Imperial

Imperial #1-4

by Steven T. Seagle

Will Mark take the ring of Katie - the woman who has chosen him to be her life-long soul mate? Or will Mark take the crown of Imperial - the hero who has selected him as mankind's next protector? IMPERIAL is a revealing, romantic comedy buddy book with commitment issues (and bonus material) from STEVEN T. SEAGLE (it's a bird..., GENIUS), MARK DOS SANTOS, BRAD SIMPSON, and THOMAS MAUER. Collects IMPERIAL #1-4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Steven T. Seagle is an American writer who works in the comic book, television, film, live theater, video game, and animation industries.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark is an average guy getting married in 2 weeks, when Superman (Imperial) shows up and tells him he will take Imperial's place as the next Imperial. What follows is a sort of buddy comedy as Imperial learns to be more human while training Mark and trying to talk him into rising above his human frailties and ties. All behind his fiancee's back. It's not a bad read for what it is.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlikely chap becomes superhero’s successor

This comic collection deals with Mark McConnell who is chosen by Imperial, a comic book hero, to succeed him when his time comes. Mark is getting married to Katie, his girlfriend. The collection goes through his training and Imperial’s development as a character.

There’s a certain amount of humour here and it is quite well-illustrated.

Recommended to those who like a bit of fun – and some moral attached

[Momreadstoomuch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imperial by Steven Seagle

4 out of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. It is in the YA section and I had to remind myself that YA books include teens up to age 22. When I checked this one out of the library, I wasn’t looking for a romance. I was hoping for some wild action and crazy, evil villains. After reading it I’m not sure what I got exactly. All I know is that it was good. There is some romance and some action. There are some crazy looking villains, but mostly it is a story about loss and finding the reason to live in simple human things like s’mores. There was some crude language and some sexual situations, but nothing overly graphic. I would recommend you read it before you let your teen read it and decide if it is too much for their age. I recommend over 17. This was a good read and would help young men with grief and depression. I hope

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

The main character, Mark, who is an average Joe (or maybe below average, at least in his vocabulary), is chosen to inherit the mantel of the superhero Imperial. The current Imperial basically says Mark has to choose between becoming a powerful superhero who saves the world and marrying the woman whom he loves.

There was nothing really new here, and I found the first issue or two fun and funny, but it didn't hold, even though this was only a four issue run. I did like that Mark's fiancee was a buddy girl who appreciated him, since often, in comics and light stories oriented toward guys, wish fulfillment leans toward cheerleader types.

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I wish this was 75% gayer than it in fact is.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a four issue story which could’ve been told in two issues, and it really feels padded out. The problem is we have no sense of the rest of the world. The action is solely focused on the first person main character, who doesn’t think to inform the rest of us of how the world is like, how it reacts to superheroes and supervillains, etc.. We only get a narrow look at this man, his bitchy girlfriend, and his dual life. It would’ve been fine had this been in the Marvel or DC universe where we know all of the characters, but in a new place with new heroes a lot more world building was needed. The characters weren’t interesting enough without it. We don’t even get a good background on where Imperial and his magic crown come from.

The art is excellent however. Crisp, clean, distinctive. Power and energy comes from every panel, and is far superior to the writing. It really is the only reason to read this book, especially if you ignore the script. It's only a pity more interesting locales or action could've been punched up by the story. But the artist did what he could with a boring script.

[Bert · Rating 2 out of 5]

A flimsy story that barely makes it to the end. Regular guy gets selected to be the new incarnation of a superhero, etcetera etcetera. Some attempts at avoiding the usual tropes, but mostly this is well-worn territory.

[Nore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlikable protagonist, flat characters, generally unappealing. Barely worth the time I spent reading it.