In 2025, Marvel Comics is set to launch one of its most ambitious projects to date with Imperial, spearheaded by the renowned writer Jonathan Hickman. Known for his transformative work on series like House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, Hickman aims to revolutionize the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, impacting characters like Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. To delve deeper into how Imperial will reshape the cosmic landscape, IGN conducted an exclusive email interview with Hickman. Below, you can explore a preview gallery of Imperial #1, followed by more detailed insights.
Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery
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The inception of Imperial came at a time when revisiting Marvel's cosmic universe felt necessary. Hickman shared, "I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe. That I was available and interested, and that it’s been of ongoing interest to the company, and that the model of launching something like this had just been done with the Ultimate line, all added up to it feeling like this was an opportunity to do Imperial. It’s come together well and I think people are going to enjoy it. It’s a fun book."
Drawing parallels with the successful relaunch of the Ultimate line, Hickman outlined his strategy for Imperial. "You can, in my opinion, draw a direct line between the two in terms of what we think can succeed with in the current market," he noted. "A small, tight line of books that readers can invest in and not feel overwhelmed, and where creators can execute their vision for the individual titles without drowning in external continuity seems to be a pretty solid model of how to launch something like this." He emphasized that unlike the Ultimate line, Imperial is not set in an alternate universe and will not follow the 'real time' narrative approach.
When asked about similarities to the 2006 Annihilation crossover, Hickman was clear: "No. Simply because that’s an invasion story and this isn’t anything like that. The ‘what-you-get’ end results might be similar in that all of a sudden there are a bunch of Marvel cosmic books you care about. But plot/story-wise? No."
While Imperial does connect to Hickman's previous work, such as the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover in the X-Men series, it also incorporates elements from various other Marvel stories. "Well, I’m kind of notorious for mining my own continuity inside of the greater Marvel one, but I’d say well over half of this is more like me picking up pieces from a bunch of extended stories that have been done over the years by other creators than me just picking up plot threads from my previous books," Hickman explained.
The series also marks a significant shift for the Hulk family, returning to the war-torn planet Sakaar, echoing the iconic Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman hinted at the timing, stating, "All I’ll say there is we’re coming up on the twentieth anniversary of Planet Hulk and Marvel doesn’t usually let those opportunities pass by."
Regarding the artistic direction, Imperial features the talents of Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. "Both of those guys are crushing it," Hickman praised. "I’ve been very pleased and surprised at how they’ve tackled some of the story beats, character designs, and wild locations this thing has. And with the book having a compressed publishing schedule (we actually moved it forward at the beginning of the year), the only way it could be done was for them to tag team it. The trick there is they have to complement each other and that’s clearly the case here."
Imperial #1 is scheduled for release on June 4, 2025.
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