Imperial #4 Review

Well, here it is, the final chapter. Imperial #4 marks the end of what has been a fun and engaging ride. It started off a little boring, but it’s proven to be an original and unique mesh of superhero themes and a coming of age maturity. So, with all this going on, how does the concluding chapter fair?

First, the official description from Image:

THIS IS THE DAY THAT WILL CHANGE A LIFE FOREVER! Seriously, it will. But how…? Will Mark take the ring of Katie—the woman who has chosen him to be her life-long soul mate? Or will Mark take the crown of Imperial—the hero who has selected him as mankind’s next great protector? Or is there some third option Mark could never see coming? (Probably that last one. That would be fun!)

In short, this may be the best issue in the series. It builds on everything it paved before it and manages to dial everything up  a notch. The issue weaves the two themes together into one final, all important confrontation, then takes the time to deliver a very satisfying epligoue. There’s no grand vistas or battle scenes, either. Imperial #4 keeps the focus on what it very much has always been – Mark, Imperial and Katie.

It’s this simple triangle that’s important to all the themes present, so Steven T. Seagle ensures this is always the primary focus. Naturally, this last issue builds upon the wedding, which makes for a perfect closing point in the title. Still, the real joy here is finding out what Mark chooses and, Seagle manages to make this interesting and as unique as possible. Perhaps more so, however, is the epilogue that comes after.

Visually, we have more of the same. Mark Dos Santos is a talented artist, with angular visuals that lend themselves well to the light hearted humor of Imperial. Yet his colors are nothing new, complete with lots of orange and blues. Still, it holds up in the end and helps deliver a rewarding read.

In short, I love it. I wasn’t too keen going into this title but Imperial is something that won me over and proved me wrong – this last issue easily proves that.