Grant Morrison and Mark Millar are two of essentially the most well-known writers within the historical past of the comedian business. Morrison was one of many writers introduced over to the American comedian business within the late ’80s, a part of the British Invasion that modified comics perpetually. Morrison would make an enormous splash instantly with Animal Man and Doom Patrol, and would quickly turn into identified for his or her wildly imaginative tales and love of basic DC Comics. Morrison would find yourself bringing Millar into the American comedian business, the 2 of them working collectively all through the late ’90s. The 2 ended up at Marvel within the 12 months 2000 and have become key components of the Home of Concepts’s success within the ’00s and past.
Millar would assist set up the Final line and shortly grew to become one of many hottest writers within the business at Marvel. In the meantime, Morrison’s run on New X-Males would finish out of nowhere, with the scribe going again to DC. The connection between the 2 writers additionally soured at this level, with little to no hope of getting any new collaborations from the 2 of them. They made for a reasonably nice workforce (their year-long runs on The Flash (Vol. 2) and Swamp Factor (Vol. 2) have been actually cool), however there’s one collab of theirs that almost all of their followers know nothing about it. It’s a bit of misplaced Marvel ephemera, spawned by a Lee/Kirby problem of Unbelievable 4, and it hasn’t seen the sunshine of day in a long time – Skrull Kill Krew.
Morrison and Millar Dug Into Marvel Lore with Skrull Kill Krew
So, the origin of Skrull Kill Krew goes again to the very starting of the fashionable Marvel Universe, again in 1961. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launched the Skrulls in Unbelievable 4 #2, with the First Household of the Marvel Universe having to take care of a gaggle of three shapeshifting aliens, despatched to Earth as an advance social gathering for the extraterrestrial empire. The workforce was capable of defeat the aliens and determined to do one thing relatively novel with them – brainwash them into pondering they have been cows and letting them reside their lives out on a farm. It was definitely an concept, and it’s one that will have penalties down the street.
Morrison and Millar’s sequence would posit that these cows, and their offspring, can be chock filled with Skrull DNA, which individuals would find yourself consuming. The contaminated meat and milk gave a few of them shapeshifting powers and remodeled a few of them into monsters, but it surely was largely identified for killing the individuals who ate it. Ultimately, a gaggle of survivors would be taught the reality about the entire state of affairs and type the Skrull Kill Krew as a approach to get revenge towards the aliens (and never the Unbelievable 4, who actually triggered all of it). That was the premise for the e-book, and it was one which was seemingly excellent for readers in 1995.
Picture Comics had debuted three years earlier than and there was an undercurrent of riot to the business, particularly amongst youthful creators. They have been pushing the envelope, taking the whole lot to the intense, and Marvel and DC have been usually being left behind. Whereas DC didn’t actually fear about this – their books bought advantageous they usually had Vertigo, precise mature readers comics – however Marvel was consistently chasing Picture and attempting to place out books that will enchantment to those that went over to the newer writer as a result of their books have been extra “excessive” and violent.
Skrull Kill Krew is what would occur if Morrison and Millar determined to put in writing a stereotypical ’90s comedian. The 2 of them created a ridiculous premise – Skrull-tainted meat create superhumans who need revenge towards Skrulls – and went to city. In numerous methods, it’s type of the other of their work at DC. It’s low forehead superhero thrills for teenage boys, but it surely got here at a time when Marvel was at their lowest ebb. The writer was within the midst of their chapter, and had break up into quite a few “publishing homes”. Skrull Kill Krew was a part of Marvel Edge, which was the house of the Picture rip-off/fake mature readers comics the Home of Concepts was peddling on the time. I keep in mind seeing one advert for the e-book in Wizard Journal, however that was the extent of the advertising and marketing for it.
In 1995, Millar was principally a no identify and Morrison was nonetheless what amounted to a B-lister, largely identified for his or her work on Vertigo books and C-list DC titles. It wouldn’t be till 1996’s JLA that they’d acquire their popularity as a superhero wunderkind, which explains why this e-book went nowhere; it was a 12 months too early. Morrison was a reputation, however they weren’t a star but, Millar was no one at this level, and the e-book’s artist, Steve Yeowell, was expert however not well-known within the US. The ’90s have been when the X-Males reigned supreme; nobody was curious about a e-book a couple of plot level from over 30 years in the past, from Unbelievable 4 comics no much less (the FF have been by no means widespread within the ’90s, regardless of the whole lot Marvel tried), from a bunch of DC creators that have been largely identified for bizarre Vertigo books. Marvel was circling the drain in numerous methods in 1995 and most readers weren’t curious about their stuff (exterior the X-Males and Spider-Man).
Skrull Kill Krew Is an Fascinating Piece of Comedian Historical past
I believe one of the simplest ways to explain Skrull Kill Krew in 2026 is that it’s what occurred when three Vertigo guys took a bizarre little bit of Marvel lore and tried to create one thing fashionable with it. In numerous methods, it was principally the equal of one thing like Animal Man in 1989; a Silver Age concept filtered by way of a extra fashionable sensibility. Nevertheless, Marvel Comics in 1995 wasn’t DC in 1989. Followers needed mutants, weapons, and pin-up artwork, they didn’t desire a tongue in cheek take a look at excessive superhero comics.
I believe some of the attention-grabbing issues concerning the Morrison/Millar collaboration is that it’s filled with tasks like this. I discussed their yearlong runs on The Flash and Swamp Factor, however have you ever ever heard of them earlier than? Do you know they launched the Black Flash? I’ll be trustworthy, I can’t even identify something from their Swamp Factor run. The 2 additionally tried to create one thing new at DC with Aztek the Final Man, a e-book that didn’t even final a 12 months, though it was linked to JLA. Aside, their work is a lot better acquired (there’s lengthy been rumors that Millar’s Superman: Pink Son was ghost-written by Morrison) than it’s collectively. Skrull Kill Krew is a enjoyable piece of Marvel ephemera that has hardly ever been thought of since Secret Invasion and “Darkish Reign”. Possibly we will get one other reprint sooner or later so fashionable readers can expertise Morrison and Millar’s solely official Marvel collab.