Meet the Skrulls

Meet the Skrulls #1-5

by Robbie Thompson, Niko Henrichon (Illustrator), Leinil Francis Yu (Illustrator)

Collects Meet the Skrulls #1-5. Who do you trust? The Warners are your typical family. Dad works at Stark Enterprises. Mom works in a senator's office. The girls are students at Stamford High School. The only thing that makes them different is...they're shape-shifting alien Skrulls who have infiltrated our society to pave the way for invasion! Madison Warner's latest mission brings her to the most dangerous place a slumber party! Meanwhile, dad Carl faces Iron Man - so just another normal week for the Warners. But what could leave them as a house divided - and exposed? Will the mysterious Man in the Hat be their exterminator - or their salvation? And what is Project Blossom?! Experience the story everyone will be talking about for years to come - a bold new look at the Skrulls that will test even your loyalty!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Comics writer.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Skrulls and I always have.
In fact, Secret Invasion is one of my favorite events in the Marvel universe. Lots of shape-shifty shenanigans.
So getting a peek into a Skrull family that was sent here to infiltrate Earth was just the sort of thing that made me sit up and take notice.
And it didn't hurt that this was a self-contained little one-shot. <--because sometimes you get sick of titles that drag on and on and just want a one and done, you know?



There's a really good family drama happening against the backdrop of this Alien Spies story. You end up really liking these 'evil' Skrulls, you know? I mean, they're only bad guys because they aren't us. It makes you think.



But more importantly, it's entertaining. Because it's hard to think deep thoughts when you're bored. <--or maybe that's just me?

I don't know if any of these characters are going to pop up again, but I'd definitely read about them if they do.
Recommended.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically The Americans TV show with skrulls. It's about a family of skrull spies trying to infiltrate a facility while being hunted down from Mr. Slugworth from Willy Wonka. If you're a fan of Tom King's Vision miniseries, then you're probably going to love this as well. It's got that same kind of subversive family drama mixed in with a spy story.

Nico Henrickson's art reminds me of David Lopez. They both use those oversized gray alien eyes on everyone.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa, this was a pretty dark series I didn't expect.

The Skrulls invasion years ago was kind of a dud for me. All the build up and really only a very small handful of characters were actually them. They came to conquer but the heroes beat them...no consequences really...the end. But this story is more intimate. A story about a family of Skrulls who are secretly blending in with society. It's basically Americans the TV show mixed with the occasional superhero guy/gal.

This really surprised me. I love the inner thoughts of almost every character. Their motivations seem noble for what they are, but the way they go about it, it's kind of disgusting. The shocking revelations are all par for the course, and maybe a bit expected, but still exciting. I really dug the pacing as it always felt frantic after issue 2. The art was solid and gave a gloomy atmosphere feel.

Overall, Meet the Skrulls is what you need every once in awhile amongst the superhero companies. A deep look into family, themes of betrayal and honor, and lots of twist and turns. This is well worth the read. A 4 out of 5.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voto: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Spy-story cruenta, avvincente e piena di colpi di scena, raccontata dal punto di vista di una famiglia Skrull sotto copertura, con un grosso debito verso il The Vision di Tom King.



Una delle migliori miniserie realizzate recentemente dalla Casa delle Idee negli ultimi anni, ma ci voleva almeno un altro numero per caratterizzare al meglio i personaggi secondo me.



Cinque stelle mancate di un soffio.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just going to read Marvel's Empyre crossover when I found that there is also a Road to Empyre collection available for free on Hoopla this month, but I saw a review that said that book spoiled this one, so now here I am finally ready to prepare for Empyre. (And no, I don't want to hear about any other books I should read first!)

So what appears to be a typical suburban family in Stamford, Connecticut, is actually a family of shapeshifting Skrulls trying to infiltrate a top secret project at one of Tony Stark's facilities. In addition to their espionage, we are given family drama as they grieve the loss of one of their daughters and deal with a growing rebellion against the family trade by another.

It's played straight, unlike the Spy x Family manga I have been enjoying lately. I haven't seen The Americans, but seems like it would be similar to that.

I found the characters likable despite their intrigues, deception, and invasion agenda, and the story was fairly well-done, but it seems like just the opening act of what could have been an interesting ongoing series. I'm curious to see what role the family might play in the Empyre saga.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Skrull family is on an undercover mission to destroy a project that would make it impossible for Skrulls to hide from their enemies. While some members of the family are mission focused, others are struggling with life on Earth. As the mission progresses, they come to realize that family is more important than mission. Even though the mission at the start of the book is to help enable the Skrull to take over Earth and make it their new homeword, the way that the characters are written make them very sympathetic. By the end, especially after a certain twist in the story, I was cheering for them to succeed in their mission. Comics need more stories like this that show alien races as more complex and sympathetic rather than just evil. One final note--this is some of the most beautiful comic art I've seen in a long time. I highly recommend this book.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we have a skrull family sent to infiltrate to gain info to shut down a project designed to find and kill all skrulls. This premise was executed well in this book. We actually get some heart felt family moments. Some espionage, some betrayal, some suspense and some very sad moments. Overall great read and a nice step away form the norm. If you were curious or on the fence on this one, I say def say check it out.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skrulls have always been problematic; like the "Indians" in cowboys and Indians games, or the stock Russian bad guy in cinema, the belief that a whole race of anybody is all bad is ultimately untenable. This has been whittled away at by Marvel over the years, first with the Prince in the Mask during the Avengers/FF crossover, and then with Super-Skrull's arc during Annihilation, and most recently with the individualized portrayals in the Captain Marvel movie. This predates that, and is an attempt to make the Skrulls relatable, and it works spectacularly well. The art is perfect for the apparent simplicity of the story, and there's heart and a lot of thought has been put into how Skrulls' identities work, when you are what they are, and when your society works like it does. Enjoyable.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Hell. This was good. Go in blind on this one and enjoy. If you want actual details on the plot or my reactions see the notes.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coulda/shoulda been more tonally similar to The Americans

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story. Great artwork. Fun times with Skrulls!

Recommended!

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A read that surprised me. Wasnt expecting id like it this much. All about a family unit and being honourable and just. Cool story but dark at times.

[Emmanuel Nevers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2008 when Marvel's Secret Invasion event happened many were disappointed with the event as a whole and one reawon why was because of the market ing campain. The marketing made you think that the skrulls had over time had a secret occupation that culminated int the event. It never happened. Everyone who wanted a story of skrull infiltration here ya go!

This was a well executed mini series from the point of view of a skrull family secretly living among us. All of them are fleshed out characters and over all the story was well worth the read.

Highly recommened to anyone wanting something involving skrulls that is better than secret invasion by a long shot!!

[Koen · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fun read..

Loved the characters and the story that wass told.
And the artwork was also impeccable.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually one of my favorite books from the big two publishers in 2019. I like when a team gets a bit of runway to tell a weird story that is able to exist in a separate, smaller space within the larger universe...think Vision or Miracle Man in recent years.

This book didn't quite reach those heights, but it was weird and wonderful. I thought it was pretty emotionally impactful and I was hooked throughout. This was a good team with the vision from Thompson and execution from Henrichon.

I thought this was a great one-off exploration of a largely unexplored corner of the Marvel universe. Take a break from the universe-ending events and alternate reality madness and give it a shot.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This definitely could have used a few more issues to develop but, as far as throwaway concepts go, this mix of The Americans, Tom King's Vision, and other spy fare works pretty well. Sure, the story is too big for this format but it's told with a flair and the excellent art and good twists make it a worthwhile read. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of these Skrulls in the future.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

COLLECTS MEET THE SKRULLS ISSUES #1-5

There is a pretty cool story here about a family of Skrulls that are living the suburban life as humans, as part of another planned Secret Invasion. It is a whole family of alien spies, but they are being changed by being undercover long-term. Strangely, this series was always planned as a 5-issue miniseries, and yet it doesn't set out to bring a conclusion to the story. Instead there is a set-up for a future story that we could very likely never see.

Final rating = 3.5 stars

[Alex Sarll]

Probably inspired by deep cover spy drama The Americans, not that I've ever seen it – a story in which inhuman would-be-conquerors, drunk on dreams of cruel strength and regained empire, lurk unseen among us. So that's not much of an imaginative leap for a British reader right now. Of course, there are also definite hints throughout that maybe the humans are the real monsters, which, again, is not much of an imaginative leap for a British reader right now.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unassuming suburban family is actually a band of Skrulls determined to steal secrets from one of Tony Stark's projects. The book looks great and the pacing is terrific - the only issue is that the spy narrative is murderously convoluted. The main character Skrulls each have their own issues, and they're all vaguely fighting against a homeworld Skrull who has different goals. By the end, I was pretty lost, but I still mostly enjoyed the journey.

[Omni Theus · Rating 4 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW *Spoiler Free*- https://youtu.be/Fxs1z_Qrmz0
The Art is a Disappointment and is Just Not Good Enough Given the Quality of the Rest
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 stars
Art: 3.25 stars
Prose: 3.25 stars
Plot: 3.25 stars
Pacing: 3.75 stars
Character Development: 3.5 stars
World Building: 3.25 stars

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being new to comic book reading I found this volume pretty good. I liked the Skrull invasions throughout the years, not just in the present and past. Interesting to see the different graphic differences. The stories were pretty good, some dark, but all fun to read.

Looking forward to more Marvel reading.

[Evey Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toda una sorpresa y mi mejor lectura del mes de enero sin dudarlo.

[Alasondro Alegré · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½

[jana (taylor's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not outstanding, but an okay quick read.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was no need for this to be as good as it was, but here we are.

[Sardonyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Upon starting it, I thought "Hmm, is this going to be along the same vein as the story about the Vision and his family?" Then as I was reading it I became enchanted with the artwork. I just love how Niko Henrichon draws all the characters' facial expressions. Then I started to see just how different the characters are from the Vision's. They're Skrulls, so obviously they're going to be different. Anyways, love the whole ride, hope there's more future stories about this family!

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different type of Marvel tale which was very fresh and unique.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels like it was written after binging on The Americans, in the best possible way.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parece que fue una miniserie encargo a rebufo de la película de Captain Marvel. Pero con el estreno inminente de la serie de tv Secret Invasion, espero que este "Meet the Skrulls" encuentre mejor sintonía transmedia y que más lectores se acerquen. Porque la propuesta de Robbie Thompson resulta más aprovechable y fascinante de lo que podríamos pensar de entrada también con el recuerdo de "Marvel de Urbanización" que encumbró La Visión de Tom King. Una aparente familia perfecta es en realidad una de tantas avanzadillas de la escurridiza raza Skrull desperdigados por la Tierra tras la fallida Invasión Secreta de hará unos años... El caso es que los Warner realmente son una familia por mucho que se desempeñen como agentes secretos del malogrado Imperio Skrull. Así que entre comida familiar, las anécdotas sociales diarias deben versar sobre cómo cada miembro está influyendo en la potencial próxima Invasión Secreta. ¿Pero no sería mejor disfrutar de la vida que actualmente tienen los Warner? Por lo menos eso piensa totalmente una de las hijas del matrimonio... Pero con una misterioso Proyecto que puede poner en peligro a toda la raza Skrull y un letal agente que está eliminando muchos miembros de esta raza metamorfa. Los lazos familiares de la familia Warner se pondrán más a prueba que nunca.

Desde luego, tener un espacio tan contando como una miniserie de cinco números, supondrá un desafío para cualquier guionista. Creo que salvo por el hecho de que el último número queda algo colgando como un epílogo largo al haber sabido condensar toda una buena gran trama que se ha desarrollado en los primeros 4 números, "Unidad Familiar" sale bastante airosa de su cometido. Además de suponer una buena historia de estos personajes y sus habilidades metamorficas, más dadas a tramas de espionaje o suspense más que realizar otro crossover donde absorban una macedonia de superpoderes para enfrentarse a medio Universo Marvel. El ligar todo esto a dinámicas familiares es una oportunidad de oro para realizar un ejercicio de identidad justamente de unos seres que pueden tomar el aspecto de cualquier individuo o cosa y que pertenecen a toda una raza que parece querer eliminar el individualismo. El hecho de que sea una miniserie, creo que juega muy bien a favor de que esto funcione, porque en inicio se plantea esta narrativa con el personaje más juvenil de la familia, pudiendo prever algunos tópicos de "angst" de esas edades en la ficción que seguramente se habrían desarrollado durante los más números posibles. Pero Robbie Thompson no puede perder tiempo y muestra cuanto antes que esto ocurre en prácticamente todos los personajes del plantel. Los cuales logran presentarse como más profundos y menos unidimensionales de lo que pensaríamos en un inicio (incluso se dan bastantes flashbacks que muestran el pasado bélico de la pareja protagonista y cómo aún así afloran unos sentimientos más complejos que solo la lealtad hacia su especie).

"Unidad Familiar" tiene unas buenas muestras de acción, cameos de lujo y un arte bien sugerente del artista Niko Henrichon para que la obra sea bastante atractiva incluso para lectores casuales. Sí que puede sentar mal que bastante parte del trasfondo que se muestra a lo largo de la historia como la gran misión de la Familia, quede como cliffhanger que no sé si se ha desarrollado en alguna otra cabecera o se hará ahora, al existir otra miniserie ligada a Invasión Secreta. Pero no es algo que moleste del todo, pues se cierra bastante bien la historia de los Warner.

[Emma Gear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored this series. Meet the Skrulls is a short, 5 issue miniseries about a family of Skrulls. For extra context if you're uninformed, the Skrulls are an alien race that have the ability to shapeshift to an absurd degree. Like full on appearance changing into any other human, species, and even inanimate objects while remaining undetectable to anything but extremely specialized equipment.

And this is about a family of them! They live on Earth, and they're all undercover, working for their race to weaken Earth to set it up for another invasion by their kind. They've been at this for some time. So long that one of the children in the family was born and raised entirely on Earth, and that's where the primary conflict lies. The young girl, Alice, holds no attachment to her home world. She's only ever known Earth, and doesn't want to go about sabotaging things to help her family. She's torn between two loyalties and doesn't know what to do, while the other family members are also being affected by living among humans for so long in other ways. It's a story with heavy themes about identity, and in some ways Alice's story could even be read as a story of dysphoria. Wanting to live as herself but being forced to live in a way that her parents expect. There's even a very interesting scene where she's looking at herself in the mirror, shifts between a few different forms, then grows angry at what she sees and breaks the mirror.

I also feel like I have to point out the excellent cover for the first issue. The broken glass frame revealing the happy family as Skrulls except for one. The youngest daughter in the bottom left portion has her portion of the picture completely intact, and does not reveal herself as a Skrull at all, which is an excellent visual metaphor for the story being told. At only 5 issues long this is definitely something that should be checked out and is definitely one of my favorites.