Today I'd like to bring up a comic that -- amazingly enough, has never
gotten the attention it's deserved. Almost forgotten actually, and that
should be a crime because it's a true-blue Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
classic. It's also one of the first original Marvel Graphic Novels, and
it's called The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience!
The
Silver Surfer is a character that not only carries a special
significance to his creators, but also caused a source of contention
between them. He will always be known for his role as Galactus' Herald
in the epic "Galactus Trilogy" which appeared in Fantastic Four #48-#50.
However, when Stan first saw the character in Kirby's sketchbook, he
said "Jack, this time you've gone too far". Kirby had envisioned the
character as an alien creature of pure energy, curious about human
emotions such as love and hate. But as Stan grew to appreciate the
Surfer, he wrote an entirely different background for him, as a man who
paid the ultimate sacrifice to save the woman he loved.
Stan and Jack clashed over which version of the character was better,
and eventually Stan created a new Silver Surfer series...with artist
John Bucsema, detailing an origin that was entirely different from the
one Kirby had devised and had already partially drawn. The relationship
between Stan and Jack inevitably deteriorated, and in 1971 Jack Kirby
left Marvel to join with rival DC Comics.
The collaborations
between these two legendary comic creators could very well have been
said and done after that. But integrity and mutual respect still existed
between them (after all, they created some of the best characters ever
seen in comics). And when Kirby's contract was up at DC, they agreed to
work with each other again. Surprisingly enough, they decided on a
Silver Surfer graphic novel featuring a re-envisioned story -- one they
believed would re-establish the character with a spiritual, mystical
quality -- an aspect they hoped would separate him from other
superheroes.
The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience!,
hit store shelves in 1978. At the time, Fireside Books had a deal with
Marvel to release various reprints of Marvel titles in graphic novel
format. Marvel had no idea what to do with a 114-page Silver Surfer
story, and ended up soliciting Fireside in publishing the Silver Surfer
graphic novel, becoming the first Fireside/Marvel book to feature
original content in that format.
The story reintroduces the Silver Surfer's plight as Galactus' herald
and his discovery of Earth. As he arrives, the Surfer realizes the worth
of three billion human lives is too much to waste on the hunger of his
master. The Surfer tries to stop Galactus from destroying the planet,
and thus begins an epic battle between them, with Earth as their
battleground. The Fantastic Four (or any of Earth's other superheroes
for that matter) are nowhere to be found.
Galactus punishes the
Surfer and discards him as his herald, leaving him powerless on Earth.
There, he takes human form and learns more about humans and their
strange emotions, such as anger and fear. Eventually he regains his
powers, and meets another cosmic being: Ardina, Galactus' new herald.
Ardina tries to seduce him, in hopes that he will abandon Earth.
Initially this fails, but the Surfer is unable to escape her presence.
Ardina wields a power to transcend distance, allowing her to follow the
Surfer wherever he goes. A romance is formed and the Surfer begins to
experience the strong emotion of love, but Galactus has other plans for
these new found emotions in an ending I'll refuse to spoil here.
Kirby had originally drawn a fantastic cover for the book, but a
publishing issue between Marvel and Fireside somehow resulted in Earl
Norem's painted version of Kirby's drawing instead. With the book
released, Stan and Jack had hoped to shock fans with their new
interpretations of both the Silver Surfer and Galactus. What they got
was a mixture of confusion and disappointment. Where was the Fantastic
Four? The Watcher? Who is Adrina? Is this a love story? This is not
canon!
What the naysayers were missing was that this was the
perfect blend of both Stan and Jack's aspirations for the character,
with Jack's vision of the Surfer's quest for human emotions intertwined
with Stan's vision of an ultimate sacrifice made out of love. To witness
this unification between Stan and Jack is simply amazing to behold. And
in that aspect, they pulled it off. A story doesn't necessarily have to
stay in continuity to be good. It's just a comic, after all.
Another
problem was that, due to the nature of the format being so new, most
readers discarded the book as a reprint of earlier Silver Surfer
stories. Even today, you can clearly see the confusion in Amazon reviews
(seen
here).
Luckily, the book has not escaped all praise. Some consider this story
as one of the last great Stan Lee scripts, while others have been able
to appreciate the concept and Kirby's amazing artwork.
In any case, the book went out of print and has never been reprinted to
this date. It's become a sort of forgotten classic ever since. It's
quite possible there is a publishing issue in the way, between Simon
& Schuster and Marvel. If that's true, it's unfortunate. This is a
book that deserves a reprint in a deluxe, large-sized hardcover format.
In
the meantime, some might have luck finding a copy of the original on
eBay or Amazon. Many of these are way overpriced, so be careful. You
should be able to find a very good or better copy for around $30, and
I'd say it's well worth it. Because if there was ever one Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby comic that deserved more attention, it's this one.
Here's a few pages I scanned from the book. Enjoy!
