The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 4: Rising Action
Kieron Gillen, writer; Jamie McKelvie, artist; Matthew Wilson, colourist; Clayton Cowles, letterer
Image Comics, 2016
Newly created goddess Persephone was apparently killed at the end of the previous arc, so it's a surprise seeing her alive and preparing to go onstage at the beginning of this one. The Pantheon had already broken up into opposing camps. The process is accelerated by den-mother Ananke's plan to sacrifice young goddess Minerva, who has just turned 13 (which is apparently a magic number). This results in lots of fighting: this arc is more like a stealth super hero comic than any of the previous ones. Gillen says as much in the "Making Of" section in the back section, saying "It very much harks back to some of the work we did on our Young Avengers for Marvel." By the end the situation has dramatically changed. Persephone's answer to the final question "What do we do now?" "Whatever we want." The final page has the note Next: Imperial Phase (Part 1). I can easily imagine this collection being the series finale: it brings to a close most of the conflicts that have animated the story from the beginning. Whatever happens next will be very different.
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