Reviews»Comic Books»Imperium #5
IMPERIUM_005_COVER-C_CAFU
Kareem Ali 4.5

Imperium #5

 

  • The good

    Harada's plan to take the cold fusion reactor. The dynamic of Sunlight On Snow and Lord Vine-99

  • The bad

    Broken Angel's motivation in helping Harada not elaborated on.

  • The ugly

  • Imperium #5 has Toyo Harada beginning his assault on Project Rising Spirit in order to acquire the cold fusion reactor created by Broken Angel. It opens up with Director Kozol onboard the submarine Leviathan, Project Rising Spirit’s most secure location, where he hopes to keep the reactor safe from Harada. Ever since Broken Angel created it and Gravedog’s return from being held captive by Harada, Kozol has been on high alert. He constantly wears a psionic defense helmet to protect him from any psiot attack, and he’s been checking the security systems daily on the Leviathan for weeks. However, the security personnel doesn’t see anything unusual nor do some feel it’s necessary to wear the helmets 24 hours a day, and with all the psionic dampeners on board it wouldn’t even be possible for psiots to use their powers. But Kozol won’t relax since he can’t figure out how Gravedog was able to escape Harada, so he interrogates Broken Angel one more time about this. Yet Broken Angel reassures Kozol that Gravedog is clean despite knowing that Harada was already influencing him. It’s been weeks since Gravedog returned and now Harada is ready to strike. But what is Broken Angel’s true goal in helping Harada? And can Harada manage all these different characters with seemingly different goals?

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    Overall I loved the first story arc and how it was bold, smart, and had the perfect blend of story progression and action. Initially I wasn’t sure how to take the Broken Angel storyline because it seemed to be out of left field until the race for the cold fusion reactor was on. The start of this issue would’ve felt just like a recap of recent events but showing Kozol’s mindset after Gravedog’s return was an entertaining angle because it also increased the suspense concerning Harada’s plan to take the reactor. And it was good to get a sense of how Gravedog’s actions in wiping out his team impacted Project Rising Spirit’s operations. Unfortunately it didn’t shed more light on other character’s motivations, such as Broken Angel, but that doesn’t mean the series of events that would unfold weren’t entertaining. They were entertaining because of the way Harada’s plan was unveiled. Avoiding any spoilers, Joshua Dysart does a great job in showing what has made Harada such a riveting character, as well as feared by Project Rising Spirit. And adding Sunlight On Snow and Lord Vine-99 to the mix was a good decision considering their uniqueness as characters on Harada’s side, and I’m curious as to how they might be viewed/treated by Broken Angel. Part of the way things unfolded somewhat undermined the brilliance in the initial plan and that’s my only real gripe here. However, I am excited about the way this issue ended, and there’s sure to be a lot of good action next issue. I just hope the story continues to progress as wonderfully as it has all series.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Imperium #5 is an exciting issue that only gives a taste of the assault on the Leviathan but the plan that’s unveiled makes it worth it. It ties up some loose ends regarding Gravedog, and including the two most unpredictable characters, Sunlight On Snow and Lord Vine-99, makes the entire situation more intriguing. I enjoyed how Kozol’s perspective was shown because it made Harada’s plan seem more grand but I was slightly disappointed in the way other things fell apart in the manner they did. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next issue as the battle intensifies.

     

    Release Date: 6/3/15

    Writer: Joshua Dysart

    Artist: Scot Eaton

  • Rating ( 8.5 )
  • Total score 8.5

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