The Wicked + The Divine #12

The cover of issue #12 tells a quiet, arresting story of its own: a figure in a sweeping blue coat stands with divine light blazing from their chest, chains draped across their shoulders and a star-shaped emblem at their belt, the series logo reflected and inverted as if the world itself has been turned upside down. It's a striking visual statement from cover artists Jamie McKelvie that captures the tension between glamour and something more unsettling running through The Wicked + The Divine. With Kieron Gillen writing and Kate Brown bringing her distinctive line to the interior pages, this 2015 Image Comics installment — bearing the charged story title "The Queen Is Dead" — feels like a pivotal turn in the Pantheon's unfolding drama.