They look like us. They sound like us. They live among us, completely undetected. But now, Marvel Comics’ latest new series is (re)introducing us to the alien race known as the Skrulls.
Meet The Skrulls #1 tells a story from the perspective of the familiar aliens, letting us see the other side of one of the biggest conflicts in the history of Marvel Comics as they once again try to infiltrate Earth.
Meet The Skrulls #1 is far from the first comic to tell a story from the perspective of the villain, but it does so in a way that provides a level of humanity (or… Skrull-ity?) for characters that are typically looked at as evil killing machines. It’s not everyday you read something that has you feeling sympathy for aliens looking to take over Earth.
Meet The Skrulls follows a family of Skrulls disguised on Earth to carry out a mission to stop something called Project Blossom. Their mission, of course, is imperative to the Skrulls overall goal of taking over the planet, once again making them the bad guys. However, with the story being told from their point of view, we see the family as any other ordinary human family, minus the green skin and objective to stop an intergalactic defense project.
The Warner family, as they are known by their undercover aliases, are mostly successful Skrull operatives with experience in infiltrating human circles. That is, all except for Alice, who was born on Earth and is struggling to stifle her interest in human culture. Alice is a liability and could endanger the family’s mission and the family itself.
Alice plays out as the most sympathetic character, a young girl struggling to live up to the expectations of her family. Carl, the father, seems at first to be a mission-first, family-second, drill sergeant kind of character but even he comes off as a sympathetic protagonist in the end.
Meet The Skrulls #1 lays out a very interesting story. It may not be one that we’ve never seen before (what with this essentially just being another “Secret Invasion” story), but it is at least told in a very different way. This is a perfect start to a new series, providing us with our relatable protagonist family, a major story arc with potential for several side stories and even a glimpse of one of our favorite Marvel heroes.
The final piece the story hits on is of course an antagonist. Project Blossom wouldn’t be so ominous with no one to carry it out. That’s where this mysterious man comes in. The issues starts and ends with a man with glasses, a hat and a trench coat. He appears to be hunting Skrulls and even mentions Project Blossom by name. In any other story, he probably plays as a hero to all mankind, but in this one he’s a threat to the Warner family.
Meet The Skrulls #1 is a great start to a new series. It certainly has me invested in the story of the Warner family and the mysterious Project Blossom. It’s also a story that is easy to jump into whether it’s your first Marvel Comic or your 100th. All the context you need is delivered right in this first issue.
As an added bonus, this comic can serve as your introduction to the Skrulls before you see them on the big screen in Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel, which hits theaters March 8.