ImagineFX

Comic round-up

The storyline is Star Wars-lite, but the artwork and script shine through

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Set 65 million years in the past, Empress feels like it could have been tagged “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” as Mark Millar and Star Wars artist Stuart Immonen create a high-octane space opera with maniacal despots, dinosaur death matches and highimpact spaceship chases.

As Queen Emporia and her children attempt to flee from the evil King Morax with the help of her bodyguard Dane, there’s more than a hint of A New Hope in this comic published by Icon/Marvel/Millarworl­d. Millar’s rapid fire, ultra-lean script enables Immonen to give the story an electrifyi­ng pace thanks to some truly stunning visuals. His figure work is exceptiona­l, with the subtlest of cartoonine­ss to the facial expression­s giving every panel a sense of depth and emotion, without relying on histrionic­s. The detailed designs of the ships and landscapes are also truly breathtaki­ng and a sign of how much the artist has upped his game by working on Marvel’s flagship titles.

With Empress, Millar is continuing to confound his critics by creating a book that’s both a perfect example of his distinctiv­e style, but also a million miles away from the clichéd expectatio­ns that come with it. A return to Marvel’s Icon imprint sees him work in a more mainstream tone like Ultimates or his underrated Fantastic Four run, than the throwback tales of Huck and Starlight or the selfaware world of Jupiter’s Legacy, and in doing so he has created one of his best books in years.

 ??  ?? Mark Millar’s characters have only the subtlest cartoon elements in their facial expression­s.
Mark Millar’s characters have only the subtlest cartoon elements in their facial expression­s.
 ??  ?? Millar manages to portrary depth of emotion in characters without resorting to histrionic­s.
Millar manages to portrary depth of emotion in characters without resorting to histrionic­s.
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