The Silver Surfer is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe and now he has a brand new comic series. If you’re a fan of the cosmic side of Marvel Comics, Silver Surfer: Black is the new series for you.
The new series picks up from writer Donny Cates’ new Guardians of the Galaxy series and follows the Surfer after the attack from Thanos’ Black Order. The former herald of Galactus saves the other heroes from a black hole, but at what cost?
Cates clearly has a hold on that cosmic side of Marvel Comics. The writer has been handling characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Beta Ray Bill, Thanos and of course the Silver Surfer. Personally, I’m more of a fan of the street-level heroes of Marvel Comics, but every now and then I enjoy stepping out into space.
This is a very unique series. Cates is clearly building his own subsection of the Marvel Universe and there are quite a few pieces to it. With that being said, the Surfer himself loves to tell his own story. Within the first few pages of this first issue, you will learn of the Surfer’s history as a herald of Galactus, his overwhelming guilt tied to what he’s seen and how he saved his fellow heroes from a black hole.
At times, it feels like other related issues are needed to fully understand everything that’s going on in this comic. Somehow, it also feels like too much context is being provided at times. Before getting into the story, the whole Thanos and the Black Order situation is explained but the Surfer still goes on to explain everything later on, going all the way back to his presence at the reading of the Mad Titan’s last will and testament. Even if you’re completely new to this story, it feels a bit over explained.
Not to mention, the Surfer has always had a style of speech that kind of puts me to sleep. There’s nothing Cates could do about that. It’s just the nature of the character.
With all of that being said, this issue actually does start off an interesting story. The Surfer is trying to fight his way out of the blackness and he finds some new foes. He needs to find a way to defeat them without giving in to the darkness and killing them mercilessly, like his former master Galactus.
There is something so compelling about seeing the hero of a story in a fight in which he is struggling not to simply kill his opponents. It becomes even more compelling when we learn that using his powers comes with a great price.
Will the Silver Surfer be able to overcome this darkness without losing himself? Cates has built an interesting story that fans of the character will certainly want to check out.
While “Silver Surfer: Black #1” was not my favorite individual issue, I do think it is a good start to this new arc.