After a first volume, Faust Départ, here is the continuation of The Wicked + The Divine, the new event series from Glénat Comics. Our review.
Lucifer has disappeared. The fallen angel fell for good. "Dead for our sins" they say. Laura, on the other hand, feels like an orphan and remains cloistered at home. Until the day she receives a letter from Inanna… The god of love intends to find Lucifer's killers. Against all odds, it would be fans. To find out more, Inanna needs outside help because he can't trust the other members of the Hall of Fame. Laura loves him, and he needs her…
We must admit that at JustFocus, the first volume of The Wicked + The Divine had enchanted us. What could be more normal than wanting to know the rest? Glénat Comics did not make the reader wait too long by publishing on February 15 the second volume, entitled Fandemonium. We find Laura, our favorite narrator, in full depression. A few weeks have passed since the last events and Laura is in doubt about her potential powers. If the first volume introduced us to all the characters, this sequel focuses mainly on Laura, Inanna and Cassandra. This does not mean that the other characters are absent, quite the contrary. Ananké, Woden and Sakhmet are there, but further back.
Lucifer is dead. And Laura and Inanna will do everything to find out what really happened. The investigation around this death is fascinating from one end to the other, as the universe of The Wicked + The Divine is rich and mastered. Kieron Gillen, head of the script, knows his subject and renders it in the best way. The work on the different deities is assumed to the end, even if we should not expect a copy / paste of the mythology. No, what is interesting about his approach is precisely the reinventing side of things. An update of some details is really nice and makes the subject once again exciting. The pop side is always present, as when the character of Inanna appears and disappears in a shower of purple stars: a true tribute to Prince's Purple Rain !
On the drawing side, Jamie McKelvie continues his excellent momentum of the first volume. Whether it is the expression of sexual desire or the effects of drugs such as MDNA, the rendering is, for the reader, very satisfying. The colors are shimmering, the line is assumed and round, and allows to reveal only the right dose of mystery.
This new volume is also an opportunity to discover two new deities, which will have their importance in the future. We also detect a little more humor than in Faust Départ, which is a point to note. The end, which ends on a cliffhanger even bigger than the previous one, promises us for the rest of big upheavals to come. The author knows where he is going, and his plot is not written as he goes. There is a certain consistency in the events, and we can't wait to see what's next!
In conclusion, Fandemonium once again confirms the true potential of Gillen and McKelvie's series. If you still haven't discovered The Wicked+The Divine, just one piece of advice: don't hesitate! For connoisseurs, the United States already has a certain lead, which leaves us hoping for more beautiful hours of reading in the company of Laura and company!
Find all the comic releases of the publisher Glénat by consulting our file on the releases of February 2017!
