Like many other cosmic titles at the moment, Imperial Guardians #1 tries to make sense of the new pecking order in a galaxy that exists in fragile peace. However that peace was gained through a lie, and maintaining that lie is the only way to stop the biggest civilizations from destroying each other.
The Imperial Guardians are the team that’s acting on behalf of this conspiracy, doing their best to keep this new Galactic Union together. They make an action-packed debut that will feel extremely familiar to some older Marvel readers, most notably the Guardians of the Galaxy book from 2008. More on that later.
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Working on behalf of Maximus, the Imperial Guardians are tracking down the rogue Kree Grand Admiral Sul-Hek, who they suspect is carrying warheads meant to wipeout the Inhuman Royal Family that has reasserted itself as the leaders of all Kree. When the Guardians learn what the Grand Admiral has planned is actually far, far worse, they redouble their efforts and escalate their approach in a way I wasn’t quite expecting.
Without spoilers, the ending of this book highlights the dangers and the depths this team is willing to go, and easily sets it apart from other team books coming out of Marvel these days (few that there are).
The reason it’s easy to allude to the Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t just because Dan Abnett is the writer on both titles, and isn’t just because it’s a hodgepodge team of lower-tier characters, or because Gamora is prominent in both books. No, the same confessional conceit is used in both books, juxtaposing intense action with private interviews after the fact inset in the same panel.
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It works to good comedic effect, but it takes a lot of the tension out of the action you’re watching unfold through out the book. Seeing team members in danger and then seeing them debrief an inch to the right immediately tells you they’re not in any real danger. It is admittedly strange to see the same narrative device used 18 years later, especially so far removed from the peak of that format during The Office and later Real World years.
Even so, it’s not unwelcome, especially since the team construction is so bizarre but full of chemistry. Maximus might be leading the show, but the field team is made of Gamora, Captain Marvel, Brawn (Amadeus Cho), Darkhawk, and Cosmic Ghost Rider—all heavy hitters in their own right, but together feel nearly unbeatable.
While they’re all there to try and help the galaxy, Gamora and Captain Marvel share that they’re on the team to keep an eye on Maximus. Cosmic Ghost Rider shows that he has no problem doing even dirtier wetworks for Maximus that doesn’t involve the rest of the team. Darkhawk feels like the team is necessary because of his prophetic visions that show a galaxy in dire need of heroes, and Brawn… seems to just be chilling? Whatever. It’s better to have a Hulk and not need them than not have one and wish you did. Darkhawk’s visions in particular, while a little played out as a device, is a device I’m a huge sucker for.
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That said, Abnett still clearly has such a handle on these characters and knows how to weave small, meaningful moments into grander action. Penciler Marcelo Ferreira can do it all – from sweeping orbital fights between Captain Marvel and Kree drones to the smaller expressive faces of the post-fight confessionals, he has the goods to clearly tell the story Abnett is cooking on his keyboard. Not to mention the inker Jay Leisten and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg rounding out this hectic debut with fullness and depth. This is a very pretty comic to look at.
It feels like there’s a bigger story unfolding behind the scenes and I want to get excited for it. This is the most cosmic-feeling book of the post-Imperial Marvel line and it’s likely coming to an end before it was supposed to, which is a huge bummer. The team is weird and interesting, doing work that seems like somebody has to do, and making unexpected calls that would feel out of place anywhere else in the Marvel Universe. There’s a simmering mystery underneath the explosive action that’s planting the seeds for future stories, I just hope we get a chance to see it through.
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