Empress, Issue #3 is about Queen Emporia's flight from King Morax with her children, her guard, Dane, and his friend, Tor. Tor has a "ship" that's actually a small teleportation device, and it takes them from world to world, reminding me fondly of Millar's other comic, Chrononauts, where each world they go to is more bizarre than the world before. The ship has a flaw, in that it has to be able to "see" where it's going, so it doesn't work in snow or ash or fog. I thought this was a great plot device, making the gang get stranded on certain worlds for a time.
Like the first two issues, the imagination and artwork are out of this world. Imagining a galactic empire situated on Earth just before the dinosaurs went extinct was one thing, but the way Millar and Immonen have conjured up new worlds and new situations is really fantastic. Like the epic tales of the Bible, Empress may have beautiful and bizarre settings, but it's really just about a family. The king is crazy, so the queen bails with their kids. That's a situation anyone can relate to, whether they live in a trailer park or a McMansion. Yes, there is another man involved, but whether his role is romantic or not waits to be seen.
Stuart Immonen, similarly, does great with the different worlds and shit, but similarly, he does excellent work on the family and friends. Just look at the main cover (which I bought), featuring Dane. The level of detail in his face and his clothes are fairly good for a cover, but they remain just as good throughout the comic. What you see on the cover is what you get in the comic. Just open it up, and you'll see. Inks are by Wade von Grawbadger, and colors are by Ive Svorcina, both of which are crucial to the artwork of this series. Peter Doherty is the letterer, and he uses a style I like, with upswept horizontal lines.
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