By Alex Batts — It’s been a while, I know…but if you’ll indulge me…once again, we return to this. Continuing The Wicked + The Divine Re-Read Project, today we’re taking a look at The Wicked + The Divine #23 and the beginning of the 5th volume, The Imperial Phase Part 1. With that, we’re also embarking on the start of the second half of the series and picking up after a story-shattering plot point. This issue also stands out for being singular in its presentation and format, being dubbed “The Magazine Issue” for good reason. It reads like a magazine with interviews of different members of the Pantheon, but I’m getting ahead of myself…let’s get into it.

The Wicked + The Divine #23

Here’s the official solicitation text for The Wicked + The Divine #23 from November 2, 2016:

NEW STORY ARC: “IMPERIAL PHASE I,” Part One Welcome to the November 2014 issue of Pantheon Monthly. Exclusive interviews with all your favorite gods. Plus! The first photographs of the Morrigan ever!

This solicit briefly sets the stage for the beginning of a new phase for the Pantheon as well as for the series, but at the same time it also hints at the meta nature of this issue. It’s a magazine issue, set in-universe for WicDiv, delivering interesting metafictional tones for us as readers.

The Cover: A new story arc brings new cover design styles! I wish I’d had the forethought to name this style the “fashion portraits” but alas, we’ll dub them “off-center” given the composition of each respective character on the cover and the rectangle diagonal from them. On the note of composition, the cover is as aesthetically pleasing as always, with this one featuring Baal looking as powerful and in control as ever.

Jamie McKelvie has rendered him in a stunning suit with a sharp overcoat, full accessories, and a face that means business. Matthew Wilson’s colors bring a cool warmth that betrays comfort with an undertone of strength and dominance. And compositionally with the cover dress on as well, the entire image reads beautifully.

The First Page: It’s an ad. It’s a straight-up, magazine-style, full-page ad for cologne backed by none other than Baal, and it’s brilliant. You might be slightly confused the first time you read this issue and see this page, but in hindsight, it works wonderfully. This entire issue being framed as an in-universe magazine that follows the Pantheon (Pantheon Monthly) is an absolutely brilliant idea and of course, there would be ads for things like cologne and of course, you would get Baal to do the ads. It just makes sense. Narrative brilliance aside, this page features a fantastic shot of Baal posing with his cologne rendered by the talented Kevin Wada.

On-Page Action: The formatting of this issue makes it difficult to talk about in the same way that I normally discuss on-page action. Since this issue is presented as a magazine, there is no typical on-page action for me to run through. The uniqueness of the issue, however, is also its biggest strength. It picks up after a drastic turning point in the series, and rather than dive right into the aftermath, it takes a broader approach to set the stage for what is to come. Presented as interviews with various members of the Pantheon — from The Morrigan to Baal and even an interview with Lucifer conducted before her murder — it captures a general mood and direction for the current state of the characters while also giving insight into each individual in a way different to anything we’ve seen previously within this series.

Being issue #23 of the 45 numbered issues in the series, it is also the middle issue, making it even more of a standout. The way the issue was put together is quite interesting, as the WicDiv team reached out to various real-world writers and asked them if they’d like to interview the Pantheon. When they said yes, the team got them in an instant message chat window, where writer Kieron Gillen role-played the interaction as each god. The guest creators would then take the raw transcript and write it up in their style. The results are the finished interviews in this issue, all paired alongside Kevin Wada’s inimitable art.

I cannot express how much I love this out-of-the-box and creative approach. Each real-world writer is credited as themselves in the magazine, with Kieron even credited and referenced as the editor, and it’s brilliant. It’s one of those things that just works and does so on a level that resonates strongly with me for a reason I can’t entirely articulate. It expands the world of WicDiv in a natural, funny, and meta ways by introducing this in-universe magazine covering the events of the Pantheon. It also serves as a different angle to examine the members of the Pantheon too.

The character work done in these interviews is just as strong, if not stronger, than some of the character work done in the rest of the series. Part of that comes from the tipping point that immediately proceeds this issue, but part of that also comes from the variation in style that each writer brings with their approach to the characters and interviews.

They’re all excellent, from the interview with The Morrigan (above) that is bone-chilling and hauntingly descriptive in its dark and dreary detail of her everlasting responsibility and cosmic remembrance to Baal’s over-confident casual displays of bravado tinged with undertones of humility and reserve. The interviews address the events that have just transpired, Ananke’s murderous spree and then eventual murder at the hands of Persephone. They look at how the world is reacting, with each interviewer providing a different outlook on the events and the Pantheon itself. They set a course for the future of the series, reiterating that there is a course, even if that course isn’t clear. The gods have work to do, and for the first time in their existence, they don’t have anyone but themselves guiding them.

Deeper Meaning: There’s a decent amount to unpack here. Morrigan’s interview hammers that home. After an eternity, she’s speaking concretely now because she wants to be remembered and talked about as more than whispers. She’ll let people debate the truths of her existence and what she’s saying, but she has a desire to be known as real. Baal has an overwhelming sense of responsibility for the rest of the Pantheon. Being the first, he feels he has to take care of them and make sure everything is set straight.

In each interview, you get a sense that the different gods are grappling with the idea that their imminent demise is coming closer. They’d always known it was there but now with Ananke gone and no clear direction, it’s the looming event on their horizon. How each one reacts to what to do with the rest of the time they have left, whether being resolved in cruelty as Woden is, or determined to betterment, as Baal seems to be, is what is to be explored next.

The Art: As mentioned a few times, the art in this issue is done by the wonderful Kevin Wada. It’s done as photoshoot-like images of the various gods being interviewed, with watercolor-like paintings accompanying the text in a captivating way. The visuals here offer full and unique looks at each member of the Pantheon, providing some of my favorite images in the series. Each image is brimming with personality and seems to translate the mood each god would want to get across if it was an actual picture taken of them. Wada’s artwork is the final piece that pulls together this wildly unique issue of WicDiv.

The Wicked + The Divine #23

The Wicked + The Divine #23
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artists: Kevin Wada, with Jamie McKelvie
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
NEW STORY ARC: "IMPERIAL PHASE I," Part One Welcome to the November 2014 issue of Pantheon Monthly. Exclusive interviews with all your favorite gods. Plus! The first photographs of the Morrigan ever!
Release Date: November 2, 2016
Buy It Here: The Wicked + The Divine #23

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