I swear, Kieron Gillen's goal in this series is to torture his readers. But to be fair, he warned us from the very beginning with the description of the book: none of these characters is going to make it out alive. The gods have a end date and nothing can change that"that we know. And nothing has been what it seemed at face value. But the brilliance of this creative team is their ability to convince us again and again that maybe THIS time, in THIS instance, we know what's coming. And we get smacked in the face by the truth every time. Read Full Review

This issue hit all the marks of a great comic book, right down to the ending of this arc setting up what I'm sure will be yet another great story arc in this already stellar series. There are so many directions that this story can take next and all of them are equally promising. Is Laura/Persephone on the run? What is the ominous Darkness that would make Ananke spend eternities sacrificing four of her god proteges? Has the Darkness been abated or are we about to have some Hellmouth or Cabin in the Woods type action? What's going to happen to Mini? Does Ananke count as a fourth sacrificial? Issue #23 can go anywhere and, thanks to the lure set in this issue, I can't wait. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine still feels as exhilarating as it did at first, the art by McKelvie and the coloring are arguably even better now than back then, it's all excellent. The series will take a break until November (nooo!) but there's a mysterious one-shot coming out next month. Either way, you should read this. Read Full Review

The Wicked + The Divine #22 is exactly what youd expect from this series if youve kept up. Despite my own issues with some of the story elements, it definitely holds up in the context of the rest of this tale and provides an ending that is shocking and unsettling, refusing to let readers go with a sense of calm and comfort. Many important themes, like youth, defiance, and independence, rise within this issue and encapsulate the larger experience of the series to this defining point. You definitely want to see how this ends. Read Full Review

While the ending of Rising Action wasn't as drastic or debilitating as those of Faust Act or Fandemonium (oh the puns, they're painful) this is still a huge turning point in the series, leaving suspense, catharsis, and lingering uncertainty to keep you company until November. Read Full Review

Kieron Gillen and Co. upped their game with this issue. One can only wonder what comes next. Read Full Review

With bringing Rising Action to a close, The Wicked + The Divine #22 brings forth another solid issue with great character moments with Cassandra, Woden, and Persephone and the biggest status quo shakeup the comic has seen yet. As the comic heads into its Imperial Phase, it should be interesting to see how all the pieces begin to settle come November. Read Full Review

In the end it isn't Laura or the might of one side of warring Gods or the other but reason presented by Urdr that leads Anake's blind followers to seek the truth. It also allows the Gods to prevent Minerva's sacrifice and force Laura to make a difficult decision whose aftershocks are likely to effect the entire pantheon. Worth a look. Read Full Review

And now we get a little break from the series, though we have an upcoming one-shot that will focus on the Pantheon in the 1830s. (I want the 1920s Pantheon, personally, but oh well). When we return to this, we'll finally get to see what Laura will with her divinity now that she's on a mission of revenge. Will it just be a big party? Probably. Read Full Review

10/10
Best finale arc of 2016. Period

"I knew you were the adult"
The latest arc ends with a bang. The entire arc was one big huge bang. We know our characters and the series has left us in a place where it could potentially go anywhere. The villain is dead, the issue resolved, yet it all feels like it's gone bad.
How bad is it that we don't even know who Laura's sister is? Did she ever mention her? Did we even see her? Who is her sister, we don't know anything about her. Is this how selfish Laura has been to as to never even thought of her?
How much of a great character is Laura?
Time will tell, my friends.