Imperial Guardians #4- Everything and Nothing

When a galactic war rocks the cosmos, and you need something done on the down low, you call the Imperial Guardians. This ragtag band of misfits is a covert team to be sent in when more….diplomatic….efforts have failed. As the team begins to trust each other, Darkhawk begins having strange visions of dangers to come. He believes the alien entities that created his suit may have something to do with it. Luckily for him, there’s someone in his own orbit that can help him…Cosmic Ghost Rider.

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

Creative Team

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

Writing

Dan Abnett is really giving us great relationships between these characters. On the surface level, these characters pairing up might not make much sense, but at its core, Abnett shows us how they grow and develop with each other. The humor is briefly interrupted for a rather frank conversation between Cosmic Ghost Rider and Darkhawk at the beginning that is both funny and serious.

Abnett finally starts to pull back the curtain on how this team came to be. Could it be that the Imperial Guardians have a bigger purpose all along than just being errand runners for Maximus? What could be coming if it makes even Gamora and Cosmic Ghost Rider feel helpless? Abnett had me on the edge of my seat for this issue, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

Art

Eduardo Pansica, Jay Leisten, and Rachelle Rosenberg continue to tell a great story through art in Imperial Guardians #4. With the introduction of the Nightshade, Leisten and Rosenberg really get to play with a lot more dark colors and shading that makes for a really great issue. Pansica crafts characters that feel like the heroes we love but plucked out of a reality show. The use of negative space and darkness in this issue meant that Pansica really had to make the lines stand out and he clearly makes Darkhawk the star off this issue with some awesome action scenes and a beautiful costume.

Rosenberg does an amazing job with the limited lighting sources of this issue to bring the panels to life. She casts Darkhawk’s costume in a whole new way with the limited lighting that makes him truly look like a force to be reckoned with.

Final Thoughts

Imperial Guardians continues to feel like a good old-fashioned Marvel adventure. The story continues to grow, and we are getting more and more layers peeled back, revealing why this team came together. The story is enjoyable and allows all the characters to shine in their own way while the art remains stunning.

Overall Grade: 9 / 10

Are you enjoying Imperial Guardians? Let me know in the comments