The Wicked + The Divine

The Wicked + The Divine
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Title	The Wicked + The Divine
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Comic book
Publisher	Image Comics
Date	2014–2019
Issues	45
Writers	Kieron Gillen
Artists	Jamie McKelvie
Creators	Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

The Wicked + The Divine is a comic book series created by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie and published by Image Comics from 2014 to 2019. The series follows a rotating pantheon of reincarnated deities who become pop stars, blending elements of mythology, pop culture, and celebrity while intersecting with figures and institutions from contemporary London, New York City, and international pop scenes. It received attention for its visual design, narrative structure, and engagement with topics including fame, mortality, and identity.

Publication history

The series premiered at Image Comics in 2014 with a launch promoted at events like San Diego Comic-Con and serialized across 45 issues before concluding in 2019. Initially announced by creators Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie after their collaborations on other projects, the title used the publishing strategies of modern independent comics similar to those practiced by Vertigo (DC Comics), Dark Horse Comics, and creator-owned projects from Marvel Comics veterans. Collected editions were released as trade paperbacks and deluxe hardcovers, mirrored by variant covers and special editions distributed through retailers such as Forbidden Planet and featured at festivals like Angoulême International Comics Festival.

Plot

The narrative centers on a phenomenon called the "recurrence" wherein twelve gods, each embodying a mythic figure, are reincarnated as young adults every ninety years and live for two years as global celebrities before dying. The plot follows protagonists including a young fan drawn into the gods' orbit in settings such as Manchester, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, with scenes that reference institutions and events ranging from BBC broadcasts to performances at venues like Madison Square Garden. Story arcs interweave conspiracies involving secretive organizations and governments, and depict confrontations with law enforcement agencies, underground fan cultures, and international media conglomerates. The plot employs time jumps, unreliable narrators, and episodic concert sequences to explore the gods' interpersonal dynamics, betrayals, and the socio-political fallout of their brief, intense lives.

Characters

Principal figures are the reincarnated deities who adopt public personas as performers, alongside human allies, antagonists, and media figures. Among the pantheon are embodiments of gods tied to mythic traditions represented alongside modern celebrity archetypes: a charismatic singer-songwriter, a controversial activist-figure, a pop idol, and a manipulative strategist with ties to corporate interests. Supporting characters include journalists, fans, security operatives, and members of a shadowy oversight body reminiscent of bureaucratic commissions. Characters interact with public figures and settings evoked by links to music industry institutions, fashion houses, and cultural centers such as BBC Radio 1, Rolling Stone, MTV, Vogue (magazine), and performance spaces like O2 Arena.

Themes and analysis

The series interrogates fame and performativity through intersections with mythic figures drawn from traditions comparable to Norse mythology, Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, and Hindu mythology as reimagined in contemporary celebrity frameworks. It examines mortality, crisis of identity, and collective fandom practices that echo phenomena surrounding stars linked to entities such as The Beatles, Beyoncé, David Bowie, Madonna, and Kurt Cobain. Critics and scholars have compared its thematic concerns to works by creators associated with Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, and narrative strategies akin to Alan Moore's mythic reinventions. Visual storytelling, costume design, and typography evoke influences from Peter Saville, Björn Ulvaeus, and the aesthetics of major labels like Sony Music and Universal Music Group.

Reception and impact

The series received critical acclaim from outlets including The Guardian, The New Yorker, and genre-specific publications such as Comic Book Resources and Bleeding Cool, winning awards and nominations from institutions like the Eisner Awards and being shortlisted in national comics honors. Its cultural impact extended into academic discourse on fandom and transmedial storytelling, prompting panels at New York Comic Con, papers at Society for Cinema and Media Studies, and features in magazines covering music and comics. Sales placed it among notable independent titles of the 2010s alongside works from Image Comics contemporaries and influenced subsequent creator-owned projects exploring celebrity, including series by writers and artists connected to Vertigo (DC Comics) alumni.

Adaptations and related media

Adaptation efforts included development announcements for television interest from production companies linked to executives involved with series adapted from comics such as The Walking Dead and Saga (comics). The property inspired companion merchandise, soundtrack projects featuring artists affiliated with labels like Island Records and XL Recordings, and fan-driven multimedia works. Panels, exhibitions, and a curated artbook showcased design work by McKelvie and guest artists associated with indie labels and fashion collaborators. The title’s model of blending pop music iconography with myth informed later transmedia experiments in comics-to-screen projects produced by studios similar to HBO, Netflix, and Amazon Studios.

Category:Image Comics titles