Reading Empire #1 made me a bit uncomfortable, but in a good way. Waid and Kitson do a frighteningly good job of portraying a world in which a hero isn't going to swoop down and save the day, and the population is left to the nonexistent mercy of a despot with immense power and ambition. Waid's story weaves a number of elements, including a lieutenant who has learned a terrible secret, an ambassador making a harrowing journey and a seeming innocent engaging in unexpected betrayal, into one story about the costs of living underneath Golgoth's rule. Kitson matches Waid's imagination with some truly gruesome imagery, and the creators manage to build a story of despair and fear, but one that inexorably draws the reader in.
The notion of living under a despot is, unfortunately, all too real. While it's not likely to be something anyone who is reading Empire has experienced, we've all read the news and heard the stories, and the idea of a madman in charge of a country is frightening enough. The idea of such a man in charge of the entire world, with super-powers and a super-villain's taste for theatrical death and torture, is even worse. Golgoth commits several atrocities this issue, and it becomes very clear that he's not going to be a sympathetic character, despite his obvious love for Delfi, which was a hint of humanity behind his super-villain facade. No, he may be the lead character or defining character for Empire, but he's the antagonist.
Instead, the people we root for are those who are aligned against Golgoth, in ways large and small. The ambassador, trying to maintain some semblance of a normal life for his family in the wake of Golgoth's victory. Xanna, trying to hold on to her secret knowledge and avoid being assassinated or tortured because of it. Delfi, trying just to get underneath her father's thumb and experience things she's not allowed. Lohkyn's relationship, which seems genuine but could hide ulterior motives. Though these people seem absolutely doomed, the reader hopes secretly that they aren't, that they will provide some sort of rebellion, however small, against Golgoth's ordered new world.
Kitson's artwork was beautiful on the early issues of Empire, but it's even more polished on this new issue, which has the benefit of a few more years of experience. His exceptional storytelling and character designs remain, but some of the sharper edges of the work have been softened, such that the work reminds me more than ever of someone like Adam Hughes or Stuart Immonen. Kitson's characters look natural and real, but in this softness, he doesn't lose the harsh reality of the world, with a very dark portrayal of Tumbril's workroom and lavish, technology-heavy backgrounds on Kafra's room or on exterior shots of Golgoth's fortress.
There's a relatively large cast of characters, and a fair amount going on, in this issue of Empire, but the book never feels crowded or any of the stories short-changed. Waid gives Ambassador Rasmussen and his family enough development to really drive home the conclusion of his story painfully, and despite Xanna's despicable job of assassin, it's easy enough to feel for her worry and anxiety. Similarly, despite the position Delfi holds in Golgoth's heart, it's easy to separate out that she's just a teenage girl wanting the same things out of life that many teenage girls want, despite her father's wishes.
