TRULL

Real Name: Trull

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Delta Centaurus Galaxy); (Pre-modern era)

Occupation: Would-be world conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Gloria; Bart Hanson; Phil; Rajah

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Trull the Mighty, Trull the Unhuman

Base of Operations: A jungle in Africa;
     (formerly) Delta Centaurus galaxy

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#21/1 (July, 1961)

Powers/Abilities: Trull can project his life essence from his physical body, though it's unknown if this is possible at any time, or only at the time of the body's death. In the form of the steam shovel, Trull was extremely powerful, able to lift massive rocks with its "mouth." Trull could "speak" by manipulating parts of the steam shovel's mechanism to simulate a "voice."

History: (Tales to Astonish I#21/1) - While voyaging through space, Trull's spacecraft's anti-magnetic reactors failed and his ship crashed just inside the coast of Africa. Though his physical body was killed, Trull used his natural abilities to release his life essence, which began to search for a new body.  He came across an experimental new steam shovel designed by Phil. Taking over the machine, Trull revealed his presence to Phil, as well as Bart Hanson (the construction crew's foreman, who was dating Phil's ex-fiancee Gloria). He held them hostage while he planned on how to take over Earth. When the three tried to escape, Trull pursued them, but was attacked by Rajah, an elephant that Phil had saved from Hanson's abuse earlier. The elephant cracked the machine's engine cylander, destroying it. Weakened, Trull's essence escaped into the African jungle.



(Ghost Rider VI#33 - BTS) - Deacon and Blackout considered him as a possible agent in their fight against Ghost Rider (Blaze).

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (or Larry Lieber), Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.

Reprinted in Creatures on the Loose#10.

The story is a complete and blatant rip-off of Theodore Sturgeon's 1944 classic KILLDOZER story (which was adapted for TV in 1974).
--Jean-Marc Lofficier

The Killdozer story was also adapted by Marvel Comics in Worlds Unknown#6.
--John McDonagh

Profile by Madison Carter

Clarifications:

Trull has no known connections to

Gloria

Once engaged to Phil, she left him after his failures caused him to become a "milksop." She ended up with Bart Hanson, who happened to be the foreman on an African construction job that Phil was designing equipment for. The three of them were held hostage by Trull, and when they tried to escape, it was Phil and not Bart who rescued her. After Trull was defeated, Gloria asked Phil to take her back, but he refused, seeing her as someone who only wanted to be with a "winner."




-- Tales to Astonish I#21/1  (  21(fb), 21



Bart Hanson

A macho man, Bart ended up with Gloria after she dumped Phil. He was a foreman on the construction job, and after abusing an elephant named Rajah, was confronted by Phil. When Trull threatened Gloria's life, Bart was too scared to save her. She left Bart and begged Phil to take her back, but he told her off, telling her she deserved Bart.









-- Tales to Astonish I#21/1

Phil

Phil was an architect whose career was ruined when a bridge he designed collapsed just moments before its grand opening. His girlfriend Gloria left him, and, defeated, he retreated to Africa, where he could design smaller machines and no one would know who he was. He designed a powerful new steam shovel for the construction company, and by pure coincidence learned that Gloria had hooked up with the foreman and both would be arriving. When Trull possessed the steam shovel, he held the three hostage. When the alien threatened Gloria, Phil saved her, and Rajah, an elephant that Phil had previously saved from Bart Hanson's (the foreman) abuse destroyed Trull. Gloria begged Phil to take her back, but he refused.



-- Tales to Astonish I#21  (21 (fb), 21

images:
Tales to Astonish I#21, story 1, page 6, panel 2 (Trull as steam shovel)
                                                         page 2, panel 3 (Trull's original form)
                                                         page 7, panel 1 (all 3 humans)

Tales to Astonish I#21 (July, 1961) - Stan Lee or Larry Lieber (writer), Jack Kirby (penciler), Dick Ayers (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Ghost Rider VI#33 (2009) - Jason Aaron (writer), Tony Moore (artist), Axel Alonso (editor)

Last updated: 08/22/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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