Flash Gordon’s adoptive daughter – comic book review “The Empress”

Domestic violence has many faces. However, she takes on a threatening tone when her husband turns out to be the most powerful and cruel man in the galaxy. Queen Emporia decides to run away with the children from her chosen one, the ruler of the galaxy, Morax. Does he have a chance to do this when he owns all the planets and a huge army of soldiers?

Does classic science fiction still have its raison d’être?

The Empress is a series created by the acclaimed screenwriter Mike Millar. He became famous for his often unconventional approach to comics. In Kick Ass, he showed a different face of superheroism, in Chrononauts he consistently played with time, and since he took over the Authority series , it has taken a blush. He also has many comic books, both original and commissioned by major studios such as Marvel and DC. This time Millar worked on space opera, however – as always – he did it in his own style. In times when realistic stories with a galactic scope or a dark look at possible paths of human development reign, the screenwriter went back several dozen years and referred to classic entertainment stories. Reading The Empress, it feels like Flash Gordon is back with his amazing adventures. This comic is full of fast action, crazy chases and – let’s face it – sometimes really stupid plot solutions. These, however, are inscribed in the convention and by no means lower the quality of the work, but even increase it.

The characters are a bit clichéd and initially represent a simple set of certain stereotypical features. Then, however, their slow development follows, or rather the author decided to gradually discover their secrets and motives. However, this is not the priority here. It is, however, another amazing worlds, scenes of chase and the fact that the reader has no time to rest. Here one scandal follows another. The heroes fall into another cabal with the speed of a machine gun, and interestingly – reading does not tire even a bit, even with such apparent repetition of threads!

What do the other worlds of the Empress look like ?

Stuart Immonen, one of the most interesting mainstream authors of American comics, is responsible for the graphics. His works fall within the definition of the classic style, presented by most artists, but as one of the few he is able to keep his own, characteristic line. His drawings are airy, sometimes seem unfinished and oscillate between meticulous shading with tiny lines and spots of black. It is precisely the play with these elements that makes the artist skillfully use plans and perfectly mark the main message. Thanks to this, it emphasizes the dynamics of the action and the complexity of the characters’ facial expressions. Ive Svorcina also deserves praise for applying colors that perfectly match Immonen’s line. This is because it also ranges from beautifully shaded boards to ordinary, uniform patches of color,

The Polish edition with a hardcover, high print quality and in a slightly enlarged format allow you to appreciate the overall effect. Translation should also satisfy even the most demanding fans. The only thing you could wish for is a slightly lower price.

Is it worth going back to the classics?

Thanks to all these features, the Empress is undoubtedly one of the most interesting entertainment comics recently. You will not find psychological considerations here, nor will the volume change anyone’s worldview. However, it will provide great entertainment for all fans of good old science fiction from the times when the focus was not on details such as physics or logic, and the focus was on the creation of amazing worlds and exciting adventures. Millar and Immonen’s comic book is a hard-hitting ride, which, by taking back the comic’s plot by several dozen years, is a kind of innovation on the market.