I wasn’t even going to try to sell OP on the Silver Surfer, but then he insulted him.
I’m not saying most Surfer stories are good, but I think he’s rad. I guess you have to enjoy the surrealism of one of the most powerful beings in the Universe being a shiny humanoid on a surfboard.
Actually, the recent Dan Slott run (which is blatantly the Surfer as a Doctor Who type) might be a decent introduction.
The concept of the Silver Surfer is, I have to admit, pretty daft*, but in the hands of Jack Kirby, it lent itself to downright cosmic images:
The image of Norrin Radd gliding among the stars is a pretty nifty image of unfettered glee and exploration. Even with Stan Lee’s mock-Shakespearian dialog, the Surfer was pretty cool. John Buscema’s version of the Surfer wasn’t as glinty and hard-edged as Kirby’s. In his hands, the Surfeer came off more like a buffed-up Casper the Friendly ghost
when Kirby switched back to DC, he gave us a superhero skier in Black Racer
Okay, here goes: I’ll start by saying all comic characters have their ups and downs, and there are plenty of Surfer issues (especially into the 90’s) which are just godawful. I also don’t think it is useful to try to separate the character from the comics in which he appears. But that being said…
The definitive Surfer (IMHO) was volume 3, beginning in 1987. It ran for almost 150 issues, although the quality drops off somewhere after issue 75. The stories are not up to modern standards, but they are very representative of the 1980’s writing style.
Many of these stories are noteworthy because they include or introduce key characters in the modern MCU. Nebula, Mantis, and Drax all had very important appearances. And that’s not even getting started on Thanos… The Surfer is THE central character of the original Infinity Gauntlet storyline.
In terms of design, the Surfer is sleek and minimalist. His board doesn’t even resemble a surfboard, really. The Surfer lends himself to some beautiful artwork as artists try to render his mirror-finish skin, and it’s very neat to see space battles where the colors of their energy beams are reflecting off of him. The best artists emphasize the Surfer’s incredible speed and power. He stands in sharp contrast to other superhero’s who wear garish costumes, especially given that at the time of publication the industry was increasingly dominated by Liefeld-ism. The rest of the comics world was emphasizing grotesque exaggeration and overcomplicated design. In the hands of a skilled artist, every panel of the Surfer is a study in anatomy.
Plus, it’s just fun to live in this lunatic world where people fly around space shooting ray-beams out of their hands. The Surfer exists at the top tier of powerful Marvel characters, so the stories are full of things like Galactus eating worlds, or the Celestials throwing planets at people they don’t like. If you enjoy superhero comics at a mind-boggling scale, this is the book for you.
From a character perspective, the Surfer is the comic that Sartre would have written. At its best, it becomes a study in existentialism and angst. The Surfer’s power makes him a demigod, but once he is free in the cosmos and unchained from Galactus, what is he supposed to do with himself? The Surfer’s search for meaning is the core of his character. He is easily the most philosophical superhero in Marvel or DC. I suspect Sartre would shake his head at how often the Surfer’s path leads him to cross paths with Galactus, as it demonstrates a man struggling to free himself from his past and his perceived place in the universe - even though the Surfer has the power to do literally anything he pleases.
The supreme example of this is ‘Requiem’ (2008) which imagines the Surfer at the end of his life. If you read nothing else, READ THIS BOOK. It follows the Surfer through several poignant scenes as he tries to create meaning and exert control over his last days. The art is magnificent and it has the best (admittedly post-hoc) explanation for the Surfer’s surfboard.
I will mention one other volume which is a very different take on the Surfer but still very much worth reading. Volume 5 (2014) is a cartoony, comedic take on the Surfer. It revolves around his relationship with a human girl named Dawn who wants to escape her life and see the universe. It is not an action-oriented space opera like V2, but rather an outer-space Rom-Com with a ‘Futurama’ sense of humor. Nonetheless, it continues the theme of searching for - and creating - meaning for one’s self and the ones we love. It’s silly but still superior, and only like 15 issues long.
These are the best of the Surfer’s own titles. He also makes significant appearances in stories like ‘Annihilation,’ and ‘Planet Hulk.’ I hope you give them a shot, because they are definitely worth reading.
I suppose the draw to the Surfer is too fold.
1 ) He gave up his freedom to protect his own planet, however, once he realized he was part of Galactus deathhunger process he rebelled. He had to know he wasdoomed to fail against a more powerful force in Galactucs. The defeat meant punishment for another planet he tried to defend ( Earth ) and banishment to Earth via protected field for a while. So the guy has some morals, but like others when pushed to the brink can comprise them,
2 ) He’s a cool looking charter with a lot of cosmic level powers.
The problem is when you have such a powerful hero or villain, the scripts from the become rather narrow as they need an equal level threat to make things interesting.
If there is ever a Defenders MCU movie, you’ll see the Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, and the Hulk, plus maybe Valkyrie team up
Purple monkey dishwasher!
Silver lining:
And Hellcat is in the MCU as well, albeit only in the Netflix series.
Still no Sub-Mariner though.
Thanos’s big return in the 90’s, leading to Thanos Quest, Infinity Gauntlet/War/Crusade all came out of the then current Silver Surfer series, when SS has learned how to escape Galactus trapping him on Earth (just fly out in a spaceship without the surf board, doh…:smack:) That’s also the series where SS lost the previously comics code mandated underpants and started looking much more streamlined for a guy with only one color.
Stop surferizing. We don’t have time for one of your 40 minute space soliloquies.
Actually Silver Surfer meeting Groot was a really sweet story.
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have written him off after his first issue, but a surfboard? It was a lame-o cash-in in '65.