Marvel and Jonathan Hickman Launch a New Era of Cosmic Storytelling (& There's a Trailer)

Aaron Fonseca
Jun 6
2 min read

Marvel Comics releases an explosive trailer to match their latest cosmic comic book event.

On June 5, the official Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel posted a brand-new animatic trailer for the recently released Imperial #1. The trailer picks up shortly after a series of murders targeting some of the most prominent cosmic leaders in the entire Marvel Universe. As the trailer promises, however, "Nature abhors a vacuum," and it is only a matter of time before all manner of would-be despots and rulers begin showing up to fill the latest interstellar voids.

Light the Pyre of Hiro Kala

Written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini, Imperial #1 arrived on comic book store shelves on June 4, kicking off a whole new cosmic epic in the process. The issue plays out across four distinct chapters entitled "Light the Pyre of Hiro Kala," "Through the Fulcrum," "Poison the Water, Poison the Well," and "Nature Abhors a Vacuum," each of which sets up another aspect of the series' overarching story. Among the major players at hand are the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Hulk, the Black Panther, and even the former ruler of the Spartax Empire and father to Marvel's very own Star-Lord, J'Son.

Per the official synopsis for Imperial #1 from Marvel Comics, "Imperial finds the galaxies of the Marvel Universe on the brink of major upheaval, following the elimination of several of its most prominent leaders. Nature abhors a vacuum, and empires fall, rulers are overthrown and power is seized in a saga of intrigue, mysteries and war, all taking place against the backdrop of the formation of new galactic order in the Marvel Universe."

Ahead of the release of Imperial #1, writer Jonathan Hickman broke down exactly what the series is setting out to accomplish in terms of providing a jumping-off point for future Marvel Comics titles. "I'm very excited about this project as I’m obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic," Hickman said. "The goal here is to kind of do what we did with the recent Ultimate line for all of our space titles, except having the setup book, Imperial, be more of an event than a world-building exercise (like Ultimate Invasion). The art team is killing it, and we’re all just very excited for what’s happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe."