Welcome gentle Beat readers to another Marvel Rundown Roundtable. it’s been awhile since we’ve done one of these but the new series Imperial by Jonathan Hickman, Federico Vicentini, Iban Coello, and Federico Blee seemed too big to not bring us all together. So once again Tim Rooney, George Carmona 3rd, Jordan Jennings and D. Morris assemble to discuss all things Cosmic Marvel, Jonathan Hickman, and even the state of current Marvel Event books. There’s MINOR SPOILERS so if you want our final verdict, scroll down to the end of the article. Buckle up readers, we’re blasting off again!
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D. Morris: Alright folks, so before we get into talking about the book proper, what were our thoughts going into this book?
Tim Rooney: I was curious but not excited–I’m out of the loop on the “Cosmic Marvel” so I can’t say I was really hankering for more space cases. Though I was certainly hoping we’d see Hickman pick up on some Al Ewing Guardians of the Galaxy threads, because that book was cut criminally short. I don’t know a ton about most of these characters but, I was down to see what Hickman and his collaborators do, even if his last couple Marvel titles felt a little inessential.
George Carmona 3rd: Knowing it was a Jonathan Hickman book, I was expecting an epic scoop to the story, and sure enough, he sets the stage for folks to buckle in for a big one. The cosmic ruling class reminds me of his East of West, add to that a murder mystery, and we have something here.
Jordan Jennings: I am with you, Tim. Outside of like X-Men Red I haven’t kept up with Cosmic Marvel in a couple years, but I am a firm Hickman Supporter and I was all in on this as this was something he was keen on doing for sometime.
DM: For me, Marvel periodically remembers “Oh we have space superheroes” and does a big story to remind heroes about that cosmic branch. This seemed like “We have space superheroes and Jonathan Hickman wants to write them. Let’s roll.” That said Hickman for me has a track record of getting me excited and then losing me quickly. So I was cautiously optimistic.
JJ: Same here as well, Dan. I was unsure if this book would go well considering the flatness of G.O.Ds. I still haven’t read that Wolverine book but I haven’t heard great things. I’m really going on past track records and how much I love his current Ultimate Spider-Man.
GC3: Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of G.O.D.s either, but Imperial seems to have a plot that is easier to get into.
DM: Also let’s not forget that one of the lead ins for this, ugh, X-Manhunt.
JJ: I thought we agreed to not speak that name in these roundtables again. It’s weird that this comic does not pick up on the whole reason X-Manhunt happened, right?
DM: Yeah, the end of that made it seem like a MUCH bigger deal for Imperial though at least Xandra showed up for a page?
DM: What did we all think of this first issue?
TR: I had to let go of the little nerd inside me who feels a compulsive need to catch up on everything to catch every little detail in a superhero comic at first, because there were so many characters I know in passing but haven’t kept up with. I kept asking myself, “What details should I have known that were set up somewhere else?” but ultimately none of that mattered because Hickman is so good at setting scope and establishing characters it didn’t matter. It helps that Federico Vicentini’s art is so stylish and cool. Plus: She-Hulk now makes it into my “cool lady with a big sword” superhero hall of fame with Magik and Absolute Wonder Woman.
JJ: It started a bit slow as I haven’t read much of Sakaar since Planet Hulk, but this book quickly picked up the pace and I was hooked by the end.
GC3: It isn’t for the casual reader, but I don’t think it’s too inside baseball for a random reader to pick up and enjoy. But if you are a diehard reader, then you’ll be happy with the world-building that makes Marvel fun as the characters interact.
DM: That was a question going in I had was how much would I need to know to understand any of this. Cosmic Marvel and space stories outside of the work of Jim Starlin are not my usual stomping grounds with my Marvel reading. I was surprised how much of Imperial dealt with stuff related to Planet Hulk or the fact that there are still only two Novas. I’ve not read any of the following stories involving Hulk’s son Skaar or Annihilation stories, but I could at least pick up on what was happening in the opening. This was surprisingly accessible. I think a great storytelling device was Amadeus Cho’s natural curiosity to learn about the universe which also gave information to readers.
TR: Building off Planet Hulk was surprising but makes sense given how enduring the story has proven and that the broader public knows it from the MCU too. Honestly, I was hooked after the cold open with Amadeus Cho, Jen Walters, and Bruce Banner en route to a funeral.
JJ: I was also surprised how easy it was to jump into this book. I only had a tangential understanding of Cosmic Marvel outside of X-men related stuff and I quickly picked up the whole factions. I think framing it at first as a murder mystery really helped. It allowed for a lot of natural exposition from Hickman.
GC3: The only thing that might throw folks for a loop is the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, and for me, it was a nice addition to Marvel’s cosmic landscape brought to us by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuña. For Hickman to return them to Marvel’s celestial stage in the main 616 is fantastic.
DM: It’s interesting how Hickman is playing with both here and in Aliens vs. Avengers. And he seems to be the only person that’s interested in what a Wakandan space empire really means right now.
JJ: I didn’t even think about the similarities this has with AVA. The Interstellar Wakanda Empire is a neat concept that I am glad to see explore more in the Marvel Universe at large. They are somehow more imperial and vicious than the Shi’ar which is saying a lot.
GC3: The only big question for me is who are the bookend characters? I’m sure one is the Grandmaster, but player 2 is a mystery I’m interested in.
JJ: MEPHISTO! For real though, this issue was a pretty strong start to this event-level comic. It feels refreshing compared to the rest of Marvel which has been Under Doom or mired in X-nonsense. The art was stellar and dynamic. The inclusion of Hulk was my favorite surprise. I love that big oaf and how Hickman writes him.
DM: Something I really liked about this was that instead of reading like an event book where the stakes were unclear BUT EVERYTHING YOU KNOW WILL CHANGE!!! This felt like the opening chapters of a science fiction novel with some really high stakes that made sense. Like the stuff I didn’t know was just worldbuilding texture. If I knew it, great! If I didn’t, then it was a cool little detail that filled out the universe. It was a book that was cosmic with different flavors of characters that if one group didn’t do it for you, maybe someone else would.
GC3: And his artistic collaborators on this Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini make this cosmic playground pop.
DM: I really want to shout out the color work from Frederico Blee. Lots of pinks, purples, and greens. Also Cory Petit’s lettering between the infographic look of narration boxes and the different looks for the dialogue balloons for the aliens was really well executed. This was such a fun book to look at.
TR: Frederico Blee’s colors really are a huge part of why Imperial looks so good and feels so purely scifi. There’s lots of bright color and the light plays off of the metallic space station walls–it’s really cool looking and he helps blend Vicentini and Iban Coello’s line work and mask the transition a bit by providing consistency.
JJ: The book was so vibrant and seeing the stark differences in the settings of Sakaar, the Council chambers, and the Underbelly made it visually a delight to follow.
DM: With this first chapter, do we think this has the potential to revitalize “Cosmic Marvel”?
TR: I don’t know and after this chapter and all of its palace intrigue I don’t really care. There’s a compelling story here at the heart of it all and it feels like we’ve hardly scratched the surface. The only thing that felt like it was missing to me was The Silver Surfer (purely because I love him) who is sadly dying in a couple months, RIP. Seriously, though, this is just great blockbuster comics storytelling. I came in not knowing much about many of these characters and not caring at all about the Shi’ar or Kree and Skrull but I walked away wanting to spend a few hundred more pages on these intergalactic leaders sniping at each other.
JJ: Cosmic Marvel is probably the only part of the main 616 that can actually change and have it stick. Nova Corps is still dead after all. I know a main complaint a lot of people have for the more mainline stuff is that nothing really changes and the stakes never matter. It’s just one big game of shuffling for the sake of shuffling. I think Imperial can be the thing needed to bring eyes back to this corner of the Marvel universe. While I haven’t read much of Cosmic Marvel as of late, it is very much one of their core strengths compared to DC, who just don’t have much to do cosmically that doesn’t involve the Green Lanterns or New Gods. I think this high level attention will enlighten long burnt out Marvel readers to find something fresh.
GC3: I’m a big fan of space opera-type stories, but the Marvel stuff has to involve characters I like. For example, I loved Abnett and Lanning’s Legion run at DC, but their Annihilation run for Marvel was not on my pull list. And shout out to Greg Pak for Worldbreaker Hulk, and to Hickman for running it back, so I’m all in for Hulk in Space.
DM: I’m old enough to remember when Infinity Gauntlet was huge in the early 90s, and when Annihilation made folks care about Nova again in the early 00s. I think Imperial has some potential to at least get folks to care about some of these characters again. And like Tim, i’m here for Buster Sword carrying She-Hulk.
DM: Alright George brought up the two characters in the bookends. I think we can all agree one of them is The Grandmaster but who are we predicting for the other person?
GC3: My money’s on Charles Xavier.
DM: It’s Captain Atom but Hickman remembers they’re a DC character before issue 4 and he changes it to Darkhawk last minute. Or it’s possibly Bruce Banner living up to the name Worldbreaker.
JJ: I was only half joking earlier in saying Mephisto. In reality it could be Starfox of the Eternals or even Jean Grey given the red hair.
TR: My first thought was Loki in their role of cosmic storyteller of the gods, although Asgard hasn’t shown up here to this point.
DM: Okay, so what is our final verdict on this first issue of Imperial?
GC3: If you need a break from the superhero stick and love a mashup of cosmic politics and space murder, then you will be entertained. BUY
DM: As someone who rewatched Star Trek: The Next Generation this year and loves Dune, this is an absolute BUY from me.
JJ: I’ve been watching Deep Space Nine a lot this past year and this comic hits that particular level of political intrigue and war. Sure, the price tag is steep but you will come out of it feeling like you got your money’s worth. Buy.
TR: Look, it’s an expensive comic. But this is a big book that is more than twice the page count of a regular comic book, at less than twice the price. And it earns that size and price point. This is an issue full of setup that is certainly going to benefit from multiple reads once the end comes around and you’re not going to want to miss the serialized fun. Buy.
Come back next week for more reviews or go through our archives to read past reviews from the Rundown team!
