The Divine

Lavie and Co. have come up with beautifully illustrated fantasy that incorporates US private military contractors and a Mondo Cane-esque view of Southeast Asia.Set in a made up country, a child army led by twins takes on US contractors working with the local government to prepare the area for mineral exploitation. All hell breaks loose with explosions and dragon versus helicopter flights.What comes off as a great high concept feels rushed into just one trade paperback book and could have been explored in a more in-depth way. If Jamie Hewlett lost his sense of humour, he would probably draw stories like this – and that’s no bad thing either.

If eyes could have orgasms only the Hanuka brothers could do it for me. Their talent is so beyond comprehension I can only conclude they achieved it by dark magic. Every page is an incredible organization of color, design and draftsmanship. Anyone who even dabbles in any artistic endeavor must own this book. I can't speak highly enough about it. The story is dark and twisted, exploring controversial themes and has many uncomfortable moments. Definitely not for kids. Fantasy mixed with very earthly relatable problems, a joy to read and a must have.

I was all about Spider-Man and the X-Men as a kid, but now that I’ve rediscovered comics as an adult, I’m trying to broaden my horizons. To that end, I suppose The Divine qualifies as my first manga-style comic. I was drawn to the setting. It’s ostensibly set in a mythical country called Quanlom, and there are suggestions of Thailand or Vietnam, but it’s Burma, a particular point of interest (my wife’s family is from Burma).I know it’s Burma because two of the characters are based on infamous Karen child soldiers Johnny and Luther Htoo. The story is told through the perspective of Mark, though, retired military who gets dragged into doing contract work in Quanlom by his buddy Jason.Knowing the history, and about Burma, doesn’t help. The sort of changes that I’ve come to expect are made. And, while I’m thankful that The Divine is a standalone, it’s too short—and too conventional—to be effective. The combination makes for a story less compelling than the history. Luther and Johnny Htoo (pronounced “too”) were the stars of their stories, not a couple uninteresting westerners. Luther and Johnny are Karen, and the Karen are a Christian people. Luther and Johnny’s mystique reflected that—among their reported powers was an ability to quote the Bible despite never having read it—but that is lost infavor of generic orientalism. The U.S. has never been the villain in Burma, except perhaps by committing sins of omission, but what we get is the usual fever dream where Americans always star as the villains and it’s always about resources.That’s really too bad. The art, heavy on greens, is emphatic and evocative. It’s striking when used to show Thomas ripping the spines from soldiers or enormous statue warriors or great oriental dragons.

Captivating detailed drawings that, with words written, build on one another, so that, when reading it twice, you see a subtle yet strong and basic connection that in the end moves you immensely; very thoughtful, precise, and carefully developed action; compassionate picture of people, with a true drawing and presenting of the real evil, which is lack of compassion for other beings, human and animal and divine. Hits you and stays with you for days, weeks . . .

I don't know what I expected, but it sure wasn't this. I had high hopes after seeing artwork by the Hanuka twins, and I was certain I'd get an action-packed, mythology-laced story with enthralling, unique characters. Sadly, the story is merely a shadow of that. The story focuses on Mark, an explosives-expert, and a dilemma that engulfs him in the midst of the mission he's assigned (and thus the story's action). However, that's all you really need to know. It's a cliche story with cliche characters (Mark, Jason, etc.) that isn't quite as action-packed as you'd expect it to be. When it comes to actually interesting characters-- the twins-- we are presented with something that is very disappointing. Their arc in the story is an important one, but Boaz does not take them in depth. They could have been a lot more interesting if the writing was more developed and detailed.If I could rate this separately, I would give the artwork five stars. The Hanuka brothers have absolutely stunning artwork. Gorgeous line handling, brilliant and lively colors. I am in love with the art aspect of the comic.If you're a fan of beautifully drawn comics, pick this up.However, if you're a fan of beautifully written stories and/or characters, leave this on the shelf.

Great art, innovative story, I'd love to see this world re-visited. It kind of had the act structure of a movie and the whole thing felt very cinematic instead of like a traditional comic book. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

Beautiful art (which has recently graced a cover of The New Yorker) and a really engaging story based in truth. This is another example of the places a graphic novel can take the imagination. Recommended for older readers as it contains some violence.

This is a short (unfortunately) story about war and its horrors. Despite the plot not be nothing that would impress, the story is well told and catches the reader's attention.The visual is really impressive, with a mix of manga and french-belgian style, and with a terrific use of the colors.It's a great graphic novel that should be read... and that will leave you wanting more from this authors.

Beautiful ligne claire art with delicate colouring takes us into a story of a man who finds himself on the wrong side of military action and pushed into a world of two child soldiers, completely lacking in innocence, who may or may not have mystic powers. The story is about violence and war, and it has repercussions. It is not a paean to war. It criticises but also lauds the children who find themselves in wars and how they survive, even though it robs them of their childhood. And it is about being an adult and what an adult should do to protect children.It is light on text. There aren't pointed commentaries from the authors, but instead the words of the characters and the pictures carry all the meaning.But it is also a wonderful piece of fiction that well deserves the plaudits it has received.

I like it

Great read complimented by incredible artwork. Thoroughly enjoyed. Arrived swiftly and was packaged well.

Great book, a bit short but great story and artwork.

This book mentions where the inspiration came: a picture of twin-child-soldier from Myanmar. The authors then developed this story based on that. Despite the promising premises, the story falls into stereotypes. Two Americans, one is loud and with attitude, the other has moral codes. They both go to a tropical jungle and everything that happens is not surprising. It's too black and white. I happened to watch the Beasts of No Nation before reading this, so this story falls flat.But this book is still worth to buy because the drawings are extremely amazing. With a lot of details and very colorful, this book spoiled your eyes.