Synopsis
Every 90 years, the Gods are reborn to become the next big pop stars of that generation. But after two years, those that remain die. Seems like a tragic existence, but not all think so.
Meet Laura, a seventeen-year old girl obsessed with the Gods. Like everyone else. But there is something different about her. At a concert for Amaterasu, she catches the notice of Lucifer, called Luci by her friends. Luci introduces Laura to the seedy world of the Gods and the tragedy that comes with it.
You see, the Gods aren’t born Gods. They are chosen to be them. For whatever reason, certain people fit the bill and are destined to be the next round of whichever Gods decide to be reborn. And they are always young. And loved. Not necessarily by each other, but by the general masses.
But this time around, someone seems set to destroy them. During an interview with Amaterasu, they are attacked. Luci saves them by going against their rules and showing off some of her powers. She lands herself deeper in hot water when during the trial the judge is killed in the same way as the attackers after she jokes about snapping her fingers.
Now securely in jail, Luci appears to be abandoned by her ‘friends.’ The only one to visit her and even try to help is Laura. To help Luci, Laura must find Ananke. Her search for the elusive Ananke brings her face to face with the secret world of the Gods mortals never get to see. On her journey she witnesses a near death match between Baphomet and Morrigan, Gentle Annie bringing a man back to life, and is invited to have an audience at Woden’s Valhalla where she meets most of the Gods, and more importantly, Ananke. She says that Luci must stay in jail until the killer is found and that it is for her own good. Naturally, Luci doesn’t take that well. Luci breaks out of jail and goes on a slight rampage. Her fellow Gods show up try and stop her, but it only makes things worse. Especially for her.
My Thoughts
This is my first time reviewing a comic book/graphic novel. So bear with me. I learned of this comic series from a reading group I found on meetup.com. As this is a comic series, you can get them in the single comic form or in the compiled version, like I have here. Naturally I didn’t know this when I bought mine, but now I do. Good thing the next volume comes out in like September. Yeah. The Faust Act only contains the first five issues. Just a warning.
So I am really enjoying this comic. I love the story. With each issue you are drawn deeper and deeper and I cannot wait to read the next compilation. Sure I could get the single issues, but as I already have the first compilation I might as well just wait.
The series toys with many issues as well: fanaticism, religion, rebirth, etc. I found it humorous that a girl who is obsessed with the Gods would be traipsing around with a reporter who doesn’t believe in them. There is a distinct division between people. No ones sort of believes. There is no real middle ground. At least not yet. There are simply the believers (fans) and the non-believers (not fans). I also love the elusiveness of the Gods’ back story. It’s given in bits and pieces, which I feel adds to the intrigue. It makes you wonder the point, about the reason for their existence.
As for the aesthetics, I really like the artwork. It is a well crafted series. For me, when it comes to comics I have to like the look just as much as the synopsis of the story. I love the use of extreme colours. Certain characters and scenes are vibrant and ethereal while others are dark and edgy. Plus the dialogue is clear and well dictated. The scenes are easy to follow and understand what is going on. Very important.
All in all, I am happy I found this series. If you are looking for a new comic book series to get into, I highly recommend The Wicked + The Divine. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy 😉
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From the Mind of C.E. Tracy 