Divinity II #4

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

“To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu

Divinity will be a trilogy. Valiant Entertainment recently made this announcement in May of 2016 when it was revealed that the publisher is set to release Divinity III at the end of 2016. The seeds of this move are found throughout Divinity II #4, which is a the final chapter of the second installment of the widely acclaimed Divinity series. With now four consecutive well-earned 5-Star ratings from All-Comic, Divinity has proven to be a well conceived and constructed concept that has translated onto paper both beautifully and brilliantly.

Writer Matt Kindt has created a story where battles of the flesh are insignificant compared to time, space and reality. Yes, there are punches thrown between gods, but the real battle is one of the heart and of the mind. Swords and shield cannot change the outcome of this fight, which makes for a multi-dimensional concept for readers to enjoy. There are elements of finding peace within ones self, while also a reveal that all is not as it seems which perfectly sets the stage for what is to come with Divinity III later this year.

The battle in the library narrated by a discussion of the writings of Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky is simply genius. While Dostoevsky is perhaps best known for writing 1917’s Crime and Punishment, his first novel was Poor Folk (published in 1845) which involved written communications between two cousins (Makar Devushkin and Varvara Dobroselova). Poor Folk was considered the first major socialist work published in Russia, and was read by students for many years as part of their educational curriculum. The parallels are given during the battle between Abram and Myshka which brings this chapter to a satisfying conclusion; along with a cliffhanger ending.

As always, the proven art team of Trevor Hairsine, Ryan Winn, and David Baron continue to deliver. Page two in particular is quite iconic in that it captures the battle between two realities at once; each clearly defined with color and minor details that separate east from west. The events of this story take place in a number of setting and time periods, including historic locations, but also New York City, Moscow, and the Arctic.

Divinity II #4 is very well written, thought-provoking story that does a phenomenal job of closing this second chapter of Divinity. It sets the stage for what is to come, and does so in such a way that readers and fans look forward to the release of Divinity III later this year.