Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "silver-surfer"

Despite what most of the online sources say, the Annual of this series was written by Jeff Parker, not Mark Waid who wrote the main series. The story was not bad per se but it was a tad repetitive. Iron Man is the key guest star and he appeared back in Indestructible Hulk #2, only a year previously. The big opportunity of the issue would be exploration of the relationship between Bruce Banner and Tony Star, but compared to what Waid did back in Issue 2, this doesn't add much.

The book begins with four pages of a man speaking to a college seminar where both Tony Stark and Banner attended. If the book has a big point it's that there's not enough spending on non-defense related science. Whatever the merits, the argument is pounded in with a sledgehammer, so it's just annoying. The interactions between Hulk and Stark are okay, but it really feels like Parker didn't read the main title as he trode over a lot of familiar ground. The art is good and some of the traps were clever, but not so the resolution.

Annuals used to be huge stories worthy of reader's attentions but this story just doesn't do it. It features too much pointless talking, a retread of themes explored less than a year ago, and a villain who makes one and only one appearances. You may enjoy this book more if you haven't been following the series, but given the price of annuals, if you haven't been following the series, why bother?

Review: 2.25 out of 5.0

Silver Surfer, Vol. 7, Issue 1:

My curiosity was peaked about the Silver Surfer when I read the preview in Superior Spider-man. I have very limited experience with the Surfer beyond his Silver Age Fantastic Four appearances, and cartoons and found this pretty easy to follow as it established his backstory as a herald of Galactus and also introduced Dawn Greenwood who, based on the preview, will end up travelling the galaxy with the Surfer. (Doctor Surfer, perhaps.)

Dawn and the Surfer are apart until the last page. Dawn lives at a family run New England Bed and Breakfast in Anchor Baby and her sister decides to become a world traveler while Dawn is a homebody who only shows any regrets about the path she's chosen towards the end of the book.

The Surfer meanwhile has found a species that hidden itself from him seeking his assistance on their very big and crowded homeworld. This one point in the book where the art kind of failed as the Planet just looked very crowded and busy and it really should have been more breathtaking based on the dialogue.

The story was okay throughout but some of the changes towards the end really peaked my interest Nothing breathtaking happens, but for a first issue, I think it does it's job. It introduces the characters and some interesting concepts, and personally I'm looking forward to more from the Surfer and Dawn.

Rating 3.75 out of 5.0

Masks, Issue 7:

At this point, the story has gotten to the point where it's not moving a whole lot. Our heroes have finally gotten to their location. We have the introduction of a very convenient army and we finally learn who's behind the Justice Party. The book is competently done and sets up Issue 8

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

Silver Surfer #4

The Silver Surfer is taking Dawn back to Earth, but first he has to meet with cover guest stars, the Guardians of the Galaxy who are serving as de facto custom's agents for Earth when the SIlver Surfer returns Dawn to Earth.

The story continues to be fun. This issue has some good humor that's done perfectly as the Silver Surfer and eating a fish dinner in New England create very natural easy comedy.

The ending was intriguing though if it states the new status quo of the series, it would be somewhat disconcerting. Overall, I continue to really enjoy every issue of this new series.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

X-men #3:

A satisfying solution to the opening story arch with some nice action. Still not sold on this comic.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

She-Hulk #1:

This is a great first issue for a series I picked up on a whim. She Hulk (Jennifer Walters, formerly of the Fantastic Four and currently of the Avengers) finds herself dismissed from her law firm job when she refuses to use her superhero connections to steer work to her law firm. On her own, she finds herself thrust into a case for a woman who's suing a Stark subsidiary over a patent issue. She-Hulk thinks she can settle it in a simple conversation with Tony but it doesn't work out this way,

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. She-hulk's a good character and I liked how the writer worked the legal stuff into the story. If I had one complaint with the issue, it was that it was a tad text-heavy, but I'm left curious that I'll probably take a gander at issue 2.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Mark Waid's Green Hornet #2:

This second issue of Green Hornet builds on the foundation Waid laid in Issue 1 as we begin to get glimpses of a plot that's being unfurled to fool Britt Reid and trap the Green Hornet. Waid really is spinning a great tale that feels like a 1930s political thriller laced into the crime fighting tale.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Batman-Robin Adventures #6:

A supermarket tabloid reports that Batman has fired Robin, a story that Batman thinks is no big problem until a crook captures one of a phalanx of wannabe Batman sidekicks believing him to be the new Robin and holds him for ransom. Now Batman and Robin have to rescue the fake Robin while dealing with a phalanx of wannabe replacement Robins.

This is a great story with a lighter touch. It's good comedy because it introduces our characters into a comedic situation and then just has them respond naturally. I love Lieutenant Bullock's line to one of the wannabes, "Lady, we don't need you amateur loonies dressing up like the professional loonies." 'Nuff said. A great issue without a single supervillain in sight.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

Mr. T and the T Force #8:

A supermarket tabloid reports that Batman has fired Robin, a story that Batman thinks is no big problem until a crook captures one of a phalanx of wannabe Batman sidekicks believing him to be the new Robin and holds him for ransom. Now Batman and Robin have to rescue the fake Robin while dealing with a phalanx of wannabe replacement Robins.

This is a great story with a lighter touch. It's good comedy because it introduces our characters into a comedic situation and then just has them respond naturally. I love Lieutenant Bullock's line to one of the wannabes, "Lady, we don't need you amateur loonies dressing up like the professional loonies." 'Nuff said. A great issue without a single supervillain in sight.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

Justice League Unlimited #31:

The book is actually pretty formulaic: Have Metamorpho act like a jerk who thinks he's all that and have him humbled by the one villain who could actually be a threat so he learns the value of teamwork. Never mind that Metamorpho appeared in the original Justice League series and was nothing like that...we have a moral to awkwardly repeat.

The book gets two stars because Metamorpho is awesome and the way he defeats the villains was a thing of beauty even if he was acting like a jerk to set up the author's moral.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0

Spectacular Spider-man Annual #7:

his book follows up on the successful Spider-man wedding story with a look at Peter and Mary Jane's honeymoon in France. The Puma featured on the cover but his role is not as sinister as the cover applies. Though he does interrupt the honeymoon to offer Parker an $80,000 a year job as a debt of honor.

Spider-man and Puma don't like each other but Peter feels the need to take the job in order to ensure that MJ can continue to live in the manner to which she's become accustomed after some of her jet-setting friends look down at him.

This a good story. It's a weak spot is that it begins with 3 or 4 pages of the Puma being scolded by his grandfather for not having repaid Spider-man. It's a ton of backstory thrown at us up front. However, the rest of the book more than makes up for it. Peter and Mary Jane are a delightful couple with many sweet, romantic, and tasteful scenes that show them enjoying the start of married life without being graphic or gratuitous. The emotional struggle of both is also very adult and well-done as we feel Peter's pressure to measure up and be worthy of Mary Jane while Mary Jane tries to be supportive. Overall, a nicely done issue that's a very fun read.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Fantastic Four #90:

This comic has the Fantastic Four (under the leadership of Reed Richards) letting the Mole Man stage an escape because they believe in the due process of law, but as Reed says, they also believe the law is incapable of dealing with supervillains because while there may be a law against bank robbery, there's no law against trying to take over the Earth. (really, Reed?) and so the FF is discouraged from trying to stop the Mole Man from escaping. The Thing leaves in disgust but unfortunately for him, a Skrull has him targeted as a potential slave. This isn't horrible, but given what the cover and title is, a lot of the story is taken up by Reed Richards being stupid.

Ratings: 1.75 out of 5.0


Fantastic Four #91:

Ben Grimm is taken captive to the Skrull homeworld as a slaver to fight in the games. Pretty interesting drawing. The aliens dress like humans from the 1930s so this calls to mind that Star Trek episode, "A Piece of the Action." Okay, but not spectacular.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

Justice League Adventures #9:

How do you balance superhero and social life? When you're the fastest man alive, you find a way. The Flash (Wally West) is on a date with a beautiful woman and being paged constantly by the Justice League but for him it's just a matter of a quick run out to save the world and then back before his date notices he's gone. It's a fun concept and it's nicely handled here, plus I appreciated how the writers pulled all the emergencies together.

My one complaint is that the look of Wally was wrong with Wally being drawn as a blonde, but this may have been written before, "Star Crossed," when we saw Wally without his mask, but then again the main DC Universe version of Wally was a red head not a blond. Hair coloring aside, it was a good issue.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Batman '66 #39:

The description listed by Amazon wrong. This story is actually by the archer stealing police equipment and setting up his own phony criminal police force. The result is a very solid piece that fits nicely into the world of the TV series and Batman has a very clever solution that his henchwoman tries to stare the Archer away from. However, the archer has gotten so into character that he believes he's required to do so as a debt of honor. The henchwoman comments on a con believing his own line. Just a very good and enjoyable story.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Silver Surfer #5:

I really was somewhat nervous when Issue 4 of Silver Surfer ended with our hero somewhat earthbound. But I shouldn't have been. It's not a matter of Galactus' barrier being put in place, it's just that every life on the planet is in danger and only one person can actually save them.

I appreciated the call back of Hulk and Doctor Strange, the Surfer's former colleagues on the Defenders as was appropriate for such a big threat.

More importantly, Slott made Dawn's continuing roll in the series plausible as we see how the same type of love that makes it hard for Dawn to leave, makes it hard for them to hold her there. Overall, this was a great issue in a wonderful book. Forward to greater adventures ahead.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

She-Hulk #3:

Every Marvel hero worth their salt has to battle Doctor Doom every once in a while. It's safe to say that this particular battle is certainly unusual one. Doom's heir Kristoff wants asylum because he fears becoming Doom's heir and puppet. However, Kristoff has been in the country more than a year and for him to have any prayer of getting asylum, Jennifer Walters has to get him to court, but she has to go through Doom's efficient robots to do it.

Overall, I'd rate this comic 3.5 stars. The first flash page was a bit unsettling though somewhat justified by later parts of the story. The story was humorous but not near as funny as the prior issues.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

Indestructible Hulk #20

This issue wrapped up the Inhumanity saga and the 20-issue Indestructible Hulk series with a change of character for Banner. It was similar in some way that experienced by Matt Murdoch in the final issue of Daredevil Volume 3, though not quite as well-realized. The Inhumanity storyline showed the ugliness in Bruce Banner who's frustration with his life as the Hulk wasn't that his having to focus on running away as the Hulk or on curing the Hulk cost the world the advances he could discover but rather that fate had left him second rate. This issue sees him confront the issue, but his realization is short-lived as our attention demanded by the close which sets up the next series.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

Green Hornet #4:

The theme of Waid's Green Hornet in the first three issues has been the ability of power to corrupt. Issue 3 showed how corrupt the Hornet could get and how blind power made Britt Reid. In this issue, the fall begins and it is a stunning occurrence. We don't see who the man who pulls the strings is but we see that he is diabolically clever and Reid isn't prepared for what he's about to go through. I should say the book does it earns 15+ rating with violence that's a bit more extreme than your typical comic book. The book left me very curious what Issue 5 would hold.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Justice League Unlimited #34:

General Zod from the Phantom Zone by Mr. Mxyzptlik and it's up to the Justice League to save Superman. This issue illustrates what every bad issue of JLU did in the most extreme.

The story had lazy continuity with Superman having claimed never having met Zod, despite the fact this occurred in Superman: The Animated Series. It might be too much to expect the writers for JLU to know every comic story published for the DC Animated Universe, but someone editing this should've known the TV shows. They don't and it shows here.

The story is very slow getting going which leads to a very rushed conclusion. This horrific pacing is added to by the fact that Mr. Mxyzptlik is acting totally out of character by spring Zod. In fact, he's only in the story as a plot device.

This is a lazy and boring story that fails to entertain.

Rating: 1.25 out of 5.0

Batman and Robin Adventures #18:

This story finds Joker depressed as all of his criminal efforts seem in vain. However, Harley is determined to cheer him up the only way she knows how: killing Batman.

In many ways, this story seems like a lighter version of Paul Dini's classic, Mad Love. However, this particular story takes a couple different turns. The relationship between Joker and Harley remains center stage and Templeton's writing really captures its disturbing yet hilarious nature. The end is a nice touch too.

Rating: 3.75 out of 4.0

Batman '66 #43:

This issue wasn't quite as good as what came before. Batman and Robin have to talk their way out of the death trap and really there's far too much standing around talking in this issue. Also, I'm very share of writing "whack whack whack" into the Penguin's dialogue as it doesn't quite seem right for a comic book, particularly when he does it so much. The book has some good moments and while the Penguin's actions were predictable, it was still fun to read. Overall, the Widow saves this story though it's not quite as fun as the one that came before it.

Rating 3.0 out of 5.0

Essential Silver Surfer, Vol. 1 by Stan Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Silver Surfer made his first appearance in Fantastic Four #48. This book collects his all eighteen issues of his first solo comic book series and his first solo appearance in a back up story in 1967's Fantastic Four Annual #5. While Jack Kirby created the character with Stan Lee. With the exception of the FF Annual #5 and Issue 18, John Bouscema handles the art duties.

The first seven issues featuring the Sky Rider of the Spaceways are doublelength stories. The Silver Surfer began as a 72-page magazine with a Watcher story back up.

During this period, the Surfer was Earthbound as he would be until the launch of his third series in 1987.

A 40 page comic book story with no need of extraneous recaps can work great if you know what you're doing and Stan Lee did. Though the books were without their first flaws. The first Issue and a half were very talk as our brooding hero could go on for pages about the insanity of humanity. But, this is more than balanced by the quality of the stories.

While the first issue is mostly a recap and set up with the Silver Surfer's origin more fleshed out. The next six that follow are epic and complex plots that use the 40 page format brilliantly.

Issue 2 has the Surfer stopping an alien invasion. Issue 3 introduces Mephisto, a demonic power who would be the Surfer's biggest rival and send ripples through the Marvel Universe. Issue 3 has the Surfer fighting Thor under the deception of Loki. Issue 4 has the Surfer trying to escape Earth and finding a human friend, and then facing off against the Stranger, a Marvel baddie who power could equal the Surfer's Issue 6 had the Surfer finding a way to escape present day Earth by travelling to the future, only to find a hostile post-apocalyptic world.Issue 7 has the Surfer meeting a descendant of Frankenstein who plans to use the Surfer for his own ends.

With normal size comics, Issues 8 and 9 were originally one double length story but tell of Mephisto's second attempt to gain the Surfer's soul with the help of a lost soul called the Flying Dutchman. Issues 10 and 11 have the Surfer in an oppressed South American country at the same time that Shala Bal is travelling from his homeworld of Zenn-la with a man who hopes to win her heart away from Norin Radd (the Surfer's actual identity) in a tale that has quite a few twists in it. Issue 12 is a battle against witches and the Abomination. Issue 13 has him facing the robotic doomsday man in a countdown to save Earth with several great twists along the way.

You could tell the book's sales were lagging despite good stories because the next five issues were crossovers. Issue 14 had a meeting between the Surfer and Spider-man which ended with an epiphany for Spider-man. Issue 15 had a meeting with the Human Torch when he becomes convinced the Fantastic Four is determined to capture him and turn him over to the military only to learn how wrong he was at the end. Issues 16 and 17 sees Mephisto return again, and try and make the Surfer destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. or see Shala Bal's life as forfeit. In Issue 18, the Surfer crashes into the middle of a Civil War amongst the Inhumans.

Overall, this was a good book. The stories (particularly in the first thirteen issues) were very good and expertly crafted. The Surfer despite his rough spots and weaknesses makes a good hero and his battles with Mephisto are some of the best good v. evil stories in comics. Some of the dialogue is over the top and there's some unintentional comedy here as a result of that. The Surfer is a noble soul at heart and that comes across multiple times.

On the downside, the latter issues did seem to suffer due to efforts to get people to buy the book somehow by introducing team ups that didn't let the Surfer shine. The worst of these was the final issues which ended on a very down note and seemed mainly designed to plug the inhumans.

This version of the Surfer also seems to have some very inconsistent morality. As the Surfer judges humanity for being bigoted and needlessly aggressive, he never touches on or recalls that he was the herald of the Devourer of Worlds. Indeed, if you read Issue 1, you get the idea that Earth was the first populated planet he led Galactus to even though logically that couldn't have been the case. While later comics addressed this, failing to do so in this one really seems like a major blindspot.

Also, in Issue 4, he steals a new scientific device from Reed Richards in hopes of ending his exile but then recoils in disgust when it occurs to him to steal money from a bank to get parts for the man he has working on it because it would be stealing something that didn't belong to him. You mean like the device you stole in the first place?

Still, despite these concerns, the book is worth a read. These stories are memorable with great art and truly good science fiction storytelling. While not Lee's best work, these Silver Surfer comics are a good read for fans of the silver age.



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DC/Marvel: Crossover Classics 4 by Ron Marz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After a disappointing Third Volume in the Crossover Classics, this Fourth Volume sees a return to Premier team ups of some of the most memorable characters in the DC Universe:

Green Lantern/Silver Surfer; Unholy Alliances: Silver Surfer finds himself fighting DC Universe Villain Cyborg and runs into Parallax (aka. Hal Jordan, the former DC Universe Green Lantern, now a current prominent Green Lantern, who had turned evil.) and the two are drawn into an alliance. Meanwhile Thanos goes to Earth and gets Kyle Rainer, the then-Incumbent Green Lantern to battle Paralax.

This idea, which to fully appreciate, you have to have some basic idea of what was going on in the DC Universe back in the 1990s. The Parallelism between Paralax and the Silver Surfer is interesting and it makes perfect sense that they'll come together. The art has some amazing panels. It's very imaginative and holds together dramatically. A bit continuity heavy, but still a winning story. Grade: B+

Darkseid/Galactus: The Hunger: Written by John Byrne, whose best known for his work on Superman, Fantastic Four, and Silver Surfer among others this features Galactus trying to feed on Apokolips with a Silver Surfer who has not yet encountered the Fantastic Four and is still Galactus' loyal herald. It's an epic that's mostly enjoyable. I've got mixed feelings on Byrne's artwork, but if you love it, than you'll love this story. You have the New Gods, Silver Surfer, and Galactus. Unfortunately, the ending doesn't make much sense other than showing how evil Darkseid can truly be. It makes the exercise kind of pointless. Still, I'll go with a Grade: B

Batman and Spider-man: New Age Dawning: This is the second Batman, Spider-man team up and features two classic foes: Ra's Al-Ghul and the Kingpin. Kingpin's wife is dying of Cancer and Al-Ghul has a cure but wants the Kingpin's cooperation in his latest quest to save the world by destroying it. The Kingpin wouldn't normally sign on but he's really hard pressed. This is a very clever tale with Batman and Spider-man being the only White Hats in a story that's, in effect, populated by morally ambiguous villains. I didn't like how the story played Al-Ghul as Quasi-religious as an explanation of his actions and had mixed feelings on the art for Mary Jane, didn't quite capture her vitality. Still, this is perhaps one of the most cleverly written crossover and I loved the ending. Grade: A-

Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction: Superman finds a message from Jor-el that implicates Galactus in the destruction of Krypton, so he flies to the Marvel Universe. When he's captured by Galactus and made the new herald, it's up to the Fantastic Four to rescue Superman and stop Galactus with the Cyborg Superman playing a key role. There's a lot to like about this. I love the visual of Franklin Richards watching Superman on TV in the Baxter Building. You see a more modern version of the FF in action which has good and bad points to it. I'm somewhat non-plussed on Cyborg Superman as a villain in this epic struggle. He really plays too big of a role. Still, the interaction between the FF and Superman is quite enjoyable. The art is superb. Overall, I'll give this story a Grade: B+



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The Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos by Jim Starlin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Rebirth of Thanos chronicles the return of this intergalactic mad man/menace prior to the big event, the Infinity Gauntlet after his final defeat back in the 1970s. This book collects Silver Surfer vol. 3 #34-38 and Thanos Quest #1 and #2.

The Silver Surfer issues are a bit stretched out. The Silver Surfer faces Thanos in Issues 35 and 38. Issue 34 is a nightmare the Surfer has that leads into the Surfer's first encounter with Thanos and Issue 38 is the final encounter. Issue 36 sees him flying to Earth and accessing the Avengers database for clues on Thanos since when the Avenger battled Thanos the first time the Silver Surfer was exiled to Earth and then the Surfer runs into the Impossible Man. Issue 37 has him meeting with Mentor (the father of Thanos) and then Drax the Destroyer and tangling with him.

The Silver Surfer issues are good, but the story does feel padded. A story about Thanos doesn't need comic relief in the Impossible Man or in Drax either (because that's what that story turns into.) and there's a lot of backstory in Issues 36 and 37 but much of that was necessary when dealing with a dangerous villain that has been hidden for two decades.

Tahnos Quest was a series of two double length comics telling how Thanos built his Infinity Gauntlet by taking each of the Infinity Gems (in the 1970s they were called Soul Gems) from its demigod possessors. We get a look at how dangerous Thanos is without an effective hero to oppose him. He can be charming, deceptive, and ruthless. This book portrays him as both a fanatical devotee of death and a clever sociopath who wants the death of half the lives in the Universe. This does a great job setting the stage for the Infinity Gauntlet as it becomes clear that Marvel heroes are all in for a great challenge in the next miniseries.



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Silver Surfer: Parable by Stan Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects two separate Silver Surfer stories that both have to be considered out of continuity. The first is "Parable" in which original Silver Surfer writer Stan Lee teams up with European comic legend Moebius who provides the art. Galactus has landed on Earth but after his promise not to destroy it. Instead, he sets himself up as God and proclaims a lifting all moral code and have yourself good time, putting the Earth in peril. It turns out his plans to feed his hunger is letting the Earth destroy itself.

The story intentionally plays into the typical Silver Surfer religious overtones with style and without apology. The Surfer as a sort of Christ trope has never been quite so obvious as in this story. The art is superb and very appealing and different style by Moebius.

There are some surface level points about what happens when you throw off all morality or moral control as well as people killing in the name of religion, but I have to say that this story is far shallower than it appears in terms of it's overall thrust. This is problematic because Parable is an often illogical story particularly it's central plot point. Galactus isn't going to sit around for years and wait for humanity to destroy itself because he'd starve. For us to ignore that problem, we need a very deep, very involved story. Far more involved than we actually get.

The second half of the book is the 1990 Graphic novel, the Enslavers where Stan Lee teams up with artist Keith Pollard. The story's art is decent. It's the early 1990s, but Pollard hasn't surrendered to the garishness which overtook that decade. Despite a few digressions, the Enslavers is a far more straightforward story than, "Parable." An intergalactic overlord comes to invade the Earth and subdues all of its heroes in short order and it's up to the Surfer to find out the truth, save the Earth, and save Shalal-Bal

It's pretty much a straightforward space adventure. Of course, there are logical problems. Mainly the creation of the villain Mrrungo-Mu who conquered galaxies and subdued all the Avengers and hasn't been heard from in 25 years. Of course, that might be believable with his ending, but still not given the track records of villains like Thanos in the Marvel Universe. Given what happened to these characters, particularly the Silver Surfer, it's fair to question whether any of these events are/were canonical.

However, that doesn't matter much. If you're a fan of the Silver Surfer, the Enslavers gives you a chance to see the Surfer fighting his demons and then opening up the full force of the Power Cosmic with perhaps, the most upbeat ending to a Silver Surfer story ever.

In some ways, it's an interesting contrast. You have two different Silver Surfer stories by the character's creator. There's the brooding homeless philosophical wanderer of "Parable" and the heroic Sentinel of the Skyways whose as large a legend as any pulp hero.

This is one case with two unrelated stories where the whole is greater than the sum of the two tales as the flaws of the two stories balance out to give us an interesting if somewhat unusual collection.



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Silver Surfer, Vol. 5: A Power Greater Than Cosmic by Dan Slott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This collects the last of Dan Slot and Mike and Laura Allred's run on Silver Surfer and brings resolution to the love story between Dawn Greenwood and the Surfer.

This book continues issues 7-14 of the series. The first six issues are one-shot adventures that see our heroes visiting a galactic casino, telling tall tales to giant sized germs and anti-bodies inside a space whale, and meeting the now reformed Galactus, as well as dealing with an alien who is determined to battle the Silver Surfer.

Yet, there are also some sadness and grief for our heroes, particularly in the emotional two-part finale, which packs a wallop because of how much we care about these characters. Overall, this a wonderful and beloved epic space opera romance that's worth reading from start to finish. It's a beautiful finish to one of the best written comics out there.



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Silver Surfer: Requiem by J. Michael Straczynski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this What If Story, the Silver Surfer learns he's dying and sets about to say goodbye to his friends, the world he adopted, and then journey home across the stars.

This story is a great graphic novel, showing the heights the genre can hit when JMS' poetic text and Esad Ribic's astoundingly beautiful art. The book follows the Silver Surfer as he meets the Fantastic Four and then Spider-man before a surprise appearance by an old friend prior to the long journey through space.

It's a thought provoking book that is sad , but is also as a celebration of an often under-appreciated character and all he represents. Grab a box of tissues and prepare to experience one of the best graphic novels I've ever read.



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Defenders Masterworks Vol. 1 (Defenders by Steve Englehart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 34 and 35 of Sub-mariner, Marvel Feature 1-3 1-3, and Defenders 1-6 and introduces Marvel’s novel non-team of Superheroes. The Sub-mariner story is kind of a backdoor pilot that sees Namor recuring the Silver Surfer and the Hulk to save humanity from an ill-advised experiment. Then the Marvel Feature stories are more full-blown that has Doctor Strange calling for aide fro m Sub-mariner and the Hulk. Those three issues ended on a note that could have wrapped up the Defenders, but instead we got the full series which stars Strange, Namor, and the Incredile Hulk, but also an occasional from the Silver Surfer. The most important issue in this book may be Issue 4 which introduced Valkyrie who joined the Defenders as much as anyone can.

Of course, the Defenders is a non-team, and I didn’t fully grasp what that actually meant until reading the book. They have no secret headquarters and communicators. If one of them runs into a crisis they can’t handle, they call on as many of the others as they can. The book features a combustive mixture of personalities that makes the 1977 Yankees look tame by comparison with Namor being the second most level-headed member of the group. The Defenders are so entertaining and fun to read together that it makes the book worth reading. The art is well-done and manages to give the team a lot to do. You get to see some of the most combustible characters in the Marvel Universe let loose in glorious four colors.

Probably the worst thing to say about the book is that the villains are obscure, and I think that’s almost inherent with the format. Though one villain they face twice almost destroys the world, so it’s not the villains are weak, so much as they are little known.

Overall, I enjoyed this and will definitely check out Volume 2.




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