The Silver Surfer has made a huge impact in the imaginations of Marvelites everywhere, but his appearances to date had been exclusively in the pages of the Fantastic Four. That was about to change.
When next we encounter the Silver Surfer it is not in the pages of the Fab 4, but rather in Tales to Astonish #92 in an incredible Hulk story. The Surfer appears to the Hulk at the end of one issue with the intent of helping the man monster.
Next time the Surfer gets his very own story in the pages of Fantastic Four King-Size Special #5 where he again tries to help a suffering soul. This time that soul is the living computer Quasimodo (Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organ) who has been abandoned by his creator the Mad Thinker.
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(That "Kirby Krackle" really blooms in the Blacklight Version.)
The Surfer imbues the creature with a true body which allows him to follow his evil ambitions. The Surfer regrets his assistance and battles Quasimodo, ultimately transforming him into a statue. Marvel never passes up a chance to reprint this story.
The Surfer has spent his time on Earth looking for a mission, a way to be of value. It hasn't gone well. The stage is nearly set finally for the return of the Surfer's master the might Galactus. More on that next time.
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The cover art looks a little brighter when the story was reprinted the first time in Marvel Super-Heroes.
The Surfer has spent his time on Earth looking for a mission, a way to be of value. It hasn't gone well. The stage is nearly set finally for the return of the Surfer's master the might Galactus. More on that next time.
Rip Off
When those TTA Hulk issues were first reprinted in the UK's The Mighty World Of Marvel, The Silver Surfer's appearance was edited out. (In fact, they may have only reprinted #93, can't quite recall.) The reason? Ol' Norrin hadn't yet been 'officially' introduced in MWOM. Personally, I'd just have added a caption saying something like 'Who is The Silver Surfer? All will be revealed in the fulness of time, Marvel fans!'
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about it, that's an easy cut to make. The Surfer was there for one panel and one issue only. Continuities are strange things. I am what I dub a second-generation Marvelite. I wasn't there for the beginning but hopped on in the late 60's and experienced all of the earliest stuff after I'd encountered the characters after the fact.
DeleteOne of the few things I liked about the comics-story PLANET HULK was that when the Hulk contends with the Surfer in an arena, they reminisce a little bit about their first encounter-- something that never happened when the two appeared together in DEFENDERS.
ReplyDeleteSo of course, when someone did an animated version of the story, they left out the Surfer and stuck in Beta Ray Bill.
When the Hulk first encounters the Surfer and the Sub-Mariner in that "Titans Three" story in the Sub-Mariner he recognizes them both and says he's fought the both before. In the case of Namor more than a few times by that point. I never saw this animated. Do you remember on what show?
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