Rider of the Spaceways

As purpose of an occasional serial on superheroes, this is extracted from an essay I wrote some fourth dimension agone (not sure where) that concerns the moral number of some comic books.

The Silver Surfer was 1 of Jack Kirby’s inventions for Stan Lee's Marvel Comics, a silver-skinned alien on a flight surfboard endowed with the “Power Cosmic” (the mightiness to play simply about with – reshape in addition to transform – affair in addition to energy). This meant he could generate actually large explosions if needed, in addition to was basically much to a greater extent than powerful than most other Marvel characters, if he used his total strength. But what made him interesting was that he unremarkably didn’t. The Surfer was a victim. We’ll come upwards dorsum to that.

Why a surfer? True, it was the era of the Beachboys (the Surfer made his offset appearance inwards 1965). It also looked rattling cool when he summoned his board piece jumping into the air in addition to soared away. The theory behind this
was that the cosmos is a corking body of body of water of energies, on which the Surfer could skim in addition to navigate. His original purpose was that of herald to the planet-eating predator, Galactus: a giant inwards an emblematic, hi-tech violet costume who needed to swallow large amounts of life-energy to survive. In Kirby’s mythopoetic imagination Galactus was “Power”. Kirby saw the Surfer equally a beingness of pure unloose energy created past times Galactus, his line of piece of employment beingness to search out planets for his master copy to devour. For the original 18-book serial devoted to the Surfer, which appeared without Kirby (who returned alone for the concluding episode), Lee developed the back-story of the grapheme further. Instead of beingness created past times Galactus, the Surfer had volunteered to serve Galactus inwards monastic tell to salvage his domicile planet Zenn-La. The floor was told inwards the offset number of the novel comic mass inwards 1968.

In his offset appearance, the Surfer brings Galactus to earth, but out of compassion for the humans turns against his master copy – for which offense he is sentenced never to a greater extent than to roam the spaceways, but to live confined to globe behind an invisible barrier. His compassion, coupled with the enmity of those he tries to salvage in addition to his longing for his honey Shalla Bal dorsum on Zenn-La remained consistent features of the series. Like Spider-Man, alone to a greater extent than so, the Surfer has few, if whatsoever friends. His weird appearance in addition to immense mightiness causes him to live feared in addition to misunderstood. Every superhero comic has to incorporate at to the lowest degree 1 battle, but most of the fights inwards The Silver Surfer are due to his beingness attacked through some misunderstanding, in addition to having to defend himself.

The grapheme of the Surfer has nobility, despite his occasional bursts of uncontrolled anger in addition to the frequent recourse to self-pitying monologue. In the 3rd issue, the spiritual dimension comes to the fore, with the appearance of the devil himself, Mephisto, who uses Shalla Bal equally bait inwards a trap for the Surfer. He gives his reasons on page 20: “SINCE THEDAWN OF TIME – SELDOM HAVE I SENSED SUCH GOODNESS OF SOUL – SUCH PURITY OF SPIRIT – AS I SENSE WITHIN THE SILVER SURFER. ALL THAT YOU ARE – ALL THAT YOU STAND FOR – IS ABHORRENT TO THE LORD OF THE LOWER DEPTHS! SO LONG AS YOU EXIST, MEPHISTO’S SCHEME SUPREME WILL EVER BE IN JEOPARDY!” It seems that mankind is close to consummate submission to the devil’s will, in addition to the Surfer stands inwards the means equally a beacon of uncorrupted moral goodness.

The Surfer descends into hell, unafraid of anything Mephisto tin produce to him (“YOU CAN DO NO MORE THAN SLAY ME!”), in addition to unmoved past times the temptations he offers (wealth, women in addition to power). Implanted inwards Mephisto’s encephalon for a battle of wills, the Surfer is victorious. Even the temptation of beingness reunited with Shalla Bal is ineffective, since equally they both know, “HOW CAN LOVE HAVE MEANING IF information technology COSTS YOUR VERY SOUL??” Separated past times a universe, they volition belong to each other forever, in addition to this bond Mephisto cannot destroy.

The Surfer thence has saintly attributes, but he is far from perfect. In number 15, later on jumping besides apace to the determination that the Fantastic Four choose betrayed his trust, the Surfer muses: “WAS I TOO HUMAN…OR…NOT HUMAN ENOUGH?” The floor in addition to dialogue of the classic Surfer comics were ever concerned with the ambiguity of human nature in addition to existence: a humanity that tears itself apart with state of war in addition to greed, that fears the stranger in addition to inflicts hurting without thinking, silent rises to corking heights of virtue in addition to wisdom, equally though silent to “come of age” equally a species. What is of involvement close the comic is non simply the artistry of the pages, in addition to sure enough non the lineament of the writing, but the Big Questions raised close our existence inwards a majestic, unpredictable, beautiful cosmos. Despite all the alien species encountered, somehow humanity ever remains special, our liberty in addition to our inviolable conscience the pin of every story.

I choose been writing alone of the classic Surfer. Of his to a greater extent than recent appearances I know much less. He appeared inwards 1 genuinely dreadful cinema (Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer.) There was a decent plenty animated serial that tin live constitute on YouTube. The eighteen issues I referred to choose perish collectibles. In 1987 he was given a novel series, presaged inwards 1978 past times a Kirby-Lee graphic novel inwards which he regains the liberty of infinite inwards the service of Galactus. For this novel, the whole floor was revised somewhat, but the corking Surfer themes remain. As Lee explained inwards his Preface, “Ever since I offset saw our gleaming sky-rider, when Jack placed the initial drawing on my desk, I felt he had to stand upwards for to a greater extent than than the typical comicbook hero. Somehow or other, Jack had imbued this new, unique, totally arresting fictional figure with a spiritual quality, a sense of nobility, a feeling of almost religious fervor inwards his mental attitude in addition to his demeanor.” The closing words of the comic are these: “ONLY TRUTH IS CONSTANT! ONLY FAITH ENDURES! AND ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE THEM – BUT WHERE CAN LOVE BE FOUND?” “FOR ONE SHINING SECOND OF ETERNITY, THE WORLD KNEW SUCH Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 LOVE! BUT WHAT Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 PRICE WAS PAID!”

I wonder if anyone has written a thesis on Stan Lee equally a moral influence on our times. His perennial themes are the goodness in addition to uniqueness of the human person, the supreme importance of self-giving love, the challenge of making moral choices inwards a fallen world. In the recent spate of comic-book movies based on some of his most pop characters he appears inwards a serial of cameos. In Spider-Man 3, the determination of a trio of films close the battle betwixt skilful in addition to evil (finally inwards the soul of the hero himself), he appears with Spider-Man’s modify ego Peter Parker looking upwards at a billboard praising Spidey’s achievements in addition to comments, “You see, 1 human tin brand a difference.” It is the message he wants to larn across inwards all his work, a message he managed to convey inwards coloured pictures. We don’t choose to despair inwards the human face upwards of overwhelming evil or the impersonal scale of modern society. Life volition live a struggle, but it is worth fighting for purity, for nobility of soul, for justice, for kindness. Chivalry lives. The greatest heroes are ordinary people similar us. Grace tin smasher anyone, similar a gift of superpowers from the seize with teeth of a spider or a outburst of radiation; the enquiry is how nosotros volition answer to it. Will nosotros perish a hero or a villain? In the words of Spider-Man, “You ever choose a choice.”

Kids simply about the public choose received a moral teaching from Lee’s comics. It is simply a compassion they ofttimes haven’t had it from anyone else.

PS. The Surfer dropped into the Atomic Pizza cafe inwards Oxford recently, where I snapped this picture. He looks hungry plenty to eat the whole place. In the window I could watch Robin (from competition comics society DC) already getting upwards to leave. Wonder who else was there?

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