Kraal (Solarman foe)

Kraal confronts Ben Tucker KRAAL

Real Name: Commander Gormagga Kraal

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial Cyborg technology user

Occupation: Warlord and Commander

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: His robot crew; (former) Altarra and Dr. Sha-Han

Enemies: Altarra, Beepie, Dr. Sha-Han, Solarman (Ben Tucker)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Warlord Kraal

Base of Operations: Solo-Cruiser near the Earth;
(former) Star Cruiser in interstellar space

First Appearance: Solarman#1 (January, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Kraal's intelligence would rank at above normal to gifted, although he seemed constrained by his paranoid and psychotic destructive nature. His strength was approximately peak human, although his bionic arm appeared to be up to superhuman class 10. His speed was about athlete, but his stamina would have been peak human and durability would be up to enhanced human (probably due to his armor). His agility and reflexes were about athlete levels.

He stood almost 7' tall and had yellow eyes and light blue skin (see comments). He blustered and postured, and acted like a bully, pushing the physically feeble Sha-Han about, and destroyed at least one of his robots that were, presumably, programmed not to offer resistance.

His upper left torso was metallic and he had a metallic-looking bionic left arm. It was not revealed how this came about (see comments for speculation). The bionic arm, composed of an unknown substance, provided extra strength and could be used as a shield. It also had the extraordinary ability to stretch to at least 8x its length and could bend in a rubbery fashion. Also, his cybernetic left hand seemed to glow green the angrier he got, and could melt a robot's head instantly. He had a basic helmet and additional body armor composed of unknown substance.

Kraal ranting History: The origins of Gormagga Kraal have not been revealed.

(Solarman#1) - Kraal, obsessed with harnessing the greatest power in the universe, ordered the destruction of another sun, to the horror of scientists Dr. Sha-Han and Altarra, who had generated the destructive technology of the Solar Ray for the benefit of all living beings. As the sun died, the Solar Ray drew the power into the ship's multitude of power pods. A pilot robot then alerted Kraal to a new sun - that of the Earth! Sha-Han and Altarra then pleaded with Kraal not to pursue the sun because of the planets in orbit, especially the Earth, but Kraal dismissed their pleas and he threatened Sha-Han with death.

Presumably to test Sha-Han's loyalty, Kraal ordered Sha-Han to fetch the Circlet of Power, a bracelet with incredible solar-activated powers. He also commanded Altarra to stay with Sha-Han to avert any betrayal. However, Sha-Han did steal the Circlet of Power and fled in an Escape Jet. Alerted by a robot, Kraal ordered the destruction of the craft by laser and dispatched two killer robots to retrieve the Circlet, after destroying one guard robot with his mechanical left hand.

Kraal was then contacted by the two killer robots that they could not find Sha-Han or the Circlet, to which he threatened their termination. Captured, Ben Tucker, who was now holding the Circlet, was brought before Kraal. With the Circlet not budging, the warlord ordered the removal of Ben Tucker's arm, but the human escaped and transformed into Solarman. The impatient Kraal video-scanned the area to identify the delay, but saw Solarman. Moving on his throne mounted on a hover-disc, Kraal confronted Solarman. The two fought fiercely, but Kraal was still able to activate the Solar Ray, which was targeted at the Earth's Sun. The two continued to fight, fairly evenly matched, until Solarman lulled Krall into smashing the ship's hull. A pressurized air blast from the ruptured hull then threw Kraal backwards. Solarman then escaped threw the breach and redirected the destructive ray at the Star Cruiser using the Circlet. With the ship disintegrating, Kraal escaped into a Solo-Cruiser, blasting away just as the Star Cruiser exploded. Kraal then swore to destroy Solarman...

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (script), Jim Mooney (penciler) & Dennis Janke (inker); original Solarman created by David Oliphant.

Beats me why Kraal didn't just keep the Circlet of Power on all the time.

Speculation: Perhaps Kraal initially possessed the Circlet, but had his arm ripped off, resulting in his becoming a cyborg, and he had only just reclaimed it and had been too busy sun-busting to pop the bracelet on before Sha-Han took it.

It appeared that Kraal was a member of the same alien species as Sha-Han and Altarra, but his completely yellow eyes and bizarre powers suggest a mutate/mutant, although it could be that the differently colored eyes were just the result of ocular enhancements in line with his robotic arm.

I'm also not sure about the physics of the universe in Solarman, with planets instantly shattering because their sun has been destroyed, and pressurized internal air blasts when a hull is breached in space.

Kraal may have belonged to the Kree (or an offshoot).

Boyd Kirkland, who did layouts for Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, Spider-Man & Hulk animated series, also drew storyboards for the Solarman animated pilot. On 13 June 2004, he stated that "If I remember correctly, Stan Lee wrote it for another client who funded it (I can't remember who). The intention was to create a new series/toy franchise independent of the Marvel Universe. It never took off."

Unfortunately, I never saw the pilot, so I can't comment how closely the comic followed the plot. The video at the time apparently included "Special interview with Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and--destined for greatness--SOLARMAN!!" Hm.
I've seen it, and it follows the exact same plot outlined here, right down to Kraal melting his own robot with his hand. --Prime Eternal

Interestingly, the only adverts in Solarman#1 (apart from the inside covers) was that for the Solarman Collectors Club (p31), which stated that "Solarman will be on TV very soon", and the Subscription page on the other side, leaving 30 pages for continuous comic panels.

Sure, the plot's simplistic and has holes, but I've read worse.

Profile by Grendel Prime

Clarifications:

Gormagga Kraal has no known connections to:

Gormac, Gorn, demon from Mephisto's realm, sought sacrifice to gain access to Earth, @ Marvel Comics Presents#101
Gormac, of the Seventh Dimension, mystic entity, picture drawn by Augustyne Phyffe, @ Marvel Super-Heroes III#14
Gormuu, extra-terrestrial conqueror from Kraalo, encountered and defeated by Reed Richards, @ Fantastic Four I#271
Kraa, Luphomoid, brother of Zorr, uncle to Nebula, swore revenge on Xandar for the death of his brother, @ Nova II#15
Kraa, seeker of vengeance foretold in the beliefs of the Wabuzi people, @ Tales of Suspense I#18
Kraa the Unhuman, former tribesman in Wabuzi, Africa, mutated by explosion caused by Russian soldiers, @ Tales of Suspense I#18
Brother Kraal, of Earth-2988, young mutant of War Watch, violent tendencies curbed with aid of Brother Xavier, @ What If II#111
Kraalo, home of Gormuu @ Fantastic Four I#271
Kraawls, subterranean creatures serving Mole Man @ Fantastic Four I#127
or to anyone else with a similar name.

images:
Solarman#1, p21, pan4
Solarman#1, p2, pan3 (headshot)
Solarman#1, p8, pan3 (destroying robot)

Last updated: 09/20/05

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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