What do you think?
Rate this book
Imperium
Imperium, Vol. 1: Collecting Monsters
A psychic dictator, an inhuman robot, a mad scientist, a murderous alien, and a superpowered terrorist are about to try and take over the world…and you’re going to be rooting for them every step of the way!
Toyo Harada is the most dangerous human being on the planet. Imbued with incredible powers of the mind, he has spent his life guiding humanity from the shadows. But today he is a wanted man. His powers are public knowledge, his allies have turned to enemies, and he is hunted by every government on the planet. Instead of surrendering, Harada has one last unthinkable gambit to play: to achieve more, faster, and with less, he will build a coalition of the powerful, the unscrupulous, and the insane. No longer content to demand a better future, he will recruit a violent legion from the darkest corners of the Earth to fight for it. The battle for utopia begins now!
Start reading here as New York Times best-selling creator Joshua Dysart – writer of the Harvey Award-nominated series Harbinger – and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (Unity, Justice) begin the daring new superhero saga of the year.
Collecting: Imperium 1–4.
Toyo Harada is the most dangerous human being on the planet. Imbued with incredible powers of the mind, he has spent his life guiding humanity from the shadows. But today he is a wanted man. His powers are public knowledge, his allies have turned to enemies, and he is hunted by every government on the planet. Instead of surrendering, Harada has one last unthinkable gambit to play: to achieve more, faster, and with less, he will build a coalition of the powerful, the unscrupulous, and the insane. No longer content to demand a better future, he will recruit a violent legion from the darkest corners of the Earth to fight for it. The battle for utopia begins now!
Start reading here as New York Times best-selling creator Joshua Dysart – writer of the Harvey Award-nominated series Harbinger – and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (Unity, Justice) begin the daring new superhero saga of the year.
Collecting: Imperium 1–4.
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
32 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Dysart
388 books95 followersI write comic books, graphic novels and novels. I'm a three time Eisner nominee, two time Glyph award winner, New York Times bestseller, a recipient of The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year award, and have been in competition twice at Angoulême.
I've worked on Hellboy, Swamp Thing, & Conan the Barbarian; I co-wrote a graphic novel with Neil Young; I helped restart Valiant Entertainment; and I've done on-the-ground research in Uganda (2007), Iraq (2014), & South Sudan (2016), writting graphic novels about war and famine in those regions.
Goodnight Paradise came out in 2018 with long time co-creator Alberto Ponticelli and is a murder mystery set in the houseless population of Venice Beach, Ca.
My first novel (novella - it's only 100 pages) has dropped. It combines my love of slasher horror, Agatha Christie fair-play mysteries, construction sites, and bugs. It's called BROOD X. Buy it wherever trash genre books are sold!
I've worked on Hellboy, Swamp Thing, & Conan the Barbarian; I co-wrote a graphic novel with Neil Young; I helped restart Valiant Entertainment; and I've done on-the-ground research in Uganda (2007), Iraq (2014), & South Sudan (2016), writting graphic novels about war and famine in those regions.
Goodnight Paradise came out in 2018 with long time co-creator Alberto Ponticelli and is a murder mystery set in the houseless population of Venice Beach, Ca.
My first novel (novella - it's only 100 pages) has dropped. It combines my love of slasher horror, Agatha Christie fair-play mysteries, construction sites, and bugs. It's called BROOD X. Buy it wherever trash genre books are sold!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 9, 2021
Different stories dealing with all the different beings who are ultimately tangled up with Toyo Harada in some way.
This picks up following Harada's attempted takeover of the Earth, right after he's set up his new 'country'. Collecting Monsters is the story of some of the dangerous, strange, & unscrupulous people/robots/aliens that Toyo has (for the moment, at least) under his thumb.
You just know this shit is going to go sideways. Probably sooner rather than later.
The art was...eh. Sort of generic? But overall, I thought this was ok.
This is one of those comics that will probably only appeal to a small fanbase.
This picks up following Harada's attempted takeover of the Earth, right after he's set up his new 'country'. Collecting Monsters is the story of some of the dangerous, strange, & unscrupulous people/robots/aliens that Toyo has (for the moment, at least) under his thumb.
You just know this shit is going to go sideways. Probably sooner rather than later.
The art was...eh. Sort of generic? But overall, I thought this was ok.
This is one of those comics that will probably only appeal to a small fanbase.
December 1, 2018
For decades, Toyo Harada has been striving to create a more peaceful world by using his corporation as a front to secretly form an army of psiots to remake the world to his standards. Following right on the heels of Harbinger: Deluxe Edition 2, Toyo Harada's radical true nature has been revealed to the world through the actions of a group of renegade psiots. So now, he decides to jump headfirst into the persona that the world sees and go full supervillain, commandeering a U.S. aircraft carrier and docking it off the coast of Somalia, claiming the country as his headquarters! He will make a better world by any means necessary.
Harada is not only the most fascinating character in the Valiant Universe but also one of the best villains in comic books in general. This book is mostly team member gathering story as we follow Harada's efforts to form a team of fighters who he can use now that the U.S. government is developing anti-psiot technology.
One of the coolest things here is that through a flash forward, we get to see that Harada's efforts will actually lead to a possible utopian future, so it further deepens the moral quandary about whether or not his bad deeds are worth it for the greater good. It's great to have a Harada-based series!
Harada is not only the most fascinating character in the Valiant Universe but also one of the best villains in comic books in general. This book is mostly team member gathering story as we follow Harada's efforts to form a team of fighters who he can use now that the U.S. government is developing anti-psiot technology.
One of the coolest things here is that through a flash forward, we get to see that Harada's efforts will actually lead to a possible utopian future, so it further deepens the moral quandary about whether or not his bad deeds are worth it for the greater good. It's great to have a Harada-based series!
July 13, 2017
The first issue starts off with an incredible bang: a utopian future and an impressive battle between psiots and well-armed humans. There is focus on world politics, something I always welcome because events on a macro scale seem so rare in comics.
We first see a utopia built by followers of Harada, the psiots of the Harbinger Foundation. The focus is on one of them, already old, but greatly respected for the effort he put into recreating the world. The character wakes up in the present, realizing that Harada planted that experience in his mind, like in each mind of the army of psiots on a ship. The vision is meant to inspire them in the mission to reshape the world by force. And the first battle is amazingly visceral. It's won by Harada, creating worldwide turmoil and considerable discomfort in Rising Spirit, a covert military organization opposing Harada with their enhanced human team called H.A.R.D. Corps.
We first see a utopia built by followers of Harada, the psiots of the Harbinger Foundation. The focus is on one of them, already old, but greatly respected for the effort he put into recreating the world. The character wakes up in the present, realizing that Harada planted that experience in his mind, like in each mind of the army of psiots on a ship. The vision is meant to inspire them in the mission to reshape the world by force. And the first battle is amazingly visceral. It's won by Harada, creating worldwide turmoil and considerable discomfort in Rising Spirit, a covert military organization opposing Harada with their enhanced human team called H.A.R.D. Corps.
April 1, 2017
This is an Amazon series. My expectations were high and I'm glad to say they were met satisfactorily. Dysart is a better scripter than I assumed, though some times the story would do with a little less complexity and exposition. The artwork, though is what carried the series for me. The artwork totally transports you into a far away place. And if you weren't second guessing yourself every five or so pages you'd forever get lost in their fictive dream.
Oh, and that twist with Angela, WHOA! Talk about crazy.
On to the next one. Have to see how far Harada's obsession takes him, and will they finally figure out Grave Dog's secret?
Oh, and that twist with Angela, WHOA! Talk about crazy.
On to the next one. Have to see how far Harada's obsession takes him, and will they finally figure out Grave Dog's secret?
February 3, 2018
Read for TLP
February 3, 2018
Joshua Dysart continues chronicling the rise and fall (maybe?) of Toyo Harada in this new series spinning out of the events of Harbinger, and Harbinger: Omegas. With a small country under his control, Harada is ready to make the world a better place, even if he has to do it the hard way. But even someone as powerful as he is can't do this alone. He's going to need a team. Enter: Imperium.
Considering this is Harada's first headlining series, he seems more of a shadowy figure in the background for much of these four issues. Instead, we're given origins of the characters he is going to pull into his inner circle (whether they like it or not) such as Sunlight On Snow/Mech Major, an empathetic robot with a soul, LV-99, a Vine assassin that Harada has forced into his service, Gravedog, a rogue HARD Corps member, and Broken Angel, a Project Rising Spirit doctor corrupted by an extra dimensional intelligence.
It's a very eclectic group, and there's no doubt that they're going to be very interesting to watch going forward. None of them are particularly heroic characters, so their motivations are completely hidden from each other at this point. Most of them don't even want to help Harada, and yet have no choice in the matter, which is going to lead to some explosive confrontations I expect.
This is kind of the calm before the storm story, assembling Imperium (who aren't even named that yet) and setting up Project Rising Spirit as their main adversary (since the Harbingers have disbanded at this point). That said, the tension in the book is palpable; Dysart keeps the story boiling to fever pitch, and you just know from the final page cliffhanger that the proverbial shit is about to hit the fan.
Doug Braithwaite seems to have a thing for launching Valiant's new series; Not content with Unity, he also pencils the first four issues of their "evil" equivalent in his beautifully rendered style. I always thought that the colouring effect was what gave his art the ethereal look, but peeling back the curtain and seeing his pencils in the back of this volume was a real eye opener.
Not a lot of action just yet, but big things are on the horizon for Imperium. Where Toyo Harada is concerned, did you expect anything less?
Considering this is Harada's first headlining series, he seems more of a shadowy figure in the background for much of these four issues. Instead, we're given origins of the characters he is going to pull into his inner circle (whether they like it or not) such as Sunlight On Snow/Mech Major, an empathetic robot with a soul, LV-99, a Vine assassin that Harada has forced into his service, Gravedog, a rogue HARD Corps member, and Broken Angel, a Project Rising Spirit doctor corrupted by an extra dimensional intelligence.
It's a very eclectic group, and there's no doubt that they're going to be very interesting to watch going forward. None of them are particularly heroic characters, so their motivations are completely hidden from each other at this point. Most of them don't even want to help Harada, and yet have no choice in the matter, which is going to lead to some explosive confrontations I expect.
This is kind of the calm before the storm story, assembling Imperium (who aren't even named that yet) and setting up Project Rising Spirit as their main adversary (since the Harbingers have disbanded at this point). That said, the tension in the book is palpable; Dysart keeps the story boiling to fever pitch, and you just know from the final page cliffhanger that the proverbial shit is about to hit the fan.
Doug Braithwaite seems to have a thing for launching Valiant's new series; Not content with Unity, he also pencils the first four issues of their "evil" equivalent in his beautifully rendered style. I always thought that the colouring effect was what gave his art the ethereal look, but peeling back the curtain and seeing his pencils in the back of this volume was a real eye opener.
Not a lot of action just yet, but big things are on the horizon for Imperium. Where Toyo Harada is concerned, did you expect anything less?
October 13, 2020
***I interviewed the writer of this book. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/NVSJLjQqEz8
So, Dysart’s psiot universe has graduated to full-on, Azimov level sci fi, and it’s phenomenal. There’s so much great stuff, I really don’t even know what to highlight.
This touches on geopolitics, ethics, the moral ramifications of AI, the politics of war, and ties it all nicely with the events of Harbinger. This is going to keep getting bigger. There’s definitely a massive scale to the writing, and it conveys this boiling point feel that Dysart maintains from cover to cover.
Phenomenal. Should def read.
So, Dysart’s psiot universe has graduated to full-on, Azimov level sci fi, and it’s phenomenal. There’s so much great stuff, I really don’t even know what to highlight.
This touches on geopolitics, ethics, the moral ramifications of AI, the politics of war, and ties it all nicely with the events of Harbinger. This is going to keep getting bigger. There’s definitely a massive scale to the writing, and it conveys this boiling point feel that Dysart maintains from cover to cover.
Phenomenal. Should def read.
December 19, 2017
Complicated
A successor to Harbingers, Dysart's Imperium is the psiot's black-ops. The action is fast paced and the motivation can be opaque, but this is an intriguing comic focused on a fairly varied motivations of antiheroic competing groups.
A successor to Harbingers, Dysart's Imperium is the psiot's black-ops. The action is fast paced and the motivation can be opaque, but this is an intriguing comic focused on a fairly varied motivations of antiheroic competing groups.
January 27, 2024
Solid start to the valiant saga which I’m hoping to finish relatively quick. The artwork is one of the negatives, not the best ive seen. But overall I enjoyed it. High hopes for the next one
August 11, 2015
I've said it before, but my favorite Valiant character is by far Toyo Harada. Imperium is more-or-less Harada's own ongoing. Needless to say, I love Imperium.
Valiant brings out big-gun, Doug Braithwaite, for the next leg of the Harbinger journey. The Renegades are out of the picture, as Harada fights the entire world, tooth and claw, to ring in a better future. The gruesome, ends justify the means that has always defined Harada is on full display here, with Toyo collecting an assortment of powerful beings to utilize in his fight against the psiot-aware world.
The entire Valiant universe takes a old new direction, while Dysart presses onward with the same genius, character-driven story-telling that made Harbinger such a successful book. Imperium proves that Valiant is still one of the hardest hitting publishers on the market, un-afraid to challenge their own status-quo with powerful re-inventions of their own core universe.
RIP Harbinger. Long live Imperium.
Valiant brings out big-gun, Doug Braithwaite, for the next leg of the Harbinger journey. The Renegades are out of the picture, as Harada fights the entire world, tooth and claw, to ring in a better future. The gruesome, ends justify the means that has always defined Harada is on full display here, with Toyo collecting an assortment of powerful beings to utilize in his fight against the psiot-aware world.
The entire Valiant universe takes a old new direction, while Dysart presses onward with the same genius, character-driven story-telling that made Harbinger such a successful book. Imperium proves that Valiant is still one of the hardest hitting publishers on the market, un-afraid to challenge their own status-quo with powerful re-inventions of their own core universe.
RIP Harbinger. Long live Imperium.
November 10, 2015
Harada is an extremely interesting character. I've never come across a character in literature before where I'm like 'I like you ideals and I agree with you, but as a person I just don't like you'. It's pretty darn interesting to say the least.
August 7, 2021
Reprints Imperium #1-4 (February 2015-May 2015). Toyo Harada is done playing nice. He’s leading a team of psiots to clean up the world whether the world wants it or not. The only thing standing in Harada’s way is the world and H.A.R.D. Corps which operates under Project: Rising Spirit. Harada has a plan for the world, and Rising Spirit is an obstacle for those goals…and one must fall!
Written by Joshua Dysart, Imperium Volume 1: Collecting Monsters is a Valiant Comics superhero comic book collection. The series spins off of the Harbinger series and features art by Doug Braithwaite. Issues in the collection were also collected as part of Imperium Deluxe Edition.
When Valiant announced it was coming back, I dove headfirst into all the Valiant series. From Bloodshot to Quantum and Woody, it was refreshing to see a different group of superheroes, and it encouraged me to pick up the older issues of Valiant. By the time Imperium rolled out, the Valiant Universe had grown too big and expansive to follow so I missed most of the titles leading up to Imperium…and despite knowing the basics, Imperium isn’t the easiest comic to read.
The series starts out with a rather long intro which demonstrates the world that Harada intends to do. Valiant has painted Harada as kind of an anti-hero since his inception. The character does “bad things” for the greater good. He sees risks and collateral damage as a necessary cost for this world vision…if the vision presented in the opening of the comic is true, the vision does pay off for society.
The story then breaks down into the battle of two very questionable forces. Project: Rising Spirit was largely the enemy in the Bloodshot series and H.A.R.D. Corps were there terminal superhuman agents. This doesn’t make a hero. Harada and his psiots are on the opposite side and also a threat to society through there radical thoughts and actions (essentially Harada’s psiots are the X-Men of the Valiant Universe in many ways). The series feels like a big chess game of either side trying to undercut the other and in this collection Gravedog and Mech Major (or Sunlight on Snow) seem to be the pawns while characters like Baingana, Harada, and Kozol are pulling the strings.
The problem with the series is that it isn’t a good jump-on point. I was fairly versed in the Valiant Universe and struggled to follow what was happening…I can’t imagine what it would be like diving into the comic as a new reader. Comics don’t need to always be new reader friendly, but I also felt like the series is almost overly clunky in its delivery.
Imperium 1: Collecting Monsters has that Valiant feel to it (especially the Valiant relaunch). It is good and different than Marvel and DC, but also lacks something that is hard to pinpoint. Series like Bloodshot Reborn got over that hump, but things like Imperium seem to be fighting the war against the Big Two that doesn’t quite seem fair, but the difference is hard to pinpoint. I think part of the challenge of this series in particular is having a lot of unlikable leads and no character to identify with…something I hope future issues fix. Imperium 1: Collecting Monsters is followed by Imperium 2: Broken Angels.
Written by Joshua Dysart, Imperium Volume 1: Collecting Monsters is a Valiant Comics superhero comic book collection. The series spins off of the Harbinger series and features art by Doug Braithwaite. Issues in the collection were also collected as part of Imperium Deluxe Edition.
When Valiant announced it was coming back, I dove headfirst into all the Valiant series. From Bloodshot to Quantum and Woody, it was refreshing to see a different group of superheroes, and it encouraged me to pick up the older issues of Valiant. By the time Imperium rolled out, the Valiant Universe had grown too big and expansive to follow so I missed most of the titles leading up to Imperium…and despite knowing the basics, Imperium isn’t the easiest comic to read.
The series starts out with a rather long intro which demonstrates the world that Harada intends to do. Valiant has painted Harada as kind of an anti-hero since his inception. The character does “bad things” for the greater good. He sees risks and collateral damage as a necessary cost for this world vision…if the vision presented in the opening of the comic is true, the vision does pay off for society.
The story then breaks down into the battle of two very questionable forces. Project: Rising Spirit was largely the enemy in the Bloodshot series and H.A.R.D. Corps were there terminal superhuman agents. This doesn’t make a hero. Harada and his psiots are on the opposite side and also a threat to society through there radical thoughts and actions (essentially Harada’s psiots are the X-Men of the Valiant Universe in many ways). The series feels like a big chess game of either side trying to undercut the other and in this collection Gravedog and Mech Major (or Sunlight on Snow) seem to be the pawns while characters like Baingana, Harada, and Kozol are pulling the strings.
The problem with the series is that it isn’t a good jump-on point. I was fairly versed in the Valiant Universe and struggled to follow what was happening…I can’t imagine what it would be like diving into the comic as a new reader. Comics don’t need to always be new reader friendly, but I also felt like the series is almost overly clunky in its delivery.
Imperium 1: Collecting Monsters has that Valiant feel to it (especially the Valiant relaunch). It is good and different than Marvel and DC, but also lacks something that is hard to pinpoint. Series like Bloodshot Reborn got over that hump, but things like Imperium seem to be fighting the war against the Big Two that doesn’t quite seem fair, but the difference is hard to pinpoint. I think part of the challenge of this series in particular is having a lot of unlikable leads and no character to identify with…something I hope future issues fix. Imperium 1: Collecting Monsters is followed by Imperium 2: Broken Angels.
April 9, 2019
For a book about Toyo Harada, he really isn't in it that much. Instead, it focuses on the group of characters that he is bringing together to help achieve his dream of creating a post-scarcity world. That isn't a bad thing at all because these characters are really interesting. This arc kind of reminds me of the second arc of Dysart's Harbinger run. They both center around the individual characters that make up their respective groups. This feels like it adds a lot of depth to the story. Dysart is very capable of giving these characters their spotlight without losing sight of the rest of the story.
There are moments that highlight what Harada is trying to achieve starting with the very first pages of the series and others that showcase the conflict between Harada's group and the rest of the world. As someone who has read a lot of the other Valiant books that preceded this series, I felt right at home with this book. I think someone that is new to these characters could pick up with no problem. It just won't have the same impact as it will for someone that is already invested in the world.
Doug Braithwaite might just be one of my favorite artists thanks to Valiant. His artwork is always fantastic. Pairing with a good colorist helps a lot. I compared some of Braithwaite's uncolored drawings that were included in the back of this trade to the finished pages. The color adds a noticeable layer to the art, but his drawings are still great even without the color. Needless to say, there are some really cool visual moments in this book.
I was hesitant to read this book in part because I had heard a lot of good things about it and I didn't want to be disappointed with it. That was not a problem at all. I am excited to dig into the next volume to see what Harada is going to do now that he has his team of monsters.
There are moments that highlight what Harada is trying to achieve starting with the very first pages of the series and others that showcase the conflict between Harada's group and the rest of the world. As someone who has read a lot of the other Valiant books that preceded this series, I felt right at home with this book. I think someone that is new to these characters could pick up with no problem. It just won't have the same impact as it will for someone that is already invested in the world.
Doug Braithwaite might just be one of my favorite artists thanks to Valiant. His artwork is always fantastic. Pairing with a good colorist helps a lot. I compared some of Braithwaite's uncolored drawings that were included in the back of this trade to the finished pages. The color adds a noticeable layer to the art, but his drawings are still great even without the color. Needless to say, there are some really cool visual moments in this book.
I was hesitant to read this book in part because I had heard a lot of good things about it and I didn't want to be disappointed with it. That was not a problem at all. I am excited to dig into the next volume to see what Harada is going to do now that he has his team of monsters.
July 13, 2020
This book sucks you in from the very beginning.
The scenario painted by the main protagonist is so alluring and inviting, that you instantly bring your guard down. That's why when the curtain is pulled back to show what is actually happening, you have emotionally "thrown in" with the "villains" of the story. And that's another thing, the lines are so blurred as far as "heroes" and "villains". Both sides look almost the same. Except one is trying to maintain the status quo, and the other is trying to change it by any means necessary. Now whether the ends justify the means is another story...
The art is really good. It is handled by Doug Braithwaite, who is a great artist whose work I'm not familiar with. His art has a sense of grandeur that I think is perfect for the book. The villain/protagonist seems to be almost like a Doctor Doom type, in such that he is very sure of his goal and methods, so giving him this grand type of artwork is fitting with the rest of the book.
One thing that was very annoying was that the digital collected version contains the back matter for each issue after each issue. This really broke up the flow of the overall story. I think it would be better to put all that stuff at the end and let the story just unfold without interruptions. More of an editorial criticism though, not really anything to do with the story.
Overall, I thought this was a great start to a series. I see from the subject matter and tone, Dysart seems to want to take the book to some interesting directions.
The scenario painted by the main protagonist is so alluring and inviting, that you instantly bring your guard down. That's why when the curtain is pulled back to show what is actually happening, you have emotionally "thrown in" with the "villains" of the story. And that's another thing, the lines are so blurred as far as "heroes" and "villains". Both sides look almost the same. Except one is trying to maintain the status quo, and the other is trying to change it by any means necessary. Now whether the ends justify the means is another story...
The art is really good. It is handled by Doug Braithwaite, who is a great artist whose work I'm not familiar with. His art has a sense of grandeur that I think is perfect for the book. The villain/protagonist seems to be almost like a Doctor Doom type, in such that he is very sure of his goal and methods, so giving him this grand type of artwork is fitting with the rest of the book.
One thing that was very annoying was that the digital collected version contains the back matter for each issue after each issue. This really broke up the flow of the overall story. I think it would be better to put all that stuff at the end and let the story just unfold without interruptions. More of an editorial criticism though, not really anything to do with the story.
Overall, I thought this was a great start to a series. I see from the subject matter and tone, Dysart seems to want to take the book to some interesting directions.
September 3, 2020
No sé porqué, pero empecé a leer este libro con muy bajas expectativas. Quizás porque no conozco al equipo desarrollador y no sigo mucho la rama de los psiots de Valiant. El libro tiene problemas, si, como el dibujo tan simplón (con excepciones, pero es el caso en general) y muchos personajes a veces innecesarios y poco memorables, eso es algo de lo que me quejo mucho, el hecho de que el dibujo no sea tan estilizado no es excusa para no hacer los personajes fácilmente identificables (con excepciones, claro).
Y lo que he dicho en los paréntesis del párrafo anterior es cierto, este trabajo va de lo genérico a lo creativo en corriente alternante. A veces no me interesa lo que está sucediendo, y otras, cuando el libro intenta presentar ideas de alto concepto es donde me atrapa. Ahí es como termina, así que me deja con ganas de leer el segundo volumen.
El dibujo es bueno pero no explota al máximo la imaginación del dibujante. Y quiero hacer énfasis en el esfuerzo. Se hizo lo posible pero el trazador no es tan experimental como un Frank Quitely o tan apegado a lo secuencial como un David Aja. Y los colores no ayudan mucho. No hay brillo, no hay textura, todo se siente opaco y seco. Pero, con esto dicho, no es que le tenga odio a esta historieta, más estoy decepcionado por un potencial que aparece a simple vista y, al mismo tiempo y así de fácil de ver, este es desperdiciado.
Con todo lo dicho, voy a comprar la edicion de lujo que contiene la serie completa y daré mi reseña del todo para dar una opinión mas informada de algo que promete mucho.
Y lo que he dicho en los paréntesis del párrafo anterior es cierto, este trabajo va de lo genérico a lo creativo en corriente alternante. A veces no me interesa lo que está sucediendo, y otras, cuando el libro intenta presentar ideas de alto concepto es donde me atrapa. Ahí es como termina, así que me deja con ganas de leer el segundo volumen.
El dibujo es bueno pero no explota al máximo la imaginación del dibujante. Y quiero hacer énfasis en el esfuerzo. Se hizo lo posible pero el trazador no es tan experimental como un Frank Quitely o tan apegado a lo secuencial como un David Aja. Y los colores no ayudan mucho. No hay brillo, no hay textura, todo se siente opaco y seco. Pero, con esto dicho, no es que le tenga odio a esta historieta, más estoy decepcionado por un potencial que aparece a simple vista y, al mismo tiempo y así de fácil de ver, este es desperdiciado.
Con todo lo dicho, voy a comprar la edicion de lujo que contiene la serie completa y daré mi reseña del todo para dar una opinión mas informada de algo que promete mucho.
April 5, 2021
Joshua Dysart's run on Harbinger Vol. 1: Omega Rising (Harbinger is the reason I started reading Valiant books. It was a well-paced adventure story with intriguing, fully fleshed out characters, believable dialogue, and interesting moral questions at its core. So I was a bit deflated with most of this volume of his follow-up where we follow the main antagonist of Harbinger, along with his new team.
The main problem is that I don't care about any of the new characters, nor does this version of Toyo Harada display any of the interesting motivations that he did Dysart's previous work. After an excellent opening sequence where one of the characters gets to see a Utopian version of the future where Harada's work has brough about peace, we're reunited with one of the dullest, least developed of Harada's soldiers from Harbinger, along with new characters who seem to have taglines insted of personalities. (Mech Major repeately tells people he wants to be known as Sunlight On Snow, which nobody ever calls him. That's about the extent of his character.)
Kozol, the head of Operation Rising Spirit since The Harbinger Wars, also seems completely forgettable in this story. There's a character who is a double agent, But For Whom? and several things that hint at being plot twists but read like random tangents from a muddied plot.
This is a completely skippable book. A rare misstep for Dysart.
The main problem is that I don't care about any of the new characters, nor does this version of Toyo Harada display any of the interesting motivations that he did Dysart's previous work. After an excellent opening sequence where one of the characters gets to see a Utopian version of the future where Harada's work has brough about peace, we're reunited with one of the dullest, least developed of Harada's soldiers from Harbinger, along with new characters who seem to have taglines insted of personalities. (Mech Major repeately tells people he wants to be known as Sunlight On Snow, which nobody ever calls him. That's about the extent of his character.)
Kozol, the head of Operation Rising Spirit since The Harbinger Wars, also seems completely forgettable in this story. There's a character who is a double agent, But For Whom? and several things that hint at being plot twists but read like random tangents from a muddied plot.
This is a completely skippable book. A rare misstep for Dysart.
June 26, 2019
Collecting Monsters (#1-4). I didn't really know what to expect of Imperium, other than writing excellent by Joshua Dysart, but this is an entirely fascinating comic. The foundation in Harada being willing taking the role of villain as he tries to create a better world is great; this is true science-fiction of the sort I'd like to see more of in comics. The battle with Rising Spirit then gives that some nice tension. But the introduction of four new monstrous characters: Gravedog, Mech Major, the vine assassin, and Angela the alien intelligence is just as intriguing. I look forward to seeing where this all goes [4+/5].
March 29, 2018
This book focuses on the H.A.R.D corps which is probably the stupidest section of a quite well written evil organization. I do not care about H.A.R.D at all I expected this will be more about Harada himself. He is a very interesting villain and in the Harbinger series, he is portrait quite well but I would like to read more about him.
Read
April 28, 2020Impossible to follow without inside-out knowledge of the Valiant Universe, this shows all the flaws in their "we know what story we're telling, but you'll have to buy fifty titles at once to find out" mindset. At least they have (generally) moved on from those days.
June 1, 2023
This was somehow really good. I went in with tempered expectations and was surprised that it just seemed to get better as it went.
“Sunlight on Snow” was the highlight for me. Sentient robots are always fun.
“Sunlight on Snow” was the highlight for me. Sentient robots are always fun.
June 26, 2018
Not a smooth transition. Artwork is terrific, but I am skeptical this is going to engage me. It is a real change of focus and change of dynamic.
August 21, 2018
Que bien llevado todo el cómic, quiero más!!
June 7, 2020
An interstellar threat brings together four different humans with varied talents attempting to save the world by taking it over.
February 1, 2021
Brilliant, intriguing, adventure and full of action! Highly recommneded! Get it When You Can! :D
August 21, 2022
Digging this.
August 27, 2024
paved with good intentions.
Harada and his foundation makes a bid for world peace but everyone turns against him.
a chilling political action story.
Harada and his foundation makes a bid for world peace but everyone turns against him.
a chilling political action story.
November 7, 2024
DNF!
Not sure what this was, what was happening, who was fighting who, or why I care. Toyo Harada and everything related to him is by far the least interesting thing about the Valiant Universe.
Not sure what this was, what was happening, who was fighting who, or why I care. Toyo Harada and everything related to him is by far the least interesting thing about the Valiant Universe.
August 26, 2016
There is a hell of a lot going on in this "gathering the team" arc, and the density of the story is a bit off-putting and confusing at times. However, there is some very cool stuff here, including unique and interesting characters and a willingness to explore heady philosophical ideas in the midst of everything. Essentially though, this is really just a series of mini-origin stories for the new team, with very little forwarding of Harada's overall agenda. I did love Doug Braithwaite's art, which kept me reading even when things got a bit heady.
October 21, 2016
Imagine a world with gifted people
Powers
Some good some bad
All feared or used by the government
Now imagine instead of the
Greatest of them being a sweet good hearted
Man who only wanted peace
Replace him with a complete
Sociopath who will
Kill or use anyone he has to
In order to accomplish his goals
That's Imperium by Valiant
Powers
Some good some bad
All feared or used by the government
Now imagine instead of the
Greatest of them being a sweet good hearted
Man who only wanted peace
Replace him with a complete
Sociopath who will
Kill or use anyone he has to
In order to accomplish his goals
That's Imperium by Valiant
August 31, 2015
Not really what I expected with not a lot of Harada.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews