Divinity #3 Review

Yes I'm excited for DC Rebirth and the books that come with it. Yes the new Marvel Moon Knight series is promising and I'm sure Black Panther, Gwenpool, and The Punisher will all be great. And other series that are premiering from Image or the new Pink Ranger series from Boom! will probably be awesome. 

But there is no single miniseries I've been looking forward to more this year than Valiant's Divinity II, coming out this Wednesday (April 20 for those of you looking back in human history that found this). Divinity, the original series, was the best miniseries I read that started and ended last year. Valiant's other miniseries, Book of Death, was the best event comic of last year, but just couldn't stand up to what Divinity was and is. While his effects have been lost on the greater Valiant universe, except for Imperium, Divinity is Superman in all the wrong ways. 

Whereas with Superman you can think, "He's pure of heart, he'll never snap," Divinity has the powers of God and has no one to trust but his own psyche, which is unstable all on its own. He could wipe out the Earth with a thought. So then how do we even have a miniseries about this? 

It's an introspection...except for this issue. This is the issue where Unity, the Valiant Universe's superhero group, finally takes the fight to Divinity and has to stand up to him. This is the issue where it comes down to mind over matter and how to overcome ones' own self. Other comics have had stories like this, but I feel that it wasn't in this setting, or with these stakes. This entire issue basically takes place in someone's mind: through flashback, dreams, or the visions and world that Unity is placed in. It's a haunting, yet beautiful, story. 

And okay, yeah, I fanboy over it because Ninjak is the one that stands the best chance against Divinity and he's kind of my favorite Valiant character (seriously...Colin King is awesome). 

The cover is pretty darn awesome (at least this version, which is the one that I have). Divinity stands strong over Ninjak as the world around him crumbles. It's all great foreshadowing for what we're going to see in the book. In particular, Ninjak is older and there appears to be sunset in the background, or possibly a sunrise. Depends on your interpretation, I suppose. The realism of the art also helps the cover stand out for me. 

We open to...a whole bunch of stuff, actually. 

Let's do the time warp again...

You've got before the mission, the modern day, and before the climax of Abram's story into becoming the god he is now. Though, I like this. It shows all of the plot-threads going on and it makes it seem simultaneous...because for Divinity, it is. One of the best parts about this comic is how disjointed it is and it makes it seem as if the format itself of the comic is how things are playing out. This is one of the comics that's cool at a glance, great at a read-through, but so interesting to break down all of the little bits.

On this page alone we have an example of that. The first two panels are things that happened, things that we know happened. In 1960 Abram Adams is talking with his lover and in the modern day (2015 I suppose) he is confronted by Unity. Then there's a third vertical panel of his eyes, which thus far, has been indicative of him initiating his powers. And then we get to the place where things are dreamlike. Yes he's out in space, but it's colorful. I wonder if it's a callback to what space was portrayed as near the super entities in the "Star Trek" films, since there's a blend of blue coloring of energy with the fact that the presence of God, basically, is in this void (the first and fifth films respectively). 

Ah yes, I suppose I should analyze the plot now too. 

Unity arrives at Divinity where Ninjak says they want to talk (which, yes, they do and it's great to see a superhero team hold back before attacking the threat instead of the norm which is to go in guns ablazin') and Divinity gets kind of mad, since he has no idea what's happening and wants to be with the woman he loves. 

In the past, on mission, we see Abram continue to work alone, since the previous two issues showed him in cryo-sleep getting this far out in space. The mission parameters were pretty simple: go in space so we, the Russians (yeah he's totally a communist but, hey, it's only relevant for a little while) can rub it in America's face. Abram gets out there, but is astounded by what he sees. Thus far, too, he's been talking to people, and it's implied he's referring to the two women in his life: his wife and unborn child. However, as we soon see...

He isn't the only one, and he isn't the only one that is breaking the rules. The three were to never leave simultaneously, but that's just rules being incredibly naive to human behavior. When you're out in space, in what they are perceiving as the edge of "heaven/" the known universe, you're going to explore and see what's up. Things don't go well, though. 

No, actually, they go pretty freaking great for Abram. I mean, it doesn't look that way, but we know what he becomes, so while his face is getting melted by...something...we know what's to happen in the end. 

As much of a science-fiction story as this feels, I can't help but feel elements of fantasy, of something else creeping into the story. There are so many themes at work here that I'll get into later, but where the feel of fantasy comes from is that woman with the golden background. It's a tough call on whether or not it's his wife, but what if it isn't? After all, we still don't know what causes him to get these powers. And clearly something exists out here. What if it's a being on another plain of existence, or in another dimension that's opposite to the Deadside? I wouldn't be surprised to see Valiant go that route. 

The logic-based of you out there will just say that he's basically imploding from the pressure of that kind of space, but again: they're in another realm. They've left the known territory of, essentially, reality. If space is the final frontier, then they're in the "free-DLC" frontier that we didn't know would be a thing. And what is this "it" that Abram refers to? God? The presence? Maybe it's a giant yellow space bug that's going to make him go nuts and reset the universe. 

Who know?!

But yeah, mind melding aside, now we have to deal with the point of this issue: dealing with Unity. The reality of the situation is that in a fight they stand no chance. In diplomacy...they stand no chance. 

Yeah who's idea was this? 

Gilad tries to tell him that they'll talk but Divinity just denies them by exposing the core of their plan and calls out Gilad. I just love the scorn he's speaking with, too. Remember that Abram/ Divinity is the perfect specimen in all of the ways that the Soviets wanted, which also makes him a soldier and one who isn't going to back down from humiliating his foe. 

Unity attacks, but it's through Ninjak that we see what happens next. 

Again, the formatting here is clever. While trapped in the makings of his mind, Ninjak is still moving in the real world. In fact, we see that Gilad has let go of his axe, implying that something has gone wrong. Matt Kindt masterfully does through throughout the next few segments, too. 

In the other "world," Ninjak surmises that time is flying by and he's making no progress on how to defeat this foe or how to get out and help his comrades. What's interesting is that he's still able to forage food and this implies that he has been living some sort of life inside his mind. He still needs to survive, and yet in the real world, only seconds are passing by. It really highlights the extent of Divinty's powers and how he can work the enemy against themselves. 

But he's never squared off against the best British ninja in the world, and Colin King figures out the puzzle: to defeat Divinity, one has to take themselves out of their own mind's perception of time. In a clever move, Divinity has basically tricked the Unity team into thinking that so much time has passed and they've been living an illusion for however long, and as such their minds are beginning to corrode. Through meditation, though, Ninjak is able to help the other four members of Valiant out, with X-O Manowar, Liveware, and Gilad each unable to comprehend what's going on. 

Part of me wishes that Divinity could have confronted Ninjak about this. Colin King might not be the strongest of the bunch, but he was the best equipped to fight a foe with powers from the divine. This could be me reading into this, but this brings up an interesting discussion about how one's mind is almost more important than the body, as well as how they are connected. 

Divinity defeats Unity not by overpowering them but by outsmarting them. He knew they were coming and planned properly, but Ninjak was able to overcome that by training for years. Divinity may have had these powers for a long time, but Ninjak has been practicing mind games on himself for years as well. As we saw in Ninjak #14, Colin King has become so acclimated to his home that during his meditation, he can tell when a painting in a random part of the house is tilted. That's insane, but that's the kind of thing it takes to defeat a god. 

This is what makes Valiant almost better than DC and Marvel. Their big stories have involved fighting, yes, but this story is ultimately about the capacity of the human mind and how much we are willing to handle. Every member of Unity besides Ninjak was ready to go in for the fight, and as we see, the two warriors are the first to go down, whereas Gilad and Ninjak stand strongest because they know that to defeat an opponent like this does not take powerful punches but a powerful mind and ability to adapt. They're heroes not because of their powers or looks, but because they know how to face their opponent. 

Anyway, after Ninjak rallies the troops we cut back over to the gang in 1987 out in deep space where Abram realizes that, hey, he can breathe in space! 

Welp, I'll be seeing one of you guys in the sequel at least! 

The "unknown," as it's referred to, spares Abram for reasons we, again, don't know. His two comrades urge him to press on but Abram wants to go home. However, the unknown slowly begins to consume the things around them, leaving fate of his partners unclear but forcing Abram to act fast if he is going to save his ship.

But who needs a ship when you can just pilot the thing with your freaking brain?

It would be so easy to make Divinity a character with no empathy to him. After all, he's essentially a blank slate. He's a machine for the Soviets to use to get far into space, and as we know, is expendable. They have two other people waiting, what's to stop them from creating more? 

Instead, Matt Kindt helps give him character. The reminder that he has a family he was ripped from, a life he was forbidden to have because it would make him *gasp* human. Not only that, but he still is human. He's quick on his feet to find a solution and the line, "I did not leave my comrades behind, they left me...That is the story I tell myself" implies that he does feel remorse over leaving them. After all, he was stuck with these people for twenty-seven or so years in a single ship, and was going to be stuck in space them for a good while longer, too, where nobody would ever contact them. 

Kindt's little touches help the story, too. The radio waves bouncing into the pod being the thing that keep him company, as well as the fact that he is focusing his mind more on his mission home is neatly juxtaposed on his lack of focus on the way to the mission. 

If I do have one complaint, though, it wold be the repetition from his wife, Eva. 

Not that this is a particularly bad scene but it's one we've had over and over again. They do something cute to humanize him, which is good, but all she's getting at is "come back to me," which we've already seen so many times in this comic alone. They shove it down your throat so much that you just begin to ignore the love story, and as such, the stakes of the story as a whole. 

Also this is kind of, uh...forced: 

Excuse me, sir, but your symbolism is getting in the way of the production. Mind setting it down for a bit? Thanks. 

And so, after landing back on Earth, our comic ends with Abram, now basically in full-Divinity mode and caught up to where the Travelers find him in Issue 1, as he realizes that he is God, and if he can't have the world that he wants...

...he's just going to make it happen. 

Though what's interesting, and a nice bit of foreshadowing for Issue 4, the final issue, is that Eva is now crying at the sight of her husband, but not necessarily tears of joy. 

Or she's just really bored. Yeah, another complaint here: Trevor Hairsine's art isn't really the best. His facial expressions here tend to range from bored to mildly emotional, and that's about it. His backgrounds are pretty and the coloring done by David Baron is excellent in almost every panel (particularly the ones out in the unknown). 

Otherwise this is a fantastic comic. Divinity as a whole is an amazing series and the final issue is a wonderful capstone to everything that was established here. So why, in my opinion, is this issue better? 

There are multiple reasons. Ninjak's introspective quest to find himself while stuck in Divinity's made up world. Abram's turn into Divinity is handled very well, and all of the mystery surrounding the unknown is interesting to think about. The story itself is still very gripping, and the fact that Unity has stepped up to bat adds some stakes to what's going on. While the final issue may be more eventful, I feel that this one has the more emotional punch that Matt Kindt was going for while also using rich themes found in sci-fi, fantasy, and philosophy to make this beast of a comic. 

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