Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Silver Surfer Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: The Silver Surfer ends up being a fun and exciting character to see. The book’s moral messages are interesting. The artwork is gorgeous and helps enhance many aspects of the story.

Cons: Sometimes the moral messages drag on too long. There are points where the narrative is hard to believe or where it contradicts itself.

Overall: The Silver Surfer’s first solo outings have a lot going for them but also have a lot holding them back. On one hand, the Surfer is a solid character, with great powers and a great message. On the other hand, these powers and messages are not always written in a way that allows them to shine. This is a collection for readers who already enjoy the Silver Surfer as a character and want to see more of his origins, or who just want to see some great artwork.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: Silver Surfer Vol. 1, by Stan Lee, details the Silver Surfer’s first few solo adventures. As such, the book manages to capture many of the Surfer’s best features. His wonderful powers lead to creative adventures with plenty of excitement to go along with them. Meanwhile, his views on humanity are thoughtful and poetic. Unfortunately, some of these positives are undercut by some of the book’s less desirable features. The Surfer’s ponderings occasionally start to drag on, aspects of the story feel dated, and there are places where the actions in one chapter conflict with the messages in another. In the end, this confluence of positives and negatives makes for a somewhat inconsistent read. It is likely that fans of the Silver Surfer will still enjoy the collection’s positive but newer fans might be turned off by aspects of the writing.

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Many of the positives in Silver Surfer Vol. 1 come from the concepts powering the Silver Surfer. His immense level of power and strict dedication to justice are the perfect recipe for intense scenes. Some of these come as he soars across the world or through time itself, others come from clashes with evil villains. Either way, the book manages to be exciting and fun.

The Surfer’s attitude toward the world is also a major source for this collection’s appeal. His lamentations on humanity are poetic and remain meaningful throughout the read. They are also inspiring, as he constantly reinforces the fact that humanity has immense potential for greatness but this potential is being squandered on pursuits of pointless war and frivolous vanity.

However, there are definitely points where these lamentations drag on to the point where they get annoying. They remain meaningful the entire time but, occasionally, are so long that they feel like a chore to read.

In addition, there are places where the Silver Surfer’s actions contradict his high-minded ideals. For example, the entire Thor chapter has the Surfer fall victim to deceit from Loki and, thus, engage in combat with an innocent enemy. It is the type of mindless fighting for which he criticizes humanity. Though an exploration into this contradiction could allow the Surfer to empathize more with humanity, it mostly goes unaddressed. Witnessing a contradiction like this weakens the strength of the Surfer’s message elsewhere.

There are also places where suspension of disbelief is seriously tested. The first human the Silver Surfer randomly encounters is a scientist who attempts to breach the barrier the Surfer has been trying to get past. Then, this same scientist is able to disarm a bomb of completely alien origin. These issues may have been glossed over when this comic was originally published but, from a modern perspective, they stand out poorly.

Luckily, Silver Surfer Vol. 1 closes with it humorously satirical take on the concept of the Silver Surfer. It essentially pokes fun at most of the small problems detailed throughout this review and turns them into points of humor. The short adventure is a great read, especially immediately after the rest of this volume.

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Art

The artwork in Silver Surfer Vol. 1 is easily on of the most consistently strong aspects of the entire volume. John Buscema’s pencils look great on nearly every page and allow the concepts of this comic to come to life. His depictions of far-out places and complex technology add to the otherworldliness the story is going for. His work on the characters, particularly the Surfer and Mephisto, add to the story’s levels of emotion. Later on in the volume, Buscema also gets more experimental with structures and creates several pages that both look good and feel innovative. In general, the artwork throughout this volume is very positive and is a big plus to the volume’s appeal.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Silver Surfer Vol. 1 is the first volume in the Silver Surfer series. Though this series somewhat continues story threads started in the Fantastic Four series, it also stands well on its own.

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Silver Surfer Vol. 2 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The Silver Surfer’s rebellion against Fantastic Four #50 is mentioned a number of times. This issue is collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 5 (Review).
• The Silver Surfer’s encounter with Doctor Doom is mentioned. This encounter took place in Fantastic Four #57, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 6 (Review).
• Moments from the Stranger’s past are mentioned in Silver Surfer #5. These include:
  • His encounter with the X-Men in X-Men #11, collected in Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 2.
  • His encounter with the Hulk in Tales to Astonish #89-90, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 3.
• Quasimodo fell into his current situation in Fantastic Four Annual #4, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 6 (Review).