Divinity II #1

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

“Nobody should have any illusion about the possibility of gaining military superiority over Russia. We will never allow this to happen.”
― Vladimir Putin

Released in 2015, Valiant Entertainment’s Divinity enjoyed high levels of both critic and fan acclaim. While initial sales were by no means massive, the series gained traction with readers and collectors which propelled it into multiple printings for the first three issues (five printings for Divinity #1, three printings for Divinity #2, and two printings for Divinity #3). Collectors and speculators went wild with both Divinity #1 (LaRosa Variant) and Divinity #3 (LaRosa Variant) as each featured confirmed low print runs as well as first appearances of both Abram Adams (the main character of Divinity) and Myshka (the main character of Divinity II) respectively.

There were two significant parts to what made Divinity special. The first is that the character Divinity is highly unique in an industry that only recently has pushed to create character diversity in its heroes (examples can be seen by numerous publishers and/or film production studios who have changed gender, race, sexual orientation, etc of traditional characters to create a more diverse and/or unique character line-up in their books). Divinity was not only as diverse a character and concept as it gets, but the character (Abram Adams) was created that way from the very start by a publisher that possess one of the most diverse casts of characters in comics today; a creative risk that historically has not been taken by most publishers.

The second, is the concept of the character Divinity himself who is basically a God who is able to do whatever he desires. However, at no point has Divinity engaged physically; rather he has chooses to alter time, reality, and space during those encounters to create distance in time, reality, and space from potential adversaries. He has given those who oppose him EXACTLY what their heart desires, which creates plot element potential that is unique to Divinity. While NOT (directly) part of the Divinity series, the battle between Toyo Harada and Divinity (which occurs in Imperium #7 and #8) are possibly the greatest example of Divinity in action to-date; as well as one of the best written story arcs of 2015.

Divinity II was first announced nearly one year ago on May 27, 2015 as the first series was nearing its conclusion. Very little information was provided (at the time), though as the success of Divinity increased over time, so also did the anticipation and expectations for Divinity II.

Featuring the exact same creative team of writer Matt Kindt with artists Trevor Hairsine, Ryan Winn, and David Baron, Divinity II was masterfully executed, easily exceeding all expectations!

Kindt succeeds in every way possible creating a compelling origin story for Myshka with clear motives; as well as noticeable character differences from Abram Adams. Readers will completely understand who Myshka is and why she thinks, feels, and acts as she does. It is impossible to read this book and not become excited for the rest of the series (if not also to anticipate future implications within the Valiant Universe). Kindt has created a new key-player that is quite driven, capable, powerful, and focused to her own objectives, and it is reasonable to assume that her existence easily creates an unknown factor to the balance of power within the Valiant Universe.

Kindt’s writing is on-point, and manages to take readers to distant worlds, 1960’s cold war Russia, and modern times all within a single issue. Divinity II is not a add-on adventure; it is the second chapter of Kindt’s incredible story with every drop of inspiration, originality, and quality that made Divinity great. It is entirely possible that Divinity II is written even better than the original, which is saying a lot.

Artistically, the creative team of Hairsine on pencils, Winn on inks and Baron on colors gives readers and fans of the Divinity exactly what they want. Divinity II has the same look and feel as the original series, but with more. The team is seasoned by this point, and know how to bring out the very best in one another as well as play to each other’s artistic strengths. They share the same vision for this title, and it is difficult to imagine a better collection of hands working on this project. The pages in space and with Myshka on other worlds are quite vivid, visually unique to most science fiction available today; overflowing with pinks, yellows, blue, and purple. There is a surprise guest appearance at the end that provides perhaps best example of Hairsine’s ability to capture likeness and character on paper.

Divinity II is an artistic masterpiece that literally (and figuratively) takes readers to another world! It is a phenomenal expansion of the Valiant Universe, and 100% worth the time of new and old readers.