The Wicked The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium

Again, they really know how to close out an arc on a bang, pun sorrilly intended. But the expansion of the world of the Pantheon has me absolutely delighted and the concept behind the comic continues to be riveting, even as you realize how simple and silly it could be in less-talented hands. I

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can't think of another comic that made me need to read the next issue so badly - or one that has felt so much like exactly what I wanted to find, even though I had no idea I was looking for it. Thank god we don't have to wait 90 years for more.

More coming at the end of the month:

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The consequences to the previous story are interesting and the characters try to cope, Laura and Cassandra try to resolve the issues after Lucifer's death and things get more and more complicated.

If it's going where I think it's going this is going to be interesting as things pan out.

The second volume of the series expands and develops the initial premise of gods as rock stars, deepening and broadening the concept and drip feeding tantalising back story hints which suggest there’s far more going on than first appears. It even has the audacity to end on a cliffhanger which

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turns what you think you know upside down.

Of the individual pieces issue 8 is a thing of neon wonder; distilled brightness and beauty which is pretty much as close as you’ll ever come to seeing the atmosphere of a rave distilled into art. McKelvie’s clean lines and Matt Wilson’s vivid colours are an absolute joy but never better than here.

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The beginning was a little slow, but then it ended with a bang. And I was like, "whaaaaaaaa?!" And then I was like, "but...?" And now I'm just gonna need to read volume one again and then read this one again and then not so patiently wait for volume three. Because...oh.em.gee. What the eff.

I can't believe I didn't notice that this was volume two. It didn't take me long to figure out what was happening, so even though I was obviously coming into a story in progress, I thought that was just how Gillen chose to begin. Now that I already know what happened in volume one, I feel like it's

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not too big a disaster; I'll be able to go back and read it, fill in the gaps, and I definitely don't feel like anything's ruined. I also can't wait to read volume three. It's a fantastic premise, brilliantly executed. I love the way the characters are designed visually, especially Laura (who apparently got a haircut since volume one, and it is amazing). Yet another comic that should have significant appeal to fans of Saga.

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Summary: In the world of The Wicked and the Divine, every 90 years ago, twelve gods return into the bodies of young people. They live for two years, idolized and feared by the public, and then at the end of that time, they die.

In Volume 2, Laura is still reeling from the events of Volume 1, trying

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to figure out who's behind them, and learning how to deal with the celebrity her proximity to those events has thrust upon her. The rest of the Pantheon is slowly being revealed to the world, with Laura still secretly hoping that one of the twelve will wind up being her... even if that revelation would cut her life expectancy down to just a few years. Meanwhile, there's a dangerous rumor going around, about the Prometheus gambit - where if you kill a god, you get to become a god. And if there's a thread of truth to the rumor, it could be catastrophic for everyone.

Review: It's a very complicated world that Gillen's building, but he's doing so at a very nice pace - some things are a little confusing, especially initially, but we get backstory and explanations not only at a good rate, but also in places that feel organic to the story (no infodumping!). There's also plenty of things left hinted at but unexplained; plenty of room left to dig deeper into this world, which I really appreciate, and makes me want to keep reading.

The second volume does more of this explanation than the first, which makes sense - the first is there to hook your audience, then the second to reel them in. We get more info about the process of becoming a god - in the first volume, I'd largely assumed that the gods appear out of nowhere at the beginning of the Recurrance, not that they take over an until-then normal mortal life. I suspect we'll get more of the gods' backstories, and how they relate to their reincarnated selves, and how the whole process works, as we move further along in the series, but thus far, we've gotten enough to be satisfying while still leaving me curious to find out more. And the cliffhanger at the end of Volume 2 is one of the biggest I think I've ever encountered, so I'm dying to get to volume 3. (And kudos to Gillen for having the guts to flip his whole story 180˚ from where I think everyone was expecting it to go!)

The art is lovely throughout; lots of color and movement and supernatural effects that could look super-cheesy but don't. Lots of cool paneling decisions, and the characters are drawn realistically and very detailed but still quite clean. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you like mythology - any kind of mythology, or all kinds of mythology - this is the series for you. If you've grown up on Rick Riordan books (or are a grown up who likes Rick Riordan books), then this book has a similar vibe of the world of the gods impinging on regular life. (But definitely grown-ups only; it's not Saga but there's definitely sex and drugs and violence and rock-and-roll and swearing.)

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I loved this one as much as the first volume. The same slightly surreal story line which is more hinted at than clearly stated, the somewhat off-balance murder mystery that is well into the creepy side of 'one of these people I value has to be the murderer', and the cliff hanger ending was quite

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the piece of emotional whiplash.

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Loved loved loved this one!! I'm so upset about the ending of this volume! I didn't see that coming at all. I simply devoured this in one sitting. Can't wait to download the next one. :)

Cannot get enough. So glad I already own Vol 3 and can move on right away. The colors are glorious, and the art is almost astonishingly effective at portraying the ineffable (religious experience).

I'm growing certain that I will reread this series, which is my highest compliment. I rarely do

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re-reads because there's always something new to discover, but I suspect re-discovering these will be as much or more of a delight.

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This one built nicely on the first volume. I was floored by the ending, which I won't spoil. I feel that this is a great series and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys both a good mystery type story and also stories involving Gods in various forms. I plan on getting around to the third

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volume before too much longer. It is also available through the HOOPLA service that I mentioned in the review for the first volume.

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Oh, my heart. She is broken, and now I'm questioning why I started this madness when I knew for a fact that this is an ongoing story. THE ENDING! Oh, the ending. Since I've sworn to myself that I will only buy W D books in trade paperbacks, I'm going to have to wait very impatiently until volume 3

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comes out to find out what happens. I guess my poor heart is going to have to stay broken.

Now that I've whined at you, let the gushing commence! Volume 2: Fandemonium was absolutely stunning. Although I definitely missed Luci, there were so many new gods to meet and swoon over. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, having this series set against the backdrop of the pop elite is brilliant. Each god that comes into the picture has their own flair, their own attitude, and their own draw. The way that Jamie McKelvie illustrates them makes you understand why so many people are in love with them. I admit it, I'm in love with them too.

This volume has so many things happening, that it made my head spin! There definitely isn't a dull moment and, while I knew that ultimately Laura was headed for disaster with her investigation, the climax of this story still shocked the hell out of me. Inanna and Dionysus made their debuts, and things quickly spiraled into a place where I was just hanging on for dear life. The story telling here is brilliant. It wraps you up, and drags you along. Although not much dragging is required. Oh, you'll go willingly. Kieron Gillen ensures that.

Ah, you lovely and evil series you. I guess The Wicked The Divine is a fitting title, yes? I'll be over here, rocking back and forth, eagerly waiting for the next volume to come out.

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The first book was all over the place and kind of confused me so I thought maybe the second book would make things clearer and easier to read. Nope. I couldn't finish it. Love the artwork but the story fell flat for me. Went way over my head and I can't wrap my head around anything in it.

[shoulder shrug] Same sentiments as I had about book #1. Confusing and still not understanding the story. BUT the artwork is gorgeous. [sigh] I wish the story and dialogue were better developed.
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Review of book #1:
Amazing artwork, but the story was very confusing and hard to follow at times. I

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found myself re-reading passages, thinking I might have missed something, but I didn't. You feel lost at times, trying to understand what is going on. The artistic choices of lingo for some characters are straight-up nonsensical and I don't believe that was what they were going for. Lots of characters and backgrounds with no real explanation of their connections adds to the confusion. The story is weak in its development, but the premise and the artwork keep me interested in continuing with the series, at least the second book, to see if it improves hopefully.

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You only barely get what’s going on in this series about Gods who become rock stars for the two years they have before they die. But it’s glittering study of fame of icons and image holds you like the concert you’ve been waiting for all summer and rings in your ears and heart until long after

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labor day.

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This review covers the first two volumes at once.

The idea of the comic is that the pantheon of gods is real, and groups of them are periodically reincarnated every ninety years, but die within two. In the 2010s, the gods are pop stars, giving magically charged performances across Britain that

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result in enormous crowds of admirers. The first couple volumes follow an ordinary human girl named Laura, aged seventeen, who is a hardcore fan of the Pantheon. Laura ends up involved with the gods, and when the god Lucifer is accused of murder, she tries to prove Lucifer's innocence, alongside cynical journalist Cassandra, and discovers there's a dark conspiracy afoot, and a dark side to both pop idols and fandom.

Like a lot of Kieron Gillen that I've read, I admire it more than enjoy it. I liked Laura, but I struggled to keep track of the large cast of god characters; I really liked the art by Jamie McKelvie, but still didn't feel emotionally connected to anyone. There's a lot of technical proficiency here, but not a lot of heart. And yet, clearly, other people love it. I wonder if it's because they care about music in the way that I don't; the literalization of the pop-idol-as-god metaphor is clearly where a lot of this story's power derives from, and I've just never felt that way about a musician. And the style of fandom it evokes is often a more modern one, I think, the kind that thrives on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram, whereas I am a guy who still mostly participates in fandom via what used to be called BBSes!

Still, I am interested enough to keep reading. Jamie McKelvie really brings these characters to life. I look forward to the day I finally get around to reading something like Young Avengers by him, which I think will have a much lower level of buy-in for me, given I like superheroes a lot more than pop stars. There are good twists and neat layouts here, and maybe (as often happens with ongoing comics) the cumulative effect of reading this will end up grabbing me over time.

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I have so many feelings about this book and the issue that ends it, but I almost never put out straight narrative arc spoilers in my reviews. Though it must be said, while I knew dark things were coming and the right things were being investigated, I did not expect where the last issues of this one

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went. I actually found myself gasping in surprise.

I liked the way this book went still, both as fall out and as a dénouement between the first explosive series and whatever thing we were walking in. Color me equally parts deeply curious and warily interested in how this progresses after that climactic ending choice. I continue to love the way the gods are displayed and how body gender/self-sexual interest is not a reflection of any of the above but the people who end up with those lives just as much.

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