EMPIRE is the story of what would happen if Dr. Doom took over the world. Only without Dr. Doom.
That's the Reader's Digest version anyway. Golgoth, the monomaniacal star of Mark Waid and Barry Kitson's creator-owned opus, bears a strong resemblance to Marvel's Dr. Doom (in fact, one wonders if Waid wasn't offered his current gig on Fantastic Four strictly on the strength of EMPIRE), but there's no doubt that Mark Waid and Barry Kitson have created their own character here.
Golgoth rules the world... almost. There are still pockets of resistance scattered here and there across the globe, but they're in places like South Africa and Greenland. Not a serious threat to somebody who orchestrated the murders of the world's superheroes and united 95% of the planet under his iron fist. Really, the outside world isn't the problem anymore. Golgoth has a lot more to worry about from his Cabinet and his surviving family than from rogue military powers.
The story is a bit of a departure for Waid, who made his name on traditional superhero comics like The Flash. There are no heroes in EMPIRE -- none that are worthy of the name anymore anyway -- and even the book's protagonists are all nasty people. I mean bad. Only a sick individual (or a masochistic one) would want to hang out with this crowd, but you'll find yourself rooting for each of them at different points in the story. In fact, after reading the first chapter, you might be surprised by which of these vile people are more likeable by the end.
Even though EMPIRE is a single coherent story, Waid still manages to bring each chapter to some sort of satisfying conclusion, and he does so without disrupting the rhythm of reading it all in one sitting. There are reasons the guy is one of the top writers in mainstream comics today, and his snappy dialogue and clever plot twists aren't the only things. Like other writers in his class and generation, he's got an instinct for how to make a complete story fit into a twenty-two page comic, but he's also entirely aware that what's published this month in a single may eventually be published again in trade paperback.
Of course, the effort isn't entirely perfect. For example, early on in the book, one of Golgoth's ministers, Lokhyn, does something right in front of his boss that is both stupid and totally contradictory to how his character had been portrayed up to that point. That one act sets up one of the main threads that runs through the rest of the collection, so it's important, but I was disappointed that Waid didn't find a better way to do it. There's also the matter of the lieutenant who supposedly betrays Golgoth, only to turn around and reveal that he was working for his evil boss the entire time. I normally try to avoid giving spoilers in these reviews, but there's never really any doubt that the lieutenant's going to turn on Golgoth's enemies. I couldn't believe that they fell for it, actually.
I like Kitson's design for Golgoth -- colorful, without losing the necessary sense of menace -- but the rest of the character designs are sort of blah. He does a great job of differentiating characters through body size and facial shape, but their costumes and uniforms are uninspired, skintight villain costumes -- the sort of stuff you'd expect to see in a mid-90's Image comic.
I'm focusing on the negative a little bit here, but overall there really isn't a whole lot to pick on in EMPIRE. Fans of Waid and Kitson's superhero work will probably enjoy this (even though they might feel like they need a shower after reading it), and the ending is satisfying enough while still leaving the door open for sequels down the line. Considering this creative team is soon taking over DC's Legion of Super-Heroes, any follow-ups probably won't be coming any time soon, but I hope they both make it back eventually. You only have to read Waid's foreword, or browse the sketches and prelims Kitson provides in the back of the book, to see how much love and care both men have put into a book about the triumph of ultimate evil.
