'Secret
Invasion' finally begins By
Gavin Ford
Star-Gazette Whom
do you trust? As the Marvel Universe still recovers from the repercussions of
the Superhuman Registration Act and the resulting Civil War that pitted former
allies against each other, an insidious threat looms. A race of alien shape-shifters
called Skrulls has been infiltrating the super-powered community over an unspecified
period of time. Only
the unforeseen death of one of these disguised creatures and its reversion to
original form revealed this clandestine alien plot. Not knowing the full extent
of the infiltration exacerbates the paranoia already present among our protagonists.
This is the premise behind "Secret Invasion," an eight-issue event starting
this week from Marvel Comics. The
Skrulls made their first appearance in the second issue of "Fantastic Four,"
dated January 1962. Four of these reptilian-looking aliens, disguised as the famous
quartet, were sent to Earth in an attempt to discredit the super-powered team
and pave the way for an otherworldly invasion. Their
plans were stymied by Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, forever
ensuring an animosity between the two worlds. Over the years other attempts have
been made by the alien race to gain a foothold on our planet as well as to destroy
the individuals they hold responsible for their most crucial and embarrassing
defeat. Created
as just another group of outer space bogeymen in order to fill the pages of a
monthly comic book, the Skrulls have evolved over the years into a fleshed-out,
three-dimensional group of alien antagonists with a belief system far different
than our own. Conquering planets and expanding the Skrull Empire is part of these
beliefs. And in a fictional universe where the Earth's position in the galaxy
is of utmost strategic importance, these green-skinned beings from another solar
system consider us the "bad guys." Written
by top Marvel author and fan-favorite Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Leinil
Yu, "Secret Invasion" may possibly be one of the most important series
in modern Marvel history. Although sales figures of all things Marvel continue
to dominate the charts, there have been grumblings and dissension among long-time
fans. Management has been taken to task over what readers feel are out-of-character
moments and storylines featuring their beloved icons in recent years. Perhaps
this was all part of the plan. Five
years in the making, "Secret Invasion" finally hits stores this week.
Check your local comics' shop for details. | 
