I could probably write an entire additional review just on the character design (Luci is Desire of the Endless with a better wardrobe) and the diversity of the gods and popstar analogues, but its better if you just go buy the book and obsess over it on your own time. Gillen, McKelvie, Wilson, and letterer Clayton Cowles are a well-oiled delivery mechanism for beautiful, high-concept joy, 22 pages at a time.Images 2014 line-up is the envy of every other publisher; but The Wicked + The Divine is going to be the jewel in Images crown. Read Full Review

Which is a deconstruction of modern myth laid out for a new century of creatives and layabouts whod rather worship than create. The very creatures of myth that Gillen and Mckelvie have created on these pages will surely propel the team into a godlike status of their own. This is a first issue pulled off with incredible confidence and mastery, its irresistible and all consuming. Its your new obsession. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine #1 is the epitome of a perfect debut issue. The writing is witty and engaging, the art is vibrant, the colours are gorgeous. Everything about this book is beautiful. If you only had enough money to pull 1 new book, make it this. It's everything the title says it is. It's wicked. It's divine. I have nothing but praise for this book. Read Full Review

This is a world of celebrity, music, and fashion. With the setup and cliffhanger we got here, we could go in any number of different directions. Sometimes when I read a comic I feel the story can go in a bunch of directions and think to myself that I'll be happy if it goes certain ways and really disappointed if it goes some other ways in the second issue. The difference with The Wicked + The Divine is that I think I'll be happy to be along for the ride regardless of the next turn the story takes. I just want to see more of this world and these characters. This was 31 pages of fabulous comic-bookery that stood out to me as unique from top to bottom. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine embodies some of the weirdness of 90s Vertigo combined with the populism of more standard superhero fare. For the uninitiated, this might be the best introduction to this creative team’s work. It’s big and bright and over-the-top. It has all of Gillen’s trademark snark and that’s amplified by McKelvie’s continually improving grasp on expressions and body language. This is pop comics. It’s that song that comes on the radio that you’ll have stuck in your head for days. The beat is good. The lyrics hint at something bigger and you can’t help but wonder. Although what you are about to read is a work of fiction, it should never the less be played at maximum volume. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine #1 is the next step in a thematically connected exploration of art, music, youth, and popular culture. It shares the themes of its preceding volumes of Phonogram and Young Avengers, while crafting a new world and taking those same concepts in a different direction. It is expertly crafted both as a comic and the first chapter of a story. Gillen and McKelvie are one of (if not the) best collaborative teams working in comics today. The Wicked + The Divine #1 is a comic that takes all of their skills and work thus far and begins to build on it to explore Western culture in a new way. It is the definition of must read comics. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine #1 is a work of art, plain and simple. Were no mores issues to come, it'd still be a book worth recommending. But knowing this chapter is only the beginning makes its forthcoming issues all the more coveted. Read Full Review

But let's talk about the art for a bit, shall we, because this book is gorgeous! It exudes cool as McKelvie takes full advantage of pop music and the varying styles and influences over the last fifty years. Read Full Review

It can be tough for highly anticipated titles to live up to the hype, but an issue this beautiful and sure of itself is bound to please almost anyone. With intriguing questions, interesting characters and pretty unmatched craft, "The Wicked + The Divine" #1 is"oh, just repeat the adjectives in the title. Read Full Review

Comic fandom has never had a book like The Wicked + The Divine. Every month we travel to our local source of comic books and we read about the exploits of gods and goddesses. We write fan-fiction starring these immortals. We don the costumes of these heroes and commune with others who share the same reverence in exhibit halls all across the world. Superheroes are our gods. The Wicked + The Divine #1 translates this concept literally. Gillen and McKelvie are a pair who have always been fully aware of the impact their works have on the comic reading populace so, of course, they would be the pair who gives fandom its first pure fable. Read Full Review

THE WICKED THE DIVINE drops us into a glamorous and exciting world populated with gods and everything that goes with them -- their fans, their skeptics, their supporters, and their enemies. It's an immersive world with plenty of hooks, and the story is incredibly smart. Pull list material, for sure. Read Full Review

Promising to be a rich and colorful comic that could be the next prized jewel in Image's collection, the first issue of The Wicked + The Divine sets us up for a journey that will be long and thrilling. If you're a fan of Phonogram, Young Avengers and/or pop music, I suggest hopping onto this train soon. (Also: be jealous. I have Bryan Lee O'Malley's variant cover.) Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine is what graphic storytelling should be at all times. Read Full Review

While I felt Young Avengers started started strong out of the gate, by the end the magic had kind of fizzled a bit for me. On the other hand, most of Gillen's other recent works have ranged from pretty good (Uncanny X-Men, Iron Man) to utterly enthralling (Uber, Journey Into Mystery). Clearly he has the chops to handle the sort of ride he and McKelvie are promising with The Wicked + The Divine, if not knock it clean out of the park, and the first issue is one of the most instantly magnetic things I've read this year. While I'm not expecting a let-down, I do feel these guys are going to be hard-pressed to maintain this level of quality for the long term. But I'm optimistic for now. I'm going to be over here now, saying a little prayer and, like Leonard Cohen sang, "waiting for the miracle to come." Read Full Review

he Wicked + The Divine is a book that's cool for the school, knows it, and relishes in that fact. In a sense Gillen and McKelvie create this world that reacts to Gods as our pop icons and reveals how they'd really react. I can only imagine what's going to be revealed next. We know in a sense how they got here, now I can't wait to learn why they're here. The steps are being built before our our eyes, now we see what directions Gillen and McKelvie will take The Wicked + The Divine next. Do not hesitate, just grab this book off the shelf and prepare for the amazing experience to come. Read Full Review

An absolutely breathtaking book that sets up its world perfectly while leaving just enough mysteries to remain intrigued. Buy with all your heart! Read Full Review

This being a first issue, there are naturally a number of questions that will need to be answered going forward. There's plenty of characters we still need to get to know, mythology that needs to be expanded upon, and ne'er-do-wells that need exposing. But with Gillen and McKelvie at the helm, I have absolute faith thatthis tale of ancient gods will be something truly extraordinary. Don't let this issue pass you by. Read Full Review

I need to pick up an issue of something I really dislike one of these weeks, because the number of new series that I am completelyon board with is starting to hurt my wallet a lot. This was a really interesting read, check it out in your local comic book shop or online. Read Full Review

This is a great opening to a new series that feels like it will explore more than a few themes in its run, I can easily recommend to readers (those who are residents of South London and those who are not). However this looks like a convoluted story that will take time to grow into the full narrative. If you are looking for a head scratcher then never has a snap been as important to a plot as it is in The Wicked + The Divine. Read Full Review

A powerful debut on nearly all levels, though only gently provocative, considering its subject matter. Read Full Review

If I had to complain, I'd say that some of the dialog is a little over done. Then again, most of is Lucifer arguing with a tabloid journalist, so I imagine they'd be a little over the top. It's a tiny complaint and it does nothing to take away from how much I liked this volume. Issue 2 can't come soon enough. Read Full Review

Overall, the team behind The Wicked + The Divine gives us an engaging story with incredible art. I would love to get large prints of one of the exploding heads and of the double page spread, if they ever became available. I don't think this is for everyone, but I will definitely be picking up issue #2 when it hits the shelves. Read Full Review

The a Wicked and the Divine is definitely a series that is worth checking out. It may not be for everyone, but there's a lot to enjoy here, from the characters to the stellar art. Plus, based on what we know of the plot so far, and the cliffhanger that we're left on, this first story arc could shape up to be a really, really interesting story, and make this comic one of the creative team's best works to date. Sure, it's by no means a perfect start, but this book has a lot of heart to it, and that quality alone makes it worth reading. It feels alive and warm, so that's a definite mark in its favor. And on top of that, it is quite different from many other books, another quality that makes it worth reading. When all's said and done, this is a solid start to what will likely become another great Image book. Read Full Review

The last year has been filled with some exceptionally memorable Image debuts. Some have stood out more than others, though. While there's no telling where the series is going from here, it's safe to say that The Wicked and the Divine is among the strongest Image debuts of recent memory. This book is absolutely worth checking out this week. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine was an excellent debut issue that can hopefully become another hit for Image. Gillen and McKelvie were really impressive with this title and worked extremely well together. This seems to be common for Image to get some of the best work out of some very talented people; Image strikes again! Read Full Review

This may not be a book for everyone. Gillen has a tendency to work with very modern phrasing, and not everyone enjoys that sort of approach to storytelling. There is an ongoing debate as to whether or not this affects the ability of the story to age well and remain relatable. Regardless, it's an excellent story that warrants at least a run-through of this first installment. I for one, am fully committed. Read Full Review

Long story short, I enjoyed this book considerably, even the parts of it that felt a little bit too raw and revelatory, and I find the central theme (the “Are they or aren't they, and either way, what does it all prove?”) of the story to be a compelling one. Certainly, it's not for everyone, but The Wicked + The Divine #1 makes for a unique and entertaining read with gorgeous art throughout, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. The concepts may not play in Peoria, but it makes for good comics… Read Full Review

This is a solid start to what could likely become an innovative, stylish new series. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine gets off to a great start as though it opened strangely, being a little too mysterious at times the general concept was really impressive showing promise. Recommended. Read Full Review

I enjoy Gillen's sense of humor and writing so I'm hoping that I will slowly get into this and feel like a fool for ever having not liked it. McKelvie's art is vibrant and fun to look at. The lettering by Cowles is, as always, perfect for the story. Even with all these talented people though, the issue just didn't strike a chord with me. Read Full Review

The way things have been set-up this isn't a story to be told piece meal overtime and it really isn't a story that should serve as an introduction to these characters and their universe. Maybe things will improve with the next issue but as for now I'd say give it a pass. Read Full Review

Not that I'm opposed to slow, developing stories, but you have to have something in that initial introduction to get me hooked, and franklyThe Wicked + The Divine just doesn't have that. For others, maybe you like the idea of a story focused on pop stars with the ability to explode people's heads, but if you're anything like me, that's not going to be enough to make you care about who these people are or what they're doing. Read Full Review

Once you get passed the "comics for hipsters 101" feel of the whole thing, you will find a great story, helped by fantastic art, and a #1 that makes you want to go to #2 straight away. I really enjoy the dynamic of the creative team, and I love how they pushed the idea behind Phonogram even further. I guess I must be a hipster too, because I loved this issue.

It's a well told story but it didn't click with me personally, I'm sure other readers will enjoy this. Two notes for Gillen: I don't know who calls it a "finger click," but everyone I know calls it "snapping your fingers". My other note, why is this reporter yelling and swearing at the her interviewees? I don't have anything against using foul language in comics but it needs to fit. A journalist would not have a very long career acting like such a bitch.

+ Like • Comments (2)

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Valiant Son - Feb 28, 2019

In the UK (where this is set), we do say, "clicking your fingers," and talk about a, "finger click". British English is different to American English.

Gizmo - Feb 28, 2019

Thanks, I didn't know that.

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