Imperial #1 Wages Cosmic War on the Marvel Universe (And I’m Here for It)

It’s rare for me to get genuinely excited about a comic book release nowadays. There’s a constant cycle of reboots and relaunches, and everything builds towards the next big “event” crossover. Even with this in mind, the rare project can present itself that is too enticing, too tempting to straight out ignore. For me, Imperial is that type of anticipated comic. Combining the talents of Jonathan Hickman, Federico Vicentini, Iban Coello, and Federico Blee into an event series is nothing less than a winning formula. We’re talking political intrigue, mysterious puppetmasters, and an Angry Hulk. What more could you ask for?

Let’s start with the tag team of artists Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini, who are splitting art chores on Imperial. Iban’s work on various Venom stories has made him one of my all-time favorites, so it’s great seeing him on another high-profile project. His character work is always rich with energy and emotion, and that’s on display with his work on the Hulks. As for Federico Vicentini, he’s done nothing but kill it on Miles Morales: Spider-Man, and gets to push the political agenda at the core of Imperial. The coloring choices by Federico Blee originally caught me off guard when I went through the preview pages, but after thinking over it, they make sense. There are contrasting colors everywhere you look, but they often appear calmer than I expected them to be. This could be due to presenting the colors of space from a different perspective, rather than how the pages would look if the action primarily took place on Earth.

The entire time reading Imperial, I couldn’t help but think about it in comparison to Game of Thrones. You have a collection of houses/galactic empires, each with a prominent figurehead. There are secret alliances, murder, and the promise of war on the horizon. Our familiar characters are Hulk, Star-Lord, Nova (Richard Rider), Gladiator, Hulkling, and Wiccan, just to name a few. The Imperial cast is even larger and is guaranteed to grow in future issues, though we do lose certain characters through assassination attempts. There’s enough page space to allow everyone to get their time in the spotlight, making some of their deaths hit a little bit harder.

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It’s funny to think about a superhero book building drama through a murder mystery, but Imperial succeeds in this endeavor. Hulk isn’t just smashing his way through the galaxy looking for answers. Hulk and Amadeus Cho speak with medics, collect information, and build a case to help solve the murder of Hulk’s son, Hiro-Kala. That doesn’t mean Hulk is not without his trademark rage. We see that pretty early on. But it’s fun to see him reserved and in control while draped in his Worldbreaker regalia.

So there have been assassinations, and a culprit has been identified. Of course, it’s too convenient and out in the open for the killer and their empire to be the true suspect. But that isn’t going to stop Hulk and others from seeking retribution. I’m curious why this one world was possibly framed for the crimes, but my first guess is that it comes down to a precious resource only they are known for. Even if I’m wrong, I’m sure the twist will be worth the speculation.

I don’t want to wait another month for Imperial #2, but it looks like I’m forced to. One extra thing I enjoyed was the comic being split into four chapters. It made the story move along at a steady pace and helped to break up the set pieces. As our mystery gamesmasters would probably say, “Let the games begin.”

Rating: 5 out of 5

Make sure to let us know your thoughts on Imperial #1 in the comments below!