The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 7: Mothering Invention (The Wicked + The Divine #7)

Devann

Rating: really liked it
Oh my god, it feels like it's been 84 years since I actually enjoyed a volume of this series because it's also been 84 years since I had literally any idea at all what the fuck was going on. This volume definitely shines a lot more light on everything that has been happening, and even though it does it in a way that raises about a hundred more questions it's still great to feel like we're actually making some significant progress plot-wise.

Also, most relatable moment:

Baba

Rating: really liked it
Wow! Just. Wow.

OK I am not sure what's happening here. This is six comic book issues of outright reveals, of people coming out with their real agendas; that, and a fair few confrontations! It feels like the last issues of a much better book than I thought it was. This is a series that I'll need to reread to make real sense of it, I think it might be a near-masterpiece, but I'm not 100% convinced. Ultimately a great serial is the whole story as opposed to the ebb and flow of its parts?

There's no doubt that Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have created something special, I just think I'll need to reread it all, to determine just how special. Best volume so far! 8.5 out of 12.

Artemy

Rating: really liked it
I don't know if the series is actually getting better again or if I'm just excited that WicDiv is ending in just one more volume, but I thought Mothering Invention was pretty good, in fact the best arc since volume 3 of the series. Gillen delves back into ancient history with his divine mythos, which leads to us finally getting answers to some of the most important questions of the entire series. Of course, it could still all go horribly wrong in the end, but I have hope — Gillen is a smart and thoughtful writer who has rarely let me down before, and he has a great track record of sticking his landings. There's no reason not to trust him on this... right?

Calista

Rating: really liked it
This book went into the past and told some of the story. That saved it from being a 2 star story from me. I like how they went frame by frame each 95 years from like 4000 BC onward. It is a history. There is a story playing here with Ananke. We learn quite a bit.

Am I tired of this story? Yes, it should have ended the last book. This story is so long in the tooth now and it still didn't end. I'm tired of it. There was a decent twist at the end that I did not see coming, but it wasn't enough to excite me about this volume. A lot of answers are giving while asking as many more. Everything is wearing thin. I think I'm simply tired of violence. There is too much in the real world around us for me to want to read or watch it right now. I've been looking for softer things.

I know fans of this series love it. I thought it started out strong and it's now dragging under it's own weight- but this is only my opinion. I hope the next one is better. I'm to far in now to bail without an ending.

Rod Brown

Rating: really liked it
I've rather lost the thread of the story now. All this stuff has been happening for millennia because of some pissy disagreement and inane counting game between immortal sisters? So?

I'm think I'm just gonna stare at the pretty pictures from here on out, and if the story occasionally makes sense or catches my interest, well that's just gravy.

Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight

Rating: really liked it
*4.25

Ah man, this series.

This review will have spoilers for volumes 1-6

It's irritating, because there are so many things that I think could just be switched around and perfect this series. But no, I can't just love this series entirely as is. It's got too much stuff for that. But this volume... oh my gosh.

Also, I say this in every review, but the artwork here is INCREDIBLE. The colors, the uses of it, the panels, every character... please, read these books solely for the artwork. It's so beautifully done.

Now onto the plot.

Stuff ended very confusingly last volume. But I liked that this one was acknowledging that - and I think we're still not supposed to know all the details. I admit, I do with this series was clearer, but I can work with this. (I just wish I knew what that whole thing with not having the fourth head that one time was. Still really lost there.)

Side note: I loved the "One! Two! Three! Four!" stuff. It was cool artistically and made for some excellent moments. Just one of those things.

The best part of this whole volume (well, aside from that Baphomet/Morrigan thing, more on that) was definitely the stuff about Ananke in the past years. My goodness, drawing all of that, and studying every culture... amazing. I could read a whole book of that.

The characters... the characters.

Can we talk about that Baphomet/Morrigan scene? You know what I'm talking about, the one with the flashes of their past... wow. And (view spoiler)[what an end to their story. I still stand by that having Morrigan be physically abusive to Baphomet was out of nowhere, but this ending is perfect. They have this showdown, Baphomet can't kill her, she kills him... and then she dies to save him. Wow. (I just hope we're not doing a Baphomet/Laura thing. Please no.) (hide spoiler)]

Then there's Baal! For a character who's traditionally one of the few "good guys" in this world... wow, what a twist on him. And yet he still felt fully in-character. Wow. (view spoiler)[What's Innana going to say...wait, did he know? (hide spoiler)]

Then there's the stuff with Laura... my gosh. I do like the whole "What is she?" stuff, because that's really been in the air for a while. I'm definitely hooked. Just... here's the thing. (view spoiler)[She's pregnant, and she says she doesn't know who the father is. Um... okay, it's Baphomet, right? I mean, right? I don't think Laura's been with Baal for a while, and I don't think Sekhmet could've gotten Laura pregnant, so... that leaves Baphomet, and Laura hooked up with him the most recently, I think. There isn't anyone else. I mean, we'll never know now, but that seemed pretty obvious.

Also, I thought she would get an abortion. I don't know why, I just thought that the whole "surprise she's pregnant" plotline wouldn't be further developed. And I was right. It seemed like a pretty easy out to that whole thing, but whatever, it's over now. I don't really get the point of that, but okay. (hide spoiler)]

4.25/5 stars. This had some really good parts (two, to be exact), but it still leaves questions. And I am looking forward to volume 8... bring it on.

Emily

Rating: really liked it
This helped answer a lot of questions, but does it really need to be this difficult.

Agnė

Rating: really liked it
As the whole series is coming to an end (I believe there's going to be one more volume?), the things are getting clearer, but there is still enough mystery and confusion left. If you, like me, read each volume as it comes out without rereading the previous ones, I highly recommend this Wikipedia article that summarizes all the previous issues. Maybe because we are finally getting some answers in The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 7, or maybe the short recaps of all the previous issues made me connect some dots I've forgotten about, I felt less lost and enjoyed the storyline more than in the past three volumes. And, as always, I loved the art:

Neil (or bleed)

Rating: really liked it
I'm still confused! But, at least, I'm getting all the answers I need!

Allison Hurd

Rating: really liked it
I almost gave this three stars because it was the best of the lot since book 1, but that bar is pretty low.

There's some of the laziest filler I've ever seen in here, any character you might have liked you should now soundly hate, probably your higher faculties have been bludgeoned into just accepting this method of storytelling, which is sort of nice--gentle asphyxiation of reason.

I don't know what's going on anymore, but it's cool since neither do the characters and besides, everyone's dead.

L.S. Popovich

Rating: really liked it
This volume brings the different elements of this series together in a satisfying way while pushing out most of the weaknesses.
The storytelling is especially strong. Ditching some melodrama, the pacing and structure were thankfully great. Everything is focused on the larger narrative and jam-packed into this installment. We finally understand the motives and reasons behind our main villain and even what the “gods” of this story are. We also see the train wreck the characters have caused start to unravel as they realize the truth. From start to end the story was interesting, somber, and energizing. It was also excellently structured as we start with the past that has led to the present and end with our main character Laura, being broken down into a version of her past self. This structure is powerful and really sells the theme of this graphic novel.

The characters also get dynamic room to move here. Our main character is in flux. A lot of her motivation and change come from internal dialogue, but it is used well. Her mental struggle and costly choices add to good characterization. Every few pages new choices shake the foundations of the pantheon. The side characters also standout. Damnation is balanced with hope as Laura starts to heal and let go.

The themes of this volume are progression and regression. How the stories we dictate to ourselves determine how we perceive the large narratives around us. Every panel and page adds to this idea and explores it. We get to see the ramification of a story gone haywire and a story stuck in neutral. The characters and even the pacing add to this exploration and make it as thoughtful as it is fun to read.

The storytelling is doing the majority of the work in this volume and the art serves it instead of saves it. This is also a much quieter chapter than the previous ones. For the fact that it requires more contemplation. Like the main character cloistering themselves to ask the nature of their story, the reader must seek out meaning.
This volume expresses the potential I saw in this series and the set-up.

Lenny

Rating: really liked it
note about this review: I drop the f bomb more than normal. If you're reading WicDiv, I assume you're okay with it. But if you have sensitive ears, here's your warning.

It isn’t often that you find a panel in a comic book that expresses EXACTLY how you feel about said comic book. But that happened in WicDiv, and I am not shocked at all. Well, here it is:



Thank you, Woden. I said this lovely word several times during this arc. All deserved.

Because, motherfucker, the reveals in this arc are HUGE questions we’ve had for the last four years, and the story gets more deep and complicated than you ever would have imagined in issue one.

Because, motherfucker, issue 36 of WicDiv is probably one of the best issues of a comic I have ever seen in my life.

Because, motherfucker, as if last volume’s cliffhanger wasn’t enough, Gillan and McKelvie hit us with another huge one at the end of this one – as we head into the series finale.

Because motherfucker, this series is a masterpiece. It is a piece of goddamn art that you read. (boom snuck the title of my blog into a review drop the mic) And motherfucker, I will be devastated when it ends.



This absolutely epic volume takes us all the way back to the beginning of time, when two old women–whom we met at the end of volume six–establish the rules for the Gods’ resurrections. One of them is clearly Ananke, who is the central figure of this arc even though she died several volumes back. The other, you can probably guess, is Persephone. Gillan’s use of voice and pacing is absolutely brilliant as we return to these women (Maiden-Crone and Mother), while still staying with Laura and the other present-day gods, and more is revealed in each issue. There are still a few questions lingering (for me, regarding the ritual and how Minerva just “appears”) – but it took me a reread to realize that if Ananke is maiden and crone, then she resurrects herself as a god, as well as Ananke, each cycle. That’s when everything fell into place. Motherfucker.



A reread is worth it, though – this issue is rich with explanations going all the way back to volume one – the story shines even without many of the characters we lost last arc – but the art here is absolutely magnificent. Jamie McKelvie and Matt Wilson, you have outdone yourselves.

Issue 36, as I mentioned before, is absolutely unprecedented. The moment when Ananke brings back Persephone – and immediately tries to kill her – is nothing new. We learn that part of the cycle has been repeated each time the gods return. And the creators show us each and every one of them – every ninety years since about 4000 BC.





I just want to take some time to explain this because it’s just incredible – and you can just look at it without realizing the immense work that goes into the process.

Most of the issue is a series of panels, of a different place in the world, ninety years apart, that shows the moment Ananke tries to kill Persephone. The research involved in this alone is staggering – deciding on a location, choosing background, clothing styles and colors that match each character. And we see that it isn’t a consistent pattern – much of the time Ananke wins, but other times there is an embrace, a battle or she is defeated. There's also character development happening here. If you look in the back, the creators show a little bit of the research that went into every single panel.

Okay, so explaining it doesn't do it justice. Just look at those panels again and marvel at it. And when you read this issue please don't rush through it.

And the rest of issue 36 spends some time with Baal, when we find out exactly which incarnation of Baal he is – and the panels here, fiery and some completely red, are devastating and beautiful in their own right. (If Baal’s your favorite character…get ready.) There were some other gorgeous moments in the book, such as Baphomet and Morrigan’s fight, but this was a real highlight.



I mentioned last time that Persephone felt like the least engaging character, not unlike Orange is the New Black. While she still isn’t my favorite (that honor still belongs to Cassandra), there were some great character development moments, particularly since we see her entire “history” throughout time, and as she contemplates giving up being Persephone and going back to Laura. It was weird to me that, for the first time, Laura broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the reader. In a book like Sex Criminals it happens often enough (and since issue one), and with a character like Deadpool it’s part of his humor; here it seemed very jarring. It seemed set up to let the reader know she’s going to make a choice that some readers won’t like – but I personally disagreed with giving the audience permission to not like it. Because it was her choice, and also because I’m not sure if the story changes if Laura is aware she has an audience.

If you aren’t reading WicDiv, or if you petered out somewhere along the way, you are missing out. It has been four incredible years of a visual storytelling masterpiece – I hope the team wins an Eisner for this one, they absolutely deserve it. I usually only get trades, but buying the last few issues of the series (sob) might be worth it – I don’t think I can wait.

For more rambling with profanity please check out my blog, Reading Art!

Dan

Rating: really liked it
I think the magic is finally fading from this series. Whole repetitive panels, and blackened out panels...yeah no thank you. I understand the point they were trying to make, but they could have written that explanation out instead of that approach. I can only imagine the people who purchased single issues of this series not being too happy when they opened up their books to that bullshit.

Shannon Appelcline

Rating: really liked it
The penultimate volume of The Wicked + The Divine at last gives us answers, as we see many events from the past, all the way back to the origins of the Pantheon. As the writers of Battlestar Galactica and Lost could tell you, keeping the audience happy when the secrets are at last revealed can be tricky, but Gillen does a great job. Six volumes in, we know enough for these revelations to be meaningful, and they cast ripples back all the way to issue #1.

(Two issues in this collection are somewhat controversial: one that has 11 pages repetitively showing the same action over millennia, and another that has 10 pages showing ... nothing. I'll simply say: they're less annoying in a trade, but still kinda annoying, but not quite enough to knock this volume down from a full five stars.)

Oh, yeah, there's also stuff going on in the present. And, it's also exciting and meaningful, which is a great balance.

I'm ready for the finale in volume 8!

❀ iro ❀

Rating: really liked it
This series is coming to an end and I'm not sure if I'm mentally prepared.

Mothering Invention was a long, emotionally draining mindfuck of a volume. Probably my fave, too.