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Empyre
Empyre Omnibus
The entire intergalactic event! When the long-warring Kree and Skrull races unite under a new Emperor and set course for Earth, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four stand in the way! But another alien race is working in the shadows — and soon the galaxy will face a far deadlier threat than its two most powerful empires combined! As a three-way war rages across Earth, the effects are felt by Captain Marvel, Venom, the X-Men and more — and the fallout will be huge for the Avengers and FF!
COLLECTING: Incoming 1; Road to Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War 1; Empyre 0 Avengers, Fantastic Four; Empyre 1-6; Empyre Aftermath: Avengers 1; Empyre Fallout: Fantastic Four 1; Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling 1, Celestial Messiah 1, Swordsman 1; Empyre: X-Men 1-4, Savage Avengers 1, Captain America 1-3, Avengers 1-3; X-Men (2019) 10-11; Fantastic Four (2018) 21-23; Captain Marvel (2019) 18-21; Immortal She-Hulk 1; Web of Venom: Empyre's End 1; Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda 7-8; Empyre Handbook 1
COLLECTING: Incoming 1; Road to Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War 1; Empyre 0 Avengers, Fantastic Four; Empyre 1-6; Empyre Aftermath: Avengers 1; Empyre Fallout: Fantastic Four 1; Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling 1, Celestial Messiah 1, Swordsman 1; Empyre: X-Men 1-4, Savage Avengers 1, Captain America 1-3, Avengers 1-3; X-Men (2019) 10-11; Fantastic Four (2018) 21-23; Captain Marvel (2019) 18-21; Immortal She-Hulk 1; Web of Venom: Empyre's End 1; Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda 7-8; Empyre Handbook 1
1424 pages, Hardcover
First published November 16, 2021
3 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 28, 2022
This was a ton of fun. Literally, this omnibus is big as hell. When I first ripped off the plastic and started thumbing thru the pages to stretch the spine, I noticed Marvel had this book mapped out ass backwards. They put the main story up front and chucked all the tie ins in the back. Plus they tie ins weren’t even in order. So I took time and made a bunch of paper place markers and mapped it myself in chronological order. Man, I’m so glad I did that. Made the book feel more like a big sweeping epic. If I had read the main story first, like it was mapped, I wouldn’t even care about the tie ins at that point. For example, early in the story, the FF pop in to earths orbit and see the Kree/Skrull armada posted up at the moon. The decide to send the kids home in an escape pod. By me reading this in order, FF issue 21 tie in was next and I got to see the go home and what happened when they got there. Same after I read the main Empyre issue 1 ( or 2 ) when the Cotati made to earth. The next issue then was another tie in showing the X-men dealing with the new arrival. So yeah glad I read it in order.
So this story stems from the Complete Celestial Saga by Englehart. It shows why the Kree and Skrulls started their long tenured beef and why the Cotati have come back for revenge. Here in Empyre the Cotati want to kill all non plant life in the Galaxy starting with earth. Due to this, the Kree and Skrulls have finally ended their war with each other and formed an alliance with non other the the half Kree, half Skrull himself, Teddy aka Hulkling, as emperor. This book had it all, Big adventure, big battles, some plot twists, internal espionage, great artwork and most of the tie ins really worked. So glad I decided to not get the singles and wait for a trade because that allowed me to see they were making an Omnibus, so I just waited for that. Great story that was a blast to read. Definitely recommend this one.
So this story stems from the Complete Celestial Saga by Englehart. It shows why the Kree and Skrulls started their long tenured beef and why the Cotati have come back for revenge. Here in Empyre the Cotati want to kill all non plant life in the Galaxy starting with earth. Due to this, the Kree and Skrulls have finally ended their war with each other and formed an alliance with non other the the half Kree, half Skrull himself, Teddy aka Hulkling, as emperor. This book had it all, Big adventure, big battles, some plot twists, internal espionage, great artwork and most of the tie ins really worked. So glad I decided to not get the singles and wait for a trade because that allowed me to see they were making an Omnibus, so I just waited for that. Great story that was a blast to read. Definitely recommend this one.
December 1, 2024
Now this was a big boy.
Empyre Omnibus is the first collected event I've read, and I had a great time. I picked this one specifically for Hulkling and Wiccan. It delivered on that and more! I've been introduced to lots of new (to me) characters that I now want to check out more from.
Normally, I space out my reading of graphic novels to savour them, but I think I took it too far with this one; I started on 2nd of September and am just finishing it on 1st of December haha
A few series unfortunately got cut from the Empyre event due to covid. But it was still great to get what was left of them at the end. Two completed issues, some artwork and scrips, and a few with just the covers. It was an interesting look into the process, even it it was sad they never came to fruition!
Empyre Omnibus is the first collected event I've read, and I had a great time. I picked this one specifically for Hulkling and Wiccan. It delivered on that and more! I've been introduced to lots of new (to me) characters that I now want to check out more from.
Normally, I space out my reading of graphic novels to savour them, but I think I took it too far with this one; I started on 2nd of September and am just finishing it on 1st of December haha
A few series unfortunately got cut from the Empyre event due to covid. But it was still great to get what was left of them at the end. Two completed issues, some artwork and scrips, and a few with just the covers. It was an interesting look into the process, even it it was sad they never came to fruition!
February 3, 2022
Empyre is 1424 pages of Marvel crossover excess that somehow won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book. Empyre consists of a series of interlocking one shots and miniseries, as well as numerous issues of ongoing comic books like Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel, so I assume the award is mainly for the fact that Marvel's two leading gay characters get married along the way. Or possibly it's meant to award the Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling issue by Chip Zdarsky that focuses on the characters in a very sweet way.
I usually hate this kind of crossover for a few reasons: buying the whole thing is stupidly expensive for me, a grown man with a job; the quality of the various installments vary greatly (a given, considering the number of creators involved); mapping the reading order is always a headache, especially when books inevitably get delayed or otherwise out of sync.
Yeah, but I really do like Wiccan and Hulkling. And this particular Marvel clusterf*** was largely written by Dan Slott, who is currently writing my favorite FF run, probably of all time.
Overall, it's a mixed bag, of course, but there are quite a few highs. Those highs aren't mostly where I would expect them to be, so this giant volume is fun.
The Highs:
Slott's FF is every bit as good as I expected it to be, and the new characters he introduces are terrific. There's a kind of silly plot point involving the number 4, but I'll forgive it.
Jim Zub's Avengers mini is the best part of the book. I was unfamiliar with him. I'll be fixing that.
Kelley Thompson's Captain Marvel was also sensational. That's also a series that I don't usually read, so the event succeeded in adding books and creators to my reading list.
The Meh:
Most of the rest, honestly. The central Empyre miniseries is okay, but I was mildly confused/bored for most of it.
The X-Men mini makes some questionable choices, but there's a character bit in the last issue that manages to redeem the whole thing.
The Bad:
The Captain America stuff could not be more basic.
Mantis barely appears, but for some reason the Swordsman gets a ton of stuff to do, and it is all very, very, stupid.
The stuff that "matters," the new characters, bringing the Bronze Age "Celestial Madonna" story to a kind of climax, none of that needed this giant sprawling event to back it up.
The reading order in the book is mapped poorly, and the lack of page numbers makes it worse, if you're trying to flip between issues.
And the way it ends with a handful of teasers for what comes next... sigh.... We all know there's always more Marvel Universe out there. But I just read a 1424 page story. Put a mutherhunching period at the end, for crying out loud.
Bottom Line:
More Billy and Teddy, please.
I usually hate this kind of crossover for a few reasons: buying the whole thing is stupidly expensive for me, a grown man with a job; the quality of the various installments vary greatly (a given, considering the number of creators involved); mapping the reading order is always a headache, especially when books inevitably get delayed or otherwise out of sync.
Yeah, but I really do like Wiccan and Hulkling. And this particular Marvel clusterf*** was largely written by Dan Slott, who is currently writing my favorite FF run, probably of all time.
Overall, it's a mixed bag, of course, but there are quite a few highs. Those highs aren't mostly where I would expect them to be, so this giant volume is fun.
The Highs:
Slott's FF is every bit as good as I expected it to be, and the new characters he introduces are terrific. There's a kind of silly plot point involving the number 4, but I'll forgive it.
Jim Zub's Avengers mini is the best part of the book. I was unfamiliar with him. I'll be fixing that.
Kelley Thompson's Captain Marvel was also sensational. That's also a series that I don't usually read, so the event succeeded in adding books and creators to my reading list.
The Meh:
Most of the rest, honestly. The central Empyre miniseries is okay, but I was mildly confused/bored for most of it.
The X-Men mini makes some questionable choices, but there's a character bit in the last issue that manages to redeem the whole thing.
The Bad:
The Captain America stuff could not be more basic.
Mantis barely appears, but for some reason the Swordsman gets a ton of stuff to do, and it is all very, very, stupid.
The stuff that "matters," the new characters, bringing the Bronze Age "Celestial Madonna" story to a kind of climax, none of that needed this giant sprawling event to back it up.
The reading order in the book is mapped poorly, and the lack of page numbers makes it worse, if you're trying to flip between issues.
And the way it ends with a handful of teasers for what comes next... sigh.... We all know there's always more Marvel Universe out there. But I just read a 1424 page story. Put a mutherhunching period at the end, for crying out loud.
Bottom Line:
More Billy and Teddy, please.
February 15, 2022
Just finished my first major comic crossover in a while. This is the Avengers and Fantastic Four crossover that actually makes an impact on the future of the comic characters. This is Marvel’s major event Empyre. For thousands of years the Kree and Skrull races have been at war, constantly involving multiple heroes caught in the crossfire. But now the two have joined forces to defeat an ancient enemy known as the Cotati. This event is absolutely massive, the Omnibus consists of nearly 1,500 pages of action packed, character defining moments. Eventually expanding to envolve not just the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, but the various X-Men teams, The Agents of Wakanda, and many backup Avengers old and new. What stands out the most here though is the amazing moments between Hulking and Wiccan. I never thought I’d get to see two badass Queer characters in a beautiful and loving relationship being the leads of a major crossover event. There is also a great part to play by the armies of the world. Marvel rarely focuses on showing the world’s armies defend the planet. Occasionally we’ll see police in the streets of the crossovers but this one has Captain America leading the US soldiers in DC and uniting the armies of the world to protect Mexico City. But there is an amazing focus on the things that unite us. Whether aliens uniting under a common banner to fight an ancient war, or humans protecting their planet caught in the middle. We have so many similarities that make us stronger when we see them. The aftermath stories that spin from this were a lot of fun to read, seeing the direction the comics are going is very exciting and I’m excited to dive into some of these new series. Empyre even manages to bring in more context to past crossovers in an attempt to make a timeline for this comic universe. Like, someone states that the Civil War 2 crossover event was around two years ago despite being published over five years ago. They even give us more context for the amazing House of M event which means lots of great Scarlet Witch action to see here (they try to say that that event was only a few years ago for them despite being published over a decade ago). 9/10! (4.5/5 stars rounded down) -Tyler.
August 1, 2023
The Kree-Skrull War has been an integral part of the Marvel universe since the event was first published in the 70s. Empyre brings that long standing chapter to a close. So, how is it? Don't expect this to match up to Marvel's GOAT tier events, but Empyre is a gripping story with reasonably high stakes (as far as cape comics go, anyway).
What happens is that the rulers of the Kree and Skrull empires learn that the Cotati, plant aliens and third party in that cosmic tango from back in the day, have resurfaced and have built an epic garden on the Blue Side of the Moon. They're so dangerous now, only an alliance of the two can stop them, and this has the added bonus of ending their longstanding war. But who could possibly lead the alliance? Well, it's gotta be Marvel's best Kree-Skrull hybrid, though I've gotta say, it's hard to buy Hulkling as such a powerful figure in the cosmic Marvel universe.
I've read enough of Al Ewing's stuff to get a read on him now: the guy is a student of Marvel's cosmic history, and Empyre relies on it a lot! Luckily, there's plenty of tie-in material that'll fill you in on the important figures in this event and the history between them. As such, Empyre is really good when it's navigating its way to closure between these warring races - no one said it was gonna be easy!
It's action packed and full of twists and turns, but the stakes don't seem exaggerated. The Kree-Skrull War has been raging in the background of this setting long enough that Empyre genuinely feels like the end of an era, but since it's not something that affected most Marvel readers, it's a lot easier to enjoy the punch-ups without worrying about what comes next.
Now, the full name of this event is 'Avengers . Fantastic Four Empyre', and I'd say that the Fantastic Four are integrated really well into the story, probably because Dan Slott has a story credit on the event. On the other hand, Jason Aaron had no input on anything to do with Empyre, and as a result, the Avengers are really bad in this whole story. I can't even say that Earth's Mightiest Heroes should've been excised from the story altogether - the Kree-Skrull War started with them, and it should end with them, too. But they deserved better than this.
As usual for Marvel events, the core miniseries gives you everything you need to know, but a lot of the dimension in the event comes from the tie-ins, which are hit or miss. Road to Empyre and Lords of Empyre are essential background for folks who haven't read the actual events that led to Empyre; the Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel tie-ins were really good, while the Avengers and Captain America ones were really lame. I enjoyed everything X-Men, too - by the way, they do more than the Avengers in this event, why don't they get top billing?
I will point out that, possibly because of the pandemic, a lot of the content for Empyre feels like it was written and drawn by Marvel's B team. Again, Empyre is an entertaining romp, but it ain't GOAT tier.
All things considered, I do recommend Empyre for anyone who's looking for a fun Marvel adventure with high - but not artificially high - stakes. And if you can get a good price on this omnibus, and you're willing to deal with Marvel's absurd mapping of event omnis, this is a great way to experience the event. Since Empyre doesn't lean on any particular book, it feels decently self contained, and everything you need to get everything out of Empyre can be found here...just gird yourself for flipping through the pages of a nearly 1500 page omni.
What happens is that the rulers of the Kree and Skrull empires learn that the Cotati, plant aliens and third party in that cosmic tango from back in the day, have resurfaced and have built an epic garden on the Blue Side of the Moon. They're so dangerous now, only an alliance of the two can stop them, and this has the added bonus of ending their longstanding war. But who could possibly lead the alliance? Well, it's gotta be Marvel's best Kree-Skrull hybrid, though I've gotta say, it's hard to buy Hulkling as such a powerful figure in the cosmic Marvel universe.
I've read enough of Al Ewing's stuff to get a read on him now: the guy is a student of Marvel's cosmic history, and Empyre relies on it a lot! Luckily, there's plenty of tie-in material that'll fill you in on the important figures in this event and the history between them. As such, Empyre is really good when it's navigating its way to closure between these warring races - no one said it was gonna be easy!
It's action packed and full of twists and turns, but the stakes don't seem exaggerated. The Kree-Skrull War has been raging in the background of this setting long enough that Empyre genuinely feels like the end of an era, but since it's not something that affected most Marvel readers, it's a lot easier to enjoy the punch-ups without worrying about what comes next.
Now, the full name of this event is 'Avengers . Fantastic Four Empyre', and I'd say that the Fantastic Four are integrated really well into the story, probably because Dan Slott has a story credit on the event. On the other hand, Jason Aaron had no input on anything to do with Empyre, and as a result, the Avengers are really bad in this whole story. I can't even say that Earth's Mightiest Heroes should've been excised from the story altogether - the Kree-Skrull War started with them, and it should end with them, too. But they deserved better than this.
As usual for Marvel events, the core miniseries gives you everything you need to know, but a lot of the dimension in the event comes from the tie-ins, which are hit or miss. Road to Empyre and Lords of Empyre are essential background for folks who haven't read the actual events that led to Empyre; the Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel tie-ins were really good, while the Avengers and Captain America ones were really lame. I enjoyed everything X-Men, too - by the way, they do more than the Avengers in this event, why don't they get top billing?
I will point out that, possibly because of the pandemic, a lot of the content for Empyre feels like it was written and drawn by Marvel's B team. Again, Empyre is an entertaining romp, but it ain't GOAT tier.
All things considered, I do recommend Empyre for anyone who's looking for a fun Marvel adventure with high - but not artificially high - stakes. And if you can get a good price on this omnibus, and you're willing to deal with Marvel's absurd mapping of event omnis, this is a great way to experience the event. Since Empyre doesn't lean on any particular book, it feels decently self contained, and everything you need to get everything out of Empyre can be found here...just gird yourself for flipping through the pages of a nearly 1500 page omni.
October 10, 2025
Empyre ilk duyurulduğunda dönemin Fantastic Four yazarı Dan Slott'un bu hikayesinde de ekibe önemli bir rol vereceği söylenmişti. Secret Wars (2015) sonrasında hiçbir önemli büyük hikayede rol alamamışlardı nitekim. Slott sözünü tutmuş olsa da biraz daha fazlasını beklerdim. Gerçi hikayenin ölçeğini düşündüğümüzde dört kişiye indirgemek zor olacağından yeterli rolü almışlar. Bu kitaba da biraz Fantastic Four kaynaklı sempati besledim diyebilirim.
İşin Fantastic Four tarafını kenara atarsak Empyre ölçek olarak çok büyük bir hikaye. Tek çatı altında birleşen Kree-Skrull İmparatorluğu, bu hikaye karşımıza çıkan Cotati'ler, Avengers, Young Avengers, Fantastic Four derken kadro epey şişkin. Ana hikaye ortalamanın üzerinde bir iş olsa da tie-in denilen yan kitaplarda geçen kısımlar çok dalgalı. Captain Marvel dışındakiler özellikle X-Men bölümleri epey sönük ve sıkıcıydı. Belki pandemi çıkmasaydı daha farklı şekillenebilirdi bu işler.
Omnibusta daha önce yayınlanmayan Thor ve Spider-Man gibi karakterlerin tie-in sayıları da mevcut. Kimisinin çizimleri yarım kalmış kimisi de senaryo metni olmaktan öteye gidememiş. Onlar da çok matah işler olacak gibi durmuyorlarmış ama tam halini görmeden bir şey demek doğru olmaz.
İşin Fantastic Four tarafını kenara atarsak Empyre ölçek olarak çok büyük bir hikaye. Tek çatı altında birleşen Kree-Skrull İmparatorluğu, bu hikaye karşımıza çıkan Cotati'ler, Avengers, Young Avengers, Fantastic Four derken kadro epey şişkin. Ana hikaye ortalamanın üzerinde bir iş olsa da tie-in denilen yan kitaplarda geçen kısımlar çok dalgalı. Captain Marvel dışındakiler özellikle X-Men bölümleri epey sönük ve sıkıcıydı. Belki pandemi çıkmasaydı daha farklı şekillenebilirdi bu işler.
Omnibusta daha önce yayınlanmayan Thor ve Spider-Man gibi karakterlerin tie-in sayıları da mevcut. Kimisinin çizimleri yarım kalmış kimisi de senaryo metni olmaktan öteye gidememiş. Onlar da çok matah işler olacak gibi durmuyorlarmış ama tam halini görmeden bir şey demek doğru olmaz.
October 8, 2024
There were a lot of great moments in this giant crossover event, but it was layered amongst a lot of boring slog. The X-Men felt like an add-on without major contribution to the overall story, which is fine but why did we get to see that but didn't get to see what Thor was up to? The cotati were mostly just one-note villains that they tried to make more interesting and insightful at the last minute. BUT, I did enjoy quite a bit of it:
July 12, 2023
An interesting read. As some suggest, it might indeed be better to change the reading order of the included issues. You first want to read the tie-ins, with everything before the event and then the event itself.
It's very nice to see they included the unfinished issues, that were canceled due to the pandemic and never finished. They are in various states, some are more a storyboard, some are only drawn, others drawn and inked,...
It's very nice to see they included the unfinished issues, that were canceled due to the pandemic and never finished. They are in various states, some are more a storyboard, some are only drawn, others drawn and inked,...
August 28, 2022
eh… like why did we need the x-men tie ins we could’ve cut those and the savage avengers tie in and replaced it with invasion of wakanda and thor, based on the team discussing what would’ve happened in said tie ins they feel more important. other than that the event was good, not great, but better than most events.
December 28, 2021
This event was… irregular.
I enjoyed the plots involving Hulking, CMarvel and the FF, but the XMen and Avengers tie-ins in the Omnibus were boring and pointless, and the conclusion was weak, rendering the whole event subpar.
Also… Plants vs Zombies? Really???
I enjoyed the plots involving Hulking, CMarvel and the FF, but the XMen and Avengers tie-ins in the Omnibus were boring and pointless, and the conclusion was weak, rendering the whole event subpar.
Also… Plants vs Zombies? Really???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2023
Yikes.
Good artists put time into this.
Good artists put time into this.
October 1, 2024
Super great!
December 11, 2025
It's astounding how many miles of mediocrity I'm willing to wade through just to see Billy & Teddy's complete story. ;) But ok, there was some fun Captain Marvel in there, too.
October 15, 2024
I had heard a few negative reviews for this event during the pandemic, so never got around to reading it... Until now. I'm glad I gave it a shot, if only to break the 80s90s runs that I am currently pursuing. It isn't their greatest event but I felt it nearly did the job. Possibly it got rushed due to the lockdowns, but I must say they rounded it off much better than many events that suddenly get resolved (eg. inferno, which was my last event read)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews