By Alex Batts — We’re back with another entry in The Wicked + The Divine Re-Read and this issue — The Wicked + The Divine #21 — delivers on the all-out bombast that was promised at the start of this “Rising Action” arc. This issue is almost pure action and escalation…and it’s glorious. Let’s get into it!

The Wicked + The Divine #21

Here’s the solicitation text for The Wicked + The Divine #21 released on July 13, 2016:

“RISING ACTION,” Part Four FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! But don't worry, it's probably a metaphor for the creative process or the Hegelian dialectic or something clever so we'll still get taken seriously. FIGHT!

Honestly this solicit sums up the issue perfectly. It’s a giant fight between the entire Pantheon. It’s utter chaos in the best way.

The Cover: The fourth fashion-portrait cover features Woden’s Valkyrie’s. It’s a purely aesthetic cover, seeing as we don’t ever really get development for the Valkyrie’s themselves. The vibrant hues on their Tron-like outfits make them pop off the page and as always McKelvie illustrates characters beautifully and Wilson brings them to another level with his colors.

The First Page: This page primarily focuses on Ananke, as she prepares herself for the ritual she’s about to attempt. We see Woden enter as he alerts her that Minerva is back at Valhalla. Ananke quickly asks if the machine is ready and to prepare it, walking past Woden giving him no attention. The final panel on the page is an extremely ominous look at Valhalla from the outside as it’s lit in exclusively red. The opening page is pure dread peppered with a hint of humor from Woden.

On-Page Action: As I, and the solicit, already mentioned this issue is almost pure action. This issue and the next are the most ridiculous over the top action-filled godly duels of destruction within the entire series, and it’s exactly as amazing as it sounds. Narratively we don’t get too much happening, it’s the Renegades (as Ananke calls them) versus the members of the Pantheon who still believe Ananke has their best interests in mind (ha). Ananke has dropped all pretenses about child sacrifice, she’s going full steam ahead, murders Minerva’s parents (in front of a camera crew), and fully explains to Woden that she’s about to sacrifice a thirteen-year-old.

Besides that, the issue is filled to the brim with all of the gods at each other’s throats. I’ll touch on it more in the art section but the use of all of their powers against each other is a sight to behold. I honestly don’t have much more to add to the narrative side of things aside from a brief speech Ananke gives to Woden with some explanation. She’s talking about reaching the apex of her power and that she is far from her best right now, but they must try to salvage what they can from the Pantheon. I can’t elaborate more on this speech yet, but there is a lot of subtext in that speech that will become clear later in the series.

The gods fight essentially to a standstill and the issue ends with Ananke preparing a knife to sacrifice Minerva on this purely evil-looking machine. So, that’s exciting.

Deeper Meaning: So not that there aren’t deeper themes in this issue, but they take a backseat to pure spectacle here. Which I think the series has earned at this point and is allowed to be self-indulgent. The main deeper meaning I still take away from this issue is to be careful who you trust. We see half of the Pantheon being completely manipulated by a woman who has murdered three of them and is about to sacrifice a fourth. If that’s not putting your trust in the wrong person I don’t know what is.

The Art: My god. The art in this issue is insane in the best way. McKelvie and Wilson always knock it out of the park but this issue is a tour de force of their creativity and each panel of every page is such a wonder to look at. I’ve mentioned it throughout this series but the differences in how each god's powers are rendered is such a strong stylistic choice and makes everyone stand out so much. It also helps keep all the action organized and in check when you’ve got buildings exploding and multiple characters engulfed in green flames.

It really is just a treat to see all the gods fully powered up and wrecking each other in the most fantastic ways. The page layouts are all incredibly dynamic and keep you consistently engaged. I don’t know how many ways I can shower this art with praise but just trust me when I say the art in this issue is worth double the cover price. It’s that good, better even. Mixed in with the over the top action McKelvie and Wilson still deliver powerful facial expressions that carry the small quirks we’ve grown to love from each character. The art just flawlessly elevates every element of the issue and carries the narrative to new heights. A truly standout issue among a stand out arc.

The Wicked + The Divine #21

The Wicked + The Divine #21
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: July 13, 2016
Buy It Digitally: The Wicked + The Divine #21

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