The Wicked + The Divine Compendium

The Wicked + The Divine #1-9

by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (illustrator)

“The Wicked + The Divine is about art, creativity and living to the fullest, but mainly about death.” —USA Today

The critically acclaimed, compulsively page-turning, urban fantasy series returns in its definitive edition, collecting the complete story in one binge-ready volume.

Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead.

A world where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever.

The critical and commercial smash by the team behind Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM has its entire story collected in this single volume.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Mythology

1448 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2025

About the author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3: Commercial Suicide
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 4: Rising Action
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 5: Imperial Phase, Part 1
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 6: Imperial Phase, Part 2
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 7: Mothering Invention
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 8: Old Is the New New
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 9: "Okay"

[Devin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not for me whatsoever.

The dialogue was very cringe and immature. I felt like I was reading a CW comic.

One quote for example that was eye roll inducing “Please. The Empress Of Stupid Is Annoying Me”, or directly right after that “I See A Wannabe Who’s Never Got Past The Bowie In Her Parents Embarrassingly Retro Record Collection”.

This was all just so cringe. I don’t understand the praise. Who knows.

I dropped after the first few issues.

This is a DO NOT RECOMMEND FROM ME

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent Reads: The Wicked + The Divine Compendium. All of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's epic collected. 12 gods, 2 years, and millennia of lies to untangle. Laura's story takes her from fangirl to god to destroyer to avenger, and at last, home. Not everyone gets out alive, but the world changes.

[André Habet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I’ve read this in one go. I finish it as with so much else this last month, this last year, with this sense of death’s closeness. I can reach out and it’s in my hand.

Alive. Unalive. Very close to one another. Sisters.

I fear dying but not more than I fear living without love. One is inevitable. The other a choice. I choose

[Ylenia Damiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4

Ive never in life read a book like this before. This is a complete set from start to finish. We have underdogs, we have villain backstories - we have mythology - we have intergenerational trauma. The best part sweetened towards the very end with a murder mystery :)

[Lucsbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had gigantic expectations for "The Wicked The Divine" after seeing it around for years and having had the chance to read the first volume and loving it. I was in cloud nine at the chance to read the entire omnibus and then went through the entire rollercoaster of emotions: requesting it, immediately getting declined and then by pure luck on a day where I was avoiding doing something productive and couldn't find anything else to read (amongst the hundreds of books in my physical tbr), I saw it was available to download. So what was all that for, Edelweiss?

Turns out it had been protection disguised as rejection (my apologies to Edelweiss) because wtf was this?

The original prompt was not the most original ever, but the main characters and their arcs and choices seemed to be. That was until I got to the first load of writer's notes.

If you do consider getting this edition, get the physical version because then you can go back and forward and notice all the wonderful details that the writer points out and elaborates on. If you are passionate about the series or the behind-the-scenes, they're an absolute treasure trove. Unfortunately, those same notes were where a joke about self-pleasure gave me the ick, and I became unable to forget it and see the story in the same way from then on.

Suddenly, the characters' influences looked more like rip-offs of real artists. Amaterasu (and the Morrigan) as Florence and the Machine, Luci is interchangeable with the one from Sandman (another graphic novel that I can no longer touch with a ten-foot pole), Sekhmet is a copy and paste of Rihanna, Baal is straight out of the TV show Empire and so on. What before was only inspiration suddenly felt voyeuristic and exploitative, a way for these men to enact their fantasies.

The writers use the excuse that this is a story about "problematic people doing problematic things", but I think that is a cop out for a bunch of men to put women and people of colour through their violent fantasies and get paid for it. And because certain communities get so little representation, humiliation gets passed on as acceptance into the mainstream and men like these get to get rich and be called trailblazers and social justice warriors.

This could have been such a cool exploration of the price of fame, elitism in the entertainment industry, trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms, but it ends up being a circle jerk around female suffering disguised as empowerment and representation.

I got tired of seeing women getting beaten, cheated on and abused and still have to run back and end up in bed with those same men who then get to redeem themselves through them. I got tired of the angry, animalistic black characters trope. I got tired of not being able to call none of that out because the puppet master was a woman.

Not even the teen character was exempt from that, and the way that women are drawn in comparison to men is disgusting, but because the authors call out their sexualization, somehow that makes them exempt from perpetuating those same problems through their work.

If there is any actual growth (spoiler alert, not all of them die in two years), I don't care to know about it, I only regret not having DNF'ed this before I read 600 out of the almost 2000 pages.

Take me back to my female authors, I wish I had never laid eyes on this ridiculous thing.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Simon and Schuster and Image Comics for this DRC.

[Amelia L · Rating 5 out of 5]

once again, we return.
so. i've technically already read this entire comic multiple times, because it's so close to my heart creatively and it's the kind of comic that i think rewards rereading. i picked it up this time because (a) the full compendium just came out, which has everything except the xmas issue and the funnies, which is so sad but fair, and (b) a lovely close friend of mine texted me to say she picked up the whole series at the library and i went absolutely feral.
i love this book. i still remember picking up the first collected edition YEARS ago at powells (which is gorgeous physically, by the way, and has all of gillen's writers notes in the back for all the issues in it) and just being absolutely captivated by jamie mckelvie's art, matt wilson's amazing coloring, and kieron gillen's writing. this book is truly a collaboration of greats, which only became more obvious as the series continued. it was really rewarding to see how much the art develops over the book (i won't spoil anything, but there's one very early sequence that ends up repeated much later in the series, and rather than saving time and effort, mckelvie completely redrew it because he couldn't bear to have 4-year-old art in a current book, and that's just one example of the truly gargantuan amount of effort and care that went into this book).
i will stand by my claims that this comic is a masterpiece of artistic collaboration and i will never stop recommending it to anyone who will listen. the creators really push the boundaries of what comics can be used to do by taking advantages of its strengths, and as much as i would love to see a wicdiv tv series or other media, i don't think anything could live up to the comic because of the pure medium-specificity.
i love all the characters in wicdiv--not because i Like all of them, but because they're all written and drawn and brought to life with such care. the ending really does all of them justice (which means Very different things for very different characters), and even the first time i read the series, before i had really grasped the actual plot, i was in love with half of them. special shoutouts to dio, inanna, cassandra, and OF COURSE, the comic's lead, laura.
they don't hold your hand too much through the plot--imo wicdiv is not something you can read Super Casually, since absolutely everything is relevant in both main issues and specials, and comes back in the end (often for purposes of twisting the knife. i'm thinking of not happily anything here because that's the most relevant for my current fragile state, iykyk). this readthrough was honestly the first time that i felt like i could actually Explain the plot to someone else, especially because i read the whole thing with gillen's writers notes side by side which was soo fun (not something i would recommend to someone who is reading for the first time, though since they often spoil things that will happen later in the same issue).
the book's themes of celebrity and worship and identity and love and sacrifice are so so resonant throughout the entirety, and every character embodies a different perspective, down to the final issues. which, BY THE WAY, absolutely shattered me even on a reread when i remembered exactly what was going to happen. this isn't the first time i've come back to wicdiv and it definitely won't be the last.
i love you. i'll miss you.

[Jays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Wicked + Divine during its initial run and really enjoyed it, but really wanted to go back to it and read it all the way through as a finished product, rather than a years-long collection of chapters. I'm glad I did, because it did change the way I engaged with the story in the long run.

On the plus side, reading it as a completed body of work does improve the story - it has much more cohesion and the character development feels far more natural, particularly given that the story occasionally jumps forward in time by weeks or months. Reading it issue by issue I remember wondering if the authors were maybe losing the thread a bit. I didn't have the same experience reading it now.

Unfortunately, I still think the writing does at times veer off from the sensible. Gillen sometimes tries too hard to make the revelations feel bigger than they are or somehow more cosmic. He's got a bit of Grant Morrison in him and his big Morrison-esque epic swings don't always connect for me. For example, I'm still only half sure I even understand the motivations of the primary bad guy or how the backstory of the Gods even happened, despite several scenes depicting it all. Characters sometimes speak to obliquely to really communicate what is happening. I wish he would drop some of his rhetorical flourishes and just tell the story sometimes.

McKelvie's art is still incredible. I can understand if it may come off as too simplistic for some tastes - he favors realism over stylistic choices - but I appreciate how human he is able to make every character. Facial expressions, actions, gestures all flow and are distinct in his artwork, which is no small task given the sheer volume of characters in the story. Plus the overall production design is phenomenal.

I still regularly recommend Wicked + Divine to anyone interested in a good graphic novel series. It has elements of superhero stories for those who need a little capes and flights for their graphic reading but on the whole is still telling a story about fame and power that stretches across history and plays with different styles and set-ups. An overall satisfying read.

[Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

LAURA. FUCKING. WILSON.

The Wicked + The Divine is an epic about how the afore mentioned teenage girl gets wrapped up in a mess of beyond celebrity drama and warehouse raves (how retro) but finds out godhood isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The Wicked + The Divine turned into a great and compelling story, I say, turned into because it was a slow burn for the first dozen issues or so. You had to trust the process on this one, the writer had schemes to lay out and rules to explain, because as we learn, divinity is a game played by 2 ancient deities that are far beyond their patchwork pantheons. Once the story hit it's stride I really came to enjoy it. You really got to learn the intricacies of the Gods. They're not the Seven from The Boys. They are layered and flawed. They don't visit cruelty upon the masses for cruelty's sake. They are children thrust into the spotlight way too early, and they suffer and cope the way child actors have in reality for years.

The only aspect of this tale I didn't completely care for was the portrayal of the pantheon as celebrities, it doesn't play a massive part, instead you're invested in it as a family drama more so than a gossip column. I thought the representation of worship as simple parties and raves was a little one-dimensional, especially when not all the Gods give off an acid house headache vibe.

In less capable hands, the story could have ended up a very generic rebellion against fate and destiny akin to a hundred YA novels. But this flawed pantheon has a flawed solution, it's not elegant, and it doesn't all go to plan. But they do it. In it is the message of the whole series; to deny divinity and choose the joys of life.

The life of a mortal can be so much more fulfilling than a God, to feel emotions the way you should. To build real human connection with each other instead of playing a character with their lines on Shakespeare's stage. If you've got time in your life for this hefty tome, I thoroughly recommend it.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about celebrity, fame, and immortality.

Every 90 years, twelve gods are reborn. They live for 2 years before they dying suddenly. The cycle begins again.

A story that spans Millenia with more twists and turns than I could have ever expected. The cast of morally complicated characters are memorable and the story hit me emotionally consistently. A beautiful and complex story from start to finish.

Our protagonist Laura goes from fangirl to god to destroyer to avenger. The "gods" of this modern age are literal pop stars, drawing inspiration from the likes of Rihanna, Florence and the Machine, Bowie, Daft Punk and more. The story draws a comparison between the concerts and religious sermons, as the attendants undergo a sort of religious extacy watching the Gods perform. That the gods only live for two years can be seen as a comparison to the often short-lived fame of pop stars. They burn bright but burn quickly.

Not a simple story but definitely worth reading.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie is a graphic novel series where twelve gods are reincarnated every ninety years, enjoy two years of fame and then die. It's complicated and gory and confusing and clever. During the space of each of the nine volumes, I went through the same rollercoaster of reactions - intrigued, baffled, not sure if I'd continue, perhaps just about getting it, shocked by the next unexpected twist, reaching for the next one...
There was an awful lot of bait and switch, and I definitely didn't understand it all by the end, but I thought where it eventually ended up was pretty awesome.

[Andrew Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine, I guess.

Some of the plot was really cool, but it took forever to get to it. The rest of the plot was some sort of pop song to how terrible it would be if teenagers had super powers. I found the portrayal of women and sexual minorities, and racial minorities to be rather ham fisted.

If you decided to get deep with it, its an ok representation of the problems with fame and what someone would do if seeking fame was their only goal. I found that part kinda dull.

There were some incredibly heartfelt moments that were really solidly done, and drawn. The rest of the art ranged from fine to irritating. If I saw another sneer I was probably DNF the series.

[Chris Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Kieron Gillen knows how to stick a landing.

Conquering the entire series in one sitting was daunting, and it really doesn ebb and flow. But it reads great in trade, which is satisfying for an issue to issue comic series to read so well together.

The world building is phenomenal (although 1923 took FOREVER) characters were consistent throughout, story hit every emotional beat you needed it to. Truly beautiful storytelling from start to finish.

[Amritesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced fantasy about twelve young people who become gods, gaining fame, power, and a two-year time limit before they die. It follows Laura, a teenage fan who gets pulled into their world as one of the gods is murdered and secrets start to unravel. The character-driven writing focuses on how people handle fame, pressure, and the need for recognition, while the art gives every scene a clean, stylish look that matches the characters' larger-than-life presence.

[Natalya Sousa · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. The concept is intriguing, but the execution didn’t work for me. The dialogue frequently felt immature, pulling me out of the story, and the characters lacked originality, reading more like riffs on existing pop-culture figures than fully realized individuals. A lot of potential, but not enough depth to keep me going.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great world building and ideas, very enjoyable to read. Some very unexpected plot twists. Awesome art too.

My only complaints are that it gets a bit too convoluted toward the end, and I found the answers to certain mysteries a little underwhelming.

[heystardust · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have no idea who you are. but we're going to live to find out.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve read something like this…I’ve missed the feeling. I loved every second.

[amaranta · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok!! 2,5 ☆

[Sean Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only recent became familiar with Kieron Gillen because of The Power Fantasy (incredible) so went back to some previous work. Very very compelling book and every time he made some choice I didn’t like it would pay later on in a wonderfully clever of unexpected way.

I just wish image would keep producing the deluxe versions of these books, coming to this one late and the compendium just doesn’t cut it.