By Alex Batts — After a brief hiatus, we return to the fourth arc of The Wicked + The Divine! The previous issue kicked off the most bombastic arc of the series and this issue certainly doesn’t slow things down. There’s no use dragging out this intro, onto the issue!

The Wicked + The Divine #19

Here’s the official solicitation text for The Wicked + The Divine #19 released back on May 4th, 2016:

“RISING ACTION,” Part Two Gods of the Underworld, in the Underworld. Perfectly safe now. Definitely. Stuff definitely doesn’t explode. That doesn’t happen.

Heh, this solicit definitely has that classic sarcasm and wit the series has maintained in its descriptions. The underworld crew has escaped for the time being but we all know it’s just a matter of time before chaos inevitably erupts again.

The Cover: Here we have our second fashion-portrait cover, this time featuring party god Dionysus. In contrast to the rest of the Pantheon, his clothing style is incredibly simple. Just typical jeans, a plain t-shirt, and converse. The real “fashion” comes from the color palette of the cover which showcases him in full rave/performance mode. We saw this coloring/rendering technique in earlier issues primarily focused on his performances and it remains just as stunning as the first time we saw it.

The colors are otherworldly vivid, and Dionysus is the center of the party. The yellow and orange tones around him emanate warmth and bleed off into the purplish tones of the crowd around him. The cover completely pulls you in.

The First Page: Remember me mentioning the importance of Minerva’s owl? Well, this issue starts off showing just a sliver of the reason why. We see Ananke going to check on Minerva, who appears to be sleeping, but it turns out that her owl was just projecting an image of her onto the bed. Could this have been what was happening in the previous issue as well when Minerva’s parents were talking to her and she goes off to see The Morrigan? I’d bet money on it.

Ananke’s presence is always commanding, and she brushes off Minerva’s father with insignificance. After discovering Minerva’s deception rather than being angry she shows a bit of respect for the child’s intelligence. This page does a lot more setup than what first meets the eye.

On-Page Action: Narratively this issue is pretty straightforward, we open with Dionysus performing (again at an undisclosed location). Before long he has to stop, in need of caffeine. However, just after receiving his beverage Baphomet appears from the Underground, tells Dionysus not to freak out, and then pulls them both into the Underground. Dionysus is obviously confused and is then greeted by the rest of the Underground squad, Persephone, The Morrigan, and Minerva.

I’ve got to add, the panel/page revealing Persephone, The Morrigan, and Minerva is so good on so many levels. Minerva being held by The Morrigan, the concern on both of their faces, and then Persephone in the front, looking as confident and collected as ever. Dionysus exclaims that Laura is alive, “Persephone is.”, she responds. Dionysus recalls that Ananke says there is an antichrist out there, a destroyer, which leads to a close panel of Persephone saying “She was right.”

We cut to Ananke seemingly talking to herself saying, “Necessity. It is all necessity.” In front of Owly and the ever ominous machine that she had Woden construct. Woden is coming to get her to address the rest of the Pantheon, while leaving Woden asks when Ananke was going to tell him that Laura Wilson is still alive to which Ananke replies, “She isn’t.”. That makes two back to back pages that explicitly note the difference between Laura Wilson and Persephone. The book is screaming at us that she isn’t the same person we met at the start.

Cut to Amaterasu in shock that Laura would do anything like this because she seemed so nice. This transitions nicely into some A+ manipulation by Ananke, convincing each member of the Pantheon that Persephone is the ultimate enemy here and must be dealt with. The level of convincing each member needs varies (Sakhmet is just mad Persephone flung her into a tree) but by the end, they’re all on board.

We cut back to the Underground squad just after they’ve all informed Dionysus of what they suspect Ananke has been up to (godly murder). He asks if they all believe her (Persephone), to which each gives their various reasons for why they do. Minerva makes the most sound argument, noting the little contradictions in what Ananke says and that she and Owly have been investigating for some time now. And then to not let us forget that she is still a child, her last point is that they need to keep her parents safe. Dionysus agrees and officially introduces himself (the pair hadn’t met yet) just as Owly flies out of the darkness.

Joy is quickly turned to shock and awe as Baal, Sakhmet, and Amaterasu followed Owly to locate the rogue members of the Pantheon. From here we get that sweet, sweet godly action across a myriad of beautifully and dynamically laid out pages by McKelvie and Wilson. As always the dialogue exchanges between gods are incredible. Gillen has such a tremendously strong voice for each character individually that when they combine it feels so genuine.

Baphomet vs Amaterasu, Dionysus vs Sakhmet, The Morrigan vs Baal, Sakhmet vs Baphomet, Amaterasu rescuing Minerva, we get a taste of everything here. Seeing each god's powers used in full-force will always be a sight to behold and the creative ways they engage each other remains entertaining through the entirety of the battle. By the end, Amaterasu has rescued Minerva and the “good” members of the Pantheon aim to retreat. Baphomet tells Baal that Ananke is playing them and that she’s the one who killed Inanna. “Yeah. That’s exactly what she said you’d say.” Retorts Baal before blasting out of the Underground in a hail of lightning.

The final pages hold some major revelations as the Underground squad recuperates from the battle. Persephone goes to pick up Owly and knows that it was full of all of Minerva’s secrets, but it’s dead. “The Silvered Bat-Tearers not dead. It’s just sleeping.” Gentle Annie (one of The Morrigan’s forms) says as she snaps her fingers and the robotic bird whirs back to life. Gentle Annie asks to see Ananke and Owly play for them the last unwatched footage which shows us a familiar scene.

We see Ananke in front of the ominous machine Woden built, moments before he arrives to get her for the Pantheon pep-talk we saw earlier in the issue. Here she is talking to herself and outlining her heinous plans to sacrifice her “fated calf” Minerva for a ritual to prevent the Great Darkness. Necessity, it is all necessity, she says. Baphomet, Dionysus, The Morrigan, and Persephone all know without a doubt that Ananke is guilty, so what are they going to do? “You heard the woman. Whatever’s necessary.” Persephone says with a finger click and cigarette light to end the issue.

Deeper Meaning: This issue again hammers home the “be careful who you trust” mantra as we see Ananke continue to seamlessly manipulate half of the Pantheon. Baal, Sakhmet, Amaterasu, and Woden are completely (well, mostly completely) under her command although she has murdered three of their ranks. This is the power of deception and the manipulation of information. Ananke is in a position of power and has used that power and knowledge to manipulate everyone in the story like pieces on a chessboard.

This issue also approaches the idea that you can’t get away with things forever. Ananke notes that the 21st century “May be the end of us. The old ways are harder than ever.”, though she’s been doing this for millennia her machinations may finally be catching up to her. We see this in the rebellion of Persephone and the rest of the Underground and it’s a sign that even the best-laid plans can go awry.

The Art: Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Wilson are one of the best artistic teams to work in comics, ever. This series has wholly convinced me of this and each issue I pick up is a constant reminder. The emotion and nuanced acting shown in each character’s face never fails to impress. The colors never fail to amaze. The action never fails to engage.

There are so many little details, from the pomegranate accents on Persephone’s top to the arm armor Amaterasu wears to battle. The sense of motion in action, the VSX (visual sound effects), and the choreography all combine perfectly. This art team simply does not miss. Add this with the insane bombast of this arc and you’ve got a recipe for greatness.

The Wicked + The Divine #19
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
"RISING ACTION," Part Two. Gods of the Underworld, in the Underworld. Perfectly safe now. Definitely. Stuff definitely doesn't explode. That doesn't happen.
Released: May 4, 2016
Buy It Digitally: The Wicked + The Divine #19

Click here to read past installments of the Wic + Div Re-Read.

Alex Batts is from Texas. A lifelong comic book enthusiast and movie lover, if he’s not talking about comics, he’s probably not talking. You can find him on Twitter by following @BatmanFiles