By Grant Morrison & Mark Millar (writers), Steve Yeowell (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Various (colors)
Given its premise, I’d say this book (originally a five issue mini-series) was ahead of its time when it was released back in 1995. Yes, the art and much of the dialogue reek of the flamboyant nature of the comic industry at the time, but the concept is not only relevant, but ingenious. Of course, this really not a surprise coming from the often visionary minds of Grant Morrison and Mark Millar.
The Skrull Kill Krew is about those pesky Skrulls the Fantastic Four brainwashed into becoming cows (way back in Fantastic Four #2). After certain circumstances, those “cows” were brought in to slaughter and as you can guess, they ended up as Skrull burgers! Unbeknownst to the general public, these burger patties ended up in the public market place and were devoured by unsuspecting individuals. What happened to these consumers is a mixture of Mad Cow Disease (their seizures chronically worsen as the disease erodes their brain) and the imbuing of Skrull-like powers. In addition to these powers, these people can also see Skrulls in their true form – no matter what they’ve shape-shifted themselves into. Yes, it’s a lot like John Carpenter’s movie, “They Live“, sans the glasses.
This book follows a band of misfits who’ve been afflicted with these new powers as they hunt down and mercilessly kill any Skrull they happen upon. If you thought the Marvel Universe has a deep infiltration of Skrull agents, you won’t believe how bad it was before these guys were around. Much of this story is riddled with silly one-liners, pseudo-offensive language, jabs at American culture and mainstream comics. Plus, we’re treated to a ton of over-the-top violence (as bad as it could get in 1995, anyway) as the Krew goes on its merry way, destroying everything Skrully in its path.
Morrison and Millar, at times, try to create situations where you almost feel sorry for the Skrulls, only to dismantle that sympathy moments later when it’s revealed that these aliens aren’t just here to blend in, they’re here to infiltrate. The Skrull Kill Krew, with their murderous rampages definitely aren’t heroes, but it’s hard to hate them when they display the utmost respect for The Fantastic Four and Captain America.
Lastly, the art by Steve Yeowell is just awful. This is the cross-hatching, over-rendered 1990s art at its worst. Most the panels are devoid of backgrounds and the action scenes are so muddled you can barely tell who’s shooting what or why something’s exploding. Like I said, this book is nothing to write home about, but given its concept, it definitely tackles a subject that’s more prevalent today than it was 10 years ago. If you’re really digging this whole Secret Invasion storyline, you’ll most likely want to pick up a copy of this trade off eBay. Why Marvel hasn’t re-released it is a mystery to me. (Grade: C)
- J. Montes
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Marvel Comics, Secret Invasion, Skrull Kill Krew, Skrulls
