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Essential Silver Surfer, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

Holds up better than I expected
My favorite Essentials book so far
Totally cosmic
pages are black and white
STILL AWE-INSPIRING TODAY!

Essential Silver Surfer, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)
Stan Lee , Jack Kirby , and John Buscema
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785120084

Book Description

Witness the birth of the Sentinel of the Spaceways, as humanoid being Norrin Radd becomes the Silver Surfer - Galactus' first cosmic-powered herald and one of Marvel's most noble heroes! Collects Silver Surfer #1-18; Fantastic Four Annual #5. All-new edition!

Customer Reviews:

Holds up better than I expected.......2007-05-18

As a child, I loved a few comics and characters. Silver surfer was among the top--if not the top--comic book character in my world. I had not looked at original comics in some 17-18 years, and I never really had the chance to see many originals, becuase nobody around my comic book store appearantly wanted to give them up. Can I blame them?

The original 18 silver surfer comics with John Buscema at the pencil hold up surprizing ly well. The complexity of The Silver Surfer is amazing. I mean, how many superheroes actually cry for humanity? I do admit that some of the later issuse in this volume get a little "comicy" (like some of the team-up issues), but for the most part, the stories are written so well and the art is so good that they have a timeless quality to them that good science fiction should have.

If you are an old fan or just want to see what all the Silver Surfer "hype" is about in preparation for the movie, this is where you should start. (Of course the Omnibus collection is a bit better, because it is colored, but for people cutting their teeth in the mythos, it might be a bit expensive.)

My favorite Essentials book so far.......2007-01-09

I agree with other reviewers that I would like to have seen other tales that were also included in other books (I have no interest in reading or buying any Fantastic Four books) but other than that, this is a great buy. I would especially have appreciated FF # 48. I consider his first appearance pretty essential.

There's plenty of great artwork - improved by the B&W format. Color was so bad in comics when I was a kid it's nice to see them de-uglified. There are plenty of great frames of the agonizing Surfer and tons of awesome dialogue. The dialogue was usually pretty bad back then too but the Silver Surfer (and Dr. Strange) books both fit perfectly with the lofty, ethereal soliloquies.

He's trapped on Earth for the duration of this volume and I look forward to a Volume 2 with extra-terrestrial tales.

Totally cosmic.......2006-08-22

As a teenager, when I first heard of the Silver Surfer, I had pictured a rather laid back individual who was more interested in catching waves than catching bad guys. Then I finally read some comics featuring him and learned that I was really wrong. The Silver Surfer is one of the more humorless heroes in the Marvel Universe, but nonetheless is an interesting character. The Essential Silver Surfer depicts his early solo adventures.

For those unaware of the Surfer's origins, he was originally Norrin Radd of the planet Zenn-La, who made a pact with the world-eater Galactus to serve as a herald, seeking out other planets for consumption in exchange for Zenn-La being spared. To accomplish this, Galactus transformed Radd into the Silver Surfer. This worked fine for a while until Galactus decided to consume Earth; when the Surfer opposed this, Galactus punished him by confining him to the planet. No longer could the Surfer fly through space; more importantly, he was isolated from his lover Shalla Bal.

All this is pretty much recapped in the first issue. In subsequent issues, the Surfer battles all sorts of super-powerful villains while contending with a general fear and hatred by most of the human population. Though opposing such villains as Loki and the Abomination (not to mention battling heroes like Thor, Spiderman and the Human Torch), the Surfer's arch-enemy is the demonic Mephisto, who despises the Surfer's noble soul and intends to eventually possess his spirit.

Most of the stories are decent, but taken as a whole, they can be slightly tedious. There is all too much of the Surfer pining for Zenn-La and Shalla Bal (and her pining for him), the Surfer beating himself against the barrier he knows he cannot penetrate, and him fluctuating between loathing humanity and finding hope in it. I suppose when the stories were read on a monthly or bimonthly basis, this was okay, but read all at once, it wears a bit thin.

Stan Lee's writing is okay and is well complemented by the art of John Buscema and Jack Kirby, but Lee is typically at his best when writing about heroes with strong supporting casts. Hence, his best work is found with books like the Fantastic Four and Spiderman. Here, with few recurring characters, the book needs to be carried by the Surfer, and he is a bit too aloof to really sustain continued interest. Compared to other Essential books, this one is strictly middle of the road, rating a high three stars. Unless you're a big Silver Surfer fan, this should not be at the top of your Essentials list.

pages are black and white.......2006-08-02

Great to have the complete silver surfer series in one volume, but I was disappointed to open it up and find them all in black and white...it would have been nice if this had been made clear in the information about his book....

STILL AWE-INSPIRING TODAY!.......2005-12-15

The original 18 issues of the Silver Surfer have always had a bit of a mythological feel to them. Even back in the early 1970's when I started reading comics, there was something awe-inspiring about them. Already the back issues were commanding a premium price, due in part to low distribution on several issues. The title never sold well which is one reason why so many issues had guest stars such as Spiderman or Thor. Still, this was always Stan Lee's favorite character and you can see in reading the stories that this was some of Stan's best work since the early Fantastic Four issues. His dedication to developing the martyr-like character of the enigmatic Surfer makes these issues still relevant and highly readable today, nearly 40 years later.

The other thing this book had going for it was the fantastic art of John Buscema. While Buscema never got the kind of accolades that contemporaries like Neal Adams and Jack Kirby did, Bucema's work was always first rate and always consistent. John never took an issue off the way other artists did. His last page always was as good as the first and no one captured the majesty of the Surfer like Big John, not even Kirby.

The book re-prints all of those 18 issues which would cost a small fortune if you were to buy them today on the secondary market. Issue #3 introduces the Demon Mephisto, a frequent foe of the surfers. Mephisto was often mistaken as being Satan, a mistake he would often encourage. Issue # 4 was one of those low distribution covers and features one of the most popular and dramatic covers of the Silver Age with The Surfer Battling Thor. One real tough thing about the Surfer was his lack of villains. I mean when your main foes are Galactus and Mephisto, it's hard to get too excited about The Ghost or Doomsday man.

The last few issues of the run is where they tried to boost sales by featuring scads of guest stars including Spiderman in #14, The Fanstic Four in #15, Nick Fury in #16 & 17, and the Inhumans in the final issue.

If you read just one of the Essentials books, make it this one!

Essential Silver Surfer, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

Essential Silver Surfer, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)
Stan Lee , John Byrne , Steve Englehart , Marshall Rogers , Joe Staton , and Ron Lim
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785127003

Book Description

After years of Earthbound exile, the Silver Surfer soars the seas of space once more and finds plenty of peril awaiting when the Elders of the Universe try something new: all-out war on Galactus! Plus: space piracy, intergalactic war, doppelgangers and the Surfer caught in a four-sided interstellar love triangle! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, the Eternals, and Annihilation's Ronan and Super-Skrull! Plus: a rare glimpse of a path not traveled on an alternate Earth! Collects Silver Surfer (1982) #1, Silver Surfer (1987) #1-18 & Annual #1 and Marvel Fanfare #51.

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Essential the Silver Surfer
Stan Lee
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Essential Silver Surfer (Tpb Vol 1)
Stan Lee
Manufacturer: Panini (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1904159567

Average customer rating:

Essential Silver Surfer: v. 1
Stan Lee
Manufacturer: DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIB
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K85H4Q

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