Silver Surfer #2 – Second Opinion

For our first review on this issue, click here…

The Review: I don’t go out of my way to read other people’s takes on the comics I review, but I come across them every now and then, and it’s always a fascinating experience. In this case, I was particularly interested that Newsarama’s Pierce Lydon panned
Silver Surfer #1, which I considered the best of the latest Marvel #1s. Now, it’s true this isn’t much of a paying gig for me, but I consider it my responsibility to suss out such drastic differences in opinion, if only to see if there’s something I missed.

While Lydon makes several criticisms that I’m ambivalent about,* the one that really caught my attention was his feeling that “Slott is missing the loneliness and rage that makes Silver Surfer an enticing character.” I wonder. As someone who’s vaguely familiar with Silver Surfer, but certainly no devotee, I feel that Slott is very well aware of the former herald’s tragic qualities, which manifest in his earnest determination to do right by everyone, to make up for past mistakes. But this is Marvel NOW! The point is to find new dimensions for these old characters, releasing them from traditional trappings.