The Wicked + The Divine Volume 3: Commercial Suicide

by Kieron Gillen

[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.