The Devaluation of a Hero

By / / Comics

The Silver Surfer is one of my favorite Marvel characters. Sometimes I lement that he goes long stretches without a monthly comic on his own, but then I take solace in the understanding that not everyone can write a good Silver Surfer story. And when the character is done poorly it’s excruciating to read. Take this comic as an example.

Writer Greg Pak’s “Devolution’ strips Marvel’s most noble hero of his adamantium skin and then shoots him several times in the chest. Honestly, I can’t imagine a worse Silver Surfer story, and I’ve read Ron Marz‘s take on the character. And we’ve got four more issues!

Pak’s writing comes off like someone who has read Silver Surfer stories in the past but didn’t understand them. In essence what he’s done here is given the Surfer the Michael Bay Transformers treatment. (And if you find a way to take that as a positive I hate you.)

The idea behind Pak’s story is our hero is experimented on by the High Evolutionary who does what even Galactus himself has never been able to do – return Norrin Radd to his mortal state. But at least it took him four whole panels to do it! Anyone else feel the increasing need to vomit?

Pak, in order to tell this poorly thought out tale, also ignores Surfer continuity, most importantly the beautiful “last Silver Surfer story” Requiem which states quite clearly that the corruption of his outer skin would mean the death of Zenn-La’s greatest champion. The Surfer hasn’t been a living, breathing being in years. His entire cellular structure, not just an outer layer of skin, has been irrevocably altered, permanently, to house the Power Cosmic.

Is anyone at Marvel vetting ideas for comics anymore? No matter how you slice it this is a terrible idea presented with the subtlety of a punch to the crotch. I don’t believe in burning books, but if I did this one would already been set ablaze.

[Marvel $2.99]