Jonathan Hickman is about to revitalize the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe. The prolific writer behind the widely popular Krakoa era of X-Men comics, along with influential runs on Fantastic Four and Avengers, is taking on a new challenge in Imperial, a four-issue event series by Hickman and acclaimed artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. Imperial launches in June and will serve as the foundation for a new wave of cosmic titles. The event will feature major changes to several key franchises like Hulk, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Nova, with Vicentini and Coello delivering radical new designs for characters, locales, and more.
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“I’m very excited about this project as I’m obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic,” Hickman said. “The goal here is to kind of do what we did with the recent Ultimate line for all of our space titles, except having the setup book (IMPERIAL) be more of an event than a world building exercise (like Ultimate Invasion). The art team is killing it and we’re all just very excited for what’s happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe.”
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“Working with Hickman is a great challenge,” Vicentini shared. “I love his scripts. He writes really brilliant dialogue and puts incredible attention to details when it comes to the story’s setting. I had only knew Hickman as a reader, so it was incredible to be approached to work with him and Iban, who is a phenomenal artist! I’m working hard to produce my best work, and I’m certainly having a lot of fun!”
“Being involved in this project is incredible,” Coello added. “Creating all these new characters and costumes is really fun. Working with Hickman is something I never expected to be able to do, and it’s both cool and intimidating at the same time because of the magnitude of what he’s doing in the scripts. I look forward to being able to rise to the challenge and do a great job!”
Marvel first teased Imperial as Jonathan Hickman’s next pet project in December. The piece of promotional artwork had the word “Imperial” in its center along with the phrase, “Jonathan Hickman presents the end of the beginning,” and “Nature abhors a vacuum” with a Summer 2025 release window. We now know that the Summer 2025 window begins in June.
The design teasers by Iban Coello and Federico Vincentini feature Hulk, She-Hulk, and Skaar dressed in Hulk’s gladiator gear from the Green Giant’s Planet Hulk era. We also see new designs for Nova, Star-Lord, and someone who looks like Star-Lord’s father, J’son of Spartax. The Iban Coello’s Hulks design teaser has the phrase, “Remind This World What Power Looks Like,” while Federico Vincentini’s Guardians teaser has the phrase, “Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste.”
Let us know your thoughts on Imperial and what’s coming to the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe in the comments below!
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