Jonathan Hickman's sweeping new cosmic epic, Imperial, arrives in comic book stores this June. Known for his influential work on Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men, as well as the creation of Marvel's hit new Ultimate line, the visionary writer is teaming up with superstar artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello to revolutionise Marvel's galactic canon in this four-part event series.
The series lays the foundation for an entirely new landscape of interconnected space-set series, promising to make it one of the most must-read comics of the summer.
Today, you can see all the covers for the debut issue, including pieces by acclaimed artists Adi Granov, Peach Momoko, Miguel Mercado, Alessandro Cappuccio, and Skottie Young.
We also have the first of a four-part connecting cover by Javier Garrón, a new cover in Todd Nauck's Iconic Variant Cover series, and a Hidden Gem cover by Jim Lee.
The covers feature all the major players involved in the wars to come, including Hulk and She-Hulk, who return to Sakaar to restore order; Nova and Star-Lord, who team up to prevent the galaxy from falling into the worst hands; and the Shi’ar, who will be torn asunder in a battle for the throne.
Imperial finds the galaxies of the Marvel Universe on the brink of major upheaval, following the elimination of several of its most prominent leaders. Nature abhors a vacuum, and empires fall, rulers are overthrown, and power is seized in a saga of intrigue, mysteries and war, all taking place against the backdrop of the formation of a new galactic order in the Marvel Universe.
"I’m very excited about this project as I'm obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic," Hickman said when the series was first announced. "The goal here is to kind of do what we did with the recent Ultimate line for all of our space titles, except having the setup book be more of an event than a world building exercise like Ultimate Invasion."
He added, "The art team is killing it and we're all just very excited for what’s happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe."
Check out the new Imperial #1 covers below and keep checking back here for updates as we have them.
IMPERIAL #1 (OF 4)
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by FEDERICO VICENTINI & IBAN COELLO
Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Variant Cover by ALESSANDRO CAPPUCCIO
Variant Cover by ADI GRANOV
Variant Cover by PEACH MOMOKO
Variant Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
Connecting Variant Cover by JAVIER GARRÓN
Hidden Gem Variant Cover by JIM LEE
Deathbird Variant Cover by MIGUEL MERCADO
Iconic Variant Cover by TODD NAUCK
On Sale 6/4