A couple of years back, a self-publishing imprint named Gorilla rose and fell awfully quickly, and it was a surprise that it didn't succeed. This was due in no small part to the creators involved, but also due to the strength of their concepts and the strength of the issues that came out. Empire was perhaps the strongest of these books (with only Busiek and Immonen's Shockrockets being quite so engaging), but it saw only a prologue and two issues published before falling prey to the financial/business realities that ended Gorilla. I honestly never thought we'd see it again. I've rarely been happier to be proven wrong.
Empire is a somewhat grim book, not what the industry is used to seeing from Mark Waid. The opening montage serves notice that the world is conquered, and the heroes aren't going to come to the rescue. It's slow, starting out with a full-on face shot of Golgoth, building with tons of news headlines that give a sense of what has happened better than any pictured depiction could have and ending with a very striking image. Four pages in, and the premise has been indelibly burned into our heads. We also know the name of the protagonist, his strongest adversary and the very important fact that his strongest adversary has already been defeated.
The pacing on Empire is noteworthy; it was when it was first released, and it's moreso now, when "decompressed storytelling" has become all the rage, despite the fact that few do it that well. In the space of this zero issue (actually a compilation of the original issues one and two), Waid introduces Golgoth and his supporting cast, including a new point-of-view character, gives a very real feel of the world on the edge of being completely conquered and runs two fairly self-contained stories at the same time. The interview technique has been used before as a way to introduce a bunch of characters quickly, and it works just as well here. The torturer, the assassin, the military advisor, the ministry of information... each of them gets two pages to establish who they are and what they do, and with someone as adept at characters as Waid, that's plenty of space.
Another trademark of Waid's writing is the characterization, and while this is a heavy plot concept, it lives and dies on the strength of its characters and how they react. Given how relentlessly cruel and driven Waid has made Dr. Doom in the pages of Fantastic Four, some readers may be surprised to see that Golgoth, the conqueror with some resemblance to Doom and comic-book dictators like him, is more well-realized. Though it's clear that the point-of-view characters in this book are generally going to be the henchmen who work for Golgoth, the head of the Empire has to be interesting and real as a character or it just isn't going to work. Fortunately, Golgoth's bloodthirsty tendencies and power are balanced by his unpleasant duties in regard to his friend and advisor and his clear love for his daughter, who he clearly keeps his true self hidden from.
There is humor, but it's dark humor, laughing in the face of horror whether it's because the character is twisted inside or chuckling nervously, thankful that it's happening to fictional characters instead of us. From the torturer's glib manner to the quote from the High Commissioner of Greenland, there are moments that will amuse the reader. And it works, largely because it stands out so much from the grim tone of the story itself, it makes it all the more real and also more chilling.
Kitson's work here is phenomenal, easily the best work he's done. He captures the tone of the series perfectly, and his simple but futuristic designs for the clothing and characters are absolutely terrific. In addition, he's a master of the close-up and the positioning of characters for maximum effect, whether it's the subservient position in which the ministers receive the Eucharist, Lohkyn's surprise appearance to take his position, or the many close-ups on Golgoth's cold eyes.
