Silver Surfer
| Silver Surfer | |
|---|---|
| File:ANNSILV002.jpg The Silver Surfer. Promotional art for Annihilation: Silver Surfer #2 (July 2006), by Gabriele Dell'Otto. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby Stan Lee |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Norrin Radd |
| Species | Zenn-Lavian |
| Place of origin | Zenn-La |
| Team affiliations | Galactus, Heralds of Galactus, Defenders, Secret Defenders, Star Masters, The Order |
| Supporting character of | Fantastic Four |
| Notable aliases | Silver Savage, Sentinel of the Spaceways, Cosmic Wanderer, Silverado, Chrome Dome, Skyrider |
| Abilities | Endowed with the Power Cosmic granting him:
|
The Silver Surfer is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in the comic book Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966).
The Surfer was originally Norrin Radd, a young astronomer of the planet Zenn-La. He agreed to serve as herald to the god-like entity, Galactus, in order to save Zenn-La from the world devourer's insatiable hunger. Granted enormous powers (he wields a small portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic[1]), a silvery appearance and a surfboard-like vehicle — all of which were modeled after a childhood fantasy of Radd — the Silver Surfer roamed the cosmos, searching for new planets for Galactus to consume.
In the story arc fans and historians call the "Galactus Trilogy", in Fantastic Four #48-50 (March-May 1966), the Silver Surfer encountered the Earth superhero team the Fantastic Four and betrayed Galactus, who doomed him to exile on Earth.[2] Influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, Lee scripted a philosophical spin-off series wherein the Surfer explored his new home planet. Another, more cosmically themed series with a freed Surfer was published from 1987 until 1998. A third series followed in 2003, lasting only a year.
The character was featured in adaptations of “The Coming of Galactus” in both the 1967 and 1994 TV adaptations of Fantastic Four. He starred in a short-lived solo animated series in 1998, which blended cel and computer animation.
A sequel to the 2005 Fantastic Four film, scheduled for 2007, will be called Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Early promotional materials indicate it will be a loose adaptation of "The Coming of Galactus" with the Surfer more of a central villain.[3] He will be physically portrayed by Doug Jones, with Laurence Fishburne providing his voice.
A Silver Surfer mini-series entitled Requiem is slated for release on May 30, 2007 written by J. Michael Straczynski.[4]
Publication history
The Silver Surfer is a unique product of the Marvel system of comic creation as, unlike in the full scripts employed elsewhere, Lee and Kirby would discuss general storylines or plots initially but they would usually leave the specific story elements to the penciller (this was especially so in the case of Kirby).[5] Reputedly, Kirby created the character of the Silver Surfer reasoning that a god-like cosmic predator of planets should have some sort of herald. (According to Lee, Kirby said he created the surfboard "because I'm tired of drawing spaceships!"[6][7] ) Lee was surprised by this creation but, taken by the noble features of the new character that Kirby had penciled, scripted him, adding to his characterization. After his debut in the "ultimate Marvel classic", Lee and Kirby received many letters of appreciation from fans and hence they decided to include him within other Fantastic Four issues (FF# 55-61, FF Annual #5, FF #72, FF #74-77).[8]
Lee enjoyed the character and decided to feature him in his own individual title. In an unusual move, the issues of this first volume of the Silver Surfer were double-sized and remained as such throughout the run.[8] Kirby, at that time, was unavailable and hence penciller John Buscema was selected as the artist for 17 issues that followed. Kirby returned for the original series' 18th and final issue. The Silver Surfer comic and the character allowed Lee to script some of his most thoughtful and introspective stories. Thematically, the stories dealt with the inhumanity of man as observed by the noble yet fallen Surfer.
The series was canceled as, according to Engelhart, the graphic novel format was too expensive and the larger panels used by Buscema meant that there was, proportionately, a lesser amount of story per page than in other comics.[9] Moreover, the sophistication of the dialogue and the tragic hero persona that the Surfer adopted soon became unpopular.[9]
After his comic was cancelled, the Surfer continued to make sporadic appearances as a guest star or antagonist in other comic books. A personal favorite of Lee's (he even personally requested that each Silver Surfer comic contain a "Stan Lee presents" announcement), a number of specials and graphic novels featuring the Surfer were published in the subsequent years.[10] These included, but were not limited to, appearances in the comics of Thor, the Defenders and the Fantastic Four.
After a one-shot published in 1982 by John Byrne, he was given a chance at a solo, ongoing title for the second time in 1987, where he finally managed to escape the confines of Earth and left for the spaceways.[10] This series was originally written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by Marshall Rogers, and later written by Jim Starlin and drawn by Ron Lim. Starlin was later replaced by Ron Marz as writer; later in the series' publication, George Perez and J. M. DeMatteis had brief stints at writing the series as well. Other artists included Tom Grindberg, Ron Garney, and Jon J. Muth, as well as periodic guest spots by the aforementioned John Buscema.
Although the title experienced great initial success, and continued to be buoyed by tie-ins to Infinity Gauntlet and other crossovers, this second ongoing series was ultimately cancelled in 1998 after 146 issues, due to low sales and a change in Marvel's editorial direction.
A new Silver Surfer series began in 2003, focusing on the character's alien nature and messianic allegory, but only lasted fourteen issues. He later made an appearance in Cable/Deadpool, where he was the final line of defense against an overpowered Cable. He has twice been reunited with the superhero group he took part in, The Defenders.
An alternate version of the character appeared in Marvel Zombies in his original role as a Galactus herald. Most recently, he appeared in a self-titled, four-issue miniseries linked to Marvel's cosmic event, Annihilation. He also appeared in the post-Annihilation mini-series Heralds of Galactus.
A Silver Surfer graphic novel was written by Lee and Kirby; another entitled The Silver Surfer: Parable (originally serialized in two parts in 1988-1989) was scripted by Stan Lee and drawn by Moebius. Because of inconsistencies with other stories, it has been argued that they feature an alternate Silver Surfer from a parallel Earth.[11] The graphic novel by Lee/Moebius won the Eisner Award for best finite/limited series in 1989.
The Silver Surfer's next appearance is set to be in a 4 issue mini-series entitled Requiem whose release coincides with Silver Surfer's first appearance on the movie screen.[4]
Fictional character biography
Herald of Galactus
Cover art by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.
In the earliest stories, Kirby envisioned the Surfer as a semi-divine being created by the godlike Galactus, immeasurably powerful yet lacking the most basic understanding of good or evil. Lee's script allowed this completely amoral entity to develop a sense of compassion through contact with the gentle Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress capable of perceiving the surfer's innate nobility.[2]
Lee and Kirby continued this theme through a series of subplots where the Surfer encounters negative human traits such as jealousy (when The Thing is driven to rage by the Surfer's relationship with his girlfriend, Alicia); deception, evil and cruelty (de-powered and imprisoned by Doctor Doom, then tortured by Doom's brutal henchmen), despair and hopelessness (languishing in a Latverian dungeon while Doom uses the Power Cosmic to conquer the world); and finally a thirst for revenge (destroying Doom's castle - along with his sadistic captors, presumably - when he finally escapes).
At the same time, the Surfer continued to evolve as an individual, slowly groping his way to a knowledge of his own humanity. No mention, however, was made of any life or existence prior to the Surfer's arrival on Earth, lending credence to the idea that he was a whole-cloth creation of his world-devouring master. Significantly, during this early period, both Galactus and the Surfer fed in precisely the same manner - converting matter directly into energy - suggesting Galactus created the Surfer in his image.
The Surfer's background was retconned with the release of Silver Surfer #1,[12] providing the character with a previously undisclosed existence, revealing that the character had a life as an ordinary being before he became the Silver Surfer.
In the revised version, the Surfer was born Norrin Radd on the idyllic planet Zenn-La, with his father Jartan Radd, his mother Elmar Radd, and his half-brother Fennan Radd. They were part of an ancient and advanced civilization that had lost the will to strive or explore, leaving Norrin Radd restless and yearning for something more than the idle pleasure pursued by his fellows. Faced with the total destruction of his world by the planet-consuming Galactus, Radd struck a deal with the omnipotent space god to serve as his herald in return for the safety of Zenn-La and of his lover, Shalla-Bal, at the same time satisfying his desire to discover new worlds and adventures beyond the limits of his home. Galactus accepted the young mortal's sacrifice and imbued him with a portion of the Power Cosmic, transforming him into the Silver Surfer. He served Galactus for an unspecified amount of time during which he was unable to return to Zenn-La or see Shalla-Bal. Eventually, he arrived on Earth and, after deciding the planet to be ripe for Galactus' nourishment, he summoned his master.
Exiled to Earth
On Earth, touched by the nobility of a brave few individuals, the Surfer chose to rebel against Galactus and attempted to prevent his master from consuming Earth. Galactus was eventually driven off, but as punishment for his rebellion he confined the Surfer to the planet by creating an invisible barrier that only affected him (it first appeared in the Doctor Doom arc the following year and it was explained that this "Great Barrier" deprived him of his space-time powers in the original version).[13]
The Silver Surfer meets Mephisto.
Cover art by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.
Imprisoned on Earth, the Surfer fought a number of villains, notable amongst them being Doctor Doom and Mephisto. Doom was obsessed with stealing the Surfer's Power Cosmic but on the occasion that he did, he lost it after colliding with Galactus' barrier.[14] The demonic Mephisto was equally persistent in wanting to break the Surfer's spirit with the intent of acquiring his soul but Surfer's innate nobility thwarted him each time.[15]
His only friend during this time was a physicist by the name of Al B. Harper, who sacrificed his life to help the Surfer save the world from the Stranger after he left a time bomb on the planet as a result of his incriminating judgement on mankind as a species.[16] Angered at the disregard shown to him by humans, the Surfer even declared war on humanity once but the U.S. military struck him down with an experimental power-draining "Sonic Shark" missile, based on technology developed by Reed Richards, that diminished his powers and forced him to resume his wanderings.
The Surfer was reunited with Shalla-Bal on several occasions but almost every time, she was used as an unwilling pawn by his enemies; every time, the Surfer invariably had to let go of Shalla-Bal so as to save the Earth.
He joined the "Titans Three", a group consisting of Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and himself, battling several menaces to the world.[17] Soon, with the inclusion of Doctor Strange, the team became the Defenders, and he stayed with them for a while. It did not last long, however, as his repeated desire to be free of Earth and his frequent collisions with Galactus' barrier drained his energy and so he left.
During an Avengers-Defenders clash orchestrated by alien menaces Nebulon and Supernalia, the Surfer finally pierced Galactus' barrier with the aid of Reed Richards and escaped Earth but he discovered that Zenn-La had been devastated by a vengeful Galactus, barely capable of supporting life. Shalla-Bal had also been abducted back to Earth by Mephisto and so, alhough it meant trapping himself on Earth again, the Surfer returned to Earth and defeated Mephisto, who sent Shalla-Bal back to Zenn-La, though not before the Surfer endowed her with a portion of his cosmic power which she used to revitalize their ravaged homeworld.[18]
Freedom from exile
Piercing Galactus' barrier again (this time by using the Thing's simple suggestion of trying to pass through it without his surfboard), the Surfer made peace with Galactus by rescuing his current herald Nova (Frankie Raye) from the Skrulls, after which Galactus finally ended the Surfer's long exile.[19] Radd revisited his homeworld, but Shalla-Bal had become empress of the rejuvenated Zenn-La and was not free to renew their romance.[20]
The Surfer became embroiled in fresh hostilities between the interstellar Kree and Skrull empires, and intervened in a series of plots by the Elders of the Universe, who planned to destroy Galactus, and the universe with him -- in order to become the supreme powers of a new universe. The Surfer thwarted the Elders with the aid of his new love interest Mantis, the Earth-born cosmic heroine also known as the Celestial Madonna, but she seemingly died in the process;[21] though she would later return, she never fully renewed her romance with the Surfer. Romantic sparks developed between Nova and the Surfer,[22] whose influence gradually led Nova to question the morality of her role as a herald.[23]Galactus finally replaced her with the far more ruthless Morg, who killed Nova during a conflict with the Surfer and most of the other ex-heralds.[24]
The Surfer, during this period, repeatedly battled space-born menaces, the chief of whom being Thanos,[25] a death-worshipping mutant Eternal who wiped out half the life in the universe using the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet.[26] The Surfer, during his space adventures, was also allied with cosmic adventurers such as Adam Warlock's Infinity Watch, who helped the Surfer restore Shalla-Bal to life after she sacrificed herself to save Zenn-La from the supremely powerful Great One. The Surfer also partnered with Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Morfex and Xenith to form the short-lived Star Masters team, and began participating in occasional Defenders reunions.
In one of his adventures, he discovered that Galactus had tampered with his mind to allow the Surfer to endure through the powerful emotions of guilt and sadness felt at the decimation of every planet during Galactus's service.[27] Further aspects of his past life were also revealed which included the revelation of Norrin having witnessed his mother's dead body after she committed suicide through wrist slitting.[28] Also, his father Jartran Radd, a prominent scientist, was accused of having plagiarized and after Norrin revealed his disappointment, he shot himself.[29] The Surfer eventually faced these memories of his and forgave himself during the Infinity Gauntlet saga.[30]
During his travels, the Surfer also met his long-lost half-brother Fennan who Shalla-Bal had become married to.[31] He was also a saviour to another part of the Universe where he saved a planet from destruction at the hands of the Uni-Lord, a powerful entity that was the god of the Universe there.[32] In order to combat this Uni-Lord, an immensely complex plan was put into motion by the Silver Surfer that even involved his own temporary death.
After his return from his adventures there, the Surfer found that Zenn-La and its people had seemingly vanished, and he came to discover that his homeworld had already been destroyed in the 1940s by the mysterious, all powerful entity known as the Other. The Zenn-Lavian world and the people that he had encountered since his leaving the service of Galactus were "re-creations" of the originals. Galactus, after finding Zenn-La utterly decimated by the Other, recreated the planet and its inhabitants in every detail so when the Surfer left his service, as he knew he one day would, he would have a home to return to.[33] So accurate was this new Zenn-La that the Surfer, Skrull, Kree, the demonic Mephisto and even the Celestials never came to realize it wasn't the original planet or people. Why the "new" Zenn-La dissolved was never made entirely clear but it was likely the result of Galactus' temporary absence from the main universe due to being caught in the Ultimate Nullifier's blast.
Losing his capacity for emotion again, the Surfer returned to Earth, eventually regaining his personality during a time travel adventure and sharing a romance with Alicia Masters.[34] They ultimately parted as friends after many adventures together.
When a Gaea-powered curse from a dying Yandroth mystically forced Surfer, Namor, Hulk and Strange to assemble in response to any and all threats to the Earth, the ongoing stress of this situation coupled with the subtle emotional influence of the curse itself gradually drove the four senior Defenders mad, and they attempted to rule the world as the Order in the belief that this was the most efficient way to protect the planet. Their fellow Defenders Hellcat, Nighthawk, Valkyrie and Clea teamed with other heroes-- including Ardina, a cosmic-powered woman they mystically created from a portion of the Surfer's own energy-- to oppose the Order and return them to their senses, just in time to prevent the curse from rendering a resurrected Yandroth all-powerful.
More recently, in the 2003 Silver Surfer series, fearing a prophesied apocalypse, the Surfer worked with the alien Annunaki race to gather and protect some of Earth's most extraordinarily gifted children;[35] in the end, one of those children, Ellie Waters, saved Earth from the godlike Marduk entity, preventing the apocalypse and reordering reality as if the Marduk crisis had never happened, though Ellie apparently retains her memories of these events.[35] The Surfer resumed his interstellar wanderings, but promised to be ready to aid his adopted homeworld should Earth ever need him.
Annihilation
In Annihilation, a 2006 mini-series (written by Keith Giffen), he banded together with the other heralds of Galactus that were hunted by the forces of Annihilus's Annihilation Wave (mainly by Annihilus's chief lackey - Ravenous, and his 'seekers').[36] He sensed that Galactus needed his help, especially when two beings called Tenebrous, of the Darkness Between, and Aegis, Lady of All Sorrows, began to hunt him after escaping from the prison within which Galactus had encased them since the dawn of time.
Silver Surfer agreed to become Galactus' herald once more and was rejuvenated of his powers and the will to fight thus giving him a new purpose.[37] He defeated the fleet that Annihilus sent against Galactus but he was unable to help Galactus against Aegis and Tenebrous. Aegis and Tenebrous captured the Silver Surfer and Galactus and handed him over to Thanos who had been entrusted by Annihilus to finding "the biological application" of the Power Cosmic.[38]
Later, when Thanos learnt of Annihilus' true goal of using Galactus as a cosmic bomb to destroy both his universe and the Negative Zone, he attempted to free the Devourer but he was slain by Drax the Destroyer before he could do so.[39] When Drax learnt of Thanos' actions, he decided that only Silver Surfer had power of Thanos' stature and thus he shattered the energy sphere that imprisoned the Surfer requesting him to use the power cosmic to access and unlock the prison holding Galactus. The Surfer succeeded and an enraged Galactus was freed.[40]
Galactus, using his near limitless powers, destroyed almost half of the entire Annihilation Wave thus helping the United Front defeat Annihilus and bringing about the bartering of a ceasefire.[41] Following these events, the Silver Surfer returned to Galactus' side as his herald who then sent him on a mission to find the two proemial gods Aegis and Tenebrous in the post-Annihilation spin-off Heralds of Galactus.
Galactus explained to the Surfer that the two gods were part of a pantheon of cosmically powered beings that were created to maintain cosmic consonance (a balance between order and disorder). However, Diableri, a being of pure chaos, misled them and made them strike out against their purposes forcing the devourer to defeat and imprison the entire group.
The two gigantic beings were looking for their brethren when the Surfer found and confronted them. He was severely hurt in the battle but after some relentless fighting (where he used the energies of the crunch of a living Universe), he managed to defeat the two, by causing a rift in the living Universe, which sucked Tenebrous and Aegis into the vortex. Galactus, impressed by the Surfer's loyalty and tenaciousness, healed him but refused to tell the Surfer any further information about the gods that the Surfer had inadvertently killed. Galactus then bid his herald to go and find planets to satiate his hunger.[42]
A Silver Surfer mini-series entitled Requiem is slated for release on May 30, 2007 with early promotional announcements indicating that the Silver Surfer may meet his end due to a "small blemish".[4]
Powers and abilities
The Silver Surfer wields "the power cosmic", absorbing and manipulating the universe's cosmic energy and is almost totally indestructible. He can navigate space, hyperspace and dimensional barriers, and can fly at near-limitless speeds on his board, entering hyper space when he exceeds light speed.[43] He has even proven capable of time travel on occasion.[44] The Surfer does not require food, drink, air or sleep, sustained entirely by converting matter into energy. He is immune to extreme temperatures and most radiation, and can survive in vacuum environments such as outer space and hyperspace. He can analyze and manipulate matter and energy, and restructure or animate matter at will, even transmuting elements.[45]
He can heal living beings (though he cannot raise the dead),[43] and has proven capable of revitalizing or evolving organic life on a planet wide scale.[18] He can alter the size of himself or of other matter, cast illusions,[46] fire energy blasts, form and manipulate energy constructs, absorb and discharge most forms of energy, and phase through solid matter.[43] His senses enable him to detect objects and energies light years away, and to perceive matter and energy in subatomic detail[45]; he can even see through time, and with concentration can achieve limited perception of past and future events in his general vicinity. The Surfer has demonstrated limited telepathic ability on occasion, and has proven able to influence human emotion and sensation.[43]
Paraphernalia and weapons
The Surfer's board is composed of the same impervious, cosmic-powered silvery material as its master's skin, and is mentally linked to the Surfer; it moves in response to his thoughts, even when he is not in physical contact with it.[45] The board is almost totally indestructible, but on those rare occasions where it has been damaged or destroyed, the Surfer has been able to repair or even re-create it.[19] The Surfer can attack opponents remotely by directing the board against them, and the board is capable of absorbing and imprisoning other beings, at least temporarily.[47]
In addition, the Surfer and the Fantastic Four realized that Galactus' means of imprisoning the Surfer on Earth was linked to the board since the world devourer knew that his former herald would not think of leaving the planet without it. Putting the idea to the test, the Surfer left the board planetside and the Four transported him off the planet in their spacecraft. Once he realized he was free of Earth, the Surfer remotely converted the board to energy, recalled it to him and reformed it in space.[19]
Other versions
Ultimate Silver Surfer
Warren Ellis's Ultimate Galactus trilogy originally suggested that the Ultimates' ally the Vision was the herald of Galactus, as a robotic probe who travels through space, warning civilizations of the impending arrival of Gah Lak Tus. In the final mini-series of the trilogy, Ultimate Extinction, silvery humanoids began to appear, sent in order to trigger mass suicides in order to reduce the population's resistance thereby allowing Gah Lak Tus to conserve energy (by reducing the energy required to exterminate and break down the planet into useful energy). Suicide cults founded by the creatures began to appear all across the globe as Gah Lak Tus drew near, with the intent of engineering mass suicides to placate "the angry god". At the conclusion to the Ultimate Galactus trilogy, it appeared that all of the surviving silvery beings were called back to Gah Lak Tus when it left the solar system.
These silvery beings had the ability to grow wings, morph into an ovoid or take an intermediary form, where they glided on an oval surface like a surfboard. The silver beings showed the ability to manipulate large quantities of energy, and in one case they possessed a mouth with several rows of teeth that opened to an extraordinarily wide extent - possibly as an application of a vaster set of metamorphic abilities. However, it was not specified that these were the Ultimate version of the Silver Surfer although they were modelled closely after the character.
In Ultimate Fantastic Four #43, the Silver Surfer makes his proper, named appearance in the Ultimate Universe.
MC2
During the finale of Last Planet Standing, the Silver Surfer prevents Galactus' plan to create a new Big Bang, merging with Galactus himself in the process to become a new being. Gaining control of Galactus' powers, the new entity undoes the damage done by Galactus.[48]
Amalgam Comics
In Amalgam Comics, a character called the Silver Racer exists who is essentially a combination of Marvel's Silver Surfer and DC's Black Racer.[49]
Exiles
On Earth #552, Norrin Radd had been a great Military Scientist who had accidentally destroyed his own world with his greatest invention. Determined to bring it back to life he approached Galactus, Restorer of Worlds and became his herald in hopes that Galactus would resurrect his world in exchange for his service. However, Galactus had taken an oath to only revive those worlds destroyed by the Blight. An enraged Silver Surfer then turned against his Master, destroying those who worshipped him and he then attempted to kill Galactus himself in order to steal the knowledge of world restoration. This led to the destruction of Earth, the coming of the Exiles, the deaths of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard Elite and inevitably his own destruction.[50][51]
Marvel Zombies
The Silver Surfer is a victim of the Marvel Zombies in stories set in that continuity. His demise is met when his head is bitten off by the Zombie Hulk, afterwards his body is torn apart and eaten by other Marvel Zombies. When he was consumed a small amount of the power cosmic was transferred to the zombies.[52]
In other media
Television
The Surfer's first animated appearance was in "Galactus," an episode of the Hanna-Barbera 1967 Fantastic Four animated series which closely followed the Marvel comic series.[53] He also put in several appearances in the 1994 version of the animated series that was part of the Marvel Action Hour, voiced by Robin Sachs, which also adhered closely to the original comic book story, recounting his and Galactus's coming to Earth in a two-part episode, and Doctor Doom's theft of his powers, two times.[54][55]
In 1998, he starred in a solo animated series on the FOX Network voiced by Paul Essiembre. Among the first to feature computer graphics, blended with cel animated rendered in the style of Surfer creator Jack Kirby, the FOX Kids series diverged from the comic in various ways. However, it accurately retold the Surfer's origin on Zenn-La and the method by which he regained his emotions and memories was altered to not involve the Fantastic Four.
While further adventures included appearance by many characters from Marvel's "cosmic" stable such as Thanos, the Watcher, Ego the Living Planet, Mentor, Drax the Destroyer, Pip the Troll, Nebula, Beta Ray Bill, Gamora, Nova, Adam Warlock and the Kree and Skrull empires, their portrayals and roles often differed from their comic book incarnations. Possessed of an unusually serious tone compared to Marvel's other animated projects, with frequent maudlin musings by the Surfer and episode resolutions which were often downbeat, the series was cancelled after only one season of thirteen episodes. Eight further episodes for the next season were written but never animated.[56]
Film
The Silver Surfer is set to appear alongside the Fantastic Four in the 2007 sequel to the 2005 film, entitled Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, a revision from the title appearing on a billboard at the 2006 NYC Licensing Expo, 'Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer'. The Surfer is being played by Doug Jones[57] and voiced by Laurence Fishburne.[58] USA Today officially released the first promo picture of the Silver Surfer on December 21, 2006.[59] The Franklin Mint altered 40,000 California quarters by putting the comic book superhero the Silver Surfer on the back. This is being done to promote the upcoming film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.[1] See 50 State Quarters
Video games
The Silver Surfer video game, developed by Software Creations, Ltd., debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.[60] However, he has also appeared in other video games, often cast as a villain (evil clones of the Silver Surfer appear as enemies in Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems for the SNES). He was a bonus character in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Chris Cox.[61]
His latest video game adaptation is the upcoming "Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game", developed by Visual Concepts of 2K Sports. It is set for a June 2007 simultaneous release with the movie that it is based upon.[62]
Cultural references
The Silver Surfer has been referred to a number of times on television, music, films and books. Richard Gere's character prominently read his comic in the film Breathless (1983 film). He has been mentioned in television programs Heroes, Scrubs, The Wire, Dexter's Laboratory, Doug, Andromeda and Fairly Odd Parents. A number of songs include the Silver Surfer or related concepts in their lyrics. Also, Joe Satriani included the character on one of his album covers: Surfing with the Alien.
References
- ^ marvel.com. "Silver Surfer: Marvel Universe". Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- ^ a b Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966)
- ^ wizrduniverse.com. "2007 PREVIEW: 'FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER'". Retrieved 2007-27-05.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c ign.com. "IGN Preview of Silver Surfer: Requiem #1". Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "The Silver Surfer". Retrieved 2007-26-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ The Ultimate Silver Surfer, November 1995, Berkeley Trade, writer Stan Lee
- ^ ."Excerpt from the book 'The Ultimate Silver Surfer' by Stan Lee". Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ a b Back cover of Silver Surfer #1 (Vol. 3) where Engelhart outlines Silver Surfer's history, July 1987, Marvel Comics, writer Steve Englehart
- ^ a b Back cover of Silver Surfer vol. 3, #2 (Aug. 1987)
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
silversurfer3v3backcoverwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ marvunapp.com. "Earth-Moebius entry on the Appendix to the Marvel Universe website (not affiliated with Marvel)". Retrieved 2007-20-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Silver Surfer #1 (Aug. 1968)
- ^ Fantastic Four #50: Coming of Galactus, 1960, Marvel Comics, writer Stan Lee
- ^ Fantastic Four #57 (Dec. 1966)
- ^ Silver Surfer #3: The Power and the Prize, Dec 1968, Marvel Comics, writer Stan Lee
- ^ Silver Surfer #5 (April 1969)
- ^ Sub-Mariner #34-35 (Feb.-March 1971)
- ^ a b Silver Surfer: Escape - to Terror!, June 1978, Marvel Comics, writer John Bryne Cite error: The named reference "silversurfer1v2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Silver Surfer #1: Free, July 1987, Marvel Comics, writer Steve Englehart Cite error: The named reference "silversurfer1v3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 3, #2 (Aug. 1987)
- ^ Silver Surfer #9: Doomsday, March 1988, Marvel Comics, writer Steve Englehart
- ^ Silver Surfer #14: Silver Mirrors, August 1988, Marvel Comics, writer Steve Englehart
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 3, #51 (July 1991)
- ^ Silver Surfer #75: Herald Ordeal Part 6 - Destruction, December 1992, Marvel Comics, writer Ron Marz
- ^ Silver Surfer #34: Call him Thanos, Call him Death!, February 1990, Marvel Comics, writer Jim Starlin
- ^ Infinity Gauntlet #1: God, July 1991, Marvel Comics, writer Jim Starlin
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 3, #48: Past Sins, April 1991, Marvel Comics, writer Jim Starlin
- ^ Silver Surfer #57: Reality Check, October 1991, Marvel Comics, writer Ron Marz
- ^ Silver Surfer #50: Secrets from the Surfer's Past!, June 1991, Marvel Comics, writer Jim Starlin
- ^ Silver Surfer #58: And Now... the Defenders!, November 1991, Marvel Comics, writer Ron Marz
- ^ Silver Surfer #101: Home to Shalla-Bal!, February 1995, Marvel Comics, writer Ron Marz
- ^ Silver Surfer #111: 111, 1995, Marvel Comics, writer George Perez
- ^ Silver Surfer #130: Day of Destruction, August 1997, Marvel Comics, writer John DeMatteis
- ^ Silver Surfer #129: Destination: 1947!, June 1997, Marvel Comics, writer John DeMatteis
- ^ a b Silver Surfer #01: Communion Part 5, March 2004, Marvel Comics, writer Dan Chariton & Stacy Weiss Cite error: The named reference "silversurfer1v4" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Annihilation: Silver Surfer #01, June 2006, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ Annihilation: Silver Surfer #03, August 2006, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ Annihilation #01, October 2006, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ Annihilation #04, January 2007, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ Annihilation #05, January 2007, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ Annihilation #06, March 2007, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ Heralds of Galactus #02, April 2007, Marvel Comics, writer Keith Giffen
- ^ a b c d Annihilation: Nova Corps Files, 2006, Marvel Comics, writer Michael Hoskin et al Cite error: The named reference "silversurfernovacorpsfiles" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Silver Surfer v1 #06: Worlds without end!, 1980 reprint, Marvel Comics, writer Stan Lee
- ^ a b c The Marvel Encyclopedia (Original One-shot), October 2002, Marvel Comics
- ^ Silver Surfer v3 #33: Silver Surfer vs the Impossible Man!, Jan 1990, Marvel Comics, writer Jim Valentino
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 3, #122 (Nov. 1996)
- ^ Last Planet Standing #5 (July 2006)
- ^ marvunapp.com. "The Appendix to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe". Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- ^ marvel.com. "The Marvel catalog for Exiles #87". Retrieved 2007-05-10.
- ^ marvel.com. "The Marvel catalog for Exiles #88". Retrieved 2007-05-10.
- ^ Marvel Zombies #5 (April 2006)
- ^ "Galactus episode on the 1967 Fantastic Four animated series (Silver Surfer's first animated appearance)". Retrieved 2007-07-05.
- ^ "Coming of Galactus episode on the 1994 Fantastic animated series". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- ^ "Return of Galactus episode on the 1994 Fantastic Four animated series". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- ^ "Website containing the scripts for the Silver Surfer animated series (including unaired ones)". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- ^ Stax (2006-09-25). "Weta Surfs to Fantastic Four (includes information regarding confirmation of Doug Jones taking on the role of the Silver Surfer)". IGN. Retrieved 2006-09-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ superherohype.com. "News on the upcoming Fantastic Four Movie". Retrieved 2007-20-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ usatoday.com. "Promotional picture released for the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer". Retrieved 2007-20-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ mobygames.com. "Silver Surfer for Nintendo Entertainment System". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- ^ marvelultimatealliance.com. "Silver Surfer character entry on Marvel: Ultimate Alliance official website". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- ^ ign.com. "Preview of the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game". Retrieved 2007-20-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
External links
- MDP: Silver Surfer - Marvel Database Project
- Official Marvel Picture site
- Silver Surfer on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
- The Complete Silver Surfer Appearance List
- Tv.com Silver Surfer episode guide
- Movie Trailer for Rise of the Silver Surfer: Apple Movie Trailers
- WhoistheSilverSurfer.com : Official F4 Wiki