Change is coming to the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe, and much of that can be attributed to the efforts of artists Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini. Imperial is an upcoming event series from superstar writer Jonathan Hickman that promises to lay the groundwork for a new wave of titles. There will be several characters involved in Imperial, ranging from Hulks to Novas to Guardians of the Galaxy, and they will all be illustrated by the duo of Coello and Vicentini. We’re months away from Imperial‘s release this summer, but the illustrators are giving a peek behind the curtain to walk readers through their process on the highly anticipated series.
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ComicBook spoke to Imperial artists Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini to find out what they have cooking for some of Marvel’s biggest and most important space characters and franchises. They discussed how they go about creating new designs for established characters, which characters have been the most fun to work with, challenges of working on separate parts of a larger story, and much more. We can also exclusively reveal uncolored interior pages from Imperial #1.
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ComicBook: To start off, what characters and landscapes/planets did you get to work on today?
Iban Coello: I’m working on Sakaar and all the “Hulk Family” right now!
Federico Vicentini: I’m working on three pages at once. Actually, a double page, a picture with a lot of characters, so let’s say I’m working on all the characters at the moment. The other page is about Ronan and a planet, which I won’t name so as not to give spoilers…
When designing new looks for established characters, what have you found are the best qualities to focus on? How much leeway or freedom are you given to change things up, and which character do you think changed the most?
Iban Coello: When I work on a new design, usually Jonathan Hickman gives me a general idea of the character’s look in the script, and I work based on that. Tying the new look with the personality of the characters and having it make sense in this new era they’re entering. I think that She-Hulk is the one who underwent the biggest change.
Federico Vicentini: Since I’ve been working at Marvel, I’ve always been given a lot of freedom on the look of the characters. I love that every creator has their own version, and in this case it was an even better experience because I could create all-new looks for the characters. When creating the costumes, I wanted to go back a bit to the past, such as bringing back Star-Lord’s helmet, giving Nova an aviator-style jacket, and taking inspiration from classic heroes like Flash Gordon. J’Son’s suit also went back to a more classic style. Peter will also have a more “real” suit to match his father’s. Regarding Iban’s part of the story, I love how he differentiated all the Hulks, it wasn’t easy.
Which character(s) have been the most fun to draw in your respective parts of the Imperial story?
Iban Coello: I’m still getting used to drawing Hulk, but he is becoming the most fun character to draw at the moment!
Federico Vicentini: For me, the easiest to draw is definitely Star-Lord, he’s my favorite from Imperial. I love that kind of character, and I couldn’t wait to draw some beards!
Does working on different parts of the same story/comic present any challenges that fans may not be aware of?
Iban Coello: For this story, I’m usually just focused on the challenge of trying to make the storytelling of the pages readable and easy to understand, for the benefit of the whole team!
Federico Vicentini: Working with Iban is great, I’m always happy to see his pages when they arrive by email. He has a great dynamism! Let’s say that the biggest challenge in working together is to be able to agree when we have to draw consecutive scenes. For example, on the choice of the design of a room, or a vehicle. From what I’ve seen, we’re making great progress! I can’t wait to see the finished comic!
To wrap up, if you had to describe Imperial in one sentence, what would it be?
Iban Coello: EPIC.
Federico Vicentini: Stellar!
Imperial #1 goes on sale June 4th from Marvel Comics. Let us know your thoughts on the event series in the comments below!
