Coinciding with the release today of the second chapter of Mark Waid and Barry Kitson's Empire Volume 2, Thrillbent is making the first chapter available for free.

Originally published in 2000 through Image Comics, and later with DC Comics, Empire is set in a world a where the evil armored despot Golgoth has won, defeating all of its heroes. Volume 2, which launched May 28 after a 10-year hiatus, continues the saga of Golgoth, whose grip on Earth is as strong as ever.

"It's been one year to the day after the end of the previous volume," Waid told Comic Book Resources last month. "Without giving anything away for people that haven't read Volume One, there's a traumatic event in the last act that sets the tone for the next volume. This is one year later and we're dealing with the repercussions of it. The world has changed subtly -- not enormously -- but from Golgoth's various advisors and ministers' point of view, Golgoth is changing in some very ugly and disturbing ways. That is saying a lot given that he was already a ruthless super villain with no compunction against taking human life. Even they are a little disturbed at the lengths he has tried to fill the void that was left him when this tragic thing happened."

Empire is being serialized twice-monthly on Thrillbent. For a $3.99 monthly subscription, fans can follow Volume 2, download the 192-page original series, and access the website's other content.