Zeb Larson reviews Wicked + Divine #8…
Now the eleventh god is here, it’s time to party. You’re invited. Everyone’s invited. We can sleep when we’re dead—but when you’ll be dead within two years, you may as well turn up in your pyjamas. After seven issues of egomaniacs, it’s time for an issue where the crowd is the star.
If there’s such a thing as a by-the-numbers issue of Wicked + Divine, this issue is it. Not much really happens here, we get to meet yet another new god, there’s some really cool artwork, and Laura flirts with another god. Is it bad that I sound sort of ho-hum about this whole thing? Well, I can’t help it, because the narrative hasn’t been advanced in a while, and I was never sold on how cool celebrity gods are to begin with.
Laura and Innana decide to head to the rave hosted by Dionysus. After a little cajoling, Dionysus and Innana persuade Laura to go inside to see what it all is. Sure enough, we’re treated to a Dionysian rave, complete with a built-in high. We see most of the gods here and Laura gets to spend a little bit of time with everybody, which hasn’t happened since the first story arc. Of course, seeing them together also means seeing some of their drama.
Whatever my criticisms of this issue, the artwork is absolutely fantastic. I’ve never been to a rave and I’ve never taken love drugs, but after having read this, I’m confident they gave me the best part of the experience. Everything is bright and colorful, the panels are practically pulsing with a 4/4 beat, and you can sense nothing but good vibrations coming out of the panel. For that alone, this issue might be a worthwhile read.
So what’s the downside here? The rave is pretty much all that’s going on, and when you want some information on the plot, there’s not a whole lot here. What really happens in this issue? It was easy to write this without many spoilers, because there’s not a whole lot that I can spoil. Maybe the catty remarks between deities will be significant in the future, but right now it’s anybody’s guess if they will prove to be significant. It doesn’t help that the formula of meeting a crazy new good with a weird personality is starting to wear a bit thin. There’s only so far we can go watching these crazy, egotistical, fascinating, and vapid beings interact with each other before it gets boring. Is this supposed to be some sort of meta-commentary on how dull celebrities are?
I hope next issue gets back on the ball with the plot, because watching Laura wander around meeting the gods is getting to be tiresome. This is a fascinating book and I’m not giving up on it, but it needs a push.
Zeb Larson
Originally published February 25, 2015. Updated November 14, 2019.
