KRAAWL

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Probable Deviant mutate

Occupation: Beast of burden

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Kala

Enemies: Thing (Ben Grimm)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Silent Sam," "that four-footed creepycrawler," "this overgrown tadpole" (as called by the Thing)

Base of Operations: The Netherworld of Subterranea

First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#127 (October, 1972)

Powers/Abilities: The Kraawl was a large serpent-like creature with four taloned limbs located just below its head. It was powerful enough to withstand a single punch from the Thing, but was apparently killed after successive blows. Kala described the Kraawls as a rebellious type of beast which, from time to time, may be kept in line only by special chants known to none but Kala.

History: (Fantastic Four I#127 (fb) - BTS) - After forming an alliance with the Mole Man, the Netherworld's Queen Kala rode upon her Kraawl on a journey to the Mole Man's realm. At some point, Kala was forced to dismount the creature and chant to it to get it back under her control.

(Fantastic Four I#127) - The Thing was on a quest through the underground tunnels of Subterranea in search of the Mole Man. When he came upon Kala standing before the Kraawl and chanting to it, he mistakenly thought the monstrous creature was preparing to strike her. The Thing threw a punch at it. Retaliating, the Kraawl wrapped its tail around the Thing, but the Thing struck it twice more and apparently killed it. Kala's Netherworld lackeys then brought a sedan chair to carry her the rest of the way on her journey.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.

Kala explained to the Thing that the Atlantean Netherworlders called the creatures "Kraawls" -- that name (coincidentally enough) sounds a lot like the English word "crawls," which is also the creatures' primary means of locomotion (Yeah, right...only in comics...).

Although this one was the only member of its species actually seen, presumably there are more Kraawls.

The Kraawl was colored greenish in the story, but it appeared brownish on the cover -- maybe it was similar to a chameleon and had the power to change its skin color (Do I get a No-Prize for that?).

In Captain America Comics#17/3 (August, 1942), Cap met the subterranean Queen Medusa and the Sub-Earthmen, who rode giant wormlike creatures that somewhat resembled the Kraawl.
--Ron Fredericks

Profile by John Kaminski

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Kraawl has no known connections to:

• Crawler, of the Mutant Underground of Singapore @ X-Men vs. Avengers#4
• Crawlers, creatures encountered by Wonder Man and Beast @ Avengers I#203
• Crawling Unknown, encountered by Hulk @ Incredible Hulk II#150
• Dark-Crawler, of the Dark Dimension @ Incredible Hulk II#126
• Kraal, Solarman foe @ Solarman#1
• Kraal of Earth-Wolverine Had Become a Horseman of Apocalypse @ What If? II#111
• Kraalo, homeworld of Gormuu @ Fantastic Four I#271
• Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), the X-Men @ Giant-Size X-Men #1
• Skrulls of Kral, Skrulls impersonating 1930s mobsters @ Fantastic Four I#91
• any other character with a similar name

images:
Fantastic Four I#127, p14, p3 (main image)