The Jade Giant Returns To PLANET HULK In First Look At Jonathan Hickman's New Event Series IMPERIAL

The Jade Giant Returns To PLANET HULK In First Look At Jonathan Hickman's New Event Series IMPERIAL

Jonathan Hickman teams up with Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello to redesign the Marvel cosmos in Imperial, a four-issue event that serves as the foundation for a new wave of galaxy-spanning titles...

By JoshWilding - Apr 03, 2025 04:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics has released a first look at Imperial, a new event series that launches this June and promises to revolutionize the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. 

The four-part event series is written by visionary writer Jonathan Hickman, known for his transformative work on Fantastic Four, X-Men, Avengers and Marvel's new Ultimate line, and illustrated by Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello, two of Marvel's elite Stormbreaker artists.

Imperial lays the foundation for an entire new landscape of interconnected space-set comic series coming later this year, and that alone should make it the must-read comic book of the summer. 

Imperial kicks off with the elimination of several prominent intergalactic leaders. Nature abhors a vacuum, and as empires fall, rulers are overthrown, and power is seized, a new galactic order is born. 

The saga will deliver groundbreaking developments for various groups in the Marvel Universe, including Hulks, Black Panthers, Novas, Guardians of the Galaxy, and, as we learned in last week in X-Manhunt Omega #1, mutants. The finale of the X-Men's latest milestone crossover, X-Manhunt, saw Professor X depart to the stars to rescue his daughter, Xandra, deposed Majestrix of the Shi'ar Empire.

This new Imperial preview spotlights two main story threads. Coello's pages depict Hulk, She-Hulk and Brawn returning to the savage planet Sakaar, where Hulk raged and conquered in the epic Planet Hulk storyline.

Meanwhile, Vicentini's pages tease both hope and corruption as Star-Lord recruits Nova to help guard the galaxy against the coming turmoil - while his father J'Son plots how to take advantage of it.

Both sets of pages feature spectacular new character designs, showcasing the immense amount of creative energy these acclaimed artists are bringing to this all-new era of storytelling. 

Asked about his design process, Vicentini has said, "When creating the costumes, I wanted to go back a bit to the past, such as bringing back Star-Lord’s helmet, giving Nova an aviator-style jacket, and taking inspiration from classic heroes like Flash Gordon."

"Usually, Jonathan Hickman gives me a general idea of the character’s look in the script, and I work based on that," Coello added. "Tying the new look with the personality of the characters and having it make sense in this new era they’re entering. I think that She-Hulk is the one who underwent the biggest change."

You can check out this first look at Imperial #1 below. 

Imperial2025-1-Cover
Imperial2025-1-Coello-Interior-A
Imperial2025-1-Coello-Interior-B
Imperial2025-1-Coello-Interior-C
Imperial2025-1-Coello-Interior-D
Imperial2025-1-Coello-Interior-E
Imperial2025-1-Vicentini-Interior-A
Imperial2025-1-Vicentini-Interior-B
Imperial2025-1-Vicentini-Interior-C

IMPERIAL #1 (OF 4)
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by FEDERICO VICENTINI & IBAN COELLO
Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
On Sale 6/4

ALL-NEW VENOM Editor Breaks Down [SPOILER] Being Venom And Reveals The Suspects We DIDN'T Get To See
Related:

ALL-NEW VENOM Editor Breaks Down [SPOILER] Being Venom And Reveals The Suspects We DIDN'T Get To See

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS CinemaCon Trailer Description Reveals Sue Storm Spoiler And Silver Surfer
Recommended For You:

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS CinemaCon Trailer Description Reveals Sue Storm Spoiler And Silver Surfer

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 4/3/2025, 5:10 AM
Man, I really dislike those giant cartoon swords
XtremeXFan
XtremeXFan - 4/3/2025, 5:54 AM
This Looks Great, good to see Bruce back in planet hulk gear, hope this means the green scar is back.

also good to see Nova being a main chracter in something again.
0bstreperous
0bstreperous - 4/3/2025, 6:35 AM
I don't understand anything Hickman writes
Jacory
Jacory - 4/3/2025, 7:13 AM
When and how did Sakaar come back? It was destroyed when it was consumed by Galactus.
Cth
Cth - 4/3/2025, 9:30 AM
@Jacory - Whenever the latest Infinity Stone stuff happened. It was brought back and the Time Stone was buried in the planet.
WEAPONXOXOXO
WEAPONXOXOXO - 4/3/2025, 7:58 AM
Nice art. I can't stand the artist on the Hulk book right now.
Biggums
Biggums - 4/3/2025, 8:23 AM
@WEAPONXOXOXO - ya. This one's an improvement
PC04
PC04 - 4/3/2025, 10:02 AM
The art is so sharp and dynamic. Excellent work.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder