“Oh, the first act of this game is always the same… someone has to die.”
– Imperial #1
As a Jonathan Hickman diehard, the past three years have been a fascinating time. Not counting Three Worlds/Three Moons (which requires its own, separate context entirely), it’s been an exciting time between Ultimate Invasion, G.O.D.S. (which sadly ended too soon), Ultimate Spider-Man, and Aliens vs. Avengers.
Yet, as I read these things, something is missing in Ultimate Spider-Man that you can find in Ultimate Invasion and Aliens vs. Avengers. Hickman, to me, is a writer who cares more about the grandiose universe, rather than the vast majority of others who have an interest in the various specks of dust that make up the universe. It’s why Ultimate Spider-Man works in bits and pieces– through Gwen and Harry (and occasionally Ben and Jonah), he taps into that wider tapestry, but through Peter, he’s stuck in the dust. Comparatively, Ultimate Invasion and Aliens vs. Avengers both work. Both feel like classic Hickman, because he’s viewing the grandiose universe once more, with that being the focus, even as he lays some incredible character work.
He’s admitted that he’s a ‘plot guy’, not a ‘character guy’, because character guys are a dime a dozen. It’s what sets him apart.
Even so, reading Ultimate Spider-Man has been a joy (for the most part). But there’s always that itch in the back of my head. Similar to Ultimate Peter’s itch that he is destined for something greater, the itch of the Jonathan Hickman I know, whose essence seems to be mostly missing from that book. The one who wrote the saga that spanned from Secret Warriors to Secret Wars and House of X/Powers of X.
When Imperial got announced, I could feel it creeping up my spine as the hairs on my body started to slowly rise with guarded anticipation. Was the Hickman I loved coming back?
And now that I’ve read Imperial #1, I can say with confidence that yes, this is that Hickman.
He’s not alone of course, he’s joined by Iban Coello (interior artist on Fantastic Four, written by Ryan North, and Venom War, written by Al Ewing) and Federico Vicentini (interior artist on Miles Morales: Spider-Man, written by Cody Ziglar), who have roughly an even split when it comes to illustrating the book. Colors are provided by Federico Blee, with letters by Cory Petit.
Even in a book with two artists, the beautiful thing about both Coello and Vicentini is their kineticism. They’re able to handle emotion expertly, but when the adrenaline kicks in and everything gets to shift into high gear, this is when they’re able to truly shine, and it’s awesome that this book manages to do both.
“Nature abhors a vacuum.”
– Imperial #1
A lot is going on in the first issue. If you go all the way back to Secret Warriors, so much of Hickman’s tenure at Marvel is about the big game being played, schemes within schemes, with the players being those who hold power in institutions that govern us in some fashion. Imperial plays into this, of course, it does. Four leaders of union worlds have been murdered, specifically, poisoned, and the players are trying to figure out exactly who’s been doing it.
There’s a real beauty in the page economy of it all. Marvel’s grasp on pop culture at large means you know at least a few characters here, with the rest being B-listers at best, and yet the story being told doesn’t require you to know much of anything at all. Hickman, paired with Coello and Vicentini’s portrayal of these characters divulges you with enough information to follow the story and makes them all distinct while simultaneously doing world-building and advancing the plot. Of course, if you have the knowledge going into it, it’s a more rewarding experience, and some of the setups for reveals later in the issue become more apparent, but it’s all the better for it. This is a writer who wants you to figure things out as you go, not one who’ll pull a fast one on you and leave you dazed.
Speaking of figuring things out as you go, I really dug how Hickman leaves breadcrumbs for you to follow. It makes every reveal that happens so much more satisfying, even if some of them do feel like red herrings, and I can’t wait to see where he, Coello, and Vicentini take us next as we tour through the cosmos.
I, for one, am personally excited to see where Nova and Star-Lord’s investigation leads us more than anything. Bring it.
