Empress

Empress 1-7

Mark Millar is such an interesting fellow.  He’s an amazingly talented writer, with an exceptional ability to create the comic equivalent of catchy pop song hooks.  His stories grab you from the start, don’t let go, and are finished before you know it.  Perfect movie blockbuster material, which is really the point of Millarworld comics.  Each of the properties he creates for it is meant to be a springboard for the next big movie franchise.  Netflix’s acquisition of Millarworld in 2017 must have been the sweet culmination of a decade-long plan.

Good for Millar, but it also means that his comics have been off-peak for quite some time.  Entertaining?  For sure.  Substantive?  Not as much.

Case in point: Empress.  Millar jumps from action scene to action scene, and it’s all very exciting, but nothing sticks in my mind.  While I was quite happy to read it, I know I’ll never find myself thinking, “Hey, let’s pull out Empress and read that again.”  Contrast that to his work on Ultimates or Authority, which rank in my upper echelon of comics.  

But let’s not forget to give Stuart Immonen his due, because he should always be given his due.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Hey, I’ve reached the end of Marvel Box 3!

Box Summary:

Time spent reading: 27 hours, 8 minutes

Issues read: 198

Issues cut: 50

Highlights (Good or better): Daredevil 260, Doctor Strange 1-6

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 78 hours, 9 minutes

Issues read: 557

Issues cut: 79