The Wicked + The Divine vol 5 by Kieron Gillen

Vol 5: Imperial Phase: Part 1, illustrated by Jamie McKelvie and Kevin Wada, colored by Matt Wilson
 
The Pantheon has to deal with the repercussions of Persephone’s actions from the previous volume, and a disagreement on how to proceed has them in factions. Some favor taking their enemy head on, some favor researching their options more, while others believe a path of anarchy is the best.

This volume is prefaced with an interesting edition of "Pantheon Monthly," a magazine that presents as one written in-universe, and that gives insights to how the remaining pantheon members feel about what’s happening. This also serves as a recap of sorts for some of the major incidents of previous volumes.

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Every new volume of this series fills me with more questions, and I actually had to put this one down and go back and re-read several past issues to remember all the intricacies going on.  I'm reading this story as I pick up the volumes, but this might be one that would benefit from a single (or close to it) sit down and read-through.  There are so many characters and so many twists that I often forget who is on the good side and who isn't.  I have a feeling that once all the reveals are over and the dust settles on this plot, a re-read will yield a lot of hidden details and new understandings of just how intricate this plot is.

The first few volumes could have been appropriate for older teens, but this, and several volumes preceding it, convince me that this series is really made for adults.  While we had hinted orgies before, this volume presents one all out and not subtle at all.  

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Adult

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: June 7, 2017​
ISBN: 9781534301856 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Adult, Comicbooks, Magic, Mythology, Image Comics