From the Clubhouse

Greetings from the Skrull-free Zone (as far as I know),

Daylight Savings Time is about to begin, Free Comic Book Day is right around the corner, and Marvel is getting ready for their summer spectacle, Secret Invasion. This summer's cross-over is planned much like Civil War, House of M, and the past "Universe altering" events and anticipation is high as is the rumors on what may happen during this storyline. This time around, Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu will be at the helm of the Invasion that will cross into almost every Marvel title much as Civil War did (I am hoping for a much stronger ending).

For those of you out of the know, it has recently been revealed that the alien species of shape-shifters, the Skrulls, have infiltrated the Marvel Universe. To what extend remains to be seen, but long-time characters like Elektra and Black Bolt have already been unmasked with more to come. The Skrulls have usually been somewhat minor villains, used to explain away certain characters odd behaviors by taking their place. The Kree/Skrull War has popped up time after time by including our little blue planet in their centuries long war. The Avengers, Captain Marvel, and the Fantastic Four are the usual unwitting participants in these proceedings though Captain America and the Young Avengers have had run-ins recently also.

According to those in charge, this Secret Invasion will affect the entire Marvel Universe and pit friend versus friend, teammate versus teammate. Sounds an awful lot like Civil War, doesn't it. This time around we are faced with who we can trust and whose actions are truly their own. When Elektra was revealed as a Skrull leading the hand, everyone that had a change of philosophy to a change in costume became a suspect of being a Skrull pop-person. The word even mutated into describing odd behavior by the character acting "Skrully". In comics, change is constant. With new writers and artists jumping from one title to the next, actions and costumes are in a continual flux. One writer will want a character to be darker while another will try to focus on the character's personal life rather than the battles. Most artist will try to keep the same costume the previous artist rendered but sometimes, they want to put their own stamp on a character's look and a new armor is born (hint, hint). By these criteria, almost everybody in Marvel could be a Skrull infiltrator and that's not counting characters that have been dead or just gone but have returned under strange circumstances.

The returns of Thor, Bucky, & Captain Marvel (himself a Kree warrior) have had clouds of suspicion all around them and with the chance of shape shifters being everywhere, who can say if the real hero is actually the one to come back from the dead. I'm OK with Thor's return but if Bucky and Captain Marvel turn out to be Skrulls, I won't loose any sleep over it. This brings us to the most likely suspects of being replaced by these green-skinned aliens with bumpy chins. Iron Man and the new Red Hulk seem to be high on the list which means they probably aren't Skrulls (the safer the bet, the less likely it is to be). Characters like Ms. Marvel and Luke Cage seem more likely as they seem to constantly be trying to find their niche in the Marvel Universe (between the 2 of them, they've had more costume changes than the Wasp). One character that raises a big flag for me is Sentry. Here's a character that has been a powerful hero for years but no one remembers it and, let's face it, the bi-polar behavior doesn't lend much to his credibility.

This leaves us with characters that have been pretty much cleared of suspicion. Captain America (Steve Rogers) seems to have been the real deal. No matter how powerful the Skrull is, when they die, they return to their original form. Another unlikely suspect is Spider-man. Even though I don't agree with the deal with Mephisto and erasing of the wedding from his past, it does take him off the alien spy list. Why make a deal to change someone's past when it isn't his past to begin with. I would hope Mephisto would be powerful enough to tell the difference between the real Peter Parker and a Skrull. Hulkling from the Young Avengers could be either a spy or a true hero. Being the result of a Kree/Skrull relationship makes him the perfect pawn for a Skrull invasion which means he is most likely caught in the middle as everyone else is.

That brings in the question, just how many Skrulls are on Earth? Not just how many have infiltrated our favorite super-teams but how many have access to other teams? Are there any with SHIELD or the 50 State Initiative? What about the President or other leaders of the world? I try to shy away from politics in public but it seems if you wanted to start an alien invasion, getting the natives to fight among themselves would greatly improve your odds. It boils down to who you truly trust. Do we actually trust our elected politicians to protect us? What about our doctors and police officers? What would happen if we could not trust our military leaders? These concerns have all been addressed in Twilight Zone episodes and movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers by making us look closely at those around us, heightening our sense of paranoia. A little paranoia is fine, too much and you begin acting strangely and maybe even a little "Skrully".

My hope is the real Captain America will show up (sorry Bucky, Cap doesn't carry a gun) and keep us from falling into the hands of aliens searching for a new homeworld. Sorry boys, this place may be a little messed up, but it's still ours and along with our spandexed protectors, we will fight for it. So keep your eyes open and be ready because the Secret Invasion is almost here and we all need to be ready.

May The Force Be With You
Greg