Lucas Blogs About Silver Surfer Black

Why aren't all comic books this giant?

So, what's thi—good lord, that is a gigantic comic book!

It is.

What's its deal?

Silver Surfer Black is a five-issue miniseries written by Donny Cates, drawn by Tradd Moore, and colored by Dave Stewart. It apparently follows up on a Guardians of the Galaxy story where the Surfer and the Guardians get sucked into a black hole. After the Surfer saves the Guardians, he finds himself pulled deeper into the singularity where he finds a planet ruled by a guy named Knull, who apparently is the creator of the symbiotes like Venom and Carnage, but who I'd never heard of before. Anyway, it chronicles the Silver Surfer's battle against Knull. Oh, and there's one more complication, the more the Surfer uses his power cosmic, the more his body turns from Silver to a pearlescent black.

Okay. Is it any good?

It's pretty good, yeah. Although, I do have one gripe.

That gripe being?

There are a lot of story elements that also appear in the previous run of Silver Surfer by Dan Slott and Michael & Laura Allred. I mean, it all turns out differently, but there are a lot of plot points in common between the two. I won't get into specifics, you know, to avoid SPOILERS.

Of course.

But still, it's weird that those plot points would pop up again so soon. It works, though, because the tone of the story is so different. While the Slott/Allred Silver Surfer was styled a bit more like Doctor Who, with the Surfer sharing a spotlight with human companion Dawn Greenwood, Silver Surfer Black finds him largely alone, grappling with his past. From his time as Norrin Radd on the planet Zenn-la, to his complicity with the multiple genocides committed by Galactus, to his attempts to find some kind of redemption by standing up for the helpless. His conflict with Knull has plenty of action, but Cates manages to make it into just another chapter in the Surfer's eternal quest for redemption.

Does he succeed?

Cates or the Surfer?

The Surfer, obvs!

Oh, hmm. Well, given the depths of the Surfer's crimes, it's hard to say that he can be totally redeemed. He certainly swings for the fences here. I mean, I guess it's up to the reader to decide whether it's enough to make up for everything. I will say that it made for a satisfying story.

And what about the art?

The art is gorgeous, and likely the reason that Marvel presented it in such a lavish format (have I mentioned that this trade paperback is ludicrously oversized?). Moore's artwork features lots of flowing lines and a surrealist bent that exaggerates Kirby-like effects to produce striking two page spreads and flexible pages layouts. All of this is helped by Stewart's use to color to give the images texture and definition. It's not for everyone, sometimes Moore's figures get a little too abstract for my taste, but it still mostly works for me.

Anything you want to add?

Naw, let's keep it short. This is a fun, quick story enhanced by beautiful artwork and a great presentation. If you're into the Silver Surfer, check it out. If not, well, it's still got pretty pictures and what not.

Silver Surfer Black written by Donny Cates, drawn by Tradd Moore, and colored by Dave Stewart, Marvel comics treasury (read big-ass trade paperback) edition, December 2019, 120 pages, pairs well with the galaxy's greatest ice cream (wait, that was the other Silver Surfer comic)

Links:

Here's the writer's twitter feed, if you're into that kinda thing.

Here's a tumblr that may or may not belong to the artist with a sampling of his artwork (some of which appears in this very comic), if you're into that kinda thing.