Reviewed by Brady Steele. The enemy of my enemy of my enemy is my friend…or another enemy? Imperium #2 has plenty of maneuvering and political super-powered intrigue that showcases how unlimited this series can really be. All that from the second issue! It’s impressive to see how ambitious this book is from the get-go.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Dysart
ART BY: Doug Braithwaite
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 4 March 2015
The plans for this title must be staggeringly elaborate. This second chapter by writer Joshua Dysart feels so utterly different from the premiere last month but still oh so very connected at the same time. The main focus of this book, would-be-benevolent leader of the world Psiot Toyo Harada, doesn’t even appear in this issue. Not once. His fingerprints and footsteps, however, are ALL OVER every page. Harada’s Harbinger Foundation is his ears, his eyes and his fists all over this world. Their presence is definitely felt everywhere they appear.
The other side of this conflict is shown to us in the Operation: Rising Spirit’s field team, The H.A.R.D. Corps. They are black-ops, super-powered countermeasure to Harada’s world plans. It’s fascinating to see how the world would react to a superpower threat with actual super powers. Doug Braithwaite`s art compliments the storytelling taking place in this storyline. For example, the harshness and intensity shines through the central character Gravedog`s actions. His actions both on the battlefield and behind closed doors make him captivating to watch. For a series of complete unknowns to a new Valiant Comics like me, it`s completely captivating storytelling.
I cannot recommend the Valiant Entertainment books enough. They really are a hotbed for comics done well month in and month out. Imperium #2 continues to build up this universe with uninhibited ambition and scope. There are moves within moves herein that are worth reading over and over just to imagine what will happen next. Read this.
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Mr. Steele enjoys all things comics and imagination-based. Using his lifetime of comic-fu-dom for good, he imparts his knowledge for the universe to enjoy and for you, dear readers, to pass it on.
Twitter: @mrbradysteele