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Road to Empyre: Kree/Skrull War #1
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist(s): Mattia De Lulis, Javier Rodriguez, Alvaro Lopez
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Cover: Phil Noto

The Kree-Skrull War is one of those legendary stories from Marvel that has been sending shockwaves through it for decades. So much so that to this day when the Kree and Skrulls see each other it’s usually on-sight which means lasers will fly, blue and green blood will be shed, and the body count will most likely be high. However, this new evolution of their war might see several huge changers as some are seeing that this conflict just might need to end. So as the road to Empyre begins, we get a comic that attempts to lay the foundation of what’s to come.

This is one of those issues that succeeds in bridging the gap as Thompson cements you in a new adventure while catching you up to the events that got us here. This story focuses on the Warners who are a family of Skrulls that have been in deep cover for some time. The matriarch of the family, G’Iah aka “Gloria” is firmly dedicated to the mission and after finding a piece of their past she recounts their history to her daughters. This is just one area where Thompson shines as what could have been a by-the-numbers history lesson turns into an exciting page turner. The story not only recounts the past but adds several emotional layers to expand on the age old conflict between the Skrull and Kree. Thompson also adds another emotional layer by having “Ivy” ask her mother the hard questions regarding this war and the role of the Skrulls.

What also gives this this issue a nice touch is the visual storytelling from its three artists. Mattia De Lulis handles the present day artwork focusing on the Warners and it’s a beautiful series of panels that packs the emotional punch needed to carry this portion. There’s a roller coaster of tension of grief displayed that sync perfectly with the dialogue. The era of the flashbacks are captured quite masterfully by Javier Rodriguez and Alvaro Lopez. This will definitely sit well with many of those old school readers as we also get appearances from characters like Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Mantis, and more legends from that era to flesh out the story.

The amount of depth here in the primer for Empyre is a great build to the main event when it begins. So it is definitely worth checking out even if just for the walk down memory lane of the classic story by Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, and John Buscema. – 4/5

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