Imperial #4: Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown (Or: Shoot At The King, Ya Best Not Miss)

Well, here we go! The end is here. Jonathan Hickman’s promised “new status quo” for Cosmic Marvel is at hand, and the only questions remaining are: did it work? Does it matter? 

Is it at least cool?

As with most things Hickman, the answer comes simply: yes and no. From this point forward, know ye this: SPOILER WARNING!!!

Last issue’s revelation that Black Bolt, Maximus, and the rest of the Inhuman royal family were behind the assassinations in issue one was a helluva jolt, and it turned Imperial on its ear. Nova, Shuri, and Star-Lord learned the truth, but issue four asks a daunting question that rings true in this Orwellian age we Americans live in: does the truth even matter anymore? The ultimate message Hickman delivers here is that people are going to believe what they will, regardless of “truthiness,” be they Kree, Shi’ar, Skrull, Spartoi, Wakandan, or… well, you get the idea. Every faction in Imperial has its own notion as to who is to blame, and why – and that truth is what they will choose to stick to, facts be damned.

However, that ethical muddiness means the ending to this series is muddied, too. It took me rereading the preceding three issues to fully grasp everyone’s motivations; and even then, I had to read issue four twice to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. On the one hand, that’s the mark of a writer who’s thought his story through to the Nth degree and isn’t willing to spoon-feed readers anything. But on the other hand, DAMN, it can be confusing as all hell.

This isn’t helped by the overly busy art by Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini. Virtually every panel in Imperial #4 is jam-packed with action: Skrulls fighting Nova, Kree fighting Skrulls, Wakandans fighting everyone. While a certain level of action is necessary for the story, the lack of proper stage-setting from the artists hinders the issue as a linear read. That isn’t to say that the art isn’t pretty to look at – in fact, it’s roundly gorgeous – but these are seasoned artists who should know better than to clutter up a page.

In the final assessment, readers must ask: What did Imperial accomplish? The selling point was a reset of the cosmic Marvel order. Did we get that? Well… kinda? Instead of the Galactic Council we now have “The Union,” which includes everyone except the Skrulls and the Shi’ar (both due to reasons that stem from Imperial War tie-in books, rather than the main series, which is a fumble in storytelling); the rest is less clear. Wakanda is going to continue is galactic expansion; the Kree/Skrull joint empire is no more (undoing the legacy of Empyre); Spartax is now ruled by Peter Quill; and so on. Oh, and the Inhumans won… something. Hickman isn’t especially clear on this point; it has something to do with attempting to overtake the Kree empire, I think? And lastly, the Hulk, whose son was murdered, is apparently fine with leaving Sakaar in the hands of She-Hulk for now (because of course, we have to set up those spin-off series!).

Imperial has, from the start, been a tricky beast. It feels like it could have been six issues instead of four, especially here at the finale where the endgame feels rushed. But it’s also been entertaining as hell, and really, isn’t that what we all want from an event comic? Even if it ain’t perfect, no one can say they weren’t entertained by Jonathan Hickman’s latest outing. And if they do? They’re lying.

And the lie is more potent than the truth.