Annotations of THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE # 1
In the early 2010s, Image comics began one of its most prolific, critically acclaimed, and high selling eras since its founding. High profile creators began beloved series like SAGA, BLACK SCIENCE, DEADLY CLASS, EAST OF WEST, SEX CRIMINALS, BITCH PLANET, and more. One of those series was THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, from writer Kieron Gillen, artist Jamie McKelvie, colorist Matt Wilson, and letterer Clayton Cowles. It was one of the first series I got into during college, when I actually had money to spend for myself.
This year marks the 10 year anniversary of its publication, and I wanted to commemorate my love of this series with a gift only I could provide: too many words. What follows is an in-depth annotation of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE # 1. I aim to continue, issue by issue, until I finish. That’s 45 issues of the main series plus several one-shot specials and the funnies issue. It’s a tall order, but I’m stubborn. It’s also a year of my life, even assuming I don’t miss any weeks. Keeping it real, I will absolutely miss weeks. I know this to be true because I’ll be getting married in December. I will not write 5000 word blogs on my honeymoon.
I decided to put out the issue 1 post this week because it also marks the debut of Kieron Gillen’s new series THE POWER FANTASY with artist Caspar Wjingaard. You should go to your local comic book shop or an online retailer to check it out.
Anyways, I’ll be annotating the entire series with the end in mind, so SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW. But you can show your appreciation for this hard work and get me to write more consistently by giving me a tip. Now, on with the show!
Solicitation
Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critically thermonuclear floor-fillers Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM reunite to start a new ongoing superhero fantasy with a beautiful oversized issue. Welcome to THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, where gods are the ultimate pop stars. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever.
Covers
A Cover – Jamie McKelvie Laura
Our first introduction to our protagonist Laura, and she is in the Amaterasu makeup she wears during the issue. At the very start, she is defined as a fan. That is her identity. In Kieron Gillen’s Writer Notes,1 he notes that this is “Jamie (McKelvie’s) high concept, Hannah (Donovan’s) design.” McKelvie came up with the recurring cover theme of fashion magazine portraits, and Donovan designed the title treatment, notably the + instead of an “and”. Gillen notes that this “gives a nod toward Christianity, while also resembling a cross-hair right in the middle of the character’s face.” Funnily enough, every god will get their portrait cover (some more than once, and some characters outside the pantheon getting the treatment as well), EXCEPT Sakhmet. You’d had to have backed their Kickstarter of the covers collected coffee table edition for the Sakhmet cover (or, it seems like you can still pre-order).
B Cover – Jamie McKelvie Lucifer
And this is our first introduction to Luci. Note the slicked-back hair and gaunt face. She’s obviously modeled on David Bowie in his Thin White Duke era. This was a persona Bowie adopted around the time of his album “Station to Station”, infamous for controversial pro-fascist remarks that were later claimed to be either made in jest or as a result of extensive cocaine usage and a diet of exclusively milk and red peppers. As we’ll see in this issue, Luci retains that controversial streak. In what will be the first of many references to other comics, note that this isn’t the first time a comic book character named Lucifer was modeled after David Bowie. In THE SANDMAN vol. 2 # 4, artist Kelley Jones, at the request of Neil Gaiman, draws Lucifer as David Bowie, albeit at first looking more like he did on his first self-titled album before later also adopting the Thin White Duke aesthetic.
Given that most of the gods get profile covers pretty early on, I’ll do my write-ups on their divine inspirations on covers that feature them. So, Lucifer. Because of the omnipresence (often by the sword) of Christianity, most people probably feel like they have a handle on who Lucifer is. I’m going to try and complicate that a little bit. The word Lucifer is Latin for “‘light-bringing” and its only occurrences in the Vulgate (4th century Latin translation of the Bible historically preferred by the Catholic Church) is in reference to the Morning Star, the planet Venus, or as the aforementioned adjective. As an example of the latter, 2 Peter 1:19 refers to Jesus himself as being lucifer, bringing light into the darkness. There are also some Canaanite traditions that tell the story of a god associated with the planet Venus, in their case named Attar, who tried to scale the walls of heaven but was kicked out by the sun god, Shamash or Utu. This mirrors astrologically the way Venus becomes visible in the early dawn but is outshone by the sun.
So how did Lucifer become associated with the Christian devil? Well, it’s kind of complex. You see, there is no real archdemon figure in the Hebrew Bible. There are figures that become associated with Satan later by Christians, such as the snake in the Garden of Eden and the heavenly prosecutor or accuser ha-satan in THE BOOK OF JOB, who is portrayed there as an agent of God. This is possibly because most of these books were written when Judaism was not yet strictly monotheistic. The problem of evil doesn’t exist when there are other, lesser, evil gods worshiped by the other nations. It is only when Judaism becomes more fully monotheistic, possibly due to the influence of Zoroastrianism, that the problem of evil arises and a dualistic theology of good versus evil develops.
Simultaneously during this inter-testamental period, a tradition of “fallen angels” begins to develop. Works like THE BOOK OF ENOCH tell stories of a group of God’s angels such as Azazel who rebel and bring hidden, sinful knowledge to humanity. By the time the first books of Christianity are being written, there is a robust tradition of an evil fallen angel figure, alternatively called Satan or Beelzebub, most likely a play on the Canaanite god Baal Zabul. Jesus is quoted in THE BOOK OF LUKE as saying he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Then, during the first few centuries AD, a passage from THE BOOK OF ISAIAH, which compares a Babylonian king falling from his throne to the aforementioned Morning Star falling from the sky, is interpreted allegorically as Satan’s fall.
Throughout the Medieval period, these various figures (Satan, Azazel, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Apollyon from THE BOOK OF REVELATION, local folklore like Mephistopheles in DOCTOR FAUSTUS, etc.) begin to be combined into one singular maleficent force. This process was tragically part and parcel of the Satanic Witch Trials, a period in which the Church used accusations of devil worship to maintain power, enforce gender roles, and expropriate property. As a result, many gnostic and other occult groups, looking to subvert the Church, portrayed Satan as a good or at least anti-heroic figure, challenging the authoritarian God and bringing self-knowledge to humanity. All of this and more gets wrapped up THE WICKED + THE DIVINE’s portrayal of Lucifer.
A Brief Note on Versions
This series reads slightly differently if read in collected editions versus single issues. Further, the type of collection might also impact what the series looks like. For example, my trade paperback has the Lucifer cover as the main one for the first issue, whereas in singles, it was the Laura cover.
A second difference is that the collected volume has a title, The Faust Act. The first/faust pun is an allusion to the historical Johann Georg Faust, of whom many plays and other stories have been made. The folktale goes that Faust made a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for arcane magical knowledge. This style of Faustian bargain is an apt descriptor for the arcs of several characters.
The Faustian connection is solidified in the third difference, which is that this collected edition begins with two epigraphs. The first is a quotation for Christopher Marlowe’s play DOCTOR FAUSTUS, “Ah Faustus / Now hast thou but one bare hour to live / And then thou must be damn’d perpetually! / Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven / That time may cease, and midnight never come.” This ties very literally to the premise that the gods of this series shine bright for two years before dying, and to the eventual resolution of that pesky early death problem. The second epigraph is a quotation of the song “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” from the Vengaboys album THE PARTY ALBUM. It says, “BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.” If this isn’t the purest distillation of Kieron Gillen’s proclivities, I don’t know what is.
Icons
This is the first time we get a page of pantheon icons. These pages serve multiple purposes. One, it is a recap to start the issue. Who is our cast and are they alive, dead, trapped, or anything else that can be depicted iconically? Second, the center words function like chapter titles or epigraphs, preparing the reader for what is to come. Third, on a structural level, they are an easy page to insert in order to get the page count and page turns correct. In comics, surprises often happen right after a reader turns a page. Further, the logistics of printing require that stapled magazines have a page count that is a multiple of four (visualize a long piece of paper folded in half if this is confusing). Instead of making poor Jamie McKelvie draw another page, the kind Kieron Gillen can add one of these pages instead. How generous. Fourth, the 12 icons arranged circularly is reminiscent of a clock, one of many allusions to Watchmen in THE WICKED + THE DIVINE.
The four icons here are, starting at 12 o’clock, Susanoo, Minerva, Amaterasu, and Amon-Ra in the 1920s recurrence. We find out the remaining 8 gods of this era in the 1923 SPECIAL, where I will talk more about these gods in detail.
I’ve seen some claims that December 31, 1923 was the date of the first spoken trans-Atlantic communication, but am unable to find reliable sourcing on the matter. It doesn’t seem like that significant of a date, to be honest. It’s more just over 90 years before the “present” of the series.
Page 1
Panel 1
As Gillen points out in his writer notes, the opening dialog here is partially an allusion to the opening line of the comic THE INVISIBLES. He does stress that “it’s not just an Invisibles riff,” because the choices made here are done for multiple reasons. Aptly, we will return to this scene, both in the 1923 SPECIAL and in issue 35.
Gillen also writes that this page is another soft WATCHMEN allusion. Similar to how Watchmen uses the cover image as panel 1 to be continued on the first interior page, here, “the transition from the alive face (on the cover) to a skull is the point.” Gillen has said in many places that this series is a result of him dealing with the death of his father, so skulls are ever-present. Memento Mori and all that.
Page 2
Panel 1
And now we see the four remaining gods, all sitting in the same order as the diagram. How thoughtful of them! Susanoo on the bottom right, Minerva the bottom left, Amaterasu sitting top left, and Amon-Ra on the top right. Behind Amaterasu is our first appearance of Ananke, though she isn’t yet here named. I’ll save the diatribe on her namesake for when we meet her more properly.
Though the language seems formulaic, the word “gospel” etymologically comes from “gōdspel”, meaning “good news,” just like the biblical Greek word it translates, “evangelion.” In ancient Greece, evangelion referred to the sacrifice made to thank the gods after receiving good news. In Rome, evangelion was applied to the Imperial Cult, such that it was used to describe the birth date of Augustus Caesar. Most obviously, it became associated with Christianity and its message of salvation available to all, the books written about the life of Jesus, and those who spread said message, who became “evangelists” or “evangelicals” Like much of the symbols in this series, Ananke is using a supercharged and loaded religious term.
Having read ahead, I can’t place who the skull with the half-severed cranium might belong to, other than being a future-callback to Sakhmet. It reasonable could be almost any of the 1920s deities not present, aside from The Morrigan and Set, for reasons revealed in issue 35. It doesn’t actually matter that much but does kind of bother me. My best guess is that it belongs to Woden, given his placement in the circle next to Amon-Ra and the positions of the circle icons in the 1923 SPECIAL. That might then make the skull on page one Neptune’s.
Ed. note: Given that we later find out 1920s Ananke took the heads of Morrigan and Set for her ritual, how are there still enough skulls around the table? Simple – she used the heads of the other two Norns. Plot hole discovered and fixed.
Page 3
Panel 4
Upon reread, it is a little surprising to see Ananke crying. She obviously is capable of putting on an act for the gods, but here it seems genuine. The crying doesn’t start until she has turned away from them. Perhaps she grows tired of this game she has to play.
Ed. note: Commenter jkjones2185 notes that her reaction could be selfish, the tears because she knows this form of her will die. Her memories will live on, but only in the body of another. Skimming through issue 34 again, it also seems that she is worried they were unable to “avert the great darkness.” Based off of issue 37, failing entails her non-existence for the 90 years, and also seems incredibly painful. So, she has motive to cry for sure.
Page 4
Panel 2
Though we don’t know his name yet, Amon-Ra clearly dislikes Susanoo. If you can, remember that for the next 32 or 34 issues until I explain their relationship dynamic in detail (Amaterasu was with Amon-Ra and broke up with him because of her feelings towards Susanoo, complicated by the fact that in myth Susanoo and Amaterasu are siblings.)
Panel 4
Given that she reincarnates the next cycle and he doesn’t, it feels ironic and a bit tragic that Amaterasu insists this isn’t goodbye but simply au revoir or “until we meet again.” Until the mechanics were explained in detail much later in the series, I was always surprised that the gods were so willingly and voluntarily ending their cycle here.
Page 5
Panels 1-4
Here we get several memetic and iconic elements of the story. The 1-2-3-4 countdown, a basic and perhaps most common musical rhythm of 4/4.
Panels 5-8
And the “clicks” or snaps, which might be an English versus American distinction. They are introduced here in order to pay off the end of the issue. Chekov’s snap.
Page 6
Panel 3
Once again, we return to “Once again, we return.” It’s almost like it’s going to be a repeated phrase throughout this series. For now, we say goodbye to the 1920s for a good chunk of narrative, almost until the very end. By beginning with this sequence, Gillen and McKelvie are able to generate a greater sense of mystery around the whole series. The fact that they started here rather than in the present makes it feel significant, but exactly why it matters is a lingering question. This is how you properly begin with a flashback.
Page 7
Now, the modern icons. We have, starting again at 12 o’clock, Amaterasu, Lucifer, Sakhmet, Minerva, Woden, Morrigan, Inanna, Tara, and Baal. Given that this is Lucifer’s issue, I’ll explain her icon.
The pentagram (or, more accurately, the pentacle, which is the name for the 5-pointed star when it is encircled) is obviously associated with Wicca, Satanism, and other occult philosophies. It is actually an ancient symbol found in China, Greece and the Middle East, being the result of taking a perfect pentagon and drawing lines between all of the vertices.
It was actually a Christian symbol in the Middle Ages, decorating the shield of Gawain in art. It represented the five wounds of Christ, the five Marian joys, the five virtues of knighthood, the five senses, and five digits. Possibly the most influential occultist of all time, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, first associated the pentagram with magic. He believed the 5 points of the star corresponded to the 5 extreme points of the human body (head, hands, and feet).
Later occultists like Éliphas Lévi argued that only the “upside down” pentagram, with two feet pointing up, was a symbol of evil. He associated it with a goat (two horns, two ears, and a mouth). This symbol later picked up by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley, and Laveyan Satanists. It is there, very recently, that the connection between Lucifer and the pentagram is made. Ironically, however, Laveyan Satanists actually associate the pentagram with Baphomet, a god who will soon make his own appearance and thus requires an entirely different symbol.
Returning to the chart, two more things are of note. First, we get the second repetition of the 1-2-3-4 beat. Second, the date. January 1, 2014 was the date in the real world that Kieron Gillen first sent a draft of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE to Jamie McKelvie.
Page 8
Panel 1
Brockley was chosen for Laura’s home in order to keep her normal (“Girls On The Bus,” as Gillen puts it), and because it was close enough to where he lives that he is familiar with it. He can write it authentically, and get real photo reference if needed.
Panel 2
These numbers again. To the running point that everything here is multifunctional, these panels also help McKelvie finish issues on time. One third of this page becomes the responsibility of (I believe) designer Hannah Donovan, so he can spend that time adding detail and finish to the rest of the issue. The rhythm is also more clear here, with two panels separating each number. I’m sure a music theorist could tell me what the 1-dit-dit-2-dit-dit-3-dit-dit-4 rhythm is. I assume triplets, given the three beats, so maybe 4/3? Googling it a bit, it seems like it might actually be 6/4, like The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. Someone please help me.
Panel 4
Our first proper glimpse of protagonist Laura, especially since the cover has her dolled up in Amaterasu makeup. We don’t get her name yet, but this jacket (and her barely-visible dyed tips) are green, the color of her namesake, Laurels.
Page 9
Panel 3
I had to pull out my digital copies of PHONOGRAM2 for this, but there are several scenes that…mirror…this one. Thanks to Multiversity’s incomplete Wicked Intervention by James Johnston for reminding me of these examples.3 You have David Kohl in vol. 1 issue 3 putting on his vintage goth look in order to do a magic ritual.
Panel 5 & 7
And in volume 2 issue 3, Emily Aster looks at her reflection in the mirror. Like Laura, she doesn’t like what she sees.
The main difference of course being that they are going to hear recorded music played in a club, whereas Laura is encountering the musical gods in person. As Gillen put it in the backmatter for this issue, THE WICKED + THE DIVINE and PHONOGRAM are, “sister books,” but this series is a, “fantasy,” and, “primarily about the creators of art.” Laura, who begins this series a fan and ends up a god in her own right, personifies this transition.
Also of note in these panels is that we the reader are put in the perspective of the mirror. You can tell because Laura’s eyeliner doesn’t flip from here to the next scene. She is the audience surrogate in some ways, and we reflect her.
Page 10/11
Panel 1
As Gillen points out in his writers notes, the dialog “she’s just 17” is a reference to the opening of The Beatles song “I Saw Her Standing There,” which is the first track off of their first album PLEASE PLEASE ME. “1-2-3-4 and…pop music.”
Page 12
Panel 1
Our first good look at Amaterasu. I’ll do my full writeup of her divine inspiration next issue, where she is the cover. For now, I’ll say that Gillen, in his writer notes, mentions Florence (of Florence and the Machine), Kate Bush, and Stevie Nicks as inspirations. Ms. the Machine with that big red hair looks very much like Amaterasu to me.
We also end this page with the brief info dump of gods known at this point, and the first instance of the “fucking Tara” running gag that just tears me apart, knowing how it resolves.
Panel 3
Given Amaterasu’s status as a sun goddess, her visual eye motif of the solar eclipse both makes sense and is haunting. Gillen points out that, “eye effects are kind of a motif” in all the work they have done together. I already dug up PHONOGRAM once for this, so you’ll have to believe me that anytime someone does magic in that series their eyes get all funky. It happens a bunch.
Page 13
Panel 4
It is easy to miss the first time reading, given the overwhelming joy of this scene. But Laura says that Amaterasu’s blessing is not enough for her. She wants something more.
Panel 5
On that same note, she claims to have a moment of hubris, wanting to be like Amaterasu herself. This actually uses the ancient religious understanding of hubris. It wasn’t just an arrogant pride, but the type of pride that transgressed against a god. Think Helen, proclaimed to be more beautiful than the goddesses, or Ariadne (ed. note: as commenter Cellarius noted, I used Ariadne as an example of hubris when I meant to say Arachne. Obviously the woman whose name is the scientific class for spiders is the one who wove well. Mea culpa.) claiming to be a more talented weaver than Athena. All of this sets up Laura’s initial need/desire/insecurity, fulfilled later, as we re-readers know, when she becomes a god herself.
Metaphorically, and using the PHONOGRAM metaphor from before, this is about moving from being people who love partaking in art to those that create art themselves. While they had obviously been making comics for a while at this point, I’m sure that mirrored Gillen and McKelvie’s feelings about themselves at this point in their careers. They are no longer hobbyists or amateurs, but professionals and respected artists.
Page 14
Panel 2
And now we finally meet Luci. I think I’ve exhausted most of what there is to say about the religious history of Satan and Lucifer, so now we just get to enjoy a character Kieron clearly loves writing dialog for.
Panel 4
I think this is the first place we actually learn Laura’s name. Sorry for spoiling it all this time! As mentioned before, the name historically comes from the laurel. Wreaths of laurel, or laurus nobilis were symbolic in ancient Greece of high status. They were famously given as a prize at the Pythian Games, and in Rome they became a symbol of victory associated with the Emperors. There is a character in PHONOGRAM named Laura, though they seem pretty different. Gillen writes that the name inspiration, and a major song in THE WICKED + DIVINE canon, is “Laura” by Bat for Lashes.
This is also, excluding the freaky eye, where we get the first proof of divine magic. Right now it’s mostly a parlor trick, but I would definitely find a use for turning my thumb into a lighter.
Page 15
Panel 1
Laying down some important exposition here. The gods have powers, but on the down-low. And, as we see later, there is some obvious tension between these new deities and the news media. This is also the first eight-panel grid of the series, a layout that will be returned to often.
Panel 3
Leaning in to the controversies of the Thin White Duke and the evils of, well, the devil, Luci decides to be a creep.
Panel 4
Another Beatles reference. Or rather, the same Beatles reference of “I Saw Her Standing There.” When we get Luci’s backstory proper, we understand that this is because her parents are Beatles fans, so much so that her given human name was Eleanor Rigby. Though parents are largely absent and rarely present in this series, there is a repeated motif of the young gods being embarrassed by their once-hip parents.
Panel 6
And now Luci quotes Philip Larkin’s poem, “This Be The Verse.” Given the later implications of the 90 year cycle and even Laura’s actions in the final few issues, the cycle of parents messing up kids who grow into parents that mess up kids feels apt.
Page 17
Panel 1
Several important characters are introduced in this interview scene. A new god and a journalistic trio. What a great way to exposition dump: have a character who is an antagonistic reporter. Much of it is merely stating the premise of the series, so I won’t dig too much into it. I did always find it funny that Cassandra and her crew dressed alike, worked together, and if I remember right later all get together romantically. Speaking of, it is probably important to note that Cassandra was a figure in Greek mythology cursed to speak utterly true prophecies but have no one believe them. Apt for a journalist. I might write more of that when Cassandra gets her upgrade.
Panel 3
Here is our first good look at Sakhmet. Clearly a lot of Rhianna. The other main influence is, according to Gillen, his “own cat Lemon.” It will be a while before I go in deep on Sakhmet. Gillen mentions that he didn’t go with Bast for her for the same reason he didn’t go with Loki instead of Luci. He didn’t want the character to be seen as a commentary on Bast from Sandman
Page 18
Panel 5
Cheeky Gillen, quoting the advertising tagline of the series as in-universe PR for the gods.
Page 19
Panel 6
As my internet friend Josiah would say, it isn’t great being a depressed teenager in an environment that equates emotions with authentic faith.
Also, it took me multiple readings to notice it, but Laura is so uninterested in this conversation that in this panel she has picked up a laser pointer.
Page 20
Panel 3
Laura is still bored and making her own fun.
Amaterasu is called out for her “problematic” and appropriative behavior. That is a lot of what this book is about and intentionally dealing with. Calling it out here allows the creators to let the readers know that it is intentional, without intending offense.
Panel 5
Speaking of problematic, Luci here is teetering on transphobia.
Panel 6
Careful readers like yourself will notice a red dot on Luci’s chest.
Panel 7.
Because observing small details is fun, Luci loses her shoes when Sakhmet tackles her and will be barefoot the rest of the scene.
Page 22
Panel 1
Poor Sakhmet’s consorts. Notice, in another miracle, how the bullet curves around Amaterasu.
Panel 3
I always forget how impossible sourcing these kinds of guns is in England. These guys must be really dedicated. We later find out who they are and why they did this.
Panel 4
Of course they’re Christians (or, at least, attach some power to the symbolism).
Panel 7
Luci only counting to 3 really keeps the momentum of this sequence going.
Page 23
Panel 3
As I mentioned, part of the alleged occult power of the pentagram comes from how it reflects the five extremities on a person. It could easily just be a pose, but Luci seems to be posturing in a pentagram’s position.
Page 24
Panel 3
In an act of sacrilege, Luci switches from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, loosely quoting the chorus of “Sympathy For The Devil,” because of course she would. It isn’t on the nose if you don’t spell it out.
Page 25
Panel 1 & 2
This is the first time the gods have exerted undeniable and incontrovertible proof of their powers, in pop-art colorful glory. And in front of journalists and a video camera, too. Luci’s culpability is something that she will play with in the next scene. The gods are real and they are dangerous.
Panel 4
Someone is really excited by this panel. If I had to guess, Woden.
Page 26
Panel 2
The first confirmation of Luci’s given last name. Given her whole vibe, I guess Bowie references would be too on the nose.
Panel 3
Though the devil is known historically for his legal ties (satan might mean the advocate), do you not get lawyers in England? Do you really just have to argue your case in front of the judge? Surely Ananke would want someone here to keep Luci from grandstanding like she does. I presume this is like a pre-trial determination of what the charges will be, if any. Someone from England please write in and let me know more.
Page 29
Page 3
Now this is hubris. Also just some pure good ol’ fashioned comic booking. Gillen writes that this three-panel page was largely done in order to preserve the page turn, but I wish more comics created space for extended sequences of slow-motion time like this.
Page 31
Panel 4
And thus, the hook to get you to buy issue 2. There is a long-standing trope of an opening arc of a comic being a murder mystery. It allows the story to introduce all of the key players organically and get readers comfortable before getting into the real meat of the ongoing story. And in a comic like THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, where much of what is actually going on moment to moment is a mystery or at least layered with motivation not revealed immediately to the reader, it lets the creators keep some cards close to their chest while still grabbing the reader’s interest. I think Fables might have been the first big series to do this.
Backmatter
Gillen writes here, “THE WICKED + THE DIVINE is an attempt to turn the most confusing and upsetting two years of my life into a pop song.” He’s said elsewhere, such as at The Comics Alliance,4 that the difficult times were the result of his father being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Back Cover Quote
“I want everything you have.” – Laura –
And that is the conclusion to my annotation of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE # 1. Did I miss anything in those 5000 words? Are you named Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson, Clayton Cowles, Hannah Donovan, or Chrissy Williams and would like to correct the record on anything? Comment below! I will issue any corrections in the next annotation and add a note on this one. Don’t forget to buy THE POWER FANTASY # 1, out this week in comic book stores near you and digitally wherever comics are sold. I don’t know how feasible this is weekly, but I will certainly do my best. As I said before, one way to keep me doing these is to throw me a tip. That way, I feel guilty about letting you down. If you can’t afford to, another way to help me out is to share the article on your social media of choice and in person.
NEXT: Issue # 2
If you haven’t already, consider supporting this work at ko-fi.com/spikestonehand. There, you can leave a tip or buy Zine versions of these articles. Doing this helps keep the website going. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky.
- A major source for much of these annotations, for sure. https://kierongillen.tumblr.com/post/89581557647/writer-notes-the-wicked-the-divine-1 ↩︎
- With a nearly identical creative team as this, of course. Writer Kieron Gillen, artist Jamie McKelvie, and colorist Matt Wilson. ↩︎
- They only went 12 issues. I’ll do my best to make sure I see this through. http://www.multiversitycomics.com/annotations/wicked-intervention-the-wicked-the-divine-1/#google_vignette ↩︎
- RIP to one of the best comic sites ever. https://web.archive.org/web/20150429061046/http://comicsalliance.com/the-wicked-and-the-divine-kieron-gillen-interview-jamie-mckelvie-image-expo/ ↩︎
Divining Comics 
Leave a comment