Review: Silver Surfer #1

Review: Silver Surfer #1

Written by: Dan Slott, Michael Allred
Art by: Laura Allred
MARVEL March 26th 2014
$3.99


Keep riding that cosmic wave Marvel
The Marvel cosmic brand has never been stronger. Guardians of the Galaxy is doing well month to month and has a mega-blockbuster set to hit theaters. There is no doubt Marvel/Disney will be unleashing a merchandising tsunami. The crossover event "Infinity" was a large success and solidified Marvels Earth heroes with those of the rest of the galaxy. Nova has been consistently one of Marvels best titles. It has successfully converted many hesitant     and, at times, hostile fans into accepting the change of having the unknown teenager, Sam Alexander as their new Nova. It just seemed like the right time for a new volume of Silver Surfer to be on the horizon. When fans caught wind of who the creative team would be on the book, speculation as to the tone and direction of the book were at a fever pitch.

Debut of the new volume
Today, the book became available. Soon, everyone will be giving you their take on the new adventuring campaigns of our favorite former-herald.

The Good

The book definitely lived up to the expectation fans had for absurd and simultaneously fun environs and characters. There is no shortage of creative races and locations for this title. And truth be told that is this books biggest strength right out of the gate. Dan Slott (Superior Spider-Man) flexes his inner man-child muscle here, taking me back to days of youthful play drama. For me the setting was simple and pure fun. It wasn't trying to be too serious or dark. It felt like a decently written version of a fourth graders enthusiastic imagination.

The Silver Surfer has been summoned to a place in the universe he had never previously known to exist and has been called to be their champion. A great threat looms on the horizon, and yes...you got it, the Silver Surfer is there to meet the challenge.

Elsewhere, on Earth we are introduced to a young woman named Dawn. Dawn has a twin sister who has a wanderlust for traveling the globe. Dawn prefers to stay right in the home she grew up in. Little does she know, she will be going farther out into the great unknown than any human on earth. Essentially, she is the Dr.'s new companion. Allowing your story to draw comparisons to Dr. Who will no doubt raise some people's (Whovians) expectations.  The reason for their pairing is a great mystery and set as one of the more intriguing plot devices in this issue.  The other being this new part of the universe and why it was unknown to the Surfer.

The Bad

The art was simplistic and dry. Looking at the Silver Surfer, I shouldn't wonder why it seems like he is wearing eyeliner. The colors were flat and uninspired. It succeeds in a retro look at times...using the old-school Ben-Day dots for color and the famous Kirby-dots for that cosmic look. But the urban space city scape looked like my daughter drew it and colored the cities structures by 1 rule....make each building a different color and use all the crayons in the giant box to do so.......

Perhaps, in time the art will find its way into my heart and become synonymous with my feelings towards the narrative. But that would put a strong burden and expectation on the writing to keep my interest for that long. 

Verdict

I will not be keeping this in my buy pile, but will give it another chance after it has built up a few issues. I'm willing to look past the art for a good story. I want to love this title. But this did not hook me the same way Moon Knight #1 did. For now though, the art failed at being complimentary to the imaginative writing of character and setting. As for the new take on the Surfer having a companion.....despite liking the character, Dawn......I've seen this before, when it was called Dr. Who.  

Rating: Borrow it (based on art)

Brian