The Wicked + The Divine Vol 1 by Kieron Gillen

Vol 1, The Faust Act: illustrated by Jamie McKelvie, colored by Matt Wilson.
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Every ninety years twelve deities are awoken as teenagers. They live for two years as cultural icons and then they die. Unfortunately for Luci (Lucifer’s incarnation), she’s on trial for murder and none of her fellow deities will help her out. We follow the efforts of fan girl Laura as she tries to prove Luci’s innocence and even teams up with a skeptical investigative journalist to do so. Laura hopes to become part of the Pantheon she loves, and her adventures lead her to encounters with the rest of the reincarnated gods.

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The story is very engaging and immediately hooks you in from the beginning with a reoccurring count-to-four mechanism, where the deities begin count-ups, and generally something momentous happens afterwards.  Laura is a naive girl, but what really makes this story is the Pantheon.   They are beautifully illustrated by Jamie McKelvie, and the use of color by Matt Wilson is some of the best I've seen in recent comics.  The gods are all drawn as super-attractive people, so it's no wonder they are pop icons.  Amaterasu is particularly stunning, and I personally enjoyed Morrigan and how she is a variation on a theme in each iteration.  I am extremely interested in this world and how Laura will fit in to all of these gods, and I really need to know what's going to happen to Luci.

Image rates this title as Mature.  There is alcohol and cigarette usage, language (lots of F-bombs), and lots of sexual references.  While this is a mature title, the richness of the art and storyline makes it one that mature high school students would enjoy.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12

​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Magic, Mythology