The Wicked + The Divine. Ongoing Spoilers, Theories, and Fan Feels.

[JKtheMac]

#23
Well that was an interesting issue. I was well aware that the interview issue was comming, I imagine some were not and may be a little disoriented. Not everyone reads back matter or follows things they are reading online. Although, the readership of this comic is probably not the usual crowd, and it is probably far more likely they are plugged into it.

The choice of proper journalism instead of say a social media issue is well realised. (I suppose we already had a Twitter issue.) I love the edge of cynicism that is present throughout, how much of this is a concious choice of the writers is interesting to consider. Music journalism is a secondary medium at best, but it always tries so hard to be more, it wants to be taken more seriously than the subject. So many interviews try and hold their subject at arms length and surround it all with a little story about how the interviewer was either changed or not by the meeting. Almost invariably it is the latter, because music journalists are not teenage superstars and never will be. They don't quite understand.

This instinct is captured and repeated so consistently it is hard to believe they were not briefed by Gillen, but my guess is that he did no such thing. I suspect he handed them the 'what everyone knows' text and then gave the interview. The fact the issue could so easily disappear up its own posterior is itself a reflection of music journalism, and I suspect there will be readers that will hate this for that very reason. I can guarantee Gillen has sleepless nights worrying the whole series will disappear into a similar place. I think it is safe from that fate, although Imperial Phase may be about that very thing.

Oh, and the art is amazing, I guess it needed to be as the issue seems to have been born out of the idea of getting Wada to do the book. I am less impressed with the design. It does a passable job of pastiche but I wanted it to push a bit at the bounds of the form, I guess that is a tricky balance, magazine design is a very different beast, and more developed and accomplished than comic design.