The Essential Silver Surfer

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Summary: Essential Silver Surfer readings; collectible ;vol.1
Review: "Marvel masterworks vol.1: Silver Surfer HC" comprises a collections of original comics culled from the series #1-6. This masterwork volume is a superlative book concerning the Silver Surfer. His creator & earliest writer Stan Lee, indeed deseves every accolades he received and much more. John Buscema, the artist of the series, forthrightly delivered, that is apparent on his artworks. He should be highly-lauded fro transcendently composing the pre-eminent Silver Surfer's form through his indelible imaginations. His Silver Surfer artform is definitive. Each issue from its earliest comic format contains 40 pages.

The earliest stories of Silver Surfer are basically angst-ridden, depressing & good vs. Evil ladden stories. Silver Surfer oftenly confronts an adversary of evil incarnate in nature, such as Mephisto & the Stranger. The author apparently wanted to emphasize his foes persona more lucidly to contradistinguish our hero antithesis persona to his foes. the metaphoric good vs. evil. Also, the earliest yarns stresses the Surfer earth-bound adventures. From the pages of Fantastic 4, Galactus furiously incarcerated him on Earth, After the Galactus deemed that his erstwhile loyal servant betrayed his faith & trust to him, thus, a judgement is made on the Surfer, in his opinion, served best both of their interest. The Surfer earliest stories focuses firmly with his early encounter with mankind. Society, evidently, do not sympathize with him, his belonging to our world, his credences & his aids. In fact, society rendered back replies in spade to the Surfer in the form of fear, hate & violence, due because the Surfer is largely misunderstood by people.

Silver Surfer issue #1. This issue generally covers a wide summary bits of Silver Surfer previous comics appearances, mainly extracted from his introductory & earliest appearances, largely from the Fantastic 4 comics.This issue mostly recount the Silver Surfer past. From his homeworld Zenn-la, up to his latest adventures on Earth, after being barred for life on Earth by Galactus. This issue touches a debris of subtle memories of his former self, Norrin Radd, Zenn-la & Shala-Bal, his beloved. Also, his adventures on Earth is worth basking about, such as his first battle against the Hulk & the memorable initial encounter with the treacherous Dr. Doom. This issue intention is to rehash old stories of SS for new and old readers alike, in preparation for the upcoming series. A good re-introduction issue.

Silver Surfer issue #3. The introduction of Mephisto. Mephisto, has always been widely-regarded as the pricipal and enduring nemesis of the Silver Surfer. As stated in paragraph 2, Mephisto is an evil incarnate, while in contrast, the Silver Surfer is the personification of good. the two of them are antithesis to each other. Good vs. Evil, in relation to each characters individual identities. And this issue is generally been historically considered as one of the best SS stories ever created. The definite high point is the introduction of Mephisto into the realm of the Surfer's annals.

Silver Surfer issue # 4. This issue features the Silver Surfer(manipulated by Loki) vs. the mighty Thor, one-on-one. The Surfer was deceived by Loki to battle Thor in a test of strenghts showdown. A rarely seen scenario. A valuable historical issue.

Silver Surfer issue #5. This issue is one of the most memorable story of Silver Surfer ever produced. He faces his adversary, the Stranger, but the significance of the story is in the effective portrayal of loneliness & alienation. The Surfer is terribly lonely barred on Earth, so he seek out the help of his new friend Al Harper, a fellow as alienated as the Surfer, to furnish a means for Surfer to flee Earth from Galactus' eternal punishment. In the middle of their plan, is the Stranger.

The heart of Silver Surfer is his heroic yearnings to aid people in dire needs, to the greatest & obssessive extents of sacrificing himself heavily for the sake of others. An example of this statement can be traced from Silver Surfer: Parable TPB, where in the end, after risking his self & ultimately saving them from Galactus, the people still covet for a leader, which was once Galactus' before the Surfer repelled him, to govern them, but the Surfer deemed otherwise. He believe it is paradoxical & counterproductive to preside & assume the leadership mantle as was once owned by Galactus. Instead, he deemed people needed convictions to firmly rely & believe on themselves. So, he did the unthinkable in an act of heroic & self-sacrificing gesture, he feign-ly corrupted himself with treacherous behavior, with the objective to stir them from the bleary truth. Thus, he was forced to disencumbered by the loathesome people & became once again an outcast.

The Silver Surfer is also well-known for his nobility and self-righteousness. These characteristics are not prevalent to other Marvel superheroes, with the exception of Thor in Stan Lee's era. Endowed with these affirmative characteristics, it is apparent to traced it through his roots from his original homeworld, Zenn-la. Zenn-la, a world of technologically-advanced and a race of highly-civilized citizens as portrayed by its creator Stan Lee. More than his favorable upbringings as Norrin Radd by his loving parents, Norrin Radd is a wrought, as was fashioned, an end-result or a by -product capably produced in whopping numbers by its forward world and citizens.

Silver Surfer is also famous for its depressing tales, as well as also its other characteristics-- loneliness & alienation.Stan Lee's objective is to form the SS into a tragic character, with tales emphasizing his loneliness and alienation on the forefront. The author portrayal of SS's loneliness & alienation is uncanny, accurate & touching. Leafing through the pages, one can see & feel the Surfer's loneliness & alienation. It was evident that the earliest stories were intended for SS to be these way & be feared and loathed by people and society, because he is vastly different from us.

The repercussion of the Silver Surfer character to the world is spare, when compared to Stan Lee's more popular creation, Spider-man. Silver Surfer is not a gargantuan success, unlike Spider-man. Why people did not instantly swept off their feet in droves are explainable. Silver Surfer rather attracts to a specific crowd as opposes to the more mainstream audience. They are hardcore comic readers, thus aware with the character; heavy & dense readers-- pertaining to adult or matured readers, whether comics or not; mostly males; those who inclined to favor and appreciate complex and profound character and stories.

The essence of Silver Surfer in context to our contemporary time rings very true & timely. Sadly, that is not the case, if only people will strive to make this planet a better place to inhabit. A shangri-la. Like Zenn-la. We all could be better off than we are today. Nevertheless, the Surfer proves to be an enduring figure & has the potential to be even more influential in its role, in context to our society. Kudos to Stan Lee & John Buscema for creating one of the most significant & inspiring paragons

Highest possible recommendation.

P.S.-- this write-ups is referring to the Masterwork series vol. 1 HC, but it is also appropriate to be included here, albeit incomplete, here on ESSENTIAL SILVER SURFER VOL. 1 TPB, as this is the title listed on this space/site.

Rating:
Summary: The SilverSurfer soars to great adventures!!!!
Review: Excellent representation of the entire Silver Surfer series from the late 60s/early 70s. The stories by StanLee bring out a shakespearan quality in the Surfer. And the art by the 2 kings of comics (Kirby & Buscema)--wow!! I didnt think black & white reprints would work but it does in this case. A true Marvel masterwork with StanLee at his creative story writing best.

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Summary: Yes, it's essential
Review: I grew up with Silver Surfer. Although this was black and white it still brought back memorys.

'Nuff said.

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Summary: Graphic novels are, indeed, as great as novels, here's proof
Review: I love graphic novels as much as the next collector and have just about everything listed by Amazon. Not exactly everything, but a great percentage. This graphic novels should actually be rated and listed the same as regular novels, because the dynamics of their stories, not just the fantastic artwork, takes you away to places that novels, such as STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, CHILDHOOD'S END, FOUNDATION, RINGWORLD, STAR TREK novels, DARKEYE: CYBER HUNTER and so forth, take you. All are extremely imaginative and have visually-gratifying narrative/dialogue not too far removed from graphic novels such as this or any other. Broaden your minds, but hang on to the graphic novels as well!

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Summary: A MUST FOR ALL COMICS FANS WORLDWIDE!!!!
Review: I read Surfer as a kid in the middle 80s and really loved that flying creature. As I grown up I started to love the poetry, the art and that shiny re-union that they brought to life. This is a rare comic stuff which is of big importance for comic readers of all ages!!!! I like b/w reprint because the art looks more clear to look at. Also big shot to "The Answer" by Lee, Buscema & Nebres, "Parable" by Lee & Moebius.

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Summary: The best Silver Surfer stories ever told
Review: Of just about all of Marvel's Essential line, the Essential Silver Surfer is quite possibly the best. Collecting the entire all too brief 18 issue run and Fantastic Four Annual #5; this is the best the Silver Surfer had ever been. Stan Lee's story of the tragic skyrider of the spaceways reveals his origin in the first issue as he makes his ultimate sacrifice to save his planet from the world devourer Galactus. From that point on, the Surfer encounters Marvel icons such as Spider-Man, Thor, and the Human Torch, while he also takes on the Inhumans, the Frankenstein monster, and his ultimate foe, Mephisto. John Buscema's artwork is the Surfer's defining look, and he even manages to top the legendary Jack Kirby who took over the pencils in the final issue. The black & white presentation works better in this collection than in any other Marvel Essential book, making this package all the sweeter. Lee's story was ahead of it's time, and even though the character would be re-vitalized years down the road (and has been again recently), nothing could ever come close to matching the amazing and brilliant storytelling found in this collection. To say that this belongs in every comic fan's library would be a no-brainer, and this is a perfect example of the kind of creativity to come out of Marvel during the silver age, and why Stan Lee is one of the medium's most reknowned icons.

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Summary: Silver Surfer in the Silver Age
Review: Stan Lee lost the opportunity for dozens of great stories when he had Galactus confine the Silver Surfer to earth. Don't get me wrong, these are some classic stories, but a more space-faring Surfer would have been nice.

The real highlight is John Buscema's artwork. It's possibly some of the best of his career, and doesn't seem to lose anything in black and white. His work, in contrast with Jack Kirby's, is much more realistic and subtle. As far as the writing goes, hey, it's Stan Lee and thus always entertaining, but he gets a little too preachy in spots for my tastes.

One of the best stories is where the Surfer encounters Mephisto for the first time. The art is incredible, and we really see what makes the Surfer tick. It's worth it for this story alone. The origin story is the only one featuring Galactus, and it's very entertaining as well. Also exceptional is the issue where the Surfer takes on Thor. This is really Stan Lee at his very best, tossing out hilariously over-the-top Asgardian speak in the "thrilling Marvel fashion". And no one could ever draw brooding characters like Johnny Buscema. Check out the shot of Loki slumped in his chair. Now that, my friends, is brooding. Really, how could you not love this?

We even get a Spider-Man appearance, but as usual in his early guest appearences, Spidey comes off as quite the little jerk. It's still fun to see him take on the Silver Surfer though. Overall, a very worthy purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Stories never looked better
Review: The Essential Silver Surfer is a classic part of Marvel history, and to be honest it never looked better. The black and White actually enhanses the artwork. Stan Lee's writing is as good today as it ever was, and these are the definitive Silver Surfer stories. My only problem is the original series ran for 18 issues, but this collection only reprints 17 of them. It would have been nice if Marvel had included the entire Stan Lee run.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely essential for every comic fan's collection
Review: The Silver Surfer has always been a bit preachy, and believe me he definitely does a lot of that in this book, but this is still one of the best series every done by any company. The scripting is truly eloquent.

The true merit of a comic illustrator's art is how it shows up without color, and John Buscema's work shines in this volume. It's really too bad he is so wasted on a lackadaisical book like Conan the Barbarian nowadays...Buscema has always been one of comic's finest artists: no flash, no exaggerated figures...just technical perfection. Too bad Todd McFarlane or Jim Lee apparently never read these comics before beginning their wasted careers. Jack Kirby provides the art for the final story in the book.

The Surfer meets up with many Marvel luminaries, including Thor, Spider-Man, The Inhumans and the Human Torch, and faces off against Mephisto, The Flying Dutchman, The Stranger and many more mundane menaces that are given extra life in these stories.

Of all the great "relevant" sixties comics, The Silver Surfer stories have probably withstood the test of time the best. Definitely a must-have volume.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely essential for every comic fan's collection
Review: The Silver Surfer has always been a bit preachy, and believe me he definitely does a lot of that in this book, but this is still one of the best series every done by any company. The scripting is truly eloquent.

The true merit of a comic illustrator's art is how it shows up without color, and John Buscema's work shines in this volume. It's really too bad he is so wasted on a lackadaisical book like Conan the Barbarian nowadays...Buscema has always been one of comic's finest artists: no flash, no exaggerated figures...just technical perfection. Too bad Todd McFarlane or Jim Lee apparently never read these comics before beginning their wasted careers. Jack Kirby provides the art for the final story in the book.

The Surfer meets up with many Marvel luminaries, including Thor, Spider-Man, The Inhumans and the Human Torch, and faces off against Mephisto, The Flying Dutchman, The Stranger and many more mundane menaces that are given extra life in these stories.

Of all the great "relevant" sixties comics, The Silver Surfer stories have probably withstood the test of time the best. Definitely a must-have volume.