The Wicked + Divine #1 Review: Pop Perfection

by Alexander Jones
19th June, 2014
3 minutes

wicked divine

Kieron Gillen - Writer

Jamie McKelvie - Penciller

Matthew Wilson - Colourist

Clayton Cowles - Letterer

Hannah Donovan - Designer

Chrissy Williams - Editor

Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have put their hard time and effort into various projects at Image Comics, Marvel Comics, and more. The duo have written and drawn some of the most electrifying material to ever grace the printed comic book page. Experiencing the pencils of McKelvie in color for the first time in the Phonogram: The Singles Club story was an incredible experience for me; with the duo coming fresh off of their Young Avengers’ collaboration, so many individuals are going to take a fresh eye to McKelvie’s work here. When opening up a comic book created by this team, you can expect something with clever humor, sharp pencils, and a wholly unique experience. The strongest comic book creators are those who can leave their own voice on all the books they create.

Jamie McKelvie - Artwork

Due to the fact that the pencils in this comic are so immediately unique, they sort of serve as the elephant in the room. For that reason, the artwork is going to be primary focus here. As most of you already suspected, this is one of the great ways that the comic seems to gloriously come alive. Similar to their previous Young Avengers’ work, this piece seems to come together with more than a couple of mind bending ideas per issue. This is a primary piece where the The Wicked + The Divine really begin to take some interesting chances.This comic in particular seems to be inspired by some of the work delivered by Jonathan Hickman in his creator owned comics.

Hannah Donovan + Jamie McKelvie - Design

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There are multiple page breaks in this issue highlighting certain moments, giving readers pause, and adding a different kind of rhythm to the story. Many people have issues with this form of storytelling as it changes the value proposition, and most would argue that they prefer storytelling pages. On the contrary, I firmly believe that Gillen and company should be able to tell their story any way they choose. Hannah Donovan’s great design work contained within the issue makes this comic look like nothing else on the stands, and blends so wonderfully with McKelvie’s art to the point where fans know they are in for something special before they even open the first page. This comic is going to be iconic for the cover alone.

Kieron Gillen - Writing 

The Wicked + The Divine is a book about a lot of things, but as the writer states in the back of the issue, this title has a stronger plot than Phonogram ever did. This tale seems to build to something organically, and is easier to follow than previous collaborations by the team. In that sense, this could quite possibly be one of the strongest creative endeavors that this team has ever embarked on. To a certain degree, this comic wouldn’t be nearly as much fun artistically if Gillen wasn’t able to give McKelvie some of the spectacle and wild ideas that make for really exciting comics. There is more going on here than meets the eye. For instance, look at page and composition and how it relates to some of the choices in panel location. This comic is wonderfully experimental, but it doesn’t hold its readers at arm’s length. The story in the comic is nicely explained by the journalist in the middle of the title, and all the risks enhance how the reader is going to follow the story. The plot in this comic is still ethereal, and it is in the vein of Phonogram. However, there are enough different decisions being made in the comic itself to continue the shifting style that all of these creators have been working on for a really long time.

The Full Team - Conclusion

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Everything in this comic serves a greater purpose. Without the Marvel staple of heroes and villains, this comic couldn’t be elevated into unadulterated greatness. McKelvie and Gillen are at the top of the creative peak right now. Catch a glimpse of their brand new world that they created for all of us.

The Wicked + The Divine is awarded a 9 out of 10.

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