Comic Book Review: Imperium #2

Toyo Harada and his Foundation have begun their crusade to bring about world peace, but there are pieces moving against him and one is the Rising Spirit. Who are they and will the Foundation be able to withstand them? More importantly is it good?

Joshua Dysart and Doug Braithwaite left us with the impression all other avenues to secure world peace had been attempted and violence was the last resort. However, this is not the case as Toyo Harada and his Foundation psiots explore other tactics to secure their strategic objective. One of their tactics is the infiltration of a group called Rising Spirit and their H.A.R.D. Corps.

The H.A.R.D. Corps is led by a man codenamed Gravedog. The beginning portion of the book is much like the previous issue that it builds slowly to a violent climax. Dysart and Braithwaite spend a decent amount of time introducing Gravedog and building up his character while also exploring what Rising Spirit is and how the H.A.R.D. Corps fit in. There are some very interesting philosophical discussions looking at what incentivizes or motivates individuals to take action. Of note, is how Dysart characterizes Gravedog with an almost identical motivation technique as Harada: get the job done no matter the costs. This portion of the book takes up the majority of the pages and can be a little slow since there is quite a bit of dialogue with little action.

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Comic Book Review: Imperium #1

What does it take to build a utopia? Is the price worth it? These are just some of the questions Joshua Dysart, Doug Braithwaite, Brian Reber and Dave McCaig are asking in Imperium. We have a different question. Is it good?

Writer Joshua Dysart and artist Doug Braithwaite open the book with a comparison. The opening page is a memory of the past, what the world was like: extreme poverty. On the next page they perform a good transition through an internal monologue showing what the world is now: utopian with giant skyscrapers overflowing and surrounded with vegetation.

Braithwaite dreams up a beautiful utopia, with sleek architecture, many of the buildings have sweeping edifices. There are blimp-like sky ships soaring through the sky and trains running through, above, and under the water. Once you get underwater, civilization continues with globe and oval-shaped pods housing more vegetation. There is one panel displaying hexagonal sections depicting food and energy harvest communities.

Continue reading at Adventures in Poor Taste!

Affiliate link: Click here to get your copy of Imperium #1.