There were two pieces of info that were particularly intriguing to me: one, that gods can be pregnant and have children after they receive their powers. And the second, the creature that the gods created. I think there's an excellent chance we will see this creature again. Read Full Review

If you’re looking for a The Wicked + The Divine fix before the main series returns later in the year, or haven’t yet jumped on the title and want a taste of what the series can do when it’s firing on all cylinders, or simply want a one-off story, then you should not hesitate to pick this issue up. It’s a stunning issue: Gillen gives us a look into a scenario that’s familiar, but has enough divergence from what we know to feel fresh, Hans’ expressive art breathes life into these characters so the issue can slowly drain them of said life and together they set a high bar for one-shots that follow in the future. Read Full Review

It's rare that a one-shot reads as strong or stronger than its flagship title " this one proves the exception. Read Full Review

Besides the shenanigans of the Romantics (because who else would be the celebrities of this era), this issue raises a lot of questions about what Anankes endgame was. Especially regarding the hand of Hades. While well never know from the woman herself now, you have to wonder just how the end of this issue might come back to haunt the modern gods later. Read Full Review

A beautiful and horrific look into the past that continued on the themes WicDiv set. Read Full Review

As for the art, Stephanie Hans (with whom Gillen previously worked on 1602: Witch Hunter Angela) steps in for regular penciller, Jamie McKelvie, and colorist, Matt Wilson. Her painterly, softer style perfectly suits the issue's gothic tone. Though The Wicked and the Divine always has a touch of the fantastic, this issue feels particularly odd and other-worldly because of her art, hinting at a type of horror and strangeness the rest of the series never quite has. And while Gillen himself has said that reading this issue isn't necessary to understanding the present-day story, the world he's created is so complex (some might say convoluted) that you can only benefit from seeing more of it. Read Full Review

Even my complaints about this issue feel kind of minute, in all honesty. This issue is, after all, a mere glimpse into a different time period, with a different pantheon. It's not designed to be a treatise on the characters of that era, but to give a taste of it. In doing that,The Wicked and the Divine: 1831 AD is a success. Do I wish there was more time to be spent with these characters? Yes. Do I wish there had been more time to flesh out the plot? Sure. But there's so much else to love here that getting caught up on smaller intricacies seems like a bit of a waste. Read Full Review

The issue's theme is the cost of creation, both on the creator and created, and the idea that true immortality might be passing on one's life rather than living forever. Considering the pantheon always has a pitifully short lifespan, this question seems all the more urgent despite its futility; no-one gets out alive, not even gods. The only hope we can have for the cast of the main book is that they come to terms with this a little less violently than their forbears. Read Full Review

This one-shot is astonishingly well-crafted but it isn't what I usually expect from the series so I feel like I didn't fully grasp it. That's on me though. I still enjoyed it but I recognize that there a lot of layers here and that I'll end up revisiting it in the future. Read Full Review

This one-shot skillfully captures the essence and main themes of The Wicked + The Divine with a different approach than the rest of the series while relevantly enriching its universe.

DISCLAIMER: this is the first Wicked + Devine comic that I have ever read. However, being a one-shot, I thought this might be a decent jumping-on point or at least an issue that could be enjoyed on it's own without having to have read the rest of the series. I was wrong. This one-shot seems to start towards the end of some story of which I am not aware, with characters who just are, but whom are not established/introduced nor developed. While some things happen in this issue, without any context, I find them pretty much meaningless. The one thing I generally liked in this issue was the art. It was very good in many panels, especially the coloring. However, some of the panels focusing close-up on characters felt a bit off to me. I was hoping that I'd enjoy this more, but I was extremely let down. Perhaps this is a decent issue if you are more familiar with the Wicked + Devine series; however, it is bad as a standalone one-shot. more