The latest Marvel cosmic event, Imperial, got off to a hot start with the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda kicking off a massive war. With the all the major powers now against Wakanda there is a lot of questions as to what the empire led by Black Panther will do. There is also the question around why they seemingly targeted all the leaders of the major powers of the Marvel Universe. Given all the questions surround this cosmic event where will things go next? Let’s find out with Imperial #2.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterers: Cory Petit and Ariana Maher
IMPERIAL #2 SOLICITATION
“Part two of a four-part Marvel cosmic event! Against the fallout of someone mysteriously killing the rulers of the Marvel galactic empires, the fires of war are lit! As that conflict simmers, NOVA and STAR-LORD race to discover who is behind all these evil acts – a journey that takes them to the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
There was certainly no time wasted for the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda to feel the full force of the Marvel Universe coming down on them. Imperial #2 going all in on the war between Wakanda and the other cosmic powers is not at all surprising. This was expected after a Wakandan publicly assassinated Star-Lord’s father. While all the action this resulted in brought the excitement, the true interest is finding out the why behind this event.
As we see with the opening of Imperial #2, there is someone behind the scenes that is manipulating the cosmic events currently going on. Having a greater mastermind behind this event creates a lot of questions about who they are and what their endgame is. It is an easy trope to lean on that Jonathan Hickman nails by making the character hiding in the shadows dialogue strong. They sound like a mastermind needs to sound. That is so key to make a trope not just lean on being a trope and let this angle have character.
From there we see things fully kick off as all the cosmic powers battle against Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini do a great job at getting down the vibe that the entire universe is coming after Wakanda. The battle is chaotic with the use of spacing during the battles really standing out. There is a feeling that no angle is out of the question for how all the different armies are attacking. Even when things get chaotic you are always aware this is going on in the openness of space.
The chaos helped the narrative of the Wakanda’s not understanding why they are being targeted by all the powers of the Marvel Universe. While they didn’t know what was going on they certainly showed by Wakanda is currently the top dog of universal powers. Seeing how the Kree-Skrull, Shi’ar, and others struggled to break through Wakanda’s defense was enough to put this over.
The power shown by Wakanda provided the perfect set-up for the obvious Skrull turn to hit as a surprise when it did. It was only a matter of time before the Skrull took back their spot as the #1 villain group in the Marvel cosmic side of things. Their threat level has been diminished for far too long. For as impressive as it is for Hulkling to unite the Kree and Skrull that alliance was bound to break. Doing so during a big event is the only way it could break to thrust the Skrull back into prominence.
Hickman does a good job at splitting up everyone so when we have the big Skrull turn we end up with different combinations of characters. The Star-Lord, Nova, and Shuri trio in particular stood out as the ones to watch moving forward. This was very much the get things done trio as they are the ones who figure out that someone framed Wakanda. It sets them up to be the detective trio uncovering the true mastermind while Black Panther, Hulk and others are the heavy hitters for the big action sequences.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Imperial #2 continues the hype established by the debut issue and increases it. Jonathan Hickman, Iban Coello, and Federico Vicentini go all out with delivering a true cosmic war as it was Wakanda vs the Marvel Universe. The chaos this battle brought made the fights, team-ups, and reveals even more exciting to see all play out. It all comes together for what really feels like the premiere Marvel event that will change the game for this universe.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
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