It looks like the “Mothering Invention” arc is coming to a close, and with it comes revelations, drama, and the promise of more of both. This series is hitting the home stretch, and the plans of the gods to stop the Great Darkness, themselves, and each other are hitting the final stages. Woden, Minerva, and the Norns are working to find the others while Persephone continues to implode for various reasons, leading to some pretty interesting consequences.

This book, as good as it is, can be a bit hard to follow sometimes. This issue, as all of the plans and motivations of these characters come to a head, gets a bit convoluted. Trying to follow all of the disparate threads can be a challenge, but there is no mistake that reading it will make you feel good, entertained, and wholly interested in what is happening, even if not all of it is understood. That might kind of be the point. You don’t get it, until you do. There’s no answer until it appears like a spotlight in front of your eyes. The creative team is great at doing this, and while I feel a bit lost sometimes, I’m absolutely still along for the ride.

Kieron Gillen, for all of his mystery and vague words, is weaving a complicated web of intrigue, mystery, and deceit. The gods are not good, to themselves or to others, but nor are they fully incapable of attempting to do some good before their two years are up. As a writer, Gillen is full of metaphor and non-linear thought in this issue, and despite the disparate pieces, it all feels connected and it all feels like a beautiful nightmare.

Jamie McKelvie, as has been said before, needs to be mentioned in all conversations as one of the best artists in modern comics. His pairing with Matt Wilson is nothing short of breathtaking, and even in a calmer issue like this one, everything pops, with clear, confident lines and gorgeous colors. Clayton Cowles’ lettering work is the icing on the cake, with some of the most diverse work I’ve seen in comics nowadays.

Creative choices have lead this book down a road, and that road has garnered them the reputation for creating one of the most gorgeous, intricate, and fascinating books currently on the market. This is a bad place to jump in, but those who know this book, or have at least heard about it, know that this is a book that is really too good to pass up.

Creative Team:  Kieron Gillen (writer), Jamie McKelvie (artist)
Publisher:  Image Comics
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