Imperium #1 features another look at the new Harada, the one who is no longer bothering with subtlety, at least in his dealings with humans. He cannot manipulate the world secretly any longer, so he is going to go for outright conquest. Joshua Dysart starts out by showing Harada’s vision, a very compelling image of peace, safety, and tranquility that he is sure he—and only he—can achieve. He transitions to a look at what it is going to take to achieve, and what he is willing to do with and to his followers in order to achieve his goals.
One of the things that has always made Harada so interesting in the past is his concern for good public relations, his desire to appear and be benevolent. This concern has made him someone with more complex motivations, and it has made the devotion of his followers believable: They have been part of his organization with their eyes open, believing his cause. His initial conquest in Harbinger included hospitals and food, things that meant there were many non-psiots likely to accept his rule, even if the world powers were not happy. Now that he is turning to more underhanded tactics, he is also becoming more of a standard supervillain. Whether the openly villainous Harada will be as complex and enjoyable to read about as the more benevolent version remains to be seen.
Dysart shows the events unfolding through the eyes of one of his followers, which is clever as an outside view, but the follower is too underdeveloped as a character himself to provide a compelling entry into the new world—although another follower, the robotic Sunlight on Snow promises to be a memorable addition to the fold.
Doug Braithwaite shows Harada’s dominance and his determination in several shots, often angling so that the viewer is looking up at him, and giving him the idealized features of a conqueror, reminding us that Harada is still a master of imagery. He also contrasts the different worlds, providing a stark difference between what Harada wants and what he has. Brian Reber and Dave McCaig use coloring to further the contrast: Harada’s dream is bright with clear colors where the reality is muddier and subdued.
Imperium #1 comes out February 4, 2015 from Valiant Entertainment.
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Colors: Brian Reber & Dave McCaig
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Covers: Raul Allen, Trevor Hairsine & Tom Muller, Doug Braithwaite
