Tuesday 29 January 2019

Silver Surfer #100 (Marvel/1995)



Silver Surfer #100 (Marvel)

Ron Marz (w) Joe Phillips & Tome Grindberg (a)

The Silver Surfer was one of my favourite characters when I was young and got hold of every issue I could back then (pocket money allowing). His original series didn't last long but produced a background and some villains that went on to form part of the fabric of the Marvel universe. One of those villains was Mephisto.



In 1987 Marvel launched a second and much more successful series for Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer which lasted 146 issues from 1987 until 1998. I did start collecting this but butted out the hobby in the nineties having been disgusted at the behaviour (selfishness) of those speculators who ruined the industry as I discovered on my return.

I recall being mightily pissed off by someone taking the last two copies of a comic in The Forbidden Planet which had caught my eye, one which was obviously to try and make money on. I didn't return until 1998 on a whim and started collecting  DC One Million.

That means I missed this series and although this is not a great issue being yet another attempt by Mephisto to capture the Surfer's soul through impersonating Frankie Ray or Nova another of Galactus's "heralds" who had died apparently. No idea that had happened and will have to look for that story sometime in the future.

The big reveal here is that the Surfer's parents had their souls collected by Mephisto and he uses this to to torture the Surfer. After the usual battle the Surfer escapes but Mephisto smirks as he has indeed won a small victory against the Surfer.

A very "nineties" presentation which  I have only seen in retrospect through collecting other titles and it's not the greatest of stories. Although comics sell less these days (despite the movies) I do think today's comics are much better.

As for this issue? Good bedtime read overall.

 

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