Welcome to Wicked Intervention, Multiversity’s monthly annotation for Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Wilson’s “The Wicked + The Divine”. This week, we experience theatre, puns, and a startling amount of violence. Sounds like me after my second drink.
As always, spoilers are going to be hella abundant. I don’t even know why you would spoil yourself with the damn annotations anyway. Get some control of your life.
Science and Visions – Theories and Rumblings From The Mosh Pit
Alright, as usual here’s just some ace rumblings around the WicDiv fandom regarding theories and the like.
Commentator macey shared a likely (almost definitely) correct chart for the God Wheel, an analysis of Laura that talks about some of the callbacks to the other Laura from “The Singles Club” and a solid theory positing that Lord Bryon and his cohorts were the cycle of gods for the 19th century.
I’m a big fan of the post describing Laura as an ascended fangirl (her style isn’t a rip off of the gods so much as riffing on their aesthetics, she doesn’t pass out as easily as all the other fans do, etc.) and it draws an interesting parallel between our Laura and the Laura from “Singles Club”. The other post about Lord Byron having been host to Satan also sounds pretty concrete, what with the “Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know” quote I missed last issue. I’m not too sure about other figures from his time being the gods we have in this cycle – though Mary Shelley definitely looks like Woden with the two ravens and missing eye. Percy Shelley even looks a lot like either The Morrigan or David Bowie in Labryinth. At this point, I consider Abigail Brady (whose post I linked to) to be completely right but something still feels off about the same gods being in another cycle together. The other nine gods in that Recurrence could still be completely different, but it seems like the cycle isn’t meant to repeat itself in such specific ways. Also I could be totally wrong.
Speaking of me being wrong, Cara Ellison wrote a mini-essay about Laura partly in response to my pretty caustic description of her in the last column as someone who’s too obsessed with the gods to move beyond her role as fangirl into being a creator; I wrote a response clarifying what I think about Laura. They’re both interesting pieces on the role of creator versus fan if you want to check those out.
Finally, Atoll Comics has a really interesting look at The Morrigan’s costume design in this issue. It’d be really interesting if it weren’t for the fact she died last issue. I guess we might as well pay our respects to this dead character with our next segment in the column!
Allow Me To Introduce Myself – The Cover Gallery
Poor Morrigan. At the end of last issue she was brutally massacred by Baphomet so he could show everyone how badass he was. Such tragic. Much unfair. Very Women in Refrigerators. We’ll never hear from her again. Goodbye.
Since The Morrigan is dead as a doornail, we might as well make this segment a chance to talk about her mythological history. The Morrigan, which is Gaelic for “phantom queen” or “great queen” depending on how insufferable you are, is an Irish sorta-goddess of war. She’s not usually named as a goddess but for our purposes she’s a goddess. The Morrigan also comes in the form of three sisters, sort of like The Kindly Ones from Sandman but more conventionally hot. I’d name the sisters but it’s not like they’ll play any big part in this issue.
Also, crows play a big part in The Morrigan’s aesthetic. Morrigan’s mythological adventures are also rather baller, especially when she stopped a battle by chanting a poem which drives her enemies into the sea. In short, she’s incredible.
The Morrigan’s role in “The Wicked + The Divine” is noticeably different than the other gods. While most of the gods maintain public profiles, Baal even going on TV to curse out Wolf Blitzer, The Morrigan seems to be much more secretive, to the point that she’s actually hiding another god with her (we’ll get to that in a moment). In spite of the secrecy, Morrigan still has plenty of followers willing to sneak into an abandoned Underground station just to see her. That level of devotion is really impressive, though I’m the type of person who found out my favorite band was playing at a pro hummus wrestling show for $8 and didn’t attend because it was in another borough. I may not be the best judge of what does or doesn’t constitute “devotion”.
Continued belowEither way, The Morrigan represents a more edgy type of superstar in “WicDiv” that’s not as clean-cut as Amaterasu or even Lucifer. She’s an edgier superstar and the sense of danger she brings will be present throughout this issue.
Or it would if Morrigan wasn’t dead. Let’s move on.
Pages 1
With this page and the first page of issue #1, “The Wicked + The Divine” continues to be the most horrendous children’s flip book of 2014.
Page 2
Remember how I just mentioned The Morrigan represents a more dangerous form of popstar than we’re accustomed to? Baphomet’s certainly no softie either. A hottie in a leather jacket clutching the decapitated head of the night’s main billing is definitely not what many of the fans in the underground (save for Laura, probs) signed up for. The powers of the gods are much older and much more powerful than whatever folk-punk bands this crowd usually goes for. “Phonogram” dealt a lot with the relationship between fans and music, and this scene is definitely a more direct confrontation between spectators and performers.
Well, to some degree. Baphomet hasn’t attacked anyone and the fire lighting up the tunnel hasn’t burnt anyone. Really, it seems most of the conflict occurred off-screen when he killed The Morri–
Page 3
Well then.
I mentioned this when I chose this panel for the Saturday Morning Panels, but holy moly Baphomet is my favorite of the gods so far. A pun-loving dork who’s 70% abs? I’m in. Also, this may not be the show everyone was expecting but it still technically is a show. Kind of.
Pages 4-5
Straight up the coolest splash page of the month. The way that final “boy” distorts itself is the stuff of lettering legend.
And in the lower-right corner we see the source of this murder of crows, the one and only Morrigan!
Page 6
Fuck, I am bad at my job. Still, Badb here somehow made a more striking entrance than Baphomet who was literally carrying somebody’s head.
Alright, looks like I have to mention The Morrigan’s sisters after all. Badb is another war goddess who is arguably more bloody than The Morrigan. Her name meant Battle Crow which is probably the name of a JRPG and battlefields would be dubbed “The Gardens of the Badb” because she’d plant seeds in them. Seeds of murder. Here, Badb is rocking an outfit that is mind-bogglingly fierce and as bloodthirsty as her mythology would imply.
Page 7
You know how I said Baphomet was my favorite? Not only does Badb supply my band’s new name, Necrodancer, but she threatens to break off Baphomet’s shin and use it as a dildo. Badb is beyond next level. I’m also getting some very Helena from Orphan Black vibes with Badb though I have no idea how intentional that is.
Page 8
I spent two weeks in London since the last column and I can verify that I’d throw myself off the tracks if I had to use the London Underground any longer. MTA > Underground.
My Yankee sensibilities aside, Laura’s right on this page about everyone here being fucked. This isn’t the type of theatrics Baphomet was pulling earlier. This is war.
Page 9
I found the moment where I fell in love with Laura. Taking initiative, playing off what she knows about the gods and how they work. Laura, you’re more than a superstar.
If the line from before about Badb being “chasm-cunted” wasn’t a big enough sign that “WicDiv” is one of the least subtle books around, Laura’s aping off the most well-known theatrical scene in history should. The last few pages have been nothing but grandstanding between Baphomet and Badb. Some crows here, some pyrotechnics here. It’s one major cock-swinging contest. Or shin, as the case may be. Laura recognizes that and points out the silliness of the situation which in turn convinces Badb to 1-2-3-4 her way back into the more regal Morrigan.
Also the line is “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well, Horatio…” Since Laura has no Horatio of her own and is about to get caught in the crossfire made of crows and fire I guess we can let it slide.
Continued belowPage 10
Did… did anyone have an intention of holding a concert here? It’s like they only prepared to show up and destroy each other. Not even a single speaker in sight.
Still, Laura’s amateur theatrics do little to dissuade Baphomet and Morrigan and the two still prepare to go at it.
Pages 11-13
When’re the Eisners again? Because real talk, this issue is nothing but Jamie McKelvie just slaying. Even the splash page of Laura floating in black is pretty damn remarkable for its use of negative space. It’s easily one of the loneliest pages we’ve seen from this series.
Page 14
The cops take a cue from “We3” and fire a rubber bullet through the black, through the page, and right into Baphomet’s back. Laura may have had a hard time in snapping everyone out of their theatrics but the cops have very little time for the Recurrence. They are after all the ones who crashed Lucifer’s party by throwing her in the clink.
Also, final panel. I’ve said that phrase about a dozen times in the week since this comic came out.
Page 15
While Lucifer, the quieter and more graceful aspect of the Devil, may have gone gracefully, Baphomet sure as hell won’t. I know it’s typical for us to codify the cops as bad guys but… yeah I would want to keep people like The Recurrence in custody if this type of thing was going to happen at every concert. “The Wicked + The Divine” is like the X-Men if every mutant was an egomaniac.
Actual question, is that second panel an album cover or historical photograph? It looks familiar but I haven’t been able to find anything.
Page 16
Oh hey, another Morrigan sister. Anann, or Gentle Annie, is another Irish war goddess obsessed with death, war and the like. Surprise, surprise. She’s a (thankfully) more forgiving character than Badb or Morrigan with what is probably the best outfit of the bunch.
How did Ananke recruit The Morrigan into the Recurrence? Did she transform three girls into one entity or maybe one woman with Dissociative identity disorder? After all, three sisters do fit nicely into the id, ego, and superego archetypes.
Page 17
The (possible) Helena influence is a lot more evident with Gentle Annie. Still, Badb is my Queen and my loyalty to her is unquestionable. I do like how it’s up for debate whether her powers are due to Ananke or because she drank a vigor from Bioshock Infinite.
Page 18
It’s interesting that Morrigan and Baphomet have been hooking up since at least Lucifer’s trial. Why would she keep a god like him in hiding? More to the point, why would he be okay with that? Could the fight in this issue have anything to do with Baphomet wanting to take the spotlight for once?
Page 19
If you never read “Young Avengers”, a huge part of the conflict revolved around the team’s parents being possessed by a multi-dimensional alien that turned them against their children. Like a chasm-cunt, it was hardly subtle but it brought up a really interesting dynamic between parents and children that Gillen elaborated on in an interview; it’s not a question of parents being evil or kids hating their mom and dad, it’s almost always a case of miscommunication. Despite how close you’re meant to be, there’s just so many ideas you’ll never be able to share or have with your parents because the generation gap creates this wall of understanding. It’s a really interesting dynamic that I love to see in fiction and I think it’s handled really well in this fight with Laura’s parents. Laura loves her parents but sometimes all you can do is yell or run away. Heartbreaking really.
Also note how the panel structure has become more formal and rigid than it was during the night at the underground. Sort of similar to waking up to another mundane day after a really killer party.
Page 20
“Cthonic” pertains to the underworld. Despite a majority of this issue focusing on Baphomet and The Morrigan, I have no clue how it relates to where Laura is at now.
Continued belowPage 21-22
I know I sound like her parents, but I really do wish Laura would stay in classes. Or at least practice guitar or songwriting.
Also, hey Luci. I love how “WicDiv” builds up characters before their appearance. When Woden appears, I hope he looks like a young Jack Black in a Brutal Legend t-shirt.
Aside from Woden’s yellow fever, we also get some insights into the other gods. Tara (fuckin’ Tara) seems like the most artsy of the group, Innana’s a sweetheart apparently, and Minerva’s twelve. Lots of blunt exposition but I’d prefer it coming from Lucifer gossiping about her sex life than Laura watching an vH1 special about The Recurrence. Also Cassandra’s right, Baal-hammon is one of the few pages on the thankfully small “Child sacrifice” Wikipedia category. Man, you’d have to be one crazy god to make it to that level of child murder.
Page 23
I take it back. Please don’t hurt me.
Page 24
Family. I was talking about Family, George-Michael.
