Creatures on the Loose #10
Published and © by Marvel, March 1971
Title: “The Skull of Silence!”
Synopsis: Kull, doubting his role of king, finds himself protecting Valusia from an unleashed spectre of silence.
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Bernie Wrightson
Review: The surprise success of Conan set off a barbarian bonanza in comics and Marvel soon produced another winner based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ catalog. Roy Thomas’ script quickly establishes Kull’s world and place in the timeline, while Bernie Wrightson is more accomplished at this point than future Studio-mate Barry Smith.
•••
Title: “Trull! The Unhuman!”
Synopsis: A disgraced scientist discovers his intestinal fortitude while trying to stop a disembodied alien from conquering earth.
Writer: Uncredited (several sources suggest most Atlas-era horror tales were plotted by Stan Lee and scripted by Larry Lieber)
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Review: An elephant battling an alien-possessed steam shovel is ridiculous, but who doesn’t want to see Jack Kirby draw that scene?
Grade (for the entire issue): A-
Second opinion: “O Prince, what mighty a pair of creators that were chosen to bring Kull to four-color life! … Truly, the stuff of legends.” – Marc Buxton, Back Issue #121, September 2020 … “The story didn’t look like a typical Marvel comic.” – Pierre Comtois, “Marvel Comics in the 1970s: An Issue By Issue Field Guide to a Pop Culture Phenomenon: Expanded Edition,” 2021
Cool factor: Wrightson and Kirby? That’s a high-level art lineup!
Notable: First issue of Creatures on the Loose; continues numbering from Tower of Shadows. … First full comic-book appearance of Kull. … “Trull! The Unhuman!” first appeared in 1961’s Tales to Astonish #21.
Character quotable: “Bah! Words to frighten children … or slaves … but not KULL!” – Kull, barbarian … conqueror … king!
Editor’s note: This review was written April 28, 2026.
