Sometimes, when a writer leaves a comic title after a lengthy run, they may feel the need to "put the toys back in the box," or reset the status quo a bit. I don't know if that was the intention with today's book, but it does leave the doors open for the next creative team. From 1995, Silver Surfer #102, "Surfer's Plea!" Written by Ron Marz, with Mike Friedman and Mike Lackey; pencils by Tom Grindberg, inks by Bill Anderson.
Mephisto had nearly snared the Silver Surfer, with an elaborate scheme that involved faking the return of Galactus's herald Nova. (And as we mentioned about nine years ago, Mephisto shoved his tongue down the Surfer's throat!) Believing he had killed Mephisto and more depressed than usual for him, he goes to confront Galactus; which of course means a brief scuffle with the current herald, Morg. Did anyone like him? I still think he tries to fill the same role of "sadistic lackey" that Terrax did much better.
The previous issue, the Surfer had tried to go back to his old girlfriend, Shalla Bal; even though they hadn't been a couple for years; only to find her with his half-brother Fennan. Who may or may not have ever existed, in fact, Zenn-La was retroactively destroyed in Silver Surfer #130, so this wasn't the "real" Shalla Bal. Come to think of it, Shalla Bal and the Zenn-Lavians appeared in the most recent run of Silver Surfer as well...Back to the issue at hand, the Surfer confronts Galactus and requests he take his cosmic power back, and leave him a normal man, Norrin Radd, again. Galactus answers with a flat no; possibly because he knows the Surfer is overreacting and Mephisto wasn't dead. The Surfer tries to force the issue, and gets slapped down, but not unkindly. Galactus knows the universe needs the Surfer, and won't take him away. Galactus also tells the Surfer that as the sole survivor of the previous universe, maybe he knows a little something about loneliness, but the Surfer's like a moody teen, no one's felt pain like his, and so forth.
Before the Surfer leaves, planning on draining his power some other way; the Air-Walker, currently serving as the computer on the worldship, tells the Surfer he, and countless others in the universe, owe him their lives. But today, the Surfer's not hearing it. The issue closes out with another recent cosmic baddie, Tyrant, plotting a comeback.
Ron Marz wrapped up a five-year run here; a good chunk of it with regular artist Ron Lim. I usually liked Grindberg's work, and there are some nice splash pages here, but not my favorite issue. The book would flounder a bit until #123, when J.M. Dematteis and Ron Garney took over; and I don't even think their run lived up to its potential.
2 comments:
Oh man I loved Marz's Surfer run, especially back then. Of course I'm not gonna lie that the Ron Lim art didn't keep me around for so long, since I valued art over story back in young, dumb days as a kid. Soooo Mephisto made out with the Surfer and no one's brought that up since? Seems like the sort of thing Slott or even Bendis would love to comment on.
They really should've cancelled SS after Marz left cause Perez really didn't know what to do with him or do anything new or meaningful during his run, and DeMatteis just seemed to be building up to something when he paired him up with The Thing's old girlfriend, Alicia Masters before it all ended.
I absolutely loved Alicia and the Surfer as a couple. Pity Alicia has been rolled back to Ben, more than a couple times since. Nothing against Ben, but I'd like to see them move forward.
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