Reviewed by Brady Steele. Ever think that bad guys actually DO have good ideas on how to run things? Valiant Next shows readers how to do just this the right way with this week’s “Imperium” #1. It’s such a friendly way to show us all how we need to surrender to our betters that it’s eerily creepy to see how it will happen.

WRITTEN BY: Joshua Dysart

ART BY: Doug Braithwaite

PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: 4 February 2015

Sure, enslaving mankind sounds bad when you say it out loud, but when you see the end results working out so well…maybe they should just take it all over. Thankfully, the Earth in the Valiant Universe has the powerful psiot Toyo Harada to bring about world peace HIS way. His subtle attempt, Harbinger, didn’t work out exactly as planned. Therefore, this time, Harada is employing more…morally loose individuals to achieve peace on Earth. This Imperium includes “an inhuman robot, a mad scientist, a murderous alien, and a super-powered terrorist”. Sounds like an excellent recipe for heaven on Earth, right?

Writer Joshua Dysart really has cooked up something special here to behold. This first issue shows us the happy ending at the very start. The world has never looked more idyllic and peaceful. It almost feels like the story is backwards but it’s just clever storytelling throughout. Half of this issue is in the future and half in the present. Seeing how the world gets to this utopia in the future looks to be an enthralling ride I’m eager to get into.

The art by Doug Braithwaite is a great choice. Braithwaite is terrific at future-tech scenery and designs as well as grimy war zones. The coloring by Brian Reeber and Dave McCaig really emphasizes the different eras skillfully. Plus the killer robot “Mech Major” who just wants to be called “Sunlight on Snow” looks big and scary and sounds like a comical serial killer. I can’t wait to see the other recruits and how they all mesh together.

Labels can be stifling at times. Hero. Villain. Maniac. Messiah. Psycho. Savior. History ultimately decides who is what. Having all these powerful individuals in one series certainly looks enthralling. Rooting for the bad guys looks like a trend on the rise for 2015 thanks to a book like this. Definitely another feather in the cap of the Valiant Entertainment line worth reading so pick it up.

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Mr. Steele enjoys all things comics and imagination-based. Using his lifetime of comic-fu-dom for good, he imparts his knowledge for the universe to enjoy and for you, dear readers, to pass it on. Twitter: @mrbradysteele