Imperial #1: In Space, No One Can Hear Your War Cry

Imperial #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Iban Coello, Federico Vicentini, Federico Blee, and Cory Petit isn’t afraid to go big. Given the nature of the story the creatives are telling, that’s an inherently good thing. Cosmic stories, be they Marvel, DC, or any medium, should have a feeling of sweeping grandeur. But that’s just one half of the equation. The other half is retaining a human element, so that the people involved have real stakes and aren’t just empty vessels through which the story flows. Frankly, that’s why Star Wars endures almost fifty years on – we care about these characters.

Jonathan Hickman is a canny enough writer to understand all this. Despite telling a story of huge scope, he never forgets to check the pulse of the characters involved. From Hulk, Peter Quill, Hulkling, and Nova; to lesser characters such as J’son of Spartax or the Klrrt the Super-Skrull, Hickman wisely keeps the emotional stakes and/or motives of these characters front and center as his storyline unfurls. Character beats both large and small keep the heart of the story focused on the disparate players as equally as the larger plot itself.

And what, exactly, is the plot? Advanced reviews were mum on that; it would seem that Marvel was banking on Hickman’s name alone to sell the series to the masses. Marketing 101: lead with your strongest asset. Imperial opens with the funeral for [REDACTED], who has died by poisoning. It turns out he isn’t the only head of state to die this way – several more throughout the cosmos have perished via poisoning as well. The conspiracy unfolds on the eve of an important cooperative meeting between the great cosmic empires of the Marvel U; the timing is suspect at best and once the assassin is identified, all bets are off. There’s only one thing left to be said: “WAR.”

On the art side of things, Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello prove they’re a twin-headed force to be reckoned with. Their vistas of space are breathtaking, and they nail the ships and interplanetary bodies with a coolly detached attention to details that at once evokes Jim Starlin as well as more modern artists such as Dustin Weaver in a sense of scope. That feeling of BIGness is crucial for an interstellar story such as Imperial. Likewise, the human element is never lost either; both artists are masters of drawing body language, expression, and posture in ways that clearly convey what a character is thinking or feeling. Likewise, the gorgeous, saturated colors of Federico Blee bring a vast sense of depth to the artistic proceedings.

If Imperial has a flaw, it’s that it jumps straight into the plot without any primer on who these characters are. But don’t worry; Hickman steering the ship means readers will know quickly enough. However, those unfamiliar with Marvel’s cosmic corner might feel a little overwhelmed by the density of characters.