even grander scale. If you didn’t already realize that Divinity was a big deal, after something this big you damn sure will. Really, these three are producing some career-defining work as well as Valiant-defining. This is a series that will change the course of Valiant forever, and there isn’t another artistic team I’d rather have do it.

Divinity is earth shattering; it’s something that will blow minds and change perceptions both literally and figuratively and it’s 100% in the right creative hands. Maybe it’s the sheer immensity of this character that makes it feel like there should be more, like maybe we need to spend more time with him, but it still works. A book like this might be one that you need to read multiple times, but it’s a book you’re going to want to read and will certainly enjoy every single time that you read it. Kindt is a visionary, andd this artistic team are absolutely top-notch; here is literally nothing else you can ask for in a comic.