Written By Adam Felber
Art by Mark Robinson and Mike Getty
The Skrull Kill Krew is a Marvel Comics team created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, and Steve Yeowell at the height of Mad Cow disease hysteria in the 1990s. See, these gentlemen decided to take the classic Skrull story from Fantastic Four #2, yes that number 2 not some strange reboot or renumbering, and re-imagine it. In that story, Reed Richards forces the Skrull invaders to permanently transform into cows. Now, this leads to the classic Avengers: Kree/Skrull War. Enter the Skrull Kill Krew. Instead of leaving this story alone, the men mentioned above decide to see what would happen if someone slaughtered the skrulls and fed them to unsuspecting people in the form of hamburgers. Yes, this actually happened in the original Skrull Kill Krew! Anyway, the people that ate the skrull tainted meat either died or gained mutant superpowers along with a supreme hatred for anything Skrull. Hench, the Skrull Kill Krew was born. As silly as this sound, this issue is a sequel to the original graphic novel written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar. How does this one fare against the *shudder* classic?
The Book
Skrull Kill Krew #1 is the continuation of the original miniseries and the Krew’s appearance in Avengers: The Initiative. We find the team’s leader trying to fight the good fight against the now splintered Skrull race. While the concept of this book and the team itself is interesting and at the very least a bit comical, the execution in this book is tacky and juvenile. Instead of biting satire like Howard the Duck or a funny inside look into superheroes like John Byrne’s She-Hulk, we get blurred bestiality and animal mating jokes along with clichéd Thor dialogue from a disguised Skrull. This is hardly a well written look into superhero comics. Sadly, it seems as if this is what passes for a mature comic these days. In fact, this book’s T+ rating is a bit low in my opinion. I’m no prude, but any book that again has veiled references to cow and Skrull mating may need an adult rating.
However, an adult rating for this book would not be appropriate either. The jokes are low brow and tired. Now, this type of humor is fine in certain areas and doses, but this book never stops. We get an excessive amount of violence with this issue as well. The only complaint is that it is again juvenile and cartoony. This complaint carries over into the overall tone of the book. I couldn’t figure out what the writers and artists were trying to accomplish with this issue.
Not to get on a soap box, but here it goes. It seems that celebrated writers are given a get out of jail free card when it comes to toilet humor. Many critics see it as provocative and witty. However, it is just crass in my opinion. I see this trend in many books by Mark Millar, Grant Morrison (if you can understand his recent work), and especially Garth Ennis. Again, I like a lot of these writers and their previous work. Morrison’s Animal Man, Invisibles, Doom Patrol, and Batman: Arkham Asylum are some of my favorite collections and graphic novels. However, past work does not mean that everything they make is golden and without ridicule. I mention this because many writers today decide to be graphic and lewd and think this is a direct correlation to greatness and being edgy. In reality this can be cliché and trite, not new and fresh. I say this because Adam Felber and his crew, along with Marvel Comics, seem to think that the Skrull Kill Krew merits a new series. Felber’s writing falls into cliché and trite, not the “edgy” comics made famous by apologetic hipsters that have merely taken the place of the old comic stereotype: comics are for kids. No comic books are not just for kids, but a reader would imagine this series was being written by teenager, not an ironically inclined British mega writer.
On every step, this book just doesn’t work. It can’t decide if it is funny or violent, never a good combination of both. If you shun normal superhero fare and hate anything mainstream, then this book may be “ironic” enough for you. If you want a solid well thought out superhero book with a tinge of satire, please look elsewhere.
2/10
The Artwork
I have a definite love hate relationship with the artwork in this book. I honestly like the style. It is different and shows a new sort of direction for a Marvel superhero title, so I have nothing but respect for that. My respect falls though when manga stereotypes are played out in almost every page. Everything is exaggerated at all times. It is a bit excessive. However, the exaggeration works much better in the artwork than the dismal story. It would be nice to see someone get their style from more than one source. For example, instead of doing western stereotypical comic art or manga, mix it up. To be really bold, try a style outside of comics. This would have helped the underground feel of the book.
5/10
Overall ( Not an Average) 3/10
The Review
The Story 2/10
The Artwork 5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 3/10