The Wicked + The Divine Volume 3: Commercial Suicide

by Kieron Gillen

Jamie McKelvie (Artist), Kate Brown (Artist), Tula Lotay (Artist), Stephanie Hans (Artist), Leila Del Duca (Artist), Brandon Graham (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Artist), and Matheus Lopes (Artist)

After the detonation of FANDEMONIUM the gods-as-pop-stars of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE try living in the long dark shadow. Team WicDiv are joined by a stellar cast of guest artists to put the spotlight of each of the gods. The multiple Eisner-award nominated series continues in the only way it knows how: darker, weirder, faster. Don't worry. It's going to be okay.

• ISBN10: 1632156318
• ISBN13: 9781632156310
• Publish Date: 9 February 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Image Comics
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 200
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

3 1/2 Stars.

The Wicked + The Divine volume three is a bit different from the other two volumes so far. In truth Commercial Suicide is more like a series of short stories about most of the gods and goddesses running around being reincarnated. So here’s the good news/bad news about that situation. The good news is a whole bunch of guests artists got a chance to shine in this volume (which considering the popularity of the series is a great boost for them). The bad news is that most of the stories occur in the past, and thus we still don’t really know what’s happening in the present.
They’re great stories, to be sure, but between the cliffhanger in the last volume (which I’m still dying to see how that resolves – no pun intended) and the constant art style changes, it can be just a little jarring.



After the cliffhanger that occurred in volume two of the Wicked + The Divine I think we were all feeling pretty anxious to see the truth behind what is happening. As I mentioned above this is really a collection of stories about the different gods in the Wicked + The Divine. It was great getting a chance to see what some of these characters were like back when they were human, as well as seeing how they’ve been moving behind the scenes (some are trickier and more active than others, which isn’t terribly surprising).
I know some people would actually label this sort of volume a filler volume, and to be frank I can’t really argue against that point. Had the last volume not ended the way it did I probably wouldn’t have minded this intercession so much…but seeing that I’m incredibly anxious to get answers about what the heck is going on…it’s left me a bit raw. And I’m binge reading through the volumes! I can only imagine how fans felt as they read each issue or volume as it came out. I’d have been pulling me hair out by the conclusion.
I actually do love the idea of changing artist and art styles to better reflect the personalities behind the gods/goddesses and their stories. It’s a brilliant idea; even if the timing could have been a little better (sorry, sorry, I swear I’m not feeling burned about having to wait a bit longer for an answer).
It was great to learn some of the different motivations and histories of the different characters we’ve been seeing move around. The incarnated gods are such big roles in this story, yet before now we hardly knew the story behind any of them. Which may lend to their mystique, but I’d rather know the man behind the mask, so to speak.
This was a fun interlude, but I sincerely hope we’ll be getting back to the main plot in the next volume. I’m so anxious to hear more about the truth and the mere breadcrumbs left in this volume only made the feeling worse. Also, while I did like the whole guest artist bit (seriously, some of those artists are exceptionally talented), I’d be really happy to have the original artist, Jamie McKelvie, back on board for everything from here on out.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[inlibrisveritas]

The Wicked + The Divine has been on a ‘must haves’ list since I saw the artwork from the first few issues, but I think with Commercial Suicide it’s beginning to lose it’s once solid place on that list. While it’s still an enjoyable read, with some great backstory and focus…it sort of feels off somehow.

The story itself is a bit disjointed when put into a volume, with each issue focusing on a different god as they work through the aftermath of everything that has happened in the first two volumes. We get to see how they handle the mental pressures of being a mortal god and how well they embrace the change from their once human-selves to the mold of whatever god they were chosen for. Woden’s sheds the most light on the entire situation, but I found that I enjoyed Sekhmet and Morrigan’s stories the most. Ananake’s part in the cycle of gods grows more and more confusing, and I really need to know what her end game is. And that little hint at the end, UGH!

To add to my increased frustration this is an arc where the normal artist (McKelvie) took a break, so he only does one issue and a small section of canon shorts in the back, and we get a different artist for each issue. One of my biggest peeves are art changes…I know it happens, and hell everyone needs a break now and again, but part of my brain just implodes when this happens especially multiple times in the same arc. Most of the art is good, and each one is unique…but part of me just couldn’t enjoy it fully because of that.

So while it didn’t blow me away like the first volume, Commercial Suicide is still a fantastic read! I do hope the next arc is a bit better though.

[celinenyx]

I LOVE The Wicked + The Divine. Mysterious, diverse, built on obscure mythologies and celebrity culture, I adore the tight artwork and flashy colours. Commercial Suicide, however, doesn't feature the main story line but instead gives a few of the gods a one-off issue exploring an aspect of their history. Although these issues have been written by series writer Kieron Gillen, I found the writing to be weak and occasionally incoherent. Some of the new artists they brought in were amazing (Stephanie Hans!!), others were disappointing and didn't fit the series aesthetic. I hope the next volume will pick up the pace and get back into familiar territory.