Imperial Guardians #5 – Time to Pay the Piper

When you have no other options, you call the Imperial Guardians. This black ops team of cosmic superstars works with Maximus to protect the cosmic peace in times when official actions aren’t the best or even an available option. What happens when the Imperial Guardians realize there may be more to their team than they imagine?

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Dan Abnett
Penciller: Marcelo Ferreira
Inker: Jay Leisten
Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover Artist: Sean Izaakse
Cover Color Artist: Nolan Woodard

Writing

Dan Abnett wraps this story up in a pretty satisfying bow. I can honestly say I wish we were getting more of this team going forward but if this is all we get it was a fun run. Abnett really showed the team grow over the issues into not necessarily full blown trust of each other but at least a trust but verify approach. The action in this issue was off the charts. Even if the big reveal felt a little obvious it was still done so well that it was satisfying.

Ultimately this short series has been a satisfying look at a unique collection of characters for a cosmic team. The stories have been well done and fun to read. The characters have responded to their new teammates in unique ways. While the series may not have had the legs it deserved it was still an amazing bit of writing from Abnett.

Art

Marcelo Ferreira, Jay Leisten, and Rachelle Rosenberg have done an outstanding job this entire series. This issue was no exception. Ferreria’s line work was simply spectacular and a beautiful callback to an older era of comics amongst all of the modern computer based design so prevalent. The characters felt fresh and distinct as part of the story. Leisten did an outstanding job with the shedding in the ink work on this issue, bringing a level of Christmas to the character characters in the scenes that really made them pop off the page.

Rosenberg was the cherry on top of this art sundae, bringing everything to life through the vivid and vibrant color she utilized for the series. The colors really pop when they need to enter subdued when the panel calls for it. It is through Rosenberg’s work that you really begin to feel the cosmic feel of this comic. Cory Petit closes how strong with a beautiful lettering job on this final issue after helping move the story seamlessly through.

Final Thoughts

Imperial Guardians feels like a really good story that was just never given the legs it deserved. The entire series has been a fresh idea with a unique team that has been well written with stunning art. I would have loved to see more of this team and see where they would have gone.

Overall Grade: 9 /10

How did you like the Imperial Guardians series? Let me know in the comments