The World Falls Upon Baal In The Wicked + The Divine #42
by Josh Davison
[*Spoilers Ahead!]
Laura contacts Baal and tells him the truth about Ananke/Minerva. Baal meets up with Laura and the others, and they show Baal another secret they’ve uncovered. Baal has a lot of decision-making to do. Mimir reaches out to Woden and tries to get his father to understand the truth about Ananke/Minerva too, but Woden may be in too deep to listen. Finally, Baphomet has an important role to play, but is he up to the task?
The Wicked + The Divine #42 continues the series’ race to its climax, and the story still has a lot of twists and bloodshed left to share with the readership. Baal and Woden are the two characters which this issue mainly pivots around (in addition to Laura, of course), and the fate of the other gods may just rest on the shoulders of these two.
Baal is the most interesting part of this issue for sure; his coming to grips with his actions and what Ananke/Minerva has had him doing is engaging and powerful.
Ananke/Minerva of course also runs much of the show this time around. She’s turned into a solid villain with fairly understandable motivations.
This issue also takes the time to remind us that a world still surrounds the actions of these characters, and it can and will react to the spectacular and bombastic events that transpire because of these gods.
Jamie McKelvie continues to blow the reader away with his spectacular artwork. Baal in particular has some phenomenal panels sprinkled throughout the comic. There is also a fairly shocking scene in the middle that will stick with me long after reading this comic. The overall design aesthetic continues to engage, even after 42 issues. It’s a gorgeous comic, and Matthew Wilson also makes it so with his heavily-contrasted color work that explodes off the page.
The Wicked + The Divine #42 is another striking issue in this fantastic series. Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie are driving the story towards what will almost certainly be a memorable ending. I look forward to it, and this issue gets a recommendation. Check it out.
The Wicked + The Divine #42 comes to us from writer Kieron Gillen, artist and cover artist Jamie McKelvie, color artist Matthew Wilson, flatter Dee Cunniffe, and letterer Clayton Cowles.
