Imperial #2 Review


Imperial_02_previewAfter the last issue, I didn’t have to many hopes for Imperial #2. It seems like a very tried and tested concept, but this issue may just prove me wrong…

The official description from Image:

ALL TREMBLE BEFORE THE EVIL THAT IS METERAX AND HIS… ah, you know what? Who gives a damn? Mark’s wedding to Katie is looming and he still hasn’t learned how to fly or gotten a superhero costume yet. But it’s Imperial who gets a lesson when Mark teaches him how to make s’mores: Jab it–Heat it–Stack it–Squish it. Now that’s worth saving the world for.

The basic premise – superhero is real and needs to train someone – is a little unoriginal, but this issue pushes it in the right direction. There’s a little action here, but it’s really not the main point of the title. Imperial #2 pushes some of the bigger themes, such as confidence and self-identity.

A lot of this is done through the plot and Steven T Seagle compliments this with the wedding sub-plot. The issues often overlap and, while it is sometimes obvious, it works surprisingly well. There’s a few moments here that are more touching that expected and it gives much more weight to the story. At these times it feels like its own work rather than yet another take on the superhero genre.

Visually, it’s very much more of the same. Mark Dos Santos offers some good pencils. The line work is solid, although it doesn’t push itself too much and keeps things somewhere between detailed and simple during the more complex sequences. Similarly, Brad Simpson is a dab hand on the colors but the fight scene is nothing but blues and oranges – a personal grudge of mine as it’s a lazy contrast to use over so many pages.

All in all, this is an improvement on the last issue and holds potential for this little mini-series. At this point, it’s very open in its direction and I would recommend people give it a go.

OUR RATING
8
  • + Well written
  • + A more unique take on the tired concept
  • - Not for action fans
  • - Art style offers little new this time around

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