Al Ewing and Dan Slott join forces to tell the epic story, published by Panini Comics in the Marvel Deluxe line, where the Kree and Skrull join forces with the evil Kotati race in the Empire.
La Casa de las humor always shines more in their urban (or at least underground) setting than in space. It is true that some of the publisher’s most famous sagas took place outside the planet, such as Secret Wars or everything related to Thanos and the Infinity Stones. to those stories. And yet, this part of the Marvel Universe will inevitably continue to evolve and bring more exciting adventures. Now we have a chance to get one of the last ones that Panini Comics is publishing in one volume titled Marvel Deluxe. Empire: Kree-Skrull-Kotati War.
The avenger called Hulking
You have to go back nearly two decades to find the first appearance of Theodore “Teddy” Altman, better known as the Hulking. It will be in the shocking Young Avengers series created by Alan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, where we will meet younger versions of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. In Hulking’s case, this green-skinned teenager had nothing to do with the Hulk, but the reference is clear…
It’s soon revealed that the Hulking is half Kree (his father was Mar-Vell, so Genis-Vell and Phyla-Vell are his half-siblings) and half Skrull (his mother was Princess Anelle), and after many years passed through different factions. And ostracized by his peers due to his genetic traits, his fate led him to be crowned emperor of the eventually united Kree-Skrull nation and named Darek VIII.
And you can’t talk about Hulking without mentioning what will be his love interest throughout his life: Billy Kaplan, better known as Wiccan. A member of the Young Avengers and the son (fictional but real) of Scarlet Witch and the Vision, Billy has proven to be a vital player in the magical world of the Marvel Universe.
Cotati threat
The spark of conflict is raised on the moon, especially by the Kotati race who live there, a previously peaceful plant-based population that the Kree and Kree were able to oppose due to some previous events. To be blamed for the skulls.
It’s possible to find parallels between these events and others in our reality, but the main architects of this story, Al Ewing and Dan Slott, were more concerned with creating a coherent superhero space opera than a strong anti-war moral. . Although some can be seen by the trained eye…
Obviously, the escalation of the conflict takes its toll on Earth’s heroes, with the Avengers and Fantastic Four stepping in to prevent things from spiraling out of control in these cases. And it costs them to work…
Galactic legacy
What stands out most about this story is how well it fits with the galactic legacy that Marvel Comics has been creating over the years. Slott and Ewing have an encyclopedic knowledge of the space stories of the past six decades, with everything related to the epic-Skrull war being particularly relevant.
In the graphic department, the level is high and suitable for this kind of story. The work of Spaniards Javier Rodríguez and Pepe Larraz deserves mention as well, but surprisingly short. Fortunately, Valerio Schti makes sure we don’t miss them more than necessary (even if we do a little)…
Published by Panini Comics in hardcover, the volume contains 336 color pages measuring 17 x 26 cm. and includes translations of the US edition into Empire, Empire 0: Avengers, Empire 0: Fantastic Four, Empire 1-6, Empire Fallout: Avengers and Empire Fallout: Fantastic Four, in addition to the covers of all included issues. , an introduction by Pedro Monje and a section with additional material at the end. It has a recommended retail price of €42 and was sold in May 2024.
Marvel Deluxe. Imperia: La Guerra Cre-Scroll-Cotati
The Kree and Skrull are united under the command of a new emperor, whose first decision is to declare war on Earth. On the moon, The Avengers prepare to strike with the might of Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Approaching from space, the Fantastic Four seek a diplomatic solution. If the two groups can’t work together, the situation will only get worse.
Authors: Pepe Larraz, Dan Sloat, RB Silva, Valerio Shitti, Al Ewing, Javier Rodriguez, and Sean Isaacs