The Marvel Rundown: Cosmic Marvel blasts off again in IMPERIAL #4

Welcome back to another Marvel Rundown! In this edition of our weekly Marvel review column, we take an in-depth look at Imperial #4 by Jonathan Hickman, Federico Vincentini, and Iban Coello. Does Marvel’s big space event go out with a bang or fizzle? Read on to find out.

Be warned there are MAJOR SPOILERS so if you want to find out what we think, head to the bottom of the review.

Also in this week’s Rapid Rundown, we have reviews of Boba Jett: Black, White, and Blood #2 and Death of the Silver Surfer #2. Additionally, we continue our dispatches from the Age of Revelation with looks at Expatriate X-Men, Cloak or Dagger, and Undeadpool.

As always, The Beat wants to hear from you, True Believers! Tell us what you think of this week’s Marvel Comics! Shout us out in the comment section below or over on social media @comicsbeat, or @comicsbeat.bsky.social, and let us know.

Imperial #4

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Iban Coello & Frederico Vincentini
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Cory Petit

Over the last decade, Marvel has fallen into an endless cycle of truly forgettable events. Thirteen line-wide events have been published in a 10 year period. That doesn’t count events tied to specific lines of books.

Some traded on name recognition. Anyone remember Civil War II, Infinity Wars, or Heroes Reborn? Others, like War of the Realms or King in Black, seemed like they may have been story arcs that were blown up into events.

So, what is there is to say about Imperial on the occasion of its final issue? The miniseries, written by Jonathan Hickman (who acted as a showrunner for spinoff one-shots), could be said to be an event book. Its lofty purpose would be to set a new status quo for Marvel’s cosmic characters. To do so, Hickman uses characters with almost forgotten ties to space such as the Hulk, Black Panther, and the Inhumans. 

Art by Federico Vincentini, Iban Coello, and Frederico Blee

Does it achieve that goal? For the most part, it does. Hickman, Federico Vincentini, and Iban Coello built on the last 25 years of Marvel history to make Imperial a story that felt truly momentous and galaxy-shattering. Who knew characters could still feel ramifications from Planet Hulk and Secret Invasion in 2025? Characters treating these world-shattering event comics like paradigm-shifting historical events felt downright refreshing. 

The art by Vincentini, Coello, and colorist Federico Blee gave scale to the series. The action was exciting and the reveals were explosive. Even in this final issue, the action in opening pages feels breathless. When they get to the end, they give the denouement the room to breathe, and a feeling of resignation. This artistic team made this series read as the massive space opera that Hickman aimed for with his story.

Art by Federico Vincentini, Iban Coello, and Frederico Blee

At the end of it all, and for all the galactic chaos that was caused, Imperial functioned as a soft reboot. The story returns most of its characters to familiar places. Black Panther is again the king of Wakanda. A deposed Hulkling heads back to Earth with his husband Wiccan. No one trusts the Skrulls. Even the return of the Inhumans, the villains of all this, sees them once again entangled with the Kree. 

There’s bits here that feel new. The resolution to Star-Lord’s story, and Nova’s new status quo, and She-Hulk on Sakaar en Nero at least give the illusion of change. Still, many of the resolutions read like Marvel taking a step backwards with these characters. 

Art by Federico Vincentini, Iban Coello, and Frederico Blee

At least the series has been canny enough to realize the nature of these stories. Last issue, The Grandmaster made a joke about how they would blow everything up, and then put things back in their place. When Black Bolt showed up to kill him, there was the possibility that things really could go in a different direction. Instead, the ending feels like a callback to a more famous comic. Having a series that seemed so forward-thinking walk backwards seems like a cheat. 

Still, the ambition on display in Imperial should be commended. This honestly is the platonic ideal of an event book. If Imperial has been successful enough, then Marvel should take this as a template how to do events going forward. Events like Gang War and One World Under Doom have been bloated and weightless. Imperial has been a rocket blast every issue, even if it didn’t entirely move things in a bold new direction.

Verdict: BUY

Rapid Rundown!

• Star Wars Boba Fett: Black White and Red #2
  • The Mandalorian might have stolen his thunder, and a misguided and middling series may have varnished his mystique, but it remains true that Boba Fett — with that incredible design and stoic professionalism — is one of the best vehicles available to explore the grungy, darkened corners of the Star Wars galaxy.Call me a sucker for space western outlaw stories, but this one-shot story (the second of an anthology series of rotating creators) is everything I want out of the genre. This story by Saladin Ahmed and Ramon Rosanas leverages the character the best way possible: as a force of nature around the periphery, a silent and ominous workman who frightens anyone unfortunate to find themselves his prey.We follow the bounty here more than the hunter, which allows Rosanas to go nuts on the visuals, and Ahmed to introduce all kinds of engaging characters. This story, with its weaselly bounty bumbling his way through the underworld, reminds me a lot of the classic Dark Horse Boba Fett stories by Simon Bisley and Cam Kennedy, which remain my high watermark for Fett stories. Rosanas puts on a show, bringing a brand new planet to life and building tension with each page turn, as Fett appears from nowhere to frighten his target.The use of the color scheme is done with striking effectiveness, with hunter and hunter popping out in stark white against a sea of red tones.  Joe Caramagna brings it all together with crisp lettering and slick SFX, that look as natural to Star Wars as the iconic sounds from the film at this point. The Star Wars books are good right now, folks. – TR
• Death of Silver Surfer #5
  • We all know that in comics, no one is ever really dead, but writer Greg Pak, along with pencilers Sumit Kumar and Tiago Palma, with Jonas Trinidad, Tiago Palma, and Sumit Kumar on inks and Frank D’Armata on color, delivers on what could be Norrin Radd’s last ride.Using xenophobia to fuel his agenda of wiping out all extraterrestrial life on Earth, tech bro Dennis Harmon has tapped into a cosmic power source, the blood of Galactus, to achieve his agenda. Backed by the Bureau of Alien Neutralization, Harmon’s hate has blinded him to the dangers of the immense power he is utilizing to kill the Surfer, his tech threatens to destroy Earth along with the Surfer.Pak’s ability to speak on important real-world issues without falling into lecture mode is top-tier. One-time Bureau agent Kelly Koh goes from being a diehard believer in Harmon’s mission of rounding up peaceful aliens like the Surfer to having her eyes opened to the chaos of Harmon’s fascist like plan, and becoming the Surfer’s choice for carrying the Power Cosmic after him. Kumar, Palma, et al, help land the plane as this last issue is a free-for-all slug fest as the Surfer is joined by the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, a few Warbound, and a cosmic-powered Koh now fighting to protect Earth from Galactus’ runaway blood and Harmon’s world-breaking tech with the aliens she once wronged.In terms of design, I loved her look and how the shield she used as part of her arsenal has become her board for traveling the spaceways. Pak knows his way around story and plot, even better, he knows how to work with a premise, gives us the Death we were promised, but still leaves enough wiggle room for the next scribe to contribute to the Surfer legend. I’m sure the powers that be will bring him back, but for right now, Norrin Radd is no longer the Surfer, Kelly Koh is — the Silver Surfer is dead, long live the Silver Surfer. – GC3

Dispatches from the Age of Revelation!

• Cloak or Dagger #1
  • Cloak and Dagger, my favorite Marvel Rivals characters, are back in a brand new #1. Written by Justina Ireland and illustrated by Lorenzo Tammetta, Cloak or Dagger #1 focuses on the light and dark duo’s attempt to build a haven. The duo is dealing with a change to their powers, forcing them to switch places like their gameplay mechanic in Marvel Rivals, and it’s an interesting change to their abilities. A real highlight of the issue is when Dagger is explaining to their companions the situation between her and Cloak. You can really feel the emotion in her face and in her words as she has to be separated from her partner like this. Pair that with a new villain duo that can be together, and the series is laying down the potential for some interesting character writing in the future, especially after a really adorable reintroduction to their daughter, who has to only exist with one parent at a time — an exciting concept for this pair.

    If one isn’t familiar with Cloak and Dagger, unfortunately, this issue doesn’t do a lot to catch readers up on what’s going on, especially if the Revelation stuff has flown over their heads. But that doesn’t mean the issue isn’t fun to read, the energy between the main leads is excellent, the fight scenes really show where they are power-wise, and the unique setting and supplementary characters are fun to engage with. The run has potential, and I’m excited to see where it goes. It could also mean that Cloak and Dagger will get new skins in Marvel Rivals. Fingers crossed. -LM

• Undeadpool# 1
  • The best thing about events like Age of Revelation, where anything can be possible in an alternate timeline, are creators going nuts with ideas. Writer Tim Seely and artist Carlos Magno do that in their gloriously horror-oriented series. Undeadpool. Thanks  to the combination of the X-Virus and Deadpool’s healing factor, he now exists as a zombie needing to consume flesh to stay alive.However, Seely and Magno aren’t content to just have a zombie Deadpool. No, this issue is another kind of horror movie and it’s best to just experience it as you read the issue. Magno’s art, clearly influenced by the likes of Brian Hitch and Gary Frank, is perfectly suited for this book. He draws every gory detail and does moody shadows well which you expect from a horror book, but look at his character acting. His figures actually look like they inhabit the space, and sit with weight. There’s some storytelling issues, where the action goes a little too quickly, but otherwise this is a fun horror comic. If Marvel were smart, they should have Magno rotate with Nic Klein on the upcoming Infernal Hulk.- DM
•    Expatriate X-Men #1
  • What does it take to be the resistance like in the Age of Revelation? Eve L. Ewing asks that question in Expatriate X-Men #1 and the answer is not great. Resistance, especially against overpowering forces, is not easy. Kamala Khan, Melee, Bronze, and Reggie McNair, now going by Rift, form the core of expatriate X-Men based out of a flotilla on the Mississippi. They take on various mercenary tasks, and occasionally rescue captured mutants.Even with a mutant who has limited time manipulation powers, there is no guarantee of success. Ewing clearly has a fondness for some of the nihilism present in the Age of Apocalypse, especially series like Generation Next. These X-Men carry a noticeable toll with what they’ve done and they’re coming apart. Artistic collaborator Francesco Martarino, fresh off NYX, remains a perfect fit for the X-Men books. This is someone who thought out how these characters may have mastered their powers in the X years since the present. His designs for these future incarnations have distinct looks but he also unifies them in fun subtle ways. Also, his environments are so much fun from the Sentinel head at the military base to the individual boats in the flotilla.In the end though, this is still a dangerous world that Ewing and Martarino create and there’s no certainty that this team will live to issue three, or stick together. – DM

Can’t wait for next week’s books? Catch up with past iterations of the Rundown!