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Killraven
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jonathan Raven, a.k.a. Killraven, the "Warrior of the Worlds", is a fictional freedom fighter in a post-apocalyptic alternate future of the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures #18 (May 1973), created by co-plotters Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, scripter Gerry Conway, and penciler Adams. The series featured the first interracial kiss in comic books.[1]
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Following the multiple-creator goulash of the first issue — in which the two originators and co-plotters turned the scripting over to another writer, and artist co-creator Neal Adams penciling only the first 11 pages and Howard Chaykin the remaining nine — came one issue fully written by debut scripter Gerry Conway, and then another Marv Wolfman. After this, the book became the province of writer Don McGregor for a highly acclaimed run [2] from #21 (Nov. 1973) to the final issue, #39 (Nov. 1976). Pencillers were Herb Trimpe, Rich Buckler, Gene Colan, and, most notably, P. Craig Russell from issue #27 on.
Aside from McGregor, with whom the character became as associated as Howard the Duck and Man-Thing with Steve Gerber or Tomb of Dracula with Marv Wolfman, other writers include Bill Mantlo (a fill-in Amazing Adventures and a Marvel Team-Up with Killraven and a future-flung Spider-Man); Joe Linsner (a 2001 Marvel Knights one-shot, set in 2020 New York City, at odds with the original series' locale by that fictional year); and Alan Davis (also artist), in a 2002 parallel universe miniseries.
On the alternate-future Earth designated Earth-691 by Marvel Comics, the Martians from H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds returned in 2001 for another attempt at conquering the planet. (They were later retconned as extrasolar aliens using Mars as a staging area). After humanity's enslavement, men not used as breeders or collaborators were trained and forced to battle gladiator-style for the Martians' amusement; women were used as breeders to supply infants, eaten by the Martians as a delicacy. Jonathan Raven, dubbed Killraven as his gladiatorial nom de guerre, escaped with the help of the gladiatorial "keeper", but without his brother, Deathraven. Killraven joined the Freemen, a group of freedom fighters against Martian oppression.
The story follows Killraven and his companions from 2018 through 2020 as they travel across the eastern portion of North America, from New York City to Cape Canaveral while searching for Killraven's lost brother. Pursued by the cyborg Skar, the Freeman encounter various victims of Martian transhuman experiments, as well as emotionally and psychologically scarred survivors. According to writer McGregor, some story ideas that did not make it into the book before cancellation were explored in his graphic novel Sabre.[citation needed]
The Freeman encounter Killraven's brother, Deathraven, and discover he has become a Martian collaborator in a sequel graphic novel, Killraven, Warrior of the Worlds (Marvel Graphic Novel #7, 1983).
Killraven's Freemen allies included his African-American "mud-brother", M’Shulla Scott, and the feisty scientist Carmilla Frost, who shared comic books' earliest known interracial kiss, in issue #31 (July 1975), page nine, final panel; the cynical and bitter Hawk; the slow-witted strongman Old Skull; the Mae West-like Volcana Ash; the human/plant hybrid Mint Julep; and Grok, the severely damaged clone of Carmilla's father.
Antagonists, besides the Martians and Skar, included Pstun-Rage, the Death-Breeders, Atalon the Fear Master, the Sacrificer and Abraxas.
There have been counterparts of Killraven in several stories:
- Following minor controversy among fans whether the Killraven of Amazing Adventures is the same as that depicted in the past of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 established that Killraven and the Guardians share the same timeline, christened "Earth-691". The relationship to the mainstream timeline, Earth-616, is unclear. The Handbook also established the Killraven of the 2002-2003 miniseries Paradise X as the "real" (Earth-691) Killraven.
- The 1998-1999 miniseries Avengers Forever had Killraven as a member of an alternate future Avengers (Earth-9930) led by the Black Panther.
- Alan Davis' 2002 miniseries Killraven (Earth-2120) depicted an alternate-future variation of the original series.
Hollywood trade stories in 2005 reported plans to adapt Killraven for a theatrical motion picture, with Marvel and Sony Pictures in negotiations with Robert Schenkkan to write a script.[3] [4]
- Neal Adams' early ideas for Killraven involved him being the son of a Doc Savage archetype.[5]
- Killraven's story has similarities to Battlefield Earth, with a group of ex-slaves fighting alien oppressors on a conquered Earth, though this is not an uncommon theme in science fiction.
- In 2005, writer Jim Valentino said his aborted plans for the Marvel comic Guardians of the Galaxy involved Killraven, in his 50s, joining the team and forming an attraction to Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara). Valentino said he would have established Franklin Richards as Killraven's father.[6]
- In Marvel's Howard the Duck Vol. 1, #2 (March 1976), Howard dreamt he was "Killmallard", a freedom fighter battling alien overlords who used tripods identical to those of Killraven's Martian opponents.
The original Killraven's complete adventures, listed here, were collected in the 2005 trade paperback The Essential Killraven.
- Amazing Adventures #18-39 (May 1973 - Nov. 1976)
- Marvel Team-Up #45 (May 1976)
- Marvel Graphic Novel #7: Killraven, Warrior of the Worlds (1983)
- Killraven #1 (Marvel Knights, Feb. 2001)
List of African American firsts
- ^ One previous interracial kiss occurred not in a color comic book but in Warren Publishing's black-and-white comics magazine Creepy #43 (Jan. 1972), in "The Men Who Called Him Monster", by the same writer, Don McGregor, and artist Luis Garcia.
- ^ In addition to contemporaneous reviews in the 1970s, latter-day reviews include: "Don McGregor took over the 'Killraven' writing chores, and was joined soon after by P. Craig Russell. With their combined talents, and the freedom that comes with working on a low-selling book that could be cancelled at any moment, the two of them produced a groundbreaking series that explored philosophy, madness, love, violence, and the nature of freedom". (Christos N. Gage, FeoAmante.com); "Though quite a few folks had their hand in the original run back in Amazing Adventures, it was the words-and-pictures team of Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell that made my tentacles twitch. ...a classic". (Michael Sangiacomo, Newsarama.com, Jan. 25, 2003); "As for Don McGregor, what can be said? At his worst, he could be overwritten and almost incoherent in his pretensions. At his best, he brought to comics like Amazing Adventures and Jungle Action a literary style and philosophical ambition, and a maturity even in Comics Code-approved stuff, that's rarely been matched. He makes Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore look like...well, like comic book writers". (Critic "The Masked Bookwyrm"); "As his work progressed, readers saw [P. Craig Russell] take artistic ownership of 'Killraven'. ... Much like Jim Steranko's work on Marvel's Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, events flowed through some pages in a style that was as reminiscent of fine art as it was of comic art. Also impressive was his sense of design. Russell arguably produced some of the most imaginative, and visually horrific, monsters and villains in Marvel's history. Don McGregor handled the writing for this issue-run, and credit must be given to his involved plots, as well as his ability to pack a lot of story into a 32-page pamphlet". (Michael Vance, SciFiDimensions.com, Aug. 17, 2001)
- ^ Sci Fi Magazine (Aug. 2005): "Brave New Worlds" (p. 33; side story, "We Are the Worlds")
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes: News: "Sony to Bring Old-School Comic 'Killraven' to the Big Screen"
- ^ Comic Book Artist #3 (Winter 1999): Neal Adams interview
- ^ Guardians of the Worlds: Archive of Image.com's Jim Valentino annotations, "Jim Valentino's Guardians of the Galaxy Retrospective"
- Comic Book Artist #3 (Winter 1999): Neal Adams interview
- The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Earth-Killraven
- Guardians of the Worlds fan site
- Marvel Chronology Project - Killraven & Co.
- The Warren Magazines Interviews: Don McGregor
- Killraven, War of the Worlds (1973-2003) (fan site)
| Earth-691 (Marvel Comics) |
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| Killraven - Guardians of the Galaxy - Cyberspace 3000
Aleta - Charlie-27 - Firelord - Hollywood - the Keeper - Krugarr - Nikki - Vance Astro - Martinex - Phoenix - Replica - Spirit of Vengeance - Starhawk - Talon - Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara) - Yondu Martians - Badoon - Korvac - Stark - Universal Church of Truth - Ripjak |