“The Wicked + The Divine” is the gorgeous and audacious new ongoing comic book series from the creative team behind “Phonogram,” brought to you by Image Comics. Yes, the whole team is back: Writer Kieron Gillen, Artist Jamie McKelvie, Colorist Matthew Wilson, and Letterer Clayton Cowles, along with Designer Hannah Donovan, and Editor Chrissy Williams. This is a world beyond the pop music, magic, and pretty people of “Phonogram.” There is that, of course, but this is both a world in touch with the real and very much its own fantasy. No one gets out alive either way. But some can return. And so they do.
Imagine the greatest band playing and then multiply that beyond measure, to the point it is a religious and/or sexual experience. People are convulsing, religiously and/or sexually. You are convulsing, religiously and/or sexually. That is what Laura, a girl all of seventeen, is feeling on the greatest night of her life. On stage is Amaterasu, a goddess. And, by all rights, she actually is a god. From head to toe, she exudes light, power, glory. Laura is transfixed. She loves Amaterasu. She wants to be Amaterasu.
What sets “The Wicked + The Divine” apart from “Phonogram” is that we don’t just see club kids descend into decadent consumerism. Yes, we do see that here but we see much more. We see how the most enlightened beings imaginable, true gods, take in the same scene. We see how the club kids want to connect. Being pretty and glamorous is cool but to make a real connection, well, that bumps way up to transcendent.
Given the high stakes at play, this new “Phonogram” project feels all the more vivid and compelling. It’s about gods and mortals. It’s definitely about mortality. Where do you go when the party is over? Do you come back? What if you don’t. Then again, what if you did?
“The Wicked + The Divine #1” is available as of July 18, 2014. Visit our friends at Image Comics for more details right here.
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