Post by Hannah Heath
Imagine that you sacrificed your entire life to serve your country: You’ve given up personal connections and put your nation before all else. You launched into space with two comrades who swore to do the same. And then you crash onto an unknown planet. One of your teammates somehow gains an insane amount of power…and then abandons you. So what do you do? You gain powers, too, and head back to your country, only to learn that it has collapsed.
This is exactly what happened to Myshka, a Russian orphan raised as a staunch Communist during the Cold War in Divinity II #1 by Matt Kindt. Issue #2 picks up her story as she sets out to imbue Russia with full Communist glory. My extremely brief (albeit excited) review of Divinity II #1 can be read here.
My thoughts on Divinity II #2? I’m excited. This comic book has a great concept going on. It’s chock full of action, complex characters, great artwork, and brilliant usage of history. Oh, and time travel. Let’s not forget about that. Here’s the blurb:
Russia reigns supreme! Just a month after the arrival of long-lost cosmonaut Myshka, the former Soviet Union has made an impossible push to become the world’s preeminent superpower. But how? Ninjak has a theory, but it will require going undercover across enemy lines…and maybe some help from Myshka’s old comrade, Abram Adams – the god-like being known as Divinity! But can the motives of a deity among men ever truly be known…and will the return of Divinity’s former teammate rekindle his old allegiances? And even if he stays true to his word, will be be strong enough to stop the menacing Myshka?
I feel kind of odd reviewing a 28-page story that is #2 in a series of 4, but, because I really like the world and ambiance of Divinity II, I’m going to give it a shot:
First off, Myshka is an extremely interesting character. She is stone-cold. All she cares about is setting Russia straight. It doesn’t matter how many countries she has to bring down to do it. While this is great villain material, getting her backstory (presented to us in Divinity II #1) makes her angry, crazed Russian patriotism understandable. You don’t really want her to succeed, but you don’t really want Abram Adams to kill her, either. That’s masterful antagonist creation right there. Two thumbs up to Matt Kindt!
The story line is also extremely intriguing: It takes the political and economical ramifications of Myshka’s actions into consideration. It’s also laughable to see normal humans trying to control the actions of Adams and Myshka: two people with massive amounts of power.
I thought Trevor Hairsine’s artwork was great. I’d try to explain why, but I’m not at all artistic and, while I can intuitively tell the difference between good art and bad art, I can never explain how I came to that conclusion. So here, look at these previews:
This issue seemed like it was just a launching pad for what’s to come. It did not have as much character development as Divinity II #1 and relied on both that issue and Divinity (the volume that follows Abram Adam’s story) to explain motivations and plot. You’ll need to read Divinity II #1 first (duh), and it would probably help to read Divinity, too, though that isn’t 100% necessary for your understanding of the story.
That being said, though issue #2 is preparing us for something big and thus felt less like a story and more like a precursor to one, I really don’t care. I love what this issue is setting us up for and the ending is perfect. It involves Myshka going back in time and getting ready to push around a prominent Russian leader in order to prevent her motherland from falling. How fun is that?
Suffice it to say that I am liking where this series is headed and cannot wait to get my hands on the next issue! If you have yet to read these, jump on in! This issue will be released to you civilians on May 25th and I highly recommend it. There will be 2 more issues in this limited series, and then it will move on to Divinity III: Stalinverse. Yep. This series is awesome for all different kinds of people: superhero nerds and history geeks. That’s perfection right there.
So what do you think? Will you give Divinity II #2 it a shot? There’s only one correct answer to this, by the way. Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!
This comic book was supplied to Constant Collectible by Valiant Comics in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
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