100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
#86. Avengers #89–#97: “The Kree/Skrull War”
Medium
Comic Book
Release Dates
June 1971–March 1972
Credits
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencillers: Sal Buscema (#89–#92), Neal Adams (#93–#97), John Buscema (#94)
Inkers: Sam Grainger (#89–#90), Sal Buscema (#91), George Roussos (#92), Tom Palmer (#93–#97)
Letterers: Sam Rosen (#89, #92–#97), Mike Stevens (#90), Art Simek (#91)
Editor: Stan Lee
The Reason It’s Great
Expansive in scope, this story was an ambitious undertaking that involved a huge cast of Marvel’s characters. Many things came from this seminal work—of which to note, the biggest one being the romance between Vision and Scarlet Witch.
According to writer Roy Thomas, the story was inspired by the novel This Island Earth by Raymond F. Jones. As an allegory to World War II’s inadvertently involving a random island in the Pacific, the Kree/Skrull War also pulled Earth into its ongoing conflict. Like all great science fiction, the story was a reflection of our own history.
“The Kree/Skrull War” also exemplifies one of the best stories the Silver Age of Comics had to offer. It was also the height of collaboration between writer Thomas and artist Neal Adams. The story was big and epic in every way. Marvel Studios should definitely consider adapting this storyline as part of its cinematic roadmap.