Silver Surfer I

1-31

This page: 1-20

Like the other series of this time at Marvel, such as FANTASTIC FOUR, SILVER SURFER goes through three phases.

It began when Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter asked me to do a SURFER book. I was pleased to be asked, but remembered that the character had been reserved for Editor Emeritus Stan Lee. Jim was clear in his response: the current Powers That Be had decided the Surfer could make the company money, and should.

So, if I were going to do the Surfer, I wanted to get him off Earth. He had been trapped here, denied the vastness of space, since his first epic in FF #48-50, and I felt that situation had long outlived its interest. For one thing, despite everyone's affection for the character and some good people giving it their all, he had never sold. The Surfer seemed like he ought to be great, but he wasn't. Nevertheless, I was told he had to stay on Earth.

So I wrote a #1 issue, and plotted two more, under that restriction. But I kept bugging Jim, and all of a sudden, for whatever reason, I got my way. The Surfer could fly free. That first issue was shelved and I started over with a new #1. That "earthbound" first issue later appeared as an "imaginary story" in MARVEL FANFARE [see below].

But we were off to the races at last. I got the Surfer into the grandeur of space, and for the first time ever, he sold.

I also got him a woman who was equipped to share his life. In the earthbound #1, and then alternatively in the spaceborne #3, he met Mantis, the Celestial Madonna. He met all the great beings of the Marvel Universe, and I mean Universe. Galactus, Eternity, the Elders, the In-Betweener, the Supreme Intelligence, the Soul Gems... The Silver Surfer was finally where he belonged!

And following the path of the Dr Strange and Batman live-action films, the NightMan television series, and Batman: The Animated Series/The Adventures of Batman & Robin, The Silver Surfer animated series by Sabon was generated from my stories (and from my DR STRANGE!). That makes five Hollywood productions I've generated directly to this point, plus Guardians of the Galaxy, Justice League, UltraForce, and Captain America.

I

I

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

I

IThe Silver Surfer, animated seriesI
I

I

ICollection: includes MARVEL FANFARE 51, SILVER SURFER 1-18, and ANNUAL 1I

COMICS

SILVER SURFER 22-24


NOTES:

There's a preview of this series in MARVEL AGE ANNUAL 3.

3: Mantis makes her first appearance in the Marvel Universe since GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS #4. But see JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #142 and SCORPIO ROSE™ #2.

9: Mantis is blown apart, not to return (for real) until AVENGERS CELESTIAL QUEST. She would have returned in #23, but didn't.

11: Introducing Cap'n Reptyl, a pirate from the last line of intelligent dinosaurs.

16: A title I'm proud of. Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four had once acquired the evil persona of "Malice." This story is called "Malice: a Four Thought."