Killraven is the #46 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus of 2017 on Tigereyes’s Secret Ballot.
Who is this futuristic, pulpy, non-superhero that Marvel created from scratch and should you care? I’ll explain it all below. Visit the Marvel Masterworks Message Board to view the original posting of results by Tigereyes.
What Is It? Killraven was a pulp fiction mashup story that exists outside of main Marvel continuity. It followed an Earth-born rebel as he strikes out against the Martian-infected Keepers enslaving the remains of the human race.
The Killraven character and story mostly contained in the anthology title Amazing Adventures (1970), which he took over from #18 in May 1973 until the final issue, #39 in November 1976.
Killraven’s story was revisited by Marvel Graphic Novel #7 in 1982 with “Killraven, Warrior of the Worlds: Last Dreams Broken” and in a 2001 on-shot. He’s also made some sporadic appearances in the main Marvel Universe.
Past Ranking: Killraven was tied for #44 in the 2016 survey, down from #21 in 2015.
Creators: While Killraven was initially created by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, and Gerry Conway, his run is most associated with author Don McGregor and artist P. Craig Russell, who were the custodians of the character for the majority of his run.
Probable Contents: Amazing Adventures (Vol. 2) #18-39, Marvel Team-Up #45, Marvel Graphic Novel #7, Killraven (2001) #1, and possibly Killraven (2002) #1-6 (not in continuity with the other material) and Marvel Zombies 5 #2 (which purports to resolve some of his story threads).
Can you read it right now? Only in original floppies or black and white in Killraven Essentials: War of the Worlds, though you could also read the 2002 retread by Alan Davis. Both are readily available despite being several years out of print. This run is not available on Marvel Unlimited.
The Details:
Set in the farflung future of 2018 (I know, right!), Killraven assumes that the events of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds more or less occurred as written in 1901 only to have the Martians return a century later to achieve their original aim of subjugating humanity.
The titular hero was separated from his family as a boy and trained by the Martians for their own gladiatorial entertainment. The Martians have also compelled some Earthers to become Keepers, assisting with the enslavement of their brethren, while some women have been transformed into Sirens – luring the remaining free men to their dooms.
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This is the final post in our series time-traveling backwards through Marvel’s era of comic books to see what books would make fantastic omnibuses, and this is a big one – it’s what I’m calling “The Masterworks Era.”