The ongoing Marvel event titled “Imperial,” scripted by Jonathan Hickman, immerses readers in an expansive Marvel Universe for a suspenseful whodunit with high-stakes consequences. The debut issue featured significant incidents such as the demise of Hulk’s son, Hiro Kala, and Star-Lord’s father Emperor J’Son, causing turmoil among alien empires. “Imperial” #2 continues the narrative as the conflict erupts, offering an engaging read, yet presenting certain issues that could potentially impact the remainder of this storyline. The rapid pace of the issue serves to its advantage in some ways, but it also creates challenges due to the numerous events unfolding simultaneously, which can make the pacing somewhat counterproductive.
In this review, it’s noted that Hickman is one of the top sci-fi writers in comics and his talent is evident in this issue from the beginning. However, the story is somewhat confusing due to the numerous alien empires involved in a war, creating a chaotic battle scene. Hickman excels at portraying large-scale space action, making the chaos feel real and setting the tone for the battle. The issue’s main flaw is that there’s too much happening for such a fast-paced story, making it challenging to follow. While this fits with the promised sci-fi action in Imperial, it can be overwhelming. Furthermore, a brief fight between Black Panther and Hulk is included, but it doesn’t receive enough attention to reach its full potential as an entertaining moment. In summary, the issue is action-packed but may leave readers feeling a bit disoriented due to the complexity of the battle and the lack of focus on some key elements.
The transitions between scenes keep the story flowing smoothly, but the intensity of the conflict seems to reach an unyielding pace that affects each separate element negatively. There are numerous factions involved in this fight, which presents a challenge. Hickman demonstrated his skill at managing large-scale space battles in works like “Infinity”, where there were two main sides – the allies and the Builders. However, this conflict involves the Shi’Ar, Kree/Skrulls, Spartans, and Wakandans, making it feel slightly overcrowded at times. This can make it difficult to discern which parts of the battle are crucial. The long-awaited coup against Professor X’s daughter Xandra is finally introduced, but it appears to be primarily a setup for the upcoming spin-off miniseries. As the fight unfolds, it can eventually become monotonous and indistinct.
The artwork by Federico Vicentini and Iban Coelle is commendable, yet at times it seems mismatched with the narrative. Both artists excel in action penciling, which is fitting given this issue’s emphasis on action, but they shine particularly well in depicting superhero action scenes. However, the majority of the issue lacks such action, focusing more on Black Panther and Hulk’s battle and a subsequent twist in the combat. Representing space battles, with multiple fleets clashing and maneuvering, is challenging within the comic medium, and this issue showcases those challenges effectively. The scenes feel somewhat static, reducing tension and excitement. Additionally, the ship designs are not particularly captivating, making it difficult to distinguish between the participating forces during the fight sequence.
The art isn’t terrible, but the action sequence in this issue is overly complex, and it seems misaligned with what’s happening. Coello and Vicentini both have their shining moments towards the end, but the sci-fi war scenes are the least effective part of the artwork. Despite their best efforts to make these parts exciting, the artists may not be the best fit for this type of story. This is a significant issue, and it’s likely to persist as the series continues, given that space battles are probably not done yet in this series.
The Imperial #2 tries hard to offer action, but it’s overloaded with events that don’t quite align with the artwork. Jon Hickman revolutionized space battles in Infinity years ago, yet this issue demonstrates that not every artist can pull off such scenes effectively. This isn’t a bad issue per se, but it struggles to find its rhythm. The tempo is too swift, which hinders the impact of the events on readers. Imperial was always expected to be challenging, and the second issue leaves doubts about whether this comic will live up to all its initial promises.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Imperial #2 is on sale now.
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2025-07-16 16:41