Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Evil Empire #1
Boom! Studios
Bemis & Getty
The opening issue of Evil Empire proves to be a politically charged, character-based, old-school mystery. The first issue is an impressive effort because we get equal parts plot introduction and character definitions. The comic book seems to fall into familiar, well- trodden, political ground but it branches off nicely by the end. This is definitely one to pick up.
The high concept is that this comic is the beginning of a country forming into an evil empire. The idea here is that all of the players eventually have a hand in bringing about something that leads to Death Stars and Star Destroyers. The opening issue doesn't make that high concept obvious. Until the very end that is.
The book mostly centers around two characters: a female singer that hits the government hard with her lyrics and the Democratic candidate for the Presidency that has taken a liking to her. The stereotypes for the political parties are all there and they are kind of boring. The Democrat is kind of young, tries to understand the common man while the Republican candidate parades around his family ideals and is seen as not a man of the people. The difference here is that the singer hates them all. So to watch the younger candidate chase her (using his power and influence to do so – not so Democratic of him) is where the comic kind of veers off from the usual politics you might find.
The romance dance is only a piece of the book though as the comic also dives into aspects of the campaign. While it appears the motives of the Democratic are purely to get with the singer, the Republican appears to have motives that are entirely different that don't seem to have to do with politics either. All of this makes for a read that is dialogue heavy but it gets the reader more curious at every turn in the comic.
The artwork has a noir quality to that is fitting for the story. The comic uses some light tones in some spots but very sharp pencils to drive home the emotions on the pages. The visuals give off a good vibe for this story. It's a difficult balance with a book that doesn't contain a lot of action but I liked the presentation here as it helps the flow along. I particularly like the depiction of the singer, as it mixes in grunge and harsh pencils to fit the personality. The book is a great visual story.
The comic book is a great read and really has a fantastic pace to it. Obviously the cliffhanger is an attention grabber but all that came before is enough to jump on board with this series anyway. The comic book is on the way to becoming something special and I recommend getting in on the ground floor. This is your chance.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
