ETERNALS versus SILVER SURFER & SUPER-SKRULL

Adam (Marvel)
Where: Silver Surfer Annual #1 When: 1988
Why: Steve Englehart How: Joe Staton

The Story So Far...
Parting ways with Nova, the Silver Surfer returns to Earth on a mission of mercy -- only to inadvertently happen upon the re-manifestation of the Super-Skrull in outer space!

Intent on keeping his presence hidden, the Super-Skrull engages The Surfer in battle, but their conflict is soon ended by the intervention of another unexpected party.

The Eternals have agreed to capture the Silver Surfer and map his unique genetic code so that The High Evolutionary might use its information to advance the human race to its next phase of existence. Neither Surfer nor Skrull is a willing participant, making fighting allies of the pair held captive in the Greek mountains!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Super-Skrull 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thena 5 (Professor)
Speed: Makkari 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Karkas 6 (Generator)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Ikaris 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Silver Surfer 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Silver Surfer 37 (Cosmic)

The Eternals are: Ikaris, Makkari, Thena, and Sersi, with Karkas.

At the dawn of humanity esoteric space gods known as Celestials visited upon the Earth an evolutionary nudge that spawned two genome variants: homo-immortalis and homo-descendus -- better known as Eternals, and their grotesque subterranean shadows, The Deviants.

The Eternals chose to sequester themselves, eventually settling in the mountains of Greece in a secluded, highly advanced city called Olympia. From there they served as secret guardians to Earth, in a pact with their counterpart Greek gods, using innate cosmic powers to suppress the Deviants and shepherd humanity.

Although Eternals draw from a mutual source of ability, each specializes in using their natural gifts in unique ways: Ikaris is strong and projects powerful energy, often from his eyes. Makkari has mastered moving at phenomenal speed. Thena is a study of ancient knowledge and fighting techniques, wielding energy & weapons. Sersi is an expert of transmutation and psionic projection.

Silver Surfer received similar gifts when Galactus bestowed upon him the power cosmic. The erstwhile Norrin Radd is no stranger to battling other god-like beings, as we saw when he clashed with Norse powered Beta Ray Bill in Godhunter #2, and Thor himself in the alternate reality of What If...? #70.

Although the Silver Surfer has defeated Ronan The Accuser on multiple occasions, such as Silver Surfer #13, he was overwhelmed when attempting to siphon the augmenting energies of the Kree Empire and Ego during Maximum Security #3.

This might suggest the Eternals' ability to pool their respective power into a single Uni-Mind might cause The Surfer some trouble. Fortunately for him, he has the one-man army of sometimes enemy turned ally Super-Skrull by his side!

Super-Skrull succumbed to Thor's lightning in Thor #465, but displayed a portion of his multi-faceted might while over-powering Ms Marvel in Marvel Team-Up #62.

With the combined powers of the Fantastic Four, Kl'rt commands super-strength, rubber malleability, scorching flame, invisibility, and force-fields to devastating effect. If he stays on the same page as Silver Surfer they should be able to match the Eternals and their Deviant powerhouse Karkas. Let's see if they did...

The Tape: The Eternals Ranking: Silver Surfer (#31)

What Went Down...

Held captive in separate translucent cells: Silver Surfer compels Super-Skrull to renew efforts to escape, while he does the same. Their simultaneous assault on the "Sunset" and "Sunrise" Pyramids will cause their linked fates to be freed.

Super-Skrull wields the outward pressure of invisible projected forcefields, red hot flames, and monstrous strength, while Silver Surfer radiates with awesome power cosmic. All at once their prisons are shattered as The Surfer makes the difference!

The Eternals are awestruck by their gleaming guest's power, but not all are as reluctant as Karkas to engage him.

Ikaris vows to complete their sworn task of mapping The Surfer's genome, raising a hand to demonstrate his own cosmic power with a blast of energy.

Silver Surfer blocks the attack with an extended hand, while summoning Super-Skrull to his side.

The Skrull is surprised to find his erstwhile adversary seeking to help him despite an earlier attack. Their alliance of convenience is of obvious appeal as the Eternals mobilize for a coordinated strike.

Thena surrounds the Silver Surfer in a smoldering projection from her eyes, while the fast-moving Makkari staggers Super-Skrull with a flying kick to the face!

Super-Skrull keeps his footing and immediately returns fire with an uppercut that channels the augmented strength of The Thing into knocking Makkari into the air!

The Surfer launches a counter-attack of his own -- forcing Thena to leap nimbly clear of a burst of cosmic energy that crashes into the ground.

Karkas charges in to intervene, heeding Ikaris' order to be on guard with eyes on a strong offense. He wraps his hulking arms around the Silver Surfer, overwhelming the space-faring hero with the powerful grapple.

Makkari demonstrates his incredible speed -- literally running rings around the Super-Skrull while effortlessly avoiding jets of flame. Sersi takes advantage of the distraction, introducing the Skrull to the agony of her own energy projection!

The Surfer erupts with cosmic power as well, freeing himself from the oppressive grip of Karkas -- only to turn into the direct path of Ikaris' eye beams!

Meanwhile, Kl'rt channels more of The Thing's strength -- transforming his legs into powerful rocky piledrivers. He slams his foot to the ground, sending a devastating localized shockwave that topples Sersi and Makkari!

Seeing the rest of the Eternals focused on his teammate, Super-Skrull surrounds himself in fire and takes flight in an effort to seize his opportunity for escape.

The Surfer can only shout at the treachery, held unerringly by mighty Karkas in the point blank gaze of Ikaris' devastating eye blasts!

An opportunity presents itself as Ikaris responds to the Skrulls' escape,  commanding Thena and Makkari to use their speed to take chase. The Surfer takes advantage of the distraction, summoning his board to carry him out of Karkas' arms and crashing straight through Ikaris!

In the skies above Olympus, Super-Skrull channels the fire of the Human Torch with urgency, but he knows he cannot match the speed of his pursuers. Makkari and Thena rapidly close in -- when suddenly a silver streak divides them!

The cosmic rider stands stridently on his board with the gathered Eternals at his face, and the Super-Skrull at his back.

The Surfer confounds Kl'rt once more with another unexpected effort to help. He compels the Super-Skrull to complete his escape, reminding him that the entire Skrull race was robbed of their natural shape-shifting abilities while he was lost in a swirl of deconstructed atoms in Earth's Van Allen radiation belt.

With the responsibility of his species' "prime-heritage", Super-Skrull accepts Silver Surfer's gift of hope and gesture towards justice, uncertain that he or his Empire will ever be able to repay the act. The Surfer accepts this, hoping that the restoration of Skrull power will at least end their renewed war with the Kree.

Uncertain of Earth's future, and the true nature of the Eternals' seemingly impossible history, Silver Surfer and his would-be captors reach a mutual respect and understanding. Ikaris bids him godspeed, accepting that The Surfer will not assist the High Evolutionary in tampering with the advancement of nature.

The Hammer...

This strikes me as a fairly honest way to induct the Eternals into our combative corner of the web. Their Marvel Studios debut has brought newfound attention, but like a lot of folks, I've mostly experienced them as obscure guest characters in preferred series, or occasionally glanced back issues that never quite made it into the collection.

Ikaris had the bearing of an adventuring front-man for a Marvel super-group, but his basic design was also dangerously underwhelming. Kind of like one of those knock-off He-Man toylines, or a cartoon from anywhere in the sixties to the eighties that just wasn't as legit as the hits. The set-up of the dichotomous Deviants as their all encompassing, monstrous villains didn't help.

The high-concept premise is actually the kind of straight forward that works, but The Eternals lacked the immediate visual appeal, or otherworldliness, of other Jack Kirby creations. Accessibility almost worked against them, in an ironic sort of way.

The New Gods are famously a similarly difficult rite of passage for uninitiated readers, but once that threshold of Kirby appreciation is crossed, the barrier to entry unfolds into a far more indulgent and vivid experience than The Eternals. Its higher degree of difficulty is in some small way part of the reward.

The Eternals may be simpler than the New Gods, but in that regard they also overlap with the niche of a super-powered secret society living in seclusion already occupied by The Inhumans. The latter is couched in its own difficulties of grandiose royal family, but benefits from deeper ties with a popular mainstream gateway series like Fantastic Four.

It's easy to see how Eternals could be overlooked by the publisher, and passed up by readers, but that's not to say they're without their charms.

With just a little bit of effort comes the reward of something interesting, and if you took a chance on an issue like Silver Surfer Annual #1, you got a gentle, action-packed introduction to a classic quartet who've watched the world for a million years, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Greek gods like Hercules.

The scope of their history and lifespan, and weight of purpose on their potential, is something that sets the Eternals apart from the grounded genetic discourse of the X-Men. Rather than dwell analogously on the contemporary concerns of racial politics or personal identity, The Eternals flirt with grand existential concepts of the meaning of life itself, and the fantasy of classical ascended super-humans.

This cosmic philosophizing meshes well with Silver Surfer, who's always at his best contemplating the vastness of space with a soulful, almost zen sense of perspective on life.

He plays an interesting role in the conflict with the Eternals, assuming a position of extreme advocacy for the individual, which almost defies his more familiar sense of altruism. Here he not only fights to deny humanity its potential for ascension through the mapping of his chrome-tinged cosmically altered genome, but also does everything he can to secure Super-Skrull's freedom for the sake of restoring the Skrull species to their natural state of deceptive shape-shifting.

It's all a little bit Star Trek Prime Directive, essentially boiling down to superior beings allowing nature to take its course, rather than endorsing the eugenic experiments of the High Evolutionary, who sets the entire plot into motion as part of the banner event for 1988 Annuals, The Evolutionary War.

The second volume of What If? begins with a pretty wild story that explores a reality where the High Evolutionary "won", and The Eternals ultimately merge with Inhumans, and evolved mutants, to take on the cosmic entities that define the universe, after killing Galactus. Humanity uniformly develops big heads, and Daredevil becomes one of the last men on Earth, forging a friendship with Vision.

It might not be as strange as it sounds, but it's a typical dark fate for a What If? story. Something we might look at some time in the future. I'd also like to return to more of the Eternals, having enjoyed today's featured battle, and more of the Evolutionary War, which has an interesting appearance by an adversary who share centuries with the Eternals - Apocalypse.

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Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! You can discover them all by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a free and complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#31 (--) Silver Surfer
#145 (+4) Super-Skrull
#445 (+152) Sersi
#475 (new) Ikaris
#476 (new) Karkas
#477 (new) Makkari
#478 (new) Thena

MS MARVEL versus SUPER-SKRULL

All This and the QE2 (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Team-Up #62 When: October 1977
Why: Chris Claremont How: John Byrne

The Story So Far...
Having been imprisoned by Tigra and Red Wolf within an ancient artefact known as The Soul Catcher; Super-Skrull is once more unleashed upon the Earth when Spider-man inadvertently frees him during battle with Equinox.

The Human Torch and Spider-man stand valiantly against the Super-Skrull while the Fantastic Four and Avengers are unable to be raised, but they're no match for powers boosted by an uninterrupted signal broadcast from the Skrull Throneworld!

In victory, Super-Skrull seeks a Cavorite crystal to power a ship that will take him back to the Skrull Empire. As he attacks the family of vacationing antiques dealer Josiah Rubin -- Super-Skrull has no way of knowing the cruise ship also carries a witness to the earlier carnage: Carol Danvers, aka; Ms. Marvel!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Super-Skrull 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Super-Skrull 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Ms Marvel 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Super-Skrull 6 (Generator)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Super-Skrull 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Super-Skrull 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Super-Skrull 37 (Cosmic Power)

We've seen Ms. Marvel smack around heavyweight foes like a Dormammu enhanced Hood [New Avengers #54], and an Agamotto possessed Luke Cage [New Avengers #2], but each of those were team situations. She didn't have to throw the finishing blow -- which is her task for today's featured battle!

Super-Skrull is Kl'rt of the Skrull Empire, best known for receiving genetic alterations that grant him the combined might of the Fantastic Four! This one-man army can out-stretch & bend Mister Fantastic, disappear & move stealthier than Invisible Woman, fly higher & burn brighter than Human Torch, and even rival the strength and rocky durability of The Thing!

These powers typically come at the expense of his species' natural ability to shape-shift, but given he can fade completely from sight, it doesn't mean foes are any more likely to see him coming! He also possesses powers of hypnotic vision, with all abilities sometimes boosted by energy signals beamed from the Skrull homeworld.

In the pocket dimension of Fantastic Four (Vol.2) #6, Super-Skrull was able to add but a taste of the Power Cosmic, using it to almost defeat an all-star alliance of the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, and Doctor Doom!

Kl'rt's copied powers were to be the ultimate weapon of revenge against the Empire's Earthbound nemeses, but the Fantastic Four aren't the only familiar foes Super-Skrull's faced! He enlisted Skrull subterfuge & tactics to ambush Bruce Banner at his most vulnerable, in Incredible Hulk #374. He relied on his incredible strength and skills to go toe-to-toe with a mad Thor in Thor #465.

These examples demonstrate Super-Skrulls versatility and combat experience, but when it comes to true war, only the Kree can make a Skrull's blood boil!

Carol Danvers was an officer of the US Air Force when she gained Kree DNA, so combat tactics shouldn't be too big a problem. She's got cosmic muscle to trade blows with Super-Skrull, but won't want to drag this fight out. She's got to go shock & awe, or Super-Skrull's versatility could cause real problems!

The Tape: Super-Skrull Ranking: Ms Marvel (#54)

What Went Down...

Basking in imagined glories, Super-Skrull stalks through the halls of a British cruise ship, lost in visions of a hero's return home. A sudden flash draws his attention. When he turns the corner anticipating fresh combat -- the powerful fist of Ms Marvel greets his wrinkled green chin with confirmation!

The super-powered Skrull is only momentarily staggered before he sets his sights on his opponent. Even with his barings, the sight he sees stirs confusion. This woman claims to be human, yet she wears the uniform of his mortal nemesis - the "thrice-damned" Kree champion: Captain Marvel!

Inspired by deep-seeded hatred, the Super-Skrull fights first rather than wait for explanations -- returning fire with an elastically charged fist of rock!

The blow topples Ms Marvel as briefly as her own hit knocked back the Skrull. With plenty of negative experience to call upon from her brief Kree history, Marvel summons a mighty hatred for the shape-shifting warrior's race - and slams her fist into his vulnerable mid-section!

The impressive hit isn't enough to stop the Super-Skrull, who has all the malleability of Mister Fantastic! The tit for tat continues, causing Ms Marvel to regret her wild, emotional outburst before she's smashed through the ceiling!

Super-Skrull gloats that even the weakest Skrull warrior is superior to a Kree. Rather than rise to the taunt, Ms Marvel manages to put aside her blinding hatred and focus on the task at hand. She theorizes the Super-Skrull is most vulnerable when using the stretching skills of Reed Richards - and strikes!

A devastating right hand explodes against the elongated Skrull's face! Ms Marvel doesn't let up, keeping clear of Super-Skrull's "Thing hands" as she sinks another rising blow deep into his distorted torso!

The blows knock Super-Skrull's intended target loose from his belt. Recognizing a refined Cavourite crystal on sight -- Marvel goes to ground to retrieve it. Alas, the careless distraction provides Super-Skrull the opportunity he needs!

With a mighty strike the Super-Skrull sends Ms Marvel hurtling uncontrollably from the ship and into open air! The devastating kayo sends her on a trajectory toward the Statue of Liberty, unable to move let alone save herself!

The Hammer...

A momentary lapse in concentration has dire results! It gives Super-Skrull the opening he needs to end an otherwise competitive slugfest!

You can probably guess Ms. Marvel didn't come to any severe harm. This is an issue of Marvel Team-Up, after all! It was the webs of Spider-man that came to her aid, bringing about splashdown in the New York Bay.

A rough landing, but nothing the Kree powered heroine couldn't bounce back from for Round 2 later in the issue! A battle to be revisited in the future, no doubt.

Spidey actually mistook the hurtling figure for Captain Marvel. An easy mistake to make! This encounter would mark the momentous first meeting between Ms. Marvel and Spider-man: a rite of passage for most Marvel Comics heroes.

The pair would notably cross paths much later as members of the New Avengers, with one or two chance encounters in the intervening decades. In fact, it wasn't long before they met again in  the pages of Marvel Team-Up #77 (1979), facing the fanatical would-be Pope: Silver Dagger. By then, Ms. Marvel was wearing the famous black & yellow design she'd be associated with right up until the 2010s.

For the longest time it seemed important to distance Ms. Marvel from her derivative roots. That was one of the reasons I always appreciated the black suit, even if it wasn't the most inspired design. Coming back to Marvel Team-Up #62, I'm reminded how appealing the classic red & blue really is!

Neither "Marvel" was a favourite character growing up, but as I've gone back to discover the rip-roaring adventures of the seventies, I've come to enjoy Ms. Marvel's connection to the original Kree hero.

The fact Mar-Vell has been a rare case for a hero remaining dead for thirty years has made it all the more appealing that Carol Danvers take ownership of the Captain Marvel legacy, and advance it forward.

The current design in comics -- more blue than red -- is a nice adaptation, but it's hard to go past the original Mar-Vell inspired red & blue. Pants seem like a pretty sensible update. Shame to lose the scarf, though. Not sure why, but it just adds something a little extra to the visual. A nice signature, too.

Brie Larson will wear adapted versions of the most recent designs when Captain Marvel hits theatres next week. Considering she'll be taking on the lurking menace of Skrulls, you knew I had to make time for a Super-Skrull appearance!

I'm sure the FF-powered villain won't be showing up in Ms. Marvel's cinematic universe debut, but hey! Who woulda thought we'd be getting Skrulls at all after the Avengers settled for generic Chitauri?! Before the Fox deal cleared, no less!

As always, you can find more from the characters featured today by following links throughout this post, or the character tags below.

Dive deeper to discover more from the Marvel Universe and beyond by visiting the Secret Archive of past battles. You can also get more superhero smackdown in your life by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook! Be sure to hit that like, share & retweet and stay tuned for more!

Winner: Super-Skrull
#132 (+253) Super-Skrull
#67 (-13) Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers)

ZOMBIES versus ZOMBIES
Marvel Zombies Conclusion (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Zombies #5 When: June 2006
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Sean Phillips

The Story So Far...
Earth 2419: A frightening twisted version of the Marvel Universe, infected by the decay of an alien virus that turns all infected into decomposing, viracious zombies.

With the Earth's population decimated by the super powered zombies, food supplies begin to run low.
Failing to follow their zombified Fantastic Four into a parallel universe (Earth-1610), the zombies finish the last active snack, Magneto, before the heavens present a miracle.

The timing of his arrival affected by unknown elements of this universe; the Silver Surfer descends in present-day to assess the viability of the Earth for consumption by his master - Galactus: Devourer of Worlds. Irony smiles upon the fortunes of Earth, however, and the Surfer is quickly devoured by the once heroic collective of Avengers, granting them the alien energies of the power cosmic!

With their newly aquired powers the zombies seek to feast on Galactus himself, but first they must face the zombie horde of those who opposed them in life. Freed of the moral constraints that spurred their infinite war, the rabid heroes march against their enemies in a battle to the undead-death.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dr. Doom 6 (Genius)
Speed: Colonel America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Juggernaut 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Super-Skrull 6 (UWMD)


- The zombie-heroes are: Colonel America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-man, and Giant-Man.

The Avengers were the first to fall before the zombie infestation of Earth-2419.
Carried by an alternate universe Sentry who had escaped from the gates of the afterlife; the plague spread to even the most powerful members, benefitting from the powers of the likes of Thor to spread the undead plague throughout the superhero community.

Despite retaining cognitive function, the heroes quickly abandon their morals, driven mad by the bloodlust of hunger, to lay waste to the Earth's population.
The few who remain uninfected whittle the zombies number, among them; Magneto, the Acolytes, Black Panther, and Reed Richards of Earth-1610.

Eventually the zombies themselves decimate their own in desperation, leaving only Hulk, Spider-man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Power Man, and Giant-Man, to devour and absorb the powers of Galactus, becoming the interdimensional menace called The Galacti.

As the Galacti they possess the immense energies of the power cosmic, while the many zombies previous retained their abilities from life, with a deminished physical integrity and penchant for bouts of mindless violence caused by the hunger.

- The zombie-villains are: Red Skull, Mole Man, Green Goblin, Super-Skrull, Rhino, Juggernaut, Venom, Dr. Octopus, Stilt-Man, Lizard, and Dr. Doom.

Like their heroic counterparts, the villains of Earth-2419 succumbed to the spread of the zombie plague. Their already questionable morals were altered far less than their counterparts, but in a world where the ravenous hordes quickly became the mainstream, their struggles are on an even kilter.

As with the hero zombies; the villains possess all the abilities they had prior to infection, albeit with a dramatically reduced physical integrity due to decay. Likewise, they are also susceptible to the intellectual haze caused by hunger.

Math: Villains (Ttl) Heroes (Avg) Ranking: Iron Man (#3)

What Went Down...
With Galactus toppled by the cosmic powers of the heroic zombies, the villains who played an integral part in the assault find themselves at odds with their traditional foes. The two factions face off to fight for their food, with the first shot fired by a cosmically endowed Colonel America, who blasts the head clean off of Mole Man's shoulders!

The two sides clash, but the villains quickly find themselves outmatched by the heroes who gained control over the power cosmic by devouring Silver Surfer [Marvel Zombies #3].

Spider-man endures a slash from the taloned fingertips of Venom, only to return fire with a blast of cosmic energy. The costume recoils from Eddie Brock's body, revealing the zombie corpse to be an insufficient host for the symbiotic creature.

Meanwhile, the armored Juggernaut scoffs Wolverine's one-armed stand.
With his healing factor decimated by decomposition, Wolverine's own adamantium laced claws tore through his now missing limb. The already dimwitted Juggernaut suffers for his boast as Wolverine plunges his clawed hand into the exposed mouth of his magically endowed foe, only to blast his decrepid flesh with a swelling mass of cosmic energy!

The raging X-Man turns his attentions to his undead nemesis, Sabretooth, while Giant-Man does away with Rhino with a decapitating blast of the power cosmic.

Colonel America has his own personal showdown, facing off in a physical mismatch with the Nazi, Red Skull. Already his physical superior, the zombified Skull provides little challenge for the zombie icon.

At close quarters, Red Skull loses an arm for his troubles, but delights in the Colonel's absent mindedness. Having had the top of his head sliced open by Magneto [Marvel Zombies #1], the Colonel's wounds provide Red Skull the ultimate equaliser. Tearing at the rotting remnants of Colonel America's brain, Red Skull puts an end to the undead life of the zombie super-soldier.

Spider-man spots the showdown too late to intervene, but scores a vengeful blow for his fallen leader, decapitating the cackling Red Skull with an energy blast, leaving the head to burst like a tomato beneath the heel of Giant-Man.

Green Goblin falls to the cosmic power of Spider-man, while Super-Skrull is stretched to breaking by Giant-Man, who also decimates Dr. Doom with the power cosmic. Finally, Wolverine finishes Dr. Octopus, severing the two remaining mechanical arms, before ending the villain.

The heroes stand triumphant as Galactus rises, crackling with energy. Little does the great devourer know, he faces an enemy like none he has ever seen... [Marvel Zombies #5]

The Hammer...
The Marvel Zombies win! Fatali... Er, you get the idea.

Alright, let's work out how this went down.
Colonel America killed Mole Man; Spider-man took out Venom & Green Goblin; Wolverine killed Juggernaut, Sabretooth, (& Dr. Octopus); Giant-Man killed Rhino, Red Skull, Super-Skrull, and Dr. Doom; and Red Skull killed Colonel America (downgrading his contribution to an assist).

For the trainspotters: Lizard and Stilt-Man go almost unnoticed, but if you look carefully enough, you'll know they're there. The action is really focused on key skirmishes, but Philips works in enough background detail to imply vital input from heroes like Luke Cage and Iron Man, and the presence of these mostly obscured villains.

I don't want to get too wrapped up in the 'game' aspect of the Infinite Wars, but it's probably worth elaborating on the ranking aspects for those who came in late.
Our interpretation is that these alternate universe versions of characters fairly contribute to the win/loss tally by representing elements of unlocked potential. For versions deemed definitively removed (ie; Superboy-Prime) we accept a seperate ranking, but in the case of Earth-2149, only zombie infection differentiates the basic make-up of the characters.

It's a fine line that might be subject to change, and if you have an opinion on this aspect of the blog, you should feel encouraged to drop a comment. It's a discussion we usually prefer to avoid, but it doesn't hurt to hear your thoughts.

As you might have gathered Marvel Zombies is just another perfect contribution to our October spookfest here on the Infinite Wars. As is becoming characteristic of the site, our schedule is running a week behind, suitably enough this time because I had an infection of my own. We're not here to hear about that, though.

Whilst sick I fell in love with zombies all over again whilst watching plague films like Doomsday, Resident Evil, and the Dawn of the Dead remake (which turned out to be much better than I had imagined). Of course, while this immersion in the genre made it easy to come back to Marvel's version of the undead, it did shine further light on the gaping weaknesses of the series.

For a high-concept spin-off from the Ultimate books [ie; UFF #23]; Zombies probably deserves some accolade for grafting something very similar to a plot to the mini. However, after seemingly attempting to take back the derogatory 'Marvel Zombie' descriptor, the series has come to encompass the type of oveworked brand serviced by those very same mindlessly dedicated fans.

I feel a little inside-out talking about the series in negative terms.
To be fair, the most recent incarnation [Marvel Zombies 3] manages to lend gravitas to the brand by admirably introducing it to the Marvel Universe proper. This kind of investment in the concept is what I believe will win Geoff Johns' inevitably compared Black Lanterns kudos, benefitting from the more immediate sense of meaning. It's a point that encompasses Marvel's situation.

I think it's retroactive perspective that has me looking far more negatively upon the first series, which was at the time, fun enough, if already clichéd.

As if presenting a fasttrack guide to Marvel's historic development processes; the Zombies series have arguably found their narrative strength the farther they've gone. Millar's original required only a vague antagonising concept akin to the anonymous threat best associated with zombies, while Kirkman elaborates on the very same characters immediately after Millar's work, indulging moreso in retro superheroes, whilst perhaps saving the good ideas for his own series (Image's; Walking Dead).

The concept of superhero zombies is a very interesting one.
Kirkman, whilst doing little to use the strong conventions of the sub-genre, offers some justification with the simple exploration of the superhero zombie. By keeping elements of the characters intact he really does tell more of a macabre superhero story than a zombie thriller, but even this has it's own merits. I have to at least acknowledge this version's conceits of cognitive function -- which deteriorates with the rise of hunger, but is diminished (in Zombies 2) with a clarity provided by longterm starvation. It provides a chance, albeit a shallow one, to look at zombies with some sense of existential self-awareness.

This only goes so far, however, leaving questions of sustainability and other reflections provided by the genre to his creator-owned work. Not that I say that with any contempt. I haven't read the stuff, but arguably because I anticipate a competence I would not want influencing me in my own aspirations to explore the genre in comics. [Is now a bad time to plug my $1.99 comic?]

On that self-indulgence; there's the matter of the origins of the zombie plague. Later series awkwardly bound the Marvel Zombies to licensed contributions from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise, a fact sure to bite them in the arse in decades to come (so buy now if you want it), but still answered some questions about the spread. The origins, of course, like so many zombie tales, remain obscured, provided by an interdimensional introduction similar to our first meeting with the concept (in Millar's Crossover arc of Ultimate Fantastic Four).


As a bit of a fan for procedural detail, I think the most fascinating concept not yet hammered in to the ground by zombie comics and film is the origin story. Not so much the cause of the plague, which was given a competent sci-fi origin in Resident Evil, but how traditional zombies can achieve their terrifying hordes. While I have to admit, the concept lends a slow burn potentially fatal to audiences, but it's a concept I'd very much like to explore.

With any luck we'll talk speculatively a bit more about what history might lie behind the history of the Marvel Zombies. Probably a refreshing change from the repetitive brow furrowing these entries tend to devolve into.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 4.5

Are you a dedicated Marvel Zombie? Want to avoid those inevitable rights struggles that render the backstory out-of-print? Dive in now and take advantage of Amazon's online purchases! By using links provided you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars, and open yourself up to a world of financial exploitation through our Gift Shoppe. Let's face it. You like comics, I like comics. Why not? Collected editions featuring most issues reviewed are available! Hey, it beats being part of the effectless mass! C'mon!

MARVEL ZOMBIES versus GALACTUS
Marvel Zombies Conclusion (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Zombies #5 When: June 2006
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Sean Phillips

The story so far...
Earth 2419: A frightening twisted version of the Marvel Universe, infected by the decay of an alien virus that turns all infected into decomposing, viracious zombies.

With the Earth's population decimated by the super powered zombies, food supplies begin to run low.
Failing to follow their zombified Fantastic Four into a parallel universe, the zombies finish the last active snack, Magneto, before the heavens present a miracle.

His arrival affected by unknown elements of this universe, the Silver Surfer shows up in present-day to assess the viability of the Earth for consumption by his master -- Galactus: Devourer of Worlds.

The Surfer's defeat paves the wave for the wrath of Galactus, but the devourer who knows no satisfactions appears to have met his match. Having ingested portions of the Silver Surfer's cosmically powered carcass, the Marvel Zombies have absorbed his cosmic power, and prepare to turn it against it's master!

Previous Form:
Marvel Zombies [#5]: Victories over Magneto and the Silver Surfer.
Galactus: Making his first appearance in the Infinite Wars.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Galactus 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Galactus 7 (Infinite Wisdom)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Galactus 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Sabretooth 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy Powers: Galactus 7 (Solar Power)


Okay, we should probably clarify the mass of characters interacting in this particular fight. Actually, we have a bit of a unique situation, given that there's a distinctly seperate fight in the middle of this one. We're going to conclude that the battle against Galactus is a singular fight in this particular saga, and leave the in-fighting between the two factions interesting in G-man to another day.

There are two groups who do battle with Galactus.
While the "heroes" are figuring out how to use the defeated Silver Surfer's cosmic energy [Marvel Zombies #3] against Galactus, the zombified villains of this world emerge to take their own shot at the world devourer buffet on offer.

The villains are, in no particular order: Super-Skrull, Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Stilt-man, Juggernaut, Rhino, Sabretooth, Venom, Dr. Doom, Red Skull and the Moleman.

Conversely, we welcome back many of the core zombie heroes from previous issues; Colonel America, Hulk, Luke Cage, Iron Man, Spider-man, Wolverine, and the brains behind the development of the weapon that harnesses the deceased Surfer's power, Giant-Man aka Hank Pym.

Though far from peak conditioning, this collective of heroes and villains is one impressive unit by any standard. Decomposition may undermine their physical strengths, but never the less, the challenge of the likes of Super-Skrull, Dr. Doom, Venom and the strategic assist from Hank Pym makes for a compelling argument. Then again, they are up against Galactus.

The world devourer represents one of the most powerful active presences in the Marvel Universe. His wealth of cosmic energy has spawned many herald off-springs, while still sponsoring his own space faring reputation built on the destruction and consumption of worlds. This is no guy to sneeze at!

Though made famous for a retreat, it should be noted that the Fantastic Four's defeat of Galactus in his first appearance was more of an agreed upon treaty than any kind of combative triumph for the FF. Such is the power of Galactus, that he has the luxury of living a life bound by his own strict rules, and not the whims of defeat in battle.

Though defeat is feasible (re; Annihilation), the zombie weaknesses of this mass is the most glaring factor undermining their potential for victory. On their best day, the combined minds of Dr. Doom and Hank Pym might represent hope, but otherwise, they stand ready to be mowed down by cosmic energy.

The Math: Marvel Zombies (Total) Galactus (Average)
The Pick: Galactus (Cosmic Class)

What went down...
Having returned from a strategic retreat, the Marvel Zombies gain the attentions of the world devouring Galactus with a massive burst of cosmic energy harvested from the Silver Surfer's broken body, and focused through a weaponized cannon.

Various villains, having engaged Galactus in straight combat similar to the heroes' previous efforts, spill as the blasted Galactus begins to lurch and fall to the earth.

Flat on the mat, Galactus is left in a more vulnerable position for the earth-bound villains to make their frenzied attack -- but the heroes, whose efforts toppled the mighty cosmic warrior, intervene to stake their claim to the fresh meat.

After a drawn out fight that sees the destruction of the villains, and the loss of Colonel America, the cosmic powered Marvel Zombies turn their attentions back to Galactus.

Having recovered from the previous attack, Galactus crackles with power cosmic, rueing the futile efforts to defy his might.

Stunned that Galactus survived the two focused beams of energy fired from Pym's cannon, Spider-man and the other cosmic powered Marvel Zombies regroup to take the fight back to the originator of the power cosmic.

The heroes launch a savage physical attack, pinning the devourer to the Earth as he spews cosmic energy like a massive battery.

The enhanced zombe heroes rip and tear at Galactus' perceived armor, finding the apparent evidence of the flesh and meat they so desire.

Unrelenting, the heroes pursue their attack, giving the cumbersome Galactus no opportunity to stay their efforts. Like a man being eaten alive by ants, Galactus has no choice but to lie and accept his fate -- death on Earth.

Like a pack of pirhanas, the zombies tear Galactus apart, devouring him and subsequently absorbing all his cosmic energies have to offer. It is a feast the likes of which has not been seen for quite some time. Bloody victory, is theirs.

The hammer...
With full bellies and even more power, the Marvel Zombies find themselves victorious once again, against overwhelming odds.

While I think we could question the validity of the victory, you cannot deny the result. Which I guess provides us an immediate segue into the contemplative discussion usually housed in this final section of our regular posts.

I have a fairly general complaint about this series, which manages to blanket much of the action, and conceptual development in this series.
The numbers, the lists, the tape. You've seen my work. I like to process things like simplistic, mathematical formulas. The idea of creating a tangential universe is ripe ground for this kind of thought process, and it's the lack of consideration in it's development that is the source of my disappointment.

Recent additions to the Marvel Zombies branding have revealed the process by which the plague spread through the community. While we were privvy to interesting and cute methods; like zombie Mystique posing as Scarlet Witch to infect the otherwise inaccessible Quicksilver; it essentially spent very little time on the numerical spread of the infection, content with vague specifics that alluded to widspread infection. Consideration for characters with unique defenses and counter abilities were largely overlooked -- we mentioned this in a previous entry, featuring Wolverine under threat of vampirism. [Blade #5]

During the original mini-series, and this issue in particular, we then have similar glossing of points, like the very nature of Galactus. There's a shakey relationship between Galactus as an abstract anomoly, and a physical threat to worlds.

The theory is that Galactus appears however a subject perceives him on an individual basis. Presumably this means there is more to Galactus than a giant man, and certainly more than the purple mini-skirt and tricked out pope-hat.
So, as cute and clever as it is to have the insatiable hunger of the zombies satisfied by the famous world devourer -- it undermines the unique nature of Galactus as a cosmic manifestation.

In some vague twist of fate, I've always liked the notion of Galactus existing as a sentient cloud, something like an autonomous gas giant. I would use the Stephen Soderbergh Solaris remake as a prime example, but it bares startling resemblence to the teased Galactus in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
As a true manifestation, it is nicely conceivable that a cloud of formless sentience could be perceived as many different things, including the familiar Kirby designed character we know and love.

Ultimately, Marvel Zombies represents the hook fairly well.
Continuing to be a source of revenue for Marvel comics, the concept overstays it's welcome, reflecting the kitschy fascination with broad thematic archetypes that has clogged internet humor and cutesy comics. It's big, broad, dumb fun, that potentially overstays it's welcome, even at five simple issues.

With several one-shots, a crossover mini-series, a current crossover arc in Black Panther, and an upcoming sequel mini that parodies Marvel's Civil War, Marvel proves one fascinating thing: Zombies can be defeated by destroying the brain, severing the head, or hammering them into the ground.

Believe me, if there's something we know, it's hammers.

It's not all negative though. Though underhanded, it is a genuine compliment when I say this is dumb fun. It's maybe just a little dumber than World War Hulk, featuring far fewer moving parts, but a similar penchant for big superhero battles. Magneto, Silver Surfer and Galactus each provide the sparring opposition, while there's also an underlying story about Black Panther and the surviving Acolytes, who return from space at the end of the series.

This does nicely to leave the thread which is ultimately picked up in the current Fantastic Four-centric arc in Black Panther.

The zombie hunger is recharacterized, as Galactus gives way to the collective Galacti. Having absorbed his energies through consumption, the zombie survivors take to the spaceways, seeking out planets to quite literally devour, putting a more personal touch on Galactus' old job.

Having slipped into this parallel universe; Black Panther and the current FF find themselves face-to-face with the zombie Galacti in the current story. However unlikely, this actually serves to be perhaps the most impressive use of the device since Mark Millar's original introduction in Ultimate Fantastic Four.

Speaking of hammers, I once again find myself hunched over keyboard in the dark of the AM, losing my train of thought in a maelstrom of words and critical analysis. Fitting then that I should be the subject of such scrutiny!

The Broken Frontier's Bart Croonenborghs has the special honour of being the first out of the gates on the KMI front. His review of The Kirby Martin Inquest #1 [availble online @ nitelitetheatre.com] proves to be an astute and receptive look at the series, with a pleasantly polite outlook.

A few misconceptions aside (the book's timeframe, and format), it's a good opportunity to test the water if you've been as yet undecided about your purchase of the title. Particularly useful for the Infinite Wars faithful, who might have misconceptions about my range as a writer.
Although, even if this somehow doesn't tickle your fancy, I'd emplore you to support independent comics by buying it anyway. You can always use it to line your bird cage, or wrap around a back with a threatening message written on the bold white of the mask picture on the cover.

Before we close, it would be remiss of me not to get in the obvious dig about the Marvel Zombies cover, which was no doubt comissioned with glee by editor-in-chief, Joe Quesada.

See what I did there?...

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4.5
[A fun concept, perpetuating Robert Kirkman's association with zombies, and slightly mediocre writing for Marvel properties. A concept that overstayed it's welcome, it might be a matter of choosing this, or the Evil Dead crossover.]

SUPER-SKRULL versus FANTASTIC FOUR/BLACK PANTHER/DR DOOM
Retribution (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #6 When: April 1997
Why: Jim Lee & Brandon Choi How: Jim Lee

The story so far...
Reborn in a pocket universe created by Franklin Richards; the Fantastic Four are destined to relive their origins all over again as they unwittingly encounter familiar shadows of the past, also reborn in this new world.

Accosted by Victor Von Doom, a student from Reed Richards' days in college; the Fantastic Four and Black Panther find themselves the reluctant guests of castle Doomstadt. There, Doom is holding a mysterious chromed alien hostage, but this is not the limit of the extraterestrial presence.

Hidden within SHIELD and disguised as Agent Wyatt Wingfoot; a cosmically sleeper soldier of the Skrull empire has finally exploited his position, an alliance with Doom allowing him access to the herald of the Skrull Throneworld's destruction. Betraying Doom to use his machines, Kl'rt has absorbed the Surfer's cosmic power, and now prepares to turn his imitative Super-Skrull abilities against him.

Previous Form:
Fantastic Four [#3]: Victorious over Iconoclast, Frightful Four & Sinister Twelve.
Dr. Doom (#55): A Doombot successfully defeated Silver Surfer.
Super-Skrull (#113): A victory and defeat against Hulk and Thor respectively.
Black Panther: Making his first appearance in the Infinite Wars.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Black Panther 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Super-Skrull 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Super-Skrull 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Human Torch 7 (Solar)


Okay, so let's try to clarify the situation here.
I'll go more into the depth of the scenario later, but for the time being let's at least distinguish the clear lines of battle.

The Fantastic Four and Black Panther formed amicable relations a few issues previous, before being abducted by Doom -- who beat them to discovering the Silver Surfer. Doom is holding the Surfer, unwittingly, with the help of a cover Kl'rt, who has used Doom's technology to realise his potential as the Super-Skrull. Kl'rt wants to be the Super-Skrull to gain revenge on Silver Surfer, and by extension, Galactus.

Dr. Doom, displeased with the unpredictable course of events, throws in with the FF and Black Panther against Super-Skrull, to vanquish his foe and regain some control and measure of vengenace of his own. The Silver Surfer, though present, is rendered incapacitated at the opening of our story, and therefore has not been rated.

Traditionally Super-Skrull is specifically enhanced by the Skrulls to possess the collective abilities of their greatest foes - the Fantastic Four. In this case, the Super-Skrull develops under more organic circumstances, using the power cosmic to enhance his natural biological adaptive and metamorphic abilities.

Something I particularly enjoy about this story is the threat level given to the Super-Skrull. Much of the recent Annihilation mini-series that thrust the character back into a spotlight was about the many defeats the character had suffered, rendering him a joke amongst his own people. Here, we see a Super-Skrull embued with status befitting of a warring alien specie's greatest soldier.

The battle takes place in Castle Doomstadt, so you'd have to pay the advantage to Dr. Doom, who essentially builds his argument on preperation. Taking him on literally in his backyard is like showing up to a garage with your best toolbelt, and challenging a mechanic to a repair-a-thon. You might do well, but the home team has all the tools and parts they need on-hand.

Off the back of newer issues of Fantastic Four, there's been some debate about whether or not Black Panther is playing too far above his weight. I tend to be pretty conservative in my assessment of the character, so I'd be pretty willing to write him off at this point. Black Panther's main contribution here is merely a numerical one. Of course, in a team-up that includes the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom, numerical advantage starts to be a pretty big talking point.

Alone, I'm just not sure I can give it to Super-Skrull.
Even on his best day, I think it would take a considerable element of surprise and speed to overcome this particular alliance of powers. Then again, the math tells a very different story...

The Math: Fantastic Four (Total) Super-Skrull (Average)
The Pick: Fantastic Four/Black Panther/Dr. Doom

What went down...
Having revealed himself and taken the Surfer's power, the Super-Skrull stands as an impressive threat to Dr. Doom and those that would stand in the way of his revenge. Doom takes none too kindly to the turn of events.

The Super-Skrull demonstrates his power with a blast of energy that topples the mighty Dr. Doom. Furious with the Skrull's advantageous betrayal, Doom blasts as the alien with the intent of taking that which his machines bestowed, but the Super-Skrull's understanding of the power cosmic makes it difficult.

Deflecting Doom's gauntlet blast, Super-Skrull returns the favour with the full fury of the power cosmic. Even the mighty Dr. Doom suffers considerably at the hands of the green alien creature, his armor struggling to cope.

The true Wyatt Wingfoot, agent of SHIELD, suggests the necessity of an alliance with Doom to use his machines to return the power cosmic from whence it came, back to the limp and lame body of the Silver Surfer. Doom quickly shifts his weight into the favour of his arch-rival Reed Richards, and his accompanying bed fellows, clearly recognising the unfavourable shift in the game.

At Reed Richards' request, Kl'rt reveals his motivations and the history of Galactus' involvement in his people's destruction, revealing base motivations for what is actually a plot potentially beneficial to the human race. Never the less, the unwitting humans see the benevolent unknown quantity of the Silver Surfer to be far less threatening than the Skrull, who had previously murdered several Wakandans prior to the Surfer's retrieval.

The Super-Skrull's history lecture is ended when Skrull agents send word of an incoming SHIELD extraction team requested by the real Wingfoot.
With his increased abilities and cosmic awareness, the Super-Skrull creates a giant invisible force field around Castle Doomstadt, destroying the incoming aircrafts in an instant.

With the stakes raised, Thing checks his watch to discover it's clobberin' time, opening up with his own cosmically charged super strength sufficient enough to topple the mighty Super-Skrull.

Enraged by the attack, Kl'rt uses his cosmic abilities to shift his fist into a mirror image of Thing's own, striking back with force considerable enough to launch Thing into a forced retreat. The blow sending Ben Grimm airborne!

Happy to take the fight airborne is the Human Torch, who takes to the air in a dazzling blaze of flames.
Looking to capitalize on a range advantage, the Human Torch fires off jets of flame at the Super-Skrull, who quickly dispells any illusions the hothead may have about his advantages.

Imitating Mr. Fantastic's elastine capabilities, Super-Skrull closes the distance gap with a stretched rocky fist that makes light work of the Human Torch.

With his flame put out, the Human Torch is rendered unconscious in the Super-Skrull's arms, while Doom, Richards and T'Challa [Black Panther] begin formulating their plan of attack to return the power to the Surfer.

While Doom demands total cooperation of his unlikely allies, the Black Panther jumps into the fray to buy them some time, as options of physical distraction begin to wear thin.

Launching at the alien with a stiff martial arts kick, the Black Panther knocks Super-Skrull back with surprising efficiency for the most human of all present.

The Panther provokes the Super-Skrull's most lethal intentions, narrowly leaping over a cosmic power blast in an effort to spring the heroes' plot to channel the energies back to their source. Invisible Woman uses her invisible force fields to divert the energies back to the Silver Surfer's shackled body.

With Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom manning the machines, they ensure the appropriate processes are in action for the gambit. An explosion throws cosmic vapor and smoke into the castle room, but Doom is certain of the result.
Emerging from the smokey frost, a solitary and uncomplicated figure -- the Silver Surfer, embued once more with his Galactus-given cosmic power.

The Surfer's resurrection allows the powerful Super-Skrull to refocus his priorities back to revenge. Stepping up to the Silver Surfer, he prepares to unleash the remaining power cosmic stored within him in a final attack on the Surfer.

Though weakened, the source of the syphoned power cosmic proves to be far more capable and powerful than even the Super-Skrull could imagine. For all the knowledge of the Surfer's humane past, the Skrull is soon privvy first-hand to the matter of fact that the Silver Surfer is anything but human.

With each extra-terrestrial influence unleashing their powers to their fullest extent, the heroes and Dr. Doom are forced to flee the scene. As the power cosmic tears Castle Doomstadt asunder, Doom recognises a new threat arising, as their energy threaten to compromise the integrity of his own nuclear fusion power sources.

Ever the survivalist, Doom takes advantage of his homeground preperations and leaves the Fantastic Four and their allies to fend for themselves as the castle crumbles. Fortunately, the FF reach their transport in time, but mysteriously the threat of explosive vaporizing never arises.

As they take leave, from somewhere amongst the rubble stands a stoic Silver Surfer. Though unfeeling, the cosmic herald grants the heroes some shred of gratitude for saving his life by diffusing the threat of the reactor.

The hammer...
Though he is destined to bring about their destruction, on this day, the Silver Surfer saves the lives of the Fantastic Four, Black Panther and Dr. Doom -- victorious over the Super-Skrull!

For what is essentially a pretty simple comic, there's a lot of moving parts at work here. The two issues preceding lay the immediate groundwork for this story, while plotlines like the traitorous Wyatt Wingfoot are the culmination of the entire six issues of this volume.

[In FF #4]; the Fantastic Four travelled to Wakanda and met with Black Panther, and developed relations there whilst searching for an anomaly Reed Richards tracked from space -- the Silver Surfer. Way back at the beginning of all this [FF #1], Wyatt Wingfoot turned out to be a turncoat, sabotaging the space mission that leads to the creation of the Fantastic Four [in the Heroes Reborn world].

That Wyatt Wingfoot is in actuality Kl'rt the Super-Skrull, presumably posing as a SHIELD agent in an effort to use our destination point as a means of locating the Silver Surfer. As Wingfoot, he falls in with Doom, who no doubt represents one of the most likely technological influences to discover the Surfer, and so we begin to understand his motivations for interfering in previous events.

Having knocked the Silver Surfer from orbit, Doom's forces race to recover the herald to Galactus while he leaks cosmic energy in a Wakandan jungle.
This provides some level of confusion, while Kl'rt covertly uses his Skrull abilities to operate not unlike the Predator, picking off Wakandan warriors and preventing their interference in the efforts of Doom.

The Fantastic Four and Black Panther, disturbed and uncertain about the developing events, force themselves on the situation and are quickly neutralized and caught by Kl'rt, who takes them (with the Surfer) to Dr. Doom.

Collectively abducted, the FF (with the crucial addition of the Black Panther) maneuver their way through the stock standard series of traps and holding cells typcial in classic Dr. Doom stories, to finally confont the man himself.
With no memory of their past lives, this serves as a second first-time meeting of old rivals in Richards and Doom, who were perhaps even more intertwined in this world's history than ever before, as part of the collegette 'Atomic Knights.'

Doom is generally content to play games with his arch-foe and Reed's fantastic allies, while also undertaking the personal project task of syphoning the Surfer's energies. [Nothing new there. See; Silver Surfer #107]

Which finally brings us to the issue reviewed here, where Kl'rt uses Doom's machines to absorb the Silver Surfer's powers himself, thus reawakening his Super-Skrull abilities from his previous life (with a little something extra!), and so we have our issue-long battle!

The issue then includes an introduction to the line-wide Industrial Revolution crossover, where Doom witnesses the aftermath of the siege on Avengers Island [Avengers #4 & #5], and makes the shocking discovery that Bruce Banner -- young optemist of the Atomic Knights -- has becoming the raging Hulk!

So, if knowing is half the battle, and now you know, you should have a pretty good edge in a fight against any of your friends who are buying Onslaught Reborn, but didn't read Heroes Reborn. Which has been a recurring theme for us here on Secret Earths for no real good reason.

I have to admit, I've been quite content flicking back through these issues, which I actually enjoy on the level they are intended. The Fantastic Four was definitely, I believe, the strongest series of the lot, anchoring much of the broader stories with it's mythology. Of particular note are the increasing recurring references to Galactus, which become of greater importance in the later half of the Heroes Reborn year, and build to a really epic event that puts the "Ultimate Gah-Lak-Tus Trilogy" to embarassing shame. Ouch, Ellis! Very ouch!

Like I've said through discussing a lot of these issues, as simple and naff as they are, there's a lot of good in these pages. I think we see here an illustrated argument for Jim Lee's involvement in the industry, and a creative potential that's easily forgotten on the basis of his flashy pin-up style and involvement in projects like the increasingly late All-Star Batman and Robin, and WildCATS.

I like what they've done here, and again, to put today's Ultimate books to shame, read the first six issues of this, and then browse the pancreatic team-up of Bendis and Millar on the first six of the Ultimate book. Heck, read through the first twelve issues of the Ultimate books, and witness good books gone bad.

Dr. Doom gets the classic treatment here, versus the embarassing bastardization of one of the most prevelant villains in popular culture. While Super-Skrull shows the potential improvement to be made with reinvention of classic ideas.
Also something I've long considered an interesting concept, tying the 'cosmic rays' that gave birth to the FF, to the cosmic influences of a character like Galactus. This has, as long as I can remember, struck me as a no-brainer.

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 6
[If you saw the movie and then wanted to check out the comics, the complete Heroes Reborn FF might just be the penultimate purchase! Classic interpretations through a contemporary filter, and fun aplenty!]