Empire: Uprising

In 2015, writer Mark Waid and artist Barry Kitson launched Empire: Uprising at IDW, a four-issue sequel to their earlier Empire series. Set in a world where a supervillain has already won, the story follows the fragile, violent peace he enforces—and the cracks beginning to show in his absolute rule. Kitson’s clean, expressive linework grounds the high-concept premise in tense, character-driven drama, while Waid explores the moral compromises and paranoia of a dictator’s reign. A sharp, underappreciated addition to the “evil wins” subgenre, it’s a tight, focused read for fans of superhero deconstruction.