In a 1979 interview, Delany notes the lack of representation of women in speculative fiction as well as female friendships within this genre, highlighting how he has broken "a lot of mythical patterns" by selecting this approach.

[6] Yet, despite this claim, Delany continues to comment that he wishes he had focused on this female friendship more, arguing that they may not have "done enough with the woman sidekick" and that "there are times when the male point-of-view-character almost displaces her.

"[6] In regards to illustrations, Chaykin primarily utilizes three-panelled pages which feature bold, detailed, and colourful painted graphics.

[13][14] Before its publication, Mediascene reported that Berkley Publishing science fiction editor David Hartwell was so confident about this "breakthrough novel in graphic story form"[15] that the print run for the $9.95 paperback edition was planned for 50,000 copies, with 1,500 signed and numbered hardcovers retailed at $24 each.

"[6] A more exact figure was provided by Delany in a later volume of The Comics Journal in a Letter to the Editor, in which he says "a mere 39 percent" had been rewritten by Preiss.

[18] When asked about his influences for writing Empire in a 1979 interview with The Comics Journal, Delany acknowledges being largely inspired by comic writers he admires, including, but not limited to: Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, S. Clay Wilson, Jan Strnad, Lee Marrs, Richard Corben, and Trina Robbins.

[6] Oxford Bibliographies also identifies Métal Hurlant, a French science fiction magazine, as a potential source of inspiration or influence for Empire.