Empire: Uprising continues to weave its excellent story through issue two. Here we get some new players added to the mix. It's interesting to see those characters that don't agree with Golgoth (though they can't actively say it, they have to allude to a lot of things). More interesting are the characters who actively oppose him. These characters that want to usurp Golgoths position don't seem to be any more benevolent. Here you can be a slave under his rule or you can be free under my rule. Either way you're going to be stuck under someone else’s thumb. It's an interesting idea and I hope we get to see more things like this come up.

There's a lot of exposition to get through to really understand this world, but it is handled exceptionally well through the dialogue. I really enjoy the lettering that accompanies the dialogue, certain characters have different speech bubbles and lettering that suit them. The script is tight and that makes it easier to get into and really try and figure out who is on whose side.

One thing I really enjoyed this time is that Golgoth doesn't really do a lot this time (in terms of action, he is obviously doing a lot of behind-the-scenes maneuvering). This may sound like a negative point, but it's really not. By not having him deal with everything he seems more contemplative - intelligent - menacing and therefore much more interesting. Also it builds the suspense for when he busts out and whoops ass.

I really dug the ending that shows the weight of ruling world while conversely showing the weight of being ruled. This has become one of my most anticipated comics and I can't wait for the next issue.

Score: 4/5

Empire: Uprising #2 Writer: Mark Waid and Barry Kitson Colorist: Chris Sotomayor Publisher: IDW Publishing/Thrillbent Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/20/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital