The Wicked + The Divine

Dated Dec 1, 2021; last modified on Sat, 29 Jul 2023

#religious-fiction

#extraterrestrial-possession

Volume 9 was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic. However, not very stoked after Book One (Vol 1 and 2). Maybe it gets better? Only Volume 9 has been nominated for a Hugo Award, so maybe check that next time before committing?

​​The Recurrence. Every 90 years, 12 gods reincarnate on earth for 2 years. In 2014, the gods are living as pop icons. Some are high culture, e.g. Lucifer, and others are underground, e.g. The Morrígan.

Book One

kick off WicDiv with an excerpt from begging the universe for more time.

Dr. Faustus gives his soul to Lucifer in exchange for 24 years on Earth, with Mephistophilis as a servant, and the ability to do magic. Instead of pursuing his original grand ambitions, Faustus wastes away his 24 years in frivolous pursuits, and regrets it when Lucifer comes to collect. Eternal damnation was too steep a price.

[Luci, in court after exploding two hitmen’s heads with a finger snap] Surely it’s for the court to prove a causal link between my actions and those poor, murderous men’s untimely deaths.

Subversion of gender expectations. cast Lucifer as a as a she, and Inanna as a he.

Similar artistic license in representing beings from mythology, e.g. female Loki in Disney+ series, female Lucifer in upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Sandman.

[Baal] We don’t get to change anything. We get to change you [humans], and then you choose what to do with it.

’s deities are limited by a strong code, presumably enforced by Ananke. Interesting problem of nerfing deities for storytelling. The TV adaptation of American Gods nerfs deities based on how much faith people have in them.

Pantheon opts to let Luci do his time in this life. Luci objects to wasting his reincarnation in jail and breaks out against Laura’s pleas. Ananke kills Luci for breaking the rules (no hurting humans).

Ananke is later revealed to be killing deities at the end of Book 1. Lucifer’s defiance seems justified given her innocence, and Ananke’s malice. The rebellion is in character with biblical Lucifer.

Cast Deities

Ananke: Greek primordial deity; personification of inevitability, compulsion and necessity. Considered mother of the Fates (Moirai) and revered by gods and mortals alike.

Amaterasu: Goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology.

Sekhmet: Warrior goddess and goddess of healing in Egyptian mythology.

Wōden: Old English for Odin.

Baal: Previously associated the theonym with solar cults and a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions show Ba’al being particularly associated with Hadad (storm and fertility god) of the Canaanite and ancient Mesopotamian religions.

Inanna: - Ancient Mesopotamian goddess associated with love, beauty, sex, war, justice and political power.

Minerva: Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic/defensive warfare.

The Morrígan: Irish mythology. Associated with war and fate, especially foretelling doom. death or victory in battle where she appears as a crow. Often described as a trio of sisters.

Tara: Hindu goddess of protection. Also a meditation deity in Buddhism, representing virtues of success in work and achievements.

Baphomet: Deity allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templar (Catholic military order circa 1118), but subsequently incorporated into various occult and mystical traditions.

Dionysus: Greco-Roman god of the grape-harvest, wine, vegetation, fertility, festivity, ritual madness and religious ecstasy.

Norns: deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies. The 3 primary ones are Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld.

Persephone: Greek goddess of death, life, grain and destruction.

References

  1. The Wicked + The Divine. Kieron Gillen; Jamie McKelvie; Matt Wilson. imagecomics.com . en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 1, 2021.
  2. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Christopher Marlowe. www.gutenberg.org . en.wikipedia.org . 1592. Accessed Dec 1, 2021.
  3. The Wicked + The Divine, Book One, The Faust, #1: I want everything you have. Kieron Gillen; Jamie McKelvie; Matt Wilson. Jun 18, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-63215-728-7 .
  4. The Wicked + The Divine, Book One, The Faust, #4: When you're as good as I am? This is humble. Kieron Gillen; Jamie McKelvie; Matt Wilson. Sep 17, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-63215-728-7 .
  5. The Wicked + The Divine, Book One, The Faust, #5: If you exist, you're staring at me. Kieron Gillen; Jamie McKelvie; Matt Wilson. Oct 22, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-63215-728-7 .
  6. Amaterasu. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  7. Sekhmet. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  8. Ananke. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  9. Odin. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  10. Baal. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  11. Inanna. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  12. Minerva. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  13. The Morrígan. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  14. Tara (Mahavidya). en.wikipedia.org . en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  15. Baphomet. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  16. Dionysus. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  17. Persephone. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  18. Norns. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  19. 2020 Hugo Awards | The Hugo Awards. www.thehugoawards.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  20. Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. en.wikipedia.org . Accessed Dec 2, 2021.