Zeb Larson reviews The Wicked + The Divine #16…
The Morrigan is receiving visitors, including LEILA DEL DUCA (SHUTTER). Plus a back-up by JAMIE and MATT. Suffice to say, this one is NONE MORE GOTH.
Wicked + Divine #16 is a look at the origins of Baphomet and Morrigan. On the face of it, this should make for an interesting issue, as Baphomet has been at the root of all of this arc’s drama. And to be sure, what we learn about the pair makes for a good read here. But unlike the other issues we’ve seen in this arc, there’s not a lot of interesting subtext to work with here. Prior issues have dealt with sexual entitlement, gender hierarchies, and cultural appropriation in interesting ways. This issue advances the plot, but coming after so many strong, deep issues, this comes across as something of a letdown.
Baal and Mini go to talk to Morrigan, who is reminiscing about Baphomet and her time before godhood. She and Baphomet were both friends, and adorable ones at that who spent their time playing Vampire: The Masquerade and posturing as dark gothic types. There was real affection between the two, and when Morrigan ascended to godhood she interceded with Ananke to help Baphomet ascend too. In the present, Morrigan denies that she knows where Baphomet is, and the two leave. At that moment, an apparition of Baphomet appears, in her lunch.
Baphomet and Morrigan’s history makes for interesting reading, and it explains the unusual closeness between the two beyond a shared love of all things dark. Their relationship was, dare I say it, sweet. That’s all good. It also adds a few interesting wrinkles to the canon of this series. Up until now, Ananke’s method for revealing deities was based on reasons known only to hear; apart from Laura’s murder, she’s never offered it to somebody just because somebody asked nicely. What was Ananke’s game here? Was she planning all along to set up a war in the Pantheon, and did she think that Baphomet would do the trick?
Still, the subtext isn’t as strong in this issue as the last few, and those are usually the strongest parts of this series. Baphomet and Morrigan were affected in their love of darkness, and that scene with Vampire is good for a laugh, but all of these deities are affecting personas as they do this. What else is there to say? The last issue was better in this regard, making clear that even as Amaterasu is appropriating a cultural identity, she genuinely embraces it.
Oh well, at least the plot has continued to move in an interesting direction. Even a weaker issue of this book is still stronger than many other series.
Rating: 8/10
Zeb Larson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=W04aXcyQ0NQ
