The Wicked + The Divine: Book Two

The Wicked + The Divine #3-4

by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (Artist), Matt Wilson (Artist)

Collection of issues #12-22 of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, including the most experimental and elating material in the critically acclaimed commercial superstar of a series so far. Collects COMMERCIAL SUICIDE and RISING ACTION with copious making-of material and extensive director's commentary.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, LGBT

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2017

About the author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3: Commercial Suicide
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 4: Rising Action

[Ashley Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would've been 5 stars if not for the intense blandness of the Sakhmet issue.

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 5 out of 5]

WicDiv: Year Two potvrzuje, ze nektery serie lip fungujou, kdyz je clovek cte v sebranym vydani. V dobe, kdy sem to cetl v sesitech, mi prislo, ze serie ztraci tempo, ale takhle vcelku, to slape paradne.

Prvni cast, Commercial Suicide, se vic zameruje na jednotlivy bohy a jejich origin, coz je fajn, ale zaroven autori zvladaji posouvat i pribeh. Ani mi nevadilo stridani kresliru v jednotlivych sesitech, coz me vetsinou vytaci, ale tady mi to vubec nevadilo. Mozna diky tomu, ze jednotlivy sesity kresli treba Stephanie Hans, Leila del Duca nebo Tula Lotay.

Druha cast, Rising Action, je pak totalni masterpiece, kde se pribeh rozjizdi na plny koule a v ramci flashbacku se odkryji nejaka tajemstvi z predchozi knihy. Tesim se na treti book, kdy sem prestal serii cist po sesitech a rozhodl sem se, ze se k ni vratim az bude komplet, coz se ve finale ukazalo jako dobry rozhodnuti.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read 2021: Still 5 stars. Going through the whole series in one go.

Review from 2017: I feel like Gillen can do no wrong at this point. I've loved Phonogram, his stories with Angela, Loki, and obviously Wicked & Divine. It felt like Book Two fleshed out the gods in a more concise way; there is a great intro to catch you up if you've managed to forget who's who. The downside is that McKelvie didn't draw the first half of the book; there were a number of one-shot artists for each issue. The story was great...engaging, complex, oozing with style, attitude and occasional humour.

With this work, I think Gillen is now firmly in my top three list of comic authors along with Jim Starlin and Frank Miller.

[The Artisan Geek]

17/1/20
This comic book series is great!! I do have to say that the first couple of issues in this compendium were a bit slow for me. Though I did like how they switched up art styles :) The story really picked up for me around volume 17 and I raced right through it!! I'm excited to see how everything will turn out in later issues :D


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[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still pissed at the fact that they killed off Laura, but at least we're finally getting the back story of all the other Gods. Honestly hate the art style changes in this volume and the story is a bit all over the place now, but I'm still having a great time reading this book and I'm still very invested in its characters' development.

God Damn! What a ride. Where the hell is this story going?I should have seen the Laura becoming Persephone thing coming and I'm glad they brought her back. Why is there almost a hundred pages of creator comments and statistical data? I was hoping all of they was more of the story.

[Reading_seas0n · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated some of the art and felt like it affected my enjoyment of the story flow.
However, I loved the twist on what happened with the gods and them finding out about the lies they have been told and teaming up!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
The second year of The Wicked + The Divine is collected here in its entirety, including supplementary material and author's notes from Gillen and friends, making this a perfect package for fans of the series.

The first arc of the year was Commercial Suicide - a series of done-in-one issues focusing on each God individually. These issues put the Gods sharply in the spotlight as they real from the death at the end of the first year, and also give us a lot of background that we were lacking. Amaterasu's naivety, Sekhmet's hedonism, Baal's fury, and even the illusive Tara are all on display for everyone to see. Featuring guest art by the likes of Kate Brown, Tula Lotay, Stephanie Hans, Leila Del Duca, Brandon Graham, and regular series artist Jamie McKelvie, these issues are entirely crafted around the characters they represent, and while the main storyline slows to a crawl as a result, there's a little back-up in each issue that slowly teases the next stage of the main plot.

This explodes in Rising Action, the second arc of the year, which sees the Gods reunite and finally take the fight to Ananke. Secrets are revealed, murderers are murdered, children are kidnapped, and the true enemy is revealed (or is it?) in this arc. While the first arc of this trade is a lot quieter and more introspective, this second arc is balls-to-the-wall insane, the hardest the series has gone since it began, and great fun throughout, with at least one gasp-inducing page in each issue, either from Gillen's masterful/evil storytelling or McKelvie's innovative use of panels.

The Wicked + The Divine is one of my favourite comic books, by one of my favourite creative teams, and this second volume is going to have pride of place next to their Complete Phonogram and WicDiv Year One hardcovers.

[Amanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so we got a lot of the same stuff as the first book. More character backstory and more rambunctiousness. What we still don't have is a why. Why do these gods return? Why is anybody doing anything in this book? I am definitely still interested enough to keep reading but I feel like I should have more answers after 20+ issues. Also, the first few issues of this book obviously had a different artist and I did not care for it one bit. It wasn't bad... just surprising and upsetting when reading them all back to back.

[Matthew Noe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't overstate how much I love this series.

[Laura Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

These comics are my new obsession, excuse me while I start them over from the beginning just to enjoy them a second time.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I was disappointed when I saw that the first several issues of this collection were no longer pencilled by Jamie McKelvie, but as soon as the stories began, I realized A. these were even better character explorations than Gillen had done in Year One and B. he'd very much matched their tones to the guest artist's styles, which alleviated a lot of the fears I had about a McKelvie series not being drawn by McKelvie.

A real standout in this book is Issue 13, which finally tells the story of Tara, a goddess that has henceforth only been mentioned in passing (and always with disdain). It's honestly one of the best single issues of a comic I've read in the past few years. A full, moving, emotional character story that leaves you with your mouth agape at the end. It's a payoff that works best after 12 previous issues of having Tara shit on by the other members of the Pantheon, so I wouldn't read it cold, but trust me, it's very, very good.

Beyond this, the series continues to weave its mysteries around character development, which keeps me hooked and not feeling too worried about what the answers will be. There's a little bit of schmutz showing on the plot development in this volume, but again, the series is far more about the characters than it is the plot, so it's not that big of a deal. In any case, I love all these angsty weirdoes and can't wait to see what hijinx they get into next!*

*This is not a series about hijinx

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is quite cleverly arranged. The first half contain character spotlights, allowing us to get to know the rest of the cast following the stunning events that ended Book One. And so it's all the more shocking to discover that the plot is still moving full-steam ahead through these stories! (Meanwhile we learn a lot about several of the other pantheon members.)

The latter half of the volume then provides closure with what now feels like Act I of The Wicke.d + The Dead. All the initial plotlines and mysteries are laid to rest. This sort of finale is rarely as great as the mysterious path that got us here, but it's great to see our many characters in action, both together and while confronting each other.

A strong volume and a nice coherent story when combined with Book One. Pick them up and read them together!

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

The first half collects backstories of gods of the pantheon, and a different artist illustrates each issue. Call me boring, but I prefer when the series has one artist throughout. Anyway, the first part was ok(ish) but not that exciting. The second part, though, goes deeper into Ananke's plans and Persephone's answer to events involving her family (spoilers). And it was great. All told, I'm going to finish the series because there's no reason to stop, and things are finally getting more exciting.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuation of the series, these issues are less about the stardom aspect of the gods’ lives and delves into more of their pre-god lives and their relationships. Especially everyone’s relationship with Ananke. I still do not understand what her ultimate goal is and cannot even guess at what it could be.
Again, I love the art and I’m intrigued by all the characters.
Absolutely hate Woden now, and love Persephone and The Morrigan even more.
I will be reading the next in this series asap. 4/5

[Andy Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really liking this series the further I go. I feel like I know the characters better at this point. It's the kind of series that will reward rereading, so I'm glad to have this nice hardcover version with the extra commentary in the back. Really great story, fascinating characters, incredible artwork. I think I just convinced myself to change my rating from 4 to 5 stars.

[Des Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goddamn PRIMO stuff right here. I LOVED this book, despite the McKelvie-less sections. The action is so bombastic and exciting, completely entrenched in its own mythos. This is the story the creators wanted to tell, and I have no doubt that this is living up to every expectation. So good. Read it.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much love for this! It was exactly what I wanted it to be and that ending was brilliant. Now to just wait for the next one.

[Antonio Ceté · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo muchos menos tebeos que antes, pero los que leo están muy bien.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is good stuff

[Nick P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nah. I'm done. Too much cheese, too much deus ex machina. Too many annoying monologues and spoiled characters. Does Cassandra need to say "fuck" in every speech bubble? I'm out.

[Julia Santamaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just having a blast

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. So much action and so many twists and turns. Love the mythology theme. And especially because it's not the same old Greek Pantheon but a lot more less known gods. It also has great LGBTQ representation and gorgeous art.

I can't wait to read more.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wicked good but I’ve got questions. Why are the gods chosen from places in London mainly. Shouldn’t they come from all over? Will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just nonstop amazing. Character development, active plots, gorgeous art, and of course, a goddess who looks like Prince.

[Ivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a few problems with these sections of the story. Overall, I still really enjoyed it, but some things really started to stand out at me. The fact that Tara was brought in for a single issue, we learn that she's been objectified for half or more of her life, that her superpower even before she was a god was her beauty, and she's literally killed off at the end of the issue she's first properly introduced, I can see the effect that they were trying for but she utterly fails the sexy lamp test and the whole issue kind of comes across as exploitation of a character who was made the butt of a joke for no reason except to set up her own death. Also, certain lines and character directions, like Baph/Nergal saying "I said that, but I also said that I lied. Men lie. Being a man is lying. I'm lying about everything." felt a little on the nose, like Gillen is trying to make a progressive point but ends up just looking like he's asking for ally cookies or something. And the entire Amaterasu chapter making Cassandra/Urdr out to be a "social justice warrior" stereotype, when she doesn't act that way anywhere else in the story and she of all people would know that Ammie's status was beyond her personal control? That kind of sucked and I really hope it's addressed again later on and actually goes somewhere instead of just "Shit happens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ". On the plus side, the extra features in this one are really neat, even if most of them, as was the case with Book One, were available in the softcover volume collections for cheaper, or online for free.

I'm in no way quitting the story, or even considering it. This is still one of the best comics in print right now, in my opinion, but I think it is important to think and speak critically of the things we love, and to acknowledge problems so that future works don't make the same mistakes. Also, so that people who have bigger issues with that kind of thing can make an informed choice as to whether or not they want to read a story that Goes There.

[James De Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story picks up nicely from where year one ends.

There are two hafls. Issues 12-17 take a different approach to storytelling than what we saw in the first deluxe - this is mostly due to how the second half of the first deluxe ends. I think it's a bit jarring at first, bu this is what this book needed - a different way to tell the reader what is happening. At first it felt like things were moving without much direction, but it all stars getting connected in this trade. There are a few more ‘shockers’ here. I must say, one particular issue that shines IMO is issue 13. Here we get introduced to another member of the Pantheon. I really liked it. It reads as a beautiful tragedy. Note that the art is different in this trade since it was drawn by different artists. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the art in this trade, but I really liked it - particularly the art on issue 17, which is so different from the original art and yet it managers to keep me connected at all times.
I'd say the first half gets these ratings: Story 7.5/10 and art 8/10.

The second half contains issues 18-22. Here we get a big revelation of how one of the main characters survived a huge attack. A civil war begins between the gods and we get a bit of backstory here - which is nice! There seems to be a reason for why the deaths of these gods are happening! The art is very good, again 9/10 and the story picks up much more nicely; there are a few moments that felt like deus machina, but overall it was a solid arc. 8/10

Overall, I give this deluxe a 8/10 for story and art 9/10. Though sometimes (a lot of times, actually) I'm frustrated with the direction of the story, one thing that hasn't disappointed me so far is the art - again, I even enjoyed when they changed the art for a few issues.

[Sammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

11/29/25: reread:
Definitely don’t remember this book at all! But also woooowwww. And I forgot about the art change in issues 12-17. I can see why in a sense fir some of the characters and the choice (maybe. Maybe I’m just guessing). The plot of this one is an all out war as they go up against A to keep M alive.




First, thank god Laura isn’t dead. I love her character. Second, was not a huge fan of the art styles throughout these issues. The story remains just as fast paced and gripping but the art didn’t pull me in as much. Can’t wait to see what happens now that Persephone has done her crazy ass work and killed A. Whew! Onward!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second chapter in the Wicked + The Divine saga looks into the price for godhood. The audience is given more of an overview of the reasons and motivation behind the characters which helped fill in for the easily solved mystery from the last collection. But McKlevie wasn't present to draw such beautiful panels for each book so it made for a miss in my personal opinion.

Bechdel: Pass
DuVerney: Pass
Vito: Pass
PM: pass

[The Bibliopossum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept reading this because, given the ending of the first book, I thought things would get more interesting. But they didn't.
If you wanna know my thoughts on the first book, and by extension the whole series, here ya go.