Our esteemed Iann Robinson took the first crack at Dan Slott & Michael Allred’s Silver Surfer #1, and as a longtime Surfer fan, he was disappointed with the tone of the book shifting away from the classic Shakespearean-level drama. However, as a more casual appreciator of the Sentinel of the Skyways, I didn’t have that problem with this new, bright and somewhat goofy take on the life and times of Norrin Radd. He’s a chrome-covered man riding a surfboard in outer space. That has to allow for some silliness to seep in from time to time.
Don’t get me wrong – the central tragedy of Radd’s life, a hero who saved his world by giving himself over to Galactus as a servant who found other worlds for him to eat instead, and who has since broken free of servitude and dedicated his immortal life to atoning for the genocides he enabled – is definitely an epic saga of unending regret and sorrow. He’s been known for grand philosophical musings and morality plays, but he’s also got the reputation for being a bit too weepy, sullen, and melodramatic. Slott’s take seems to be to lighten him up a bit and make him more accessible – someone walong the lines of what J.J. Abrams did to Star Trek to make it more like Star Wars, except instead of ramping up the action quotient, he’s instead amplified the whimsy around the Surfer.
Perhaps a more apt comparison would be that unabashed Whovian Slott is taking a more Doctor Who approach to the Surfer, including giving him a companion in Dawn Greenwood. She’s the half of an identical twin set whose lifelong contentment with life running a bed and breakfast with her father in Anchor Bay is just starting to quietly unravel, thanks to the world-traveling wanderlust of her sister Eve rubbing off on her. That makes it either ironic or coincidental that she’s suddenly zapped to the impossible secret planet called The Impericon as a motivational tool to force Norrin Radd to fight against the dreaded Never Queen – something he was probably going to do anyway. But The Impericon’s resident tour guide, The Incredulous Zed, does like his insurance policies, apparently.
As far as the Surfer himself goes, Slott is attempting to balance the high-minded stuff – like reigniting a tiny dying sun for a tiny planet, and then trying to make sure they don’t view him as a god as a result (perhaps he has some form of Prime Directive?) – with a less ornately poetic manner of speech, as I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the Silver Surfer use contractions before now. Little things, like Surfer using the word ‘okay’ for any reason, create a bit of cognitive dissonance, but then again, Slott’s never been one to ignore continuity, and there was that Defenders riff a while back where Norrin Radd hung out with actual human surf dudes, so he might’ve picked some things up. Still, it might take some time to get used to this new kind of dialogue for the Surfer.
I would imagine that Allred’s super-bright pop-art look contributes the most to Iann’s impression that Silver Surfer #1 feels like a Saturday morning cartoon, but I feel like it works for a fun space adventure series, which is obviously what Slott’s going for with characters called The Incredulous Zed. Allred’s mod style sets a definite tone that starkly differs from standard superhero fare, especially with Laura Allred’s vibrant colors giving it a very indie-comic feel, but while it may be an acquired taste, it’s a great fit for the exploration of the weirder sections of the universe. There’s plenty of cosmic drama, with threats like Galactus and Thanos and Annihilus and the Celestials and all, but there’s still plenty of room for cosmic whimsy, as the impending superstardom of Rocket Raccoon is about to make clear. The wackier parts of the cosmos often become the most beloved. It’s where you can go nuts with the imagination, Jack Kirby style.
While it does feel like it’s still finding its legs, as you might expect from a first issue, the tone of Silver Surfer #1 feels fresh and inviting for new readers, and not too far afield from tradition to make it feel wrong. Slott is great at comedy, but he doesn’t shy away from drama either, so I don’t suspect the classic angsty Surfer is being banished completely – although it’s possible Dawn might balance that out somewhat if he veers toward the hand-wringing guilt too much. Slott and Allred seem to be trying to show us that the Surfer can be fun as well as thoughtful, even if Norrin Radd would likely never believe that of himself. I’m all for letting them try to catch a new wave and see if the Surfer can ride it for a long while.
