They Can't Match the Savage Surf - Silver Surfer 1 (1982)

Silver Surfer #1 (June 1982)
"Escape -- to Terror!"
Stan Lee/John Byrne-Byrne/Tom Palmer

Doug: For those of you still hanging with me after my reviews of some subpar fare from the Big Two (Thor #269 and The Joker #9), thank you! Today I promise I'm going to present a more positive experience -- and I hope you'll leave this space feeling buoyed as well. My choice today is a comic book that I actually did not know existed until I purchased the large tpb, Silver Surfer Epic Collection: Freedom. I bought it to replace my 1980s Silver Surfer series that went bye-bye in the "big sell-off" of my collection. I had enjoyed the Steve Englehart-Marshall Rogers collaboration in the early years of that series and wished to hold onto the stories. What I did not know is that it contains the story above, as well as the short tale from Epic Illustrated, "The Answer". Bonus, and bonus. So here we are. Let's get right down to business then.

100-Word Review: Alone and brooding in the former home of the Inhumans, the Silver Surfer reflects on his life since becoming the herald of Galactus. He decides to test Galactus’s barrier once more, only to be repelled. But seeing a strange beam arcing from the Earth toward the barrier, he pursues it until he encounters the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards believes he has found the means to free the Surfer from his fate. But there will be only one chance, and if reversed the barrier will revert. The Surfer flies through, and straight for Zenn-La. Once there, he is met as a traitor…

Obviously there was more to the plot than that -- after all, this issue was a 48-page monster! So to cheat just a bit, the Surfer encounters the father of his lost love, Shalla Bal. The old gentleman is not kind to Norrin Radd, telling a tale of a return to Zenn-La by Galactus. Although the space god had made a bargain with Norrin Radd, trading the planet's survival for Radd's tenure as the herald of Galactus, the Surfer's betrayal on Earth seemed to negate the deal. The Devourer no longer was compelled to avoid Norrin Radd's former home. But Galactus, not without honor, allowed the people of Zenn-La to evacuate the planet before its destruction. Once drained of its lifeforce, the people returned to nothing but desolation on their homeworld. When asked the location of his daughter, the father told the Surfer that she had been taken by one who exuded utter evil. At this point the Surfer became aware of his true enemy -- Mephisto. And it had always been Mephisto, even manipulating Dr. Doom some years before. Can you say: Showdown! 

The Good: Where to start? A script by Stan Lee over a plot by John Byrne, with art by Byrne and Tom Palmer? That's as good a place as any. This reads like a classic Silver Surfer book. No one writes the Surfer like Stan does -- and I'll say for better or worse, depending on your perspective. When I think of the Surfer I think of his nobility, his perseverance, his dedication to his true love and the hope that someday he'll see her again. Stan provides that. 

I mentioned that the book is long -- over twice as long as a standard 20-21 page comic. That was OK, although I did feel my stamina waning a time or two. I'm going to write that off to time of day during my reading rather than boredom. This was a really good story. I can probably argue with you about whether or not this was something I'd seen before (Silver Surfer #3 comes to mind, as does the Surfer graphic novel Judgment Day (published six years after this story)). I'm going to call it "comfort food", or a well-worn pair of blue jeans. 

Take the flashbacks, for example. Again as I mentioned, the Surfer's origin from Silver Surfer #1 is recapped, as are his early appearances in the Fantastic Four (circa #s 48-61) and the Dr. Doom 3-parter from FF #s 155-157. Sometimes I find this sort of thing, particularly if I know the prior stories, tedious. Yet here it's woven together in such a way that the historical elements fit seamlessly into the current context. Byrne thought this through, and knew his Marvel history. I think that's why I believed in the Surfer's passion to break the barrier, it's why I admired Reed Richards's selflessness in working tirelessly to design a means to get through the barrier, and why my heart leapt when the Surfer landed on Zenn-La and fell when he saw its condition. Comfort food.

There are images throughout the story that are just great. The Surfer's recoil upon striking the barrier at his fastest speed, the regality of Galactus, the aversion to the Surfer of the people of Zenn-La, the evil of Mephisto, and the beauty of Shalla Bal. Figure work, settings, pacing -- the artwork is fantastic throughout. Note the two images of Galactus above (one closer to the top, one immediately above to the right) -- see his power in all three panels, but note the emotion in the close-up. Stern, driven, surviving. Love it. And I could go on and on with what I liked, but let's face it -- not everything came up roses. So...

 

The Bad: Some of you might look at the art samples and think this is one darned good looking book. I concur. But, if you wanted a John Byrne Silver Surfer book, my sense is that like me you find Tom Palmer's inks overpower Byrne's pencils. I can see Byrne throughout in some of the figurework ("stock poses", if you will)... one example is in the horizontal panel above right where the Surfer reaches out to Shalla Bal. We've seen Byrne use that pose during just about any tenure on any book he's ever drawn. It's not bad at all -- I'm just saying that it's there that I am seeing him shining through Palmer's inks. Another example would be the facial movements of Shalla Bal's father's speech, also above right. Palmer is wonderful across the breadth of this story -- he is of course in that top tier of all inkers in the Silver and Bronze Ages. So I really have no complaints, just observations. And it's not so bad.

The Ugly: There was nothing about this story that would fall into this category. It was creatively pleasing, paid off satisfactorily, and had I purchased this from a newsstand or more likely a comic book store, I would have felt great about parting with my dollar.

I chose not to delve too deeply into the intricacies of the plot for this review, as once I started looking for images to scan I landed on full pages. While I don't show many pages that ran consecutively in the story, I think you can glean meaning from those that do appear. The page above right, with Shalla Bal now gifted with the power to restore life on Zenn-La would segue into the next Surfer project...

Marvel Comics has done us all a favor in publishing this Epic Collection line of trades. Each volume contains 20-25 issues, some organized by continuity, some by theme. The best aspect of this new line of trades is that they are not published in chronological order -- we can get our mitts on good stuff from throughout the Silver and Bronze Ages. The extras included, as in this trade, are excellent. At the conclusion of this volume is a full reprint of Marvel Fanfare #51, which contains a lengthy story by Steve Englehart, John Buscema, and Jack Abel. It's a presentation of an early version of the project that became Englehart's 1987 Silver Surfer series (in collaboration with Marshall Rogers). You know I'm the biggest John Buscema fan, but I'm grateful that Englehart took the Surfer where he did, rather than what appeared in Marvel Fanfare. Let's just say I was much happier with the reuniting with Shalla Bal, as opposed to settling down with a lady friend who incessantly refers to herself as "this one", and who also communes with plants. You know what I mean.

Surfing With the Alien - Silver Surfer: Judgment Day GN

Doug: An apology to those readers expecting to find the conclusion to our reviews of Frank Miller's Dark Knight graphic novel. As today approached Karen and I knew that we didn't have the review in the condition we desired. This has been a special series of conversations, and we hope you'll indulge our need to take a few extra days to "get it right". The review that follows was actually in the queue for next week, so we are just trading places with TDKR #4. Thanks, and enjoy!

Silver Surfer: Judgment Day (October 1988)(cover by Joe Jusko)
Stan Lee -John Buscema (plot by Buscema and Tom DeFalco)

Doug: Do you have this one? This is from the era when hardcover graphic novels seemed to become "a thing". Of course, this would also have been during the era when I was a sucker for any new presentation innovation that came my way -- not only hardcovers with dust jackets, but perfect binding, acetate covers, variant covers, etc. Yes, the 1990's were only a short time away! Besides the classic creative team, this book also boasts an unusuality (made that word up just now) in that it is told entirely in splash pages. If I recall, the fact that I was going to see John Buscema art at a larger size (8.5"x11.5") trumped the fact that despite it's 68 pages, I'd only be getting 68 Buscema panels.

Doug: I'm going to break today's review into some components. First, I'll start you off with a 100-Word Review in case you've not read this prior -- it's always important to know what the heck is going on, right? And then I think I'll just fall back to a common format I've used in the past, revealing my thoughts on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the book. So shall we begin?

The Surfer evades the clutches of Mephisto by denying himself three women seductively posed at a gateway, promising him anything he desires. He later meets up with and has a fun romp through space with Nova, the herald of Galactus. She also faces the same temptation of Mephisto, falling for it. Tricked into “loving” Galactus, Nova will do anything to please him. As she leads him to life-sustaining worlds, the Surfer knows something is awry. The story culminates in a battle royal in the depths of the Realm of Flame and Darkness as Galactus comes to reclaim his lost herald.

The Good: It would be a coin flip, with a coin that has many sides to try to decide what I liked best about this story -- Stan Lee with the character he fancied his own and writing him as such, the pulse-pounding pencils of Big John Buscema, the presence of Galactus, or the messianic Norrin Radd tempted in the wilderness of Mephisto. All of these things conspire to make a really fun story. Stan wrote a preface, and in it he remarked, "To say that this volume is a "first of its kind" is to not fully do it justice. It is truly a watershed moment in the history of publishing. Visually, stylistically, dramatically and artistically, John Buscema and Marvel Comics have made a totally unique contribution to the illustrated epic genre." You would have been disappointed if Stan had not employed a little bombasticism, wouldn't you?

Buscema's art is a wonder. Of course every page is packed with energy, every figure rendered by a master of anatomy. The grotesque characters are just that, yet the peaceful denizens of a doomed planet are cute little humanoids, ugly in a different way. Mephisto is a villain deserving of a treatment similar to Victor von Doom; he gets that in every appearance under Buscema's pencil. At times I've thought that Jack Kirby's fascination with the gods has been balanced with the ghoulishness (oozing with bad intentions) of Buscema's demonic characters. And we get what we pay for when we read a JB Surfer comic -- Norrin Radd is lithe and noble, Galactus is imperious and densely built, and Mephisto is delightfully devilish. Oh, and did I mention that the women are voluptuous?

However, and maybe this is where I segue to the next section of my thoughts, I am not always the biggest advocate of JB inking himself. I am placing this paragraph in the "good" category basically because a happy John Buscema (and he was when he did the full art chores) should make us all happy. But I got a little Vinnie Colletta vibe from some of the art now and again -- not that Vinnie's all bad. The man has a reputation, but I think we've all enjoyed his work many times over (OK, maybe not when erasing Kirby Thor pages). Buscema's brushwork just seems a little feathery or sketchy in some panels. His faces and figures don't really lose any majesty... but it's just not as polished as I'd like it. Some of us have said Joe Sinnott could bury a guy. But the finished product always looked slick, right?

The Bad: As big a fan as I am of Buscema's art in just about any genre, I've always found a quibble here and there with his faces. It's almost like he sometimes forgets what emotion should be conveyed and instead a character will be left with a facial expression akin to "Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Galactus seems this way a time or two, as do the Surfer and Nova. It's not a huge deal, and I wouldn't say it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the story. But it's noticeable. I've provided several examples of the Big G in various fits of boredom and rage. Please judge for yourself -- maybe I'm off base.

There was a mention of Shalla Bal, and of course the Surfer pined for her. We get it, dude. Even in 1988, it had been 20 years. C'mon, bro...

I found the plot point of Nova being manipulated by the Prince of Darkness to the reality that she would bring Galactus to worlds with sentient life an uncomfortable element of the read. Much as I was drawn into the horror of such a reality with Galactus's unceasing hunger, I must say that perhaps this belongs in the section above. Lee and Buscema wanted to raise the stakes and invest the reader in the story by playing on the sensibilities of a civilized morality; they achieved that.

The Ugly: Mephisto and his demons. That's about it! There wasn't anything about this story, the design of the book, the price point (a steal even back in 1988 at $14.95) -- nothing -- that would fall into this category. Count me a satisfied customer. BONUS -- Below is the cover to the paperback edition of this graphic novel. Which cover (both by Joe Jusko) do you like more?

Discuss: Gods, Demons, and Metaphysical Beings!

Doug:  This past Sunday, frequent commenter William Preston quipped that he thought our Discuss topic on the Big Guys would be a request to discourse on comic book gods.  Well, it was not, but today we can!  So thanks to Bill, and make it wide open -- certainly don't confine your comments to the images below, and if there are theological themes you've encountered within the four-color world bring 'em up.  This crowd is certainly close enough and mature enough to handle that -- I'm confident!

Thorsday Thrills! The Mighty Thor 205

Thor #205 (November 1972)
"A World Gone Mad!"
Gerry Conway-John Buscema/Vince Colletta

Doug: Welcome to the second installment of a month of random Thors. Last week the God of Thunder and his father were caught up in a tiff with the uber-nasty, Infinity. Today's heavy-hitter is the epitome of nasty.

Doug: Did you check the creator credits above? Yep, after last week's familiar art team featuring the inks of Joe Sinnott, this week we get Vinnie Colletta. And it's not a match made in heaven. While most of us may even applaud the Kirby/Colletta pairing on Thor, this mash-up isn't so hot. Colletta overpowers many of the faces, and the figures drawn with the reader at a distance can appear clunky. I'd also argue that Vinnie gives off a Frank Robbins vibe at times, too. And I have no idea if anything was erased...

Karen: You know, I didn't mind Vinnie here, but then, I did like how he looked with Kirby on the title. However, I'll agree that there are better inkers for Buscema.Doug: This story is not unlike one of the Mephisto/Silver Surfer yarns played out in the Surfer's mag, or some of the later graphic novels. Where this book differs is that the God of Thunder has a certain brashness about him, and while just as noble as Norrin Radd, Thor's just not gonna take the devil's crap lying down. As we begin, the entire cast is in the depths of Hell, as Mephisto threatens to take over the Earth. But in order to do so, he must vanquish Earth's most noble soul -- Thor's. And to do that, the Thunder God will face trial after trial.

Karen: I think you nailed it. Thor is subbing for the Surfer in this story. Although I've never thought of the thunder god as being particularly messianic. Uncharacteristically chivalrous for a Viking god, yes. But not Christ-like.Doug: The first trial is against an army of demons. Strong, fighting tooth and nail amidst the blazing fires, the demons stick to Thor. But with the enchantment of Mjolnir, he scatters them. Mephisto then goes right to his best trump card, a possessed Lady Sif. She comes at Thor with an axe, and raises it to smite her beloved. Thor dodges, disarms his lady, and tells Mephisto that he will not win with such tactics. So the demon-lord moves to his next strategy -- the possession of men of influence from around the world. But before that plan can even see its fruition, Mephisto segues right into the next dark machination -- an attack by Balder the Brave and the Warriors Three.

Karen: Hmm, this book was published in 1972. Would readers have been shocked at the idea of politicians possessed by demons? Even before Watergate, that doesn't seem too big a leap!

Doug: Well, there must be some explanation... Thor will have none of this plot, either. Rather than lay a hand on his devoted friends, the Thunder God first defends himself and then uses Mjolnir to create a vortex. The entranced Asgardians are transported to the top of a rocky tower, and the mystical hammer then propels boulders after them to encase them -- a barrier of protection from Mephisto. As Thor turns to face his tormentor, a spell is cast and the evil one summons those who have worshiped him throughout history -- some of the vilest men to have ever walked the Earth. Among them scowl the visages of Genghis Khan, Blackbeard, Jack the Ripper, and Adolf Hitler. Along with the Fuhrer comes a ragtag band of SS... the God of Thunder shows no mercy, as Mjolnir tears through the assemblage. Thor uses his mallet again to dispense the Mongols.

Karen: It's absolutely amazing all the stuff that hammer could do! Thor really was Marvel's Superman back then. I'm just waiting for Mjolnir to somehow give Thor the power of ventriloquism! Of course, seeing Thor take on hellish Nazis was fun, even if only for a panel or two.

Doug: Mephisto is now getting a bit more than peeved. He screams at Thor that he must have his immortal soul. Thor again wades through an army of oppressors to finally reach the devil himself. But upon laying a hand on Mephisto, the Thunder God begins to burn. As Mephisto turns up the heat (literally), Thor whacks him full across the chops with his hammer, staggering the demon. When Mephisto tries to bury Thor with a boulder, the Thunder God instead launches himself right into the devil's gut and puts him in a choke hold. Picking the dark lord off the ground and holding him high, Thor propels him headlong into a pit of lava. As Mephisto surfaces defiantly, Thor rains down tons and tons of rock, effectively sealing the demon beneath the lava. Beginning the journey back to the surface world, Thor fears that he must now face life alone. He is jubilant to find that when Mephisto fell silent, his spells over the Asgardians were broken.

Karen: How tough is Mephisto anyway? He really gives Thor a tussle here. I'd always thought of him in a more metaphysical sense, causing heroes to go through spiritual crises, but in this ish he goes mano a mano with Thor quite impressively.

Doug: This issue was sort of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, you really can't beat John Buscema's rendering of Mephisto... he simply owns that character. And while Buscema's figurework was evident, Colletta's sometimes-sloppy inking often buried the grandeur of those pencils. As to Conway's script, it was definitely serviceable, but not wholly unpredictable. That the endgame was brought about by Thor's figuring out that had he struck back against any of his friends Mephisto would have owned his soul, was a fair conclusion. In the end it was one big battle issue, and for a superhero mag that can't be all bad. That it took place with all sorts of vile characters did make it visually interesting.

Karen: The story itself was, as you say, serviceable, but not Conway's best on the title. It was however, a nice showcase for the thunder god's innate nobility, as well as his sheer power.