Silver Surfer Annual #2 (1989)

In the time of Ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato wrote the works Timaeus and Critias. In these dialogues, he mentioned a continent called Atlantis. A fictional island continent, it was meant to be an allegory regarding the hubris of nations. While Atlantis would be a minor bit of Plato's work, it would be a massive source of inspiration to writers for centuries. Just goes to show you never know what will catch on.

Naturally, comic books would also latch on to the idea of an advanced island civilization that ended up lost under the waves. Heck, both the Marvel and DC Universes have Atlantis as part of their worlds, and have major superheroes connected to them: Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Aquaman respectively. 

In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis and the surface world do have a bit of a... contentious relationship, kind of like Namor himself has with his fellow superheroes. In 1989, the surface world would find itself seemingly under siege from this ancient city. This is where it started: Silver Surfer Annual #2!

The cover is a Ron Lim and Joe Rubinstein piece. It's pretty cool even though it's a bit basic. It shows the Silver Surfer in space, in front of a planet. There's a supervillain looming behind him, the comic promising the return of the Deviant! Well, a Deviant. You'll see what I mean. This would be a cool poster.

"How Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth"
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Keith Williams
Colorist: Tom Vincent
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Editor: Craig Anderson
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco 

The story begins in California, in particular with the Dreaming Celestial, buried under a mountain. It's been lying here since the events of the 1985 Eternals maxiseries, doing its thing...dreaming. The Dreaming Celestial is having some sort of bad trip, not helped by the events of Fantastic Four #323. The Celestial turns and groans. This causes an earthquake that registers 3.9 on the Richter scale. But this is the Silver Surfer's annual. And he is busy doing what he does best: surf the space ways! Catching those Cosmic Waves, bro!

The Surfer's board suddenly goes a bit wild, which Norrin finds...weird. He and the board are supposed to be one. The board is supposed to obey his commands. It's like something is trying to pull the board towards a particular destination. Our man examines the board and notices that there's some bacteria-like life forms clinging to it, like barnacles on a ship's hull. 

"Ewww, who put a booger on my board?!"

Norrin finds it unlikely that these things are the cause of his board troubles, so he tries to burn them off with the Power Cosmic. These little critters are resilient, though. As such, it has no effect. Norrin realizes that the particles are trying to take him somewhere, so he figures he might as well let them take him and his board where they want to go. They take him to a strange cloud, nothing like the Surfer has ever seen before. It's one of the...odder phenomenon he's encountered.

Norrin uses the Power Cosmic on the cloud, somehow causing the cloud to transform into an...old "friend" we've encountered on this here blog.

"I'm back and better than ever, baby! OH YEAH!"

Yup, Ghaur is back! Remember him from my reviews of the 1980s Eternals maxiseries? Well, he was seemingly killed after the events of Eternals #12 (September 1986), but it turns out his consciousness did survive...in the form of the bacteria-ridden cloud the Surfer had encountered. He saw the Surfer passing by as his destiny, recapping how he ended up there. Ghaur and the Surfer duke it out.

The mad Deviant is not at his full power, but he still is able to match the Surfer and his Power Cosmic well. However, Ghaur has a new plan, and he has no desire to waste his time battling Norrin. He traps the Surfer in a plasma field and flies off. I think he's just running away because he doesn't want to get himself some of Norrin's silver hands.

The Surfer considers pursuing him...somehow knowing Ghaur intends to return to Earth. I don't know. Maybe the Power Cosmic told him? I do remember he used it as a form of psychometry in John Byrne's Fantastic Four run. He then remembers that he has his own problems. Mainly that his own homeworld is being dragged into another Kree-Skrull War, as shown in his own book at6 the time. Not to mention Earth has its own fair share of superheroes. They've taken him down before, so they can do it again. Still, it would be nice to at least warn them, ya jerk!

Ghaur makes his way back to Earth. His destination? The ancient city of Lemuria. But not the Lemuria that was the home of the Deviants. This Lemuria is the home of Atlanteans that worshipped the seven-headed snake Elder God known as Set. Makes sense, considering the role Set will play in upcoming annuals.

The Lemurians are not happy to see the former Priestlord. They express their displeasure with him being in town by trying to blast him. Ghaur goes through the Lemurian forces like a hot knife through butter. After all, there is someone there he has to see: Llyra. 

"This had better be good. I'm wearing my power swimsuit."

Ghaur takes Llyra with him. Since he freed her from imprisonment in Lemuria, she does him a courtesy and warns him that she has no intention to serve any man, even if they are ugly blue men. However, Ghaur says that his plans have an accord with hers, mainly a desire for the Serpent Crown. Ghaur learned of the Crown thanks to his consciousness being expanded during his time as a space cloud. His mind came into contact with the mind of Set within said Crown. We get a brief recap of the Crown's history up to that point to its most recent appearance encountering the Thing, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Man. But Ghaur has guaranteed Set's victory. 

In space, evidently the Surfer listened to me, because he transmits a warning to Doctor Strange and Elizabeth "Talisman" Twoyoungmen. And as this happens, the Dreaming Celestial turns, having nightmares about the decimation of humanity...'

I did enjoy this story, but it is mainly setup. We get to see the return of Ghaur and hint about his plans. I did enjoy seeing the recaps of the Serpent Crown's history up to that point. It's the Marvel history nerd in me. I wish modern Marvel comics did recaps like this. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2021 trade paperback Atlantis Attacks: The Original Epic. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Galactus The Devourer #1 (September 1999)

The cosmos of the Marvel Universe is vast and wonderous. But it also has its fair share of things that would send shivers down one's spine. One of those horrors is a being that has been described as a force of nature, an unstoppable being the gains its sustenance from devouring planets. He is a being known by many names, but for the people of the Marvel Universe's Earth, he is known simply as Galactus.

Galactus first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This comic would be the first issue of a three-issue storyline called "The Galactus Trilogy". The two wanted to create a new villain for the FF that didn't quite fit the standard mold of the supervillain. They decided on having his motivation for consuming worlds not be anything malicious, but due to a never-ending hunger for life energies. Kirby would draw inspiration from Biblical imagery to not just develop Galactus, but the concept of a herald for him: A being that would find worlds for Galactus to consume. The most famous character to hold that role would be an astronomer-turned-Sentinel of the Spaceways named Norrin Radd. You may know him more as the Silver Surfer. 

Despite Galactus not being intended to appear again after "The Galactus Trilogy", the character would go on to be a mainstay of the cosmos of the Marvel Universe. The Silver Surfer would also go on to have numerous adventures of his own, mainly because the character was a personal favorite of Stan Lee's. 

The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of a six-issue 1999-2000 miniseries called Galactus the Devourer. Louise Simonson, the writer of the miniseries, had originally intended to have taken place in the Silver Surfer's solo title at the time. The thing was, that series was cancelled due to low sales. In response, Simonson proposed that the story be told in a separate miniseries. The proposal was a bit "radical" due to its exploration of the importance of Galactus to the universe itself, which led to her fearing that Marvel would turn it down. Marvel not only greenlit the proposal, but she would also be paired with legendary artist John Buscema for most of it (He did not draw the first issue). This miniseries would be one of his final works with Marvel before his death in 2002.

The Surfer was not an unfamiliar character to Buscema. He did the art duties for Stan Lee's graphic novel Silver Surfer: Judgment Day (October 1988) which focused on a clash between the titular character and Marvel's resident Satan analogue: Mephisto. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Galactus the Devourer #1!

The cover is a John Buscema piece. It's really cool. It depicts the Silver Surfer, Iron Man and Thor of the Avengers alongside the Thing and the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four facing off against Galactus. Galactus is positioned right in the center of the cover and shrouded in shadow. It helps give the world-eater a menacing air, which really fits. 

"Hunger!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon J. Muth
Inker: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Comicraft
Editors: Bobbie Chase, Brian Smith 
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras 

The story begins with the arrival of the titular world-eater on an alien planet. The narration talks about how many of the sentient races of the universe have their own legends and myths about Galactus. Some see him as a farmer, others as a wrathful god. Some even view him as a pest. Galactus will give these myths new meaning as he consumes a world. Those who are able to flee this world, their fates to tell others and contribute to the legends. 

The scene then shifts to Earth, a planet that is no stranger to the World-Eater. 

"Watch it! I paid good money for this load of books!"

These workmen are helping move some statues for a local artist: Alicia Masters. The pulley breaks, causing a large statue to fall towards some of the workmen. Luckily, these men will be saved today thanks to a certain metal-skinned sentinel of the spaceways. 

"Good thing you didn't mention you had two days till retirement, Jim."

The workmen are grateful for the save. After all, they usually had the help of the Thing to lug this stuff. At this point, they weren't together anymore. In a nice little moment, a kid the Surfer saved asks him to autograph his skateboard. The Surfer does so.

The Surfer comes to check on Alicia. At this time, Norrin and the blind sculptor were romantically involved. Makes a bizarre bit of sense. She helped convince him to turn against Galactus in the first place. Over at the Daily Bugle, two reporters discuss the Thing and Alicia's former romance, and the FF being celebrities. One of them is Alfie O'Mally, an ally of the Surfer at the time, I believe. He points out that the Fantastic Four may be famous, but they're also powerful beings. And as such, it's on the press to keep an eye on them, make sure they use that power to do good.

We the briefly visit the FF themselves. They have an invite to Alicia Masters' upcoming exhibit: Heroes of the Millenium. Johnny refuses to go, but Ben Grimm insists on doing so. High above the Big Apple, the Surfer does one of the things he's famous for: pondering.

He wonders what right he has to be happy considering his role in the destruction of the many worlds that would be used to feed the endless hunger of his former master. Later, we see Alicia preparing her exhibit. It's been a while since she had a major once, and she's understandably got some jitters.

Unknown to anyone, the Mole Man is a-plotting.

"ART MAKES ME ANGRY!"

The Surfer arrives. He takes on a human appearance to blend in, but Alicia convinces him to appear as his true self. The exhibit starts, and things seem to go well. There's even a nice little funny moment with the Thing and Norrin where Ben asks why he's not wearing a "monkey suit" (a term for a tuxedo, if you didn't know) and the confused Surfer answers that it's because it's not a monkey. That made me chuckle. The Mole Man is listening in on this, and he realizes there's some tensions between Ben Grimm and the Silver Surfer he can exploit. Remember, Alicia and Ben were together once. 

The Mole Man creates a wave of solid sound...somehow. Maybe he stole some of the tech from Klaw.

The wave causes Ben and Norrin to bump into each other. It seems like a fight will break out, but in a clever subversion, the two realize someone is trying to make them brawl. So, they decide to pull a little psychological warfare.

The two have a fake brawl, which helps them find the Mole Man. The two aren't able to catch him, but the villain has a plan B. They hear a rumbling from the gallery where Alicia is holding her exhibition. 

The other heroes in attendance (The Avengers and the Fantastic Four) work to get civilians to safety. The Surfer and the Thing race to get Alicia to safety when some rubble threatens to fall on her. However, she's saved thanks to a special suit of armor.

Alicia's armor was designed by Lady Gaga.

She got this suit of armor thanks to a past adventure with the Surfer in a place called the Macroverse. She ended up losing the suit in Silver Surfer #146 (November 1998). At least, she thought she did. The heroes try to figure out why Mole Man is behind this, but Alfie O'Mally alerts them to a sewage treatment plant disappearing into the Hudson River. Norrin, Ben, and Alicia fly off to check it out, as this is odd behavior for the long-time supervillain. 

Norrin and Ben arrive first. They discover that the plant is covered by a protective forcefield. The FF arrive, and they learn why the Mole Man is after the plant. He needs it to help the Moloids. They've been sickened thanks to the pollution of the surface world, and he needs the treatment plant to help them. Reed points out that if the Mole Man asked, they would have helped him. But the Mole Man claims that there was too little time. He makes off with it, but the heroes spot another crisis: A meteor is coming down. And it's going to turn Midtown into a pancake.

Norrin convinces the heroes to let him try and stop it. Norrin rushes towards the meteor, hoping to hit it at the correct speed and angle to deflect it to a safer landing spot. He succeeds, but the impact knocks him off his board and into a loop.

"...ow."

Yeah, Norrin got knocked the eff out.

The meteor then pops up out of the water, revealing that it was no ordinary piece of rock. 

"AAAAAAGH! I'M ON FIRRRRRE!"

The meteor was actually a ship. The sole occupant is mortally wounded. They die in Norrin's arms, trying to warn them that something is coming, but unable to say exactly who. The heroes are left confused, but it's not hard to figure out who exactly it is. Galactus finishes feeding on a world, but he still hungers. He calls in his new herald, a bring called Red Shift, to find another world for him to eat.

"I need more planets...to GET IN MAH BELLEH!"

I enjoyed this comic. It's basically just a bit of setup, but that's fine. Got to set the stage before telling the story after all. My favorite scene is when Ben and Norrin trick the Mole Man by staging a brawl. Shows that Ben Grimm is more than just the muscle of the Fantastic Four. It's a nice little surprisingly human story here. Jon J. Muth's art gives the story a bit of grit. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback Galactus the Devourer. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

Infinity Gauntlet #1 (July 1991)

The Infinity Gauntlet. On first glance, it's just a fancy glove. That's literally what it is. It's still considered one of the most powerful artifacts in the Marvel Universe. But not because of the glove itself. The actual glove...is just a holder. When one places six stones called Infinity Gems on the glove, it gives the wielder the power to be...well, for lack of a better term, be God.

The Infinity Gauntlet is mostly associated with Thanos. Created by Jim Starlin, Thanos first appeared in Iron Man #22 (February 1973). A native of the Saturnian moon Titan, Thanos was born with an...odd physical appearance. He became fascinated with nihilism and developed an obsession with Mistress Death, the physical embodiment of...well, death. This led him to become one of the greatest threats to the Marvel Universe, as he will do anything to win her heart, even destroy half the universe.

In recent years, Thanos has gained a much higher profile thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After appearing in a mid-credits scene in the 2012 film The Avengers (Avengers Assemble to my UK readers), Thanos had been established as the Big Bad of the MCU at that point, the ultimate threat the MCU has been building towards for the next six years, culminating in his finally arriving to raise hell in Avengers: Infinity War, and its sequel due out next year. Much like in the comics, the Mad Titan is proving to be the greatest threat the heroes of the MCU have ever faced. So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Infinity Gauntlet #1!

The cover is AWESOME. But then again, it's a Perez piece, so of course it will be awesome. Seriously, I doubt that man could draw badly even if he wanted to. What I love is the way the shining of the Gems on the Infinity Gauntlet help create various "slivers" that show various characters that appear in the book. It's an awesome effect. Thanos himself is right in the center, which is where he should be. He's the "star" of this book, as it were. It's a great cover, and I love it so much.

"God"
Writer: Jim Starlin
Penciler: George Perez
Inkers: Josef Rubinstein, Tom Christopher
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Colorists: Max Scheele, Ian Laughlin
Editor: Craig Anderson
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a barren world, the only sign of life being two pairs of footsteps. There are text panels, the words in them are of someone kissing up to someone else. The two footsteps lead to Thanos and Mephisto, observing the word "GOD" seemingly carved out of giant rocks.

I had to go to Google to get this image, as my tablet scanner HATES double-page spreads and threatened to murder me if I tried to make it scan one ever again. Mephisto is kissing up to the Titanian madman, asking how he may serve. Thanos basically tells him to shut up. Heh heh, shut up, Mephisto. He then says the time as come, as he casually destroys the construct. He will no longer be denied his rightful place in the cosmos. He's coming for the universe.

The scene shifts to the Sanctum Santorum in New York City. Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, is contemplating the universe. He then has some dinner, while reading a medical journal about some people in the catskills going crazy all of a sudden. He and Wong hear a thump on the roof. Two of Strange's allies at the time, Rintrah (A green-furred Minotaur-like being), and Imei are out shopping, so it can't be them. Strange grabs his Cloak of Levitation and prepares to leap into action, but what he finds is not a threat.

It's the Silver Surfer, and he looks like he went ten rounds with the Champion of the Universe and lost badly. He is moaning that he has to see Strange. Strange and Wong quickly get him on a couch. The weakened Surfer says he's got to warn Strange that Thanos is coming. However, the thing is...Thanos is dead. He was turned to stone during the events of Avengers Annual #7 (1977) and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977). But he is dead no longer.

Mistress Death had gotten the idea that there were too many people that were alive. She felt it was creating some kind of cosmic imbalance between life and death. Sound familiar, MCU fans? So, in order to restore the "balance", she resurrected Thanos and made him much more powerful. This happened in Silver Surfer #34 (February 1990). She has also given Thanos a mission: Slaughter half the sentient life in the universe. Again, sound familiar, MCU fans?

Back on the planetoid, Thanos contemplates what to do with all this power that is now in his hands. After all, he can now do pretty much anything. The answer hits him like a lightning bolt: He can do whatever he wants. As such, he blows up the planet. He looks around at the pieces drifting through space. anything he dislikes, he can just reverse. Thanos is supreme. Thanos is God.

Surfer then recaps the 1990 two-issue miniseries Thanos Quest, which basically was about Thanos obtaining the Infinity Gems from the various cosmic beings who held them at the time. He had convinced Mistress Death that to do the task she had imparted on him, he needed the Gems. Hence, the Thanos Quest storyline.

Now that he's got the Gems in his gauntlet, he is now essentially...God. He is now even more powerful than Mistress Death herself. We're all gonna die. And then the scene shifts again, to a narrator in shadow. He blows some smoke rings and talks about a group of "Grade-A Losers".

Meet Jake Miller, Ralph Bunker, and Bambi Long. Three criminals on the run. Miller had just robbed a liquor store and shot the shopkeeper. Bunker is clearly the smart one in the bunch, as he yells at Miller for spending the day at a bar instead of fleeing. Long thinks that "Fats" needs to relax and enjoy life. The three enter a car and drive out on the back roads, Miller claiming he knows them like the back of his hand. Mr. Miller overestimated his knowledge of the roads, as he ends up driving the car off a curve and over a cliff at 65 MPH. Farewell, Jake, Ralph, and Bambi. They would have more importance to the universe in death than this trio ever did in life.

Back at the Sanctum Sanctorum, Silver Surfer recalls a battle he and Drax the Destroyer had with Thanos before the events of this story. The battle ended with Thanos using the Soul Gem to rip Surfer and Drax's spirits out of their bodies. The two then found themselves in Soulworld, a world inside of the Soul Gem. I think this was in Silver Surfer #46-47 (February-March 1991). There were others inside the Gem as well, including Gamora and Adam Warlock. Warlock had become sort of a spiritual leader of the area, and he was able to bring the Destroyer and the Sentinel of the Spaceways back to reality.

It turns out that Surfer was made aware of what Thanos was up to by Mephisto. Evidently, the embodiment of evil is running his own agenda. Surfer raced to Earth to warn Strange, but got caught up in some adventures on the way. Mephisto himself is back with Thanos, being awed at his natural ability to handle the power at his hands. The two arrive at the home of Mistress Death. Thanos throws on the charm, asking her to forgive him for his duplicity when it came to obtaining the Gems. But she's like, "Whatever", and walks away.

Yeah, this is a regular thing throughout the miniseries. Thanos keeps trying to win Mistress Death's heart, and she's like "Nope". The Titanian Tyrant really needs to get it through his thick purple head that she's not into him.

Back at the car crash site, three small points of light come down from the sky and enter the bodies of the three dead criminals. The new owner of Ralph Bunker's body is horrified by its condition, as it's been thoroughly burned and fried. However, the new owner of Jake Miller's body reassures him it won't be that way forever. You see, the powers of  "Jake Miller" are healing the bodies...and changing them to fit their needs, but it'll take some time. The three climb out of the gorge and find a hotel. Since "Jake" is the least damaged, he'll go in and get them a room. "Ralph" notes that "Bambi" is looking...a little green. Literally.

Hmm, I wonder why she's turning green...

The scene then shifts to Mephisto, who is doing his best Macbeth impression. Alas, poor Yorick and all that. The devilish being is contemplating the sheer power in Thanos's hands now. He notes that despite this, Thanos is still a mortal being with mortal needs. And one need he has now is for the love of Mistress Death.

Thanos is pleading for Mistress Death's love and forgiveness, but she...isn't into it. Her spokes-zombie...yes, Mistress Death has a spokes-zombie. The spokes-zombie explains that because he's essentially become a slave to his love for her...and Mistress Death wants an equal, not a sycophant. Thanos roars that his love for her his worship, that he revers Death. Shrines should be built in her honor. As such, he decides to do so.

The shrine is massive, with Death's human and skeletal faces, big shiny bird heads, skulls upon skulls, and big torches belching out massive flames. As a final finishing touch, Thanos creates two golden thrones for him and Death to sit on together. Their domain will be the universe, and together, they will build a new future, where they determine who is worthy of living...or dying. Death just scowls and turns away. Mephisto suggests that Thanos needs to prove how far he'll go to win Death's heart. Thanos is furious at this. He killed his own mother. He has killed lots of people. What more does he have to do? Mephisto basically says to him, "Man, I know you're worthy of her, but I'm not the one you need to prove it to." Thanos agrees, and shows some proof.

Meet Nebula, space pirate, and self-proclaimed granddaughter of Thanos. He had not taken kindly to the claim, and thus used the Infinity Gems to turn her into this zombie-like creature, nearly mindless and in constant agony. But Death is not impressed, infuriating Thanos. Death's spokes-zombie explains that she thinks he has a big mouth, and his bravado is disgusting. Thanos angrily blows up the spokes-zombie. Great idea, Thanos. Win the girl over by blowing up one of her employees. And even worse, the spokes-zombie was just doing his job. Way to blow up the messenger, dude.

He demands that Mistress Death address him directly. Mephisto suggests that he do what Mistress Death brought him back to the world of the living for. Remember, eliminating half the life in all the universe was Mistress Death's idea, and she brought back Thanos to do that. Thanos thinks that the devilish being may have a point. He's been goofing around, reveling in his power. He marches up to the edge of the temple, Mephisto realizing he's really gong to do it. The Mad Titan is not all talk. And with that, Thanos snaps his fingers.

In New York City, Spider-Man is having a rather good night. He's caught some muggers, so he's ready to head home. He feels a weird burst of vertigo, which forces the Wall-Crawler to land on a building. His Spider-Sense goes nuts, giving him a heck of a headache. He looks down at Times Square, crowded even late a night. And to the Webhead's horror...half the people vanish. Just...vanish. No burst of light, no storm, no warning. Just...disappear. Spider-Man is left utterly confused. What just happened here? What could have caused this? Where did the missing people go? And is it happening elsewhere? He panics and web-swings away, screaming for Mary Jane.

At Avengers Mansion, Captain America is returning from a mission. He encounters Sersi (who was on the Avengers at the time), and Hawkeye, who was visiting from the West Coast. However, the happy moment would end sadly. In front of the shocked eyes of the Sentinel of Liberty, Hawkeye and Sersi vanished. Cap feels a strange terror. Something really bad is coming.

On the SHIELD Helicarrier, Nick Fury Sr. and Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine are discussing the disappearances. Half of Fury's SHIELD crew had vanished as well. SHIELD's Psi-Division (yeah, they have a bunch of psychics working for them. It's the Marvel Universe) has been unable to peg the reason for the vanishings. Fury has a bad feeling about this.

In a bar, a television reports that the disappearances are not just people. Animals are vanishing, too. Cattle farmers are reporting that half their herds are gone. A patron takes a drink and angrily tosses the mug at the TV, scaring the bartender.

The Hulk is in a fighting mood. The disappearances have not just hit Earth. On the Throneworld of the Skrulls, Empress S'Byll of the Skrull Empire is told that half the Skrulls in the universe are gone. Naturally, they decide, "Yup, we're gonna fight the Kree again". Yeah, the Skrulls and the Kree are ancient enemies. They do not get along, and they gladly look for any excuse to fight each other.

Strange is hit by the vanishings too, as Wong vanishes before his eyes. The Surfer collapses in lament. He can feel the confusion, fear, and horror...and it's too much for even such a mighty being as the wielder of the Power Cosmic.

On Titan, the Avenger known as Starfox (no, he was not named after the video game. He's also Thanos's brother) had brought the being called Firelord to Titan to get his help against Thanos. With them is Drax the Destroyer (who at the time, was basically a bigger, dumber version of the Hulk due to brain damage from resurrection), and Mentor, the leader of the Titanian people. Mentor greets Starlord, only to vanish. An enraged Drax tries to crush Firelord's skull, demanding to know what he did to Mentor. Starfox and Firelord are able to calm him down and convince him of Firelord's innocence.

The Titanian's resident supercomputer ISAAC (misspelled as "Issac" in the book) reports that half of the people of  Titan have mysteriously vanished, and there's no explanation. Firelord, Drax, and Starfox, though? They know in their hearts who the perpetrator was. They know it's the Mad Titan himself.

Back at the hotel, "Ralph Bunker" and "Bambi Long" are relaxing and getting comfortable while their bodies have started to change into new forms. Yup, they got new owners. "Ralph Bunker" is actually Pip the Troll, whose original body was destroyed previously. "Bambi Long" is sewing a new costume for herself, as she is slowly changing back into Gamora. Pip is rather happy to be back among the living. There's a lot of drinking, gambling, cigar-smoking, and womanizing he has to catch up on. Gamora jokes that he also has a lot of annoying people to catch up on as she vanishes too, much to Pip's horror. He races into the next room, where "Jake Miller" is. Pip screams he's got to do something. The story ends with Pip groaning that "Miller" is going to be a fat load of help now, as he is in a cocoon.

The new owner of Jake Miller's body? One Adam Warlock, Earth-created artificial man-turned-cosmic adventurer...and perhaps the universe's one hope against the threat of Thanos.

This issue is awesome. It fantastically sets up a big epic, cosmic event. We see that it doesn't just affect Earth, it affects the whole universe. We see Thanos reveling in his newfound power, all his quest for the heart of Death herself. It also shows that Thanos is a bit of a thick moron when it comes to Mistress Death. She ain't into him, but he refuses to get it. Yeah, I like the MCU take on him better for motivation.

As for the art, well...there's a reason why people refer to George Perez as "The Master". Who better than Perez for a big cosmic event like this with tons of characters and crazy visuals? It's a real shame that Perez was not able to draw the whole mini-series. At the time, he was also writing and drawing War of the Gods over at DC, a big storyline that was celebrating Wonder Woman's 50th Anniversary. War of the Gods was a stressful project for him, as he not only had to deal with editorial interference, but also he felt that DC was not really doing anything to celebrate the Amazing Amazon's big anniversary.

It was a rough time for him, and as a result, he was unable to finish the mini-series, and Ron Lim took over the series partway with issue #4 and fully with #5. It is really sad, because if any artist had shown they could do big cosmic epics like this, it's Perez. I wish he was able to finish this. Also, at the time, Perez drawing Marvel characters was a real treat, as he was predominantly associated with DC at this point thanks to his work on New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman, and Wonder Woman. It's sad things were so rough for him at the time. Still, it's amazing work.

Don't forget to check out my last comic review: DC Comics Presents Annual #3! And next time, we return to the DC Universe, as we look at the debut of the universe's Greatest Escape Artist...

Silver Surfer #54 (Early September 1991)

The Silver Surfer. The silver-skinned sentinel of the spaceways. Once an astronomer named Norrin Radd, his life would be changed forever when the Eater of Worlds, Galactus, came to his homeworld of Zenn-La. He saved his world by agreeing to be the world-eater's herald. With that, Galactus granted him some of his Power Cosmic, transforming him into a silver-skinned surfer with vast cosmic power.

Co-created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and debuting in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the Surfer would go on to be one of Lee's favorite co-creations. He would write his first solo series in 1968, which became regarded as one of Lee's best and introspective works. The solo would end after 18 issues, but the Surfer would continue to appear in various adventures, even being a former member of the Defenders. His second series, which this comic is from, launched in 1987, and went on to last for almost 150 issues, ending in 1998.

This series would get itself a bit of a boost in 1991, as issues #51-59 tied into the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. Those comics are collected in the Silver Surfer Epic Collection The Infinity Gauntlet. I got the scans from that trade. I love the Epic Collection line. I'm trying to get as many as I can.

The cover is a bit basic, but it's well-drawn. It's basically the Silver Surfer fighting the Rhino. It's pretty much exactly what happens in this comic. A simple cover for a simple story. Rather appropriate.

"Cages"
Writer: Ron Marz
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Tom Christopher
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Tom Vincent
Editor: Craig Anderson
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Doctor Strange telling a group of other superheroes, including Richard Rider in his "Kid Nova" gear, that they have a bit of a problem.

Evidently, the Hulk, being the Hulk, has decided he wants nothing to do with helping the other heroes because he's angry at the Avengers. He's the Hulk, being angry is his thing. I knew it was a tie-in with Infinity Gauntlet, so I grabbed my trade of it so I could figure out when exactly this issue took place. And from what I could tell, it took place during Infinity Gauntlet #3. Sorry about the tangent, just trying to get the continuity straight. Back to the story!

Unnoticed by the other heroes, the Silver Surfer walks away quietly, thinking about how this is a bad omen. He also thinks about when he thought he had killed Thanos back in Silver Surfer #38, but it turned out be a ruse by the Mad Titan.

I like the touch of the Surfer glancing at a picture of the original Avengers.

He considers that maybe if he had actually killed Thanos, this whole crisis could have been averted. The Surfer has long considered himself a "champion of life", as he liked to put it and he did feel shame when he thought that Thanos had died by his hand. However, he wonders if maybe he was justified when he thought he had killed the Mad Titan. His thoughts then turn to the current crisis, and he realizes he's going to need a clear head to deal with Thanos becoming a god.

As such, he decides to take a flight on his surfboard. He flies around over New York City, and the Surfer isn't too fond of the city. He thinks of it as an "ugly growth of concrete and steel", but his flight takes him to Central Park. The former Norrin Radd thinks here would be a fine place to think, as he's found peace and calm in nature in the past.

Silver Surfer looks at a fallen tree, and thinks about how Thanos was able to wreak such destruction so casually. He then looks at a mourning man and realizes that as much as the park was destroyed...the human cost was even worse. In an attempt to impress Death, Thanos casually killed half the population of the universe. It let to trillions of deaths on Earth. Surfer decides for now that even though he can't heal the motional wounds, he may be able to help repair the park a little bit. In the process, he amusingly encounters a penguin.

The penguin just looks at the Surfer and waddles away, Surfer remarking that he's not very familiar with all of Earth's creatures. You'd think that in the time he's spent on Earth thanks to Galactus's exile and his time with the Defenders, somebody would have told him about penguins. Although to be fair, it probably just never came up. Surfer vows to learn more about life on Earth, thinking maybe after the crisis, Doctor Strange could help with that. He heard a scream about animals on the loose. A man runs by him, screaming at everyone to save themselves. The Surfer wonders what has got the man all freaked out, and then he sees a tiger.

The Surfer may not be completely knowledgeable about Earth's fauna, but he does have the idea that a tiger should not be allowed to roam free in a city full of people. He investigates and finds a tiger enclosure. The Surfer realizes that he's at a zoo. Yes, Central Park does have a zoo. Interestingly, the Surfer remarks that back on his native Zenn-La, zoos had been abolished. He then realizes that the animals in their holding pens were deliberately set free. It's not long until he finds the perpetrator.

Yup, it's the Rhino, mainly known as a part of the Amazing Spider-Man's rogues gallery, although he has also occasionally tangled with the Incredible Hulk. The Surfer sees Rhino unlocking a tiger cage, and demands to know what he is doing. Rhino explains that he's doing so because the end of the world is coming. He's been locked up quite a few times in his life, and he wanted to give the animals a bit of freedom before the end hits. Surfer tries to explain that the universe is in danger, but there are heroes gathering to stop the danger and save the world. He asks for Rhino's help in getting the animals back, but Rhino decides basically turns down the offer in his classic manner.

Yup, Mighty Punch to the Surfer's silver-sheened jaw. Surfer tries to avoid a fight, but Rhino would rather throw punches. Surer tries to explain that he's a being with cosmic power, whereas Rhino is just a very tough guy with a very tough suit. The Rhino does not care, and shows the Surfer one thing.

Even a being armed with the Power Cosmic and able to surf the spaceways without suffering any of the negative exposure to the vacuum is not immune to getting speared into a lake. As a fan of wrestling, I had Joey Styles screaming "OH MY GOD!" in my head when I read this.

Rhino and the Surfer tussle in a lake, and the big villain tries to strangle/drown the Surfer. However, that doesn't work. You see, the Silver Surfer doesn't need to breathe. And he makes that clear to Rhino.

You would think at this point, the Rhino would consider that maybe he's punching way above his weight class with this one. But the big lug doesn't seem to get it. Surfer warns him he'll only get hurt if he keeps trying to fight him, but Rhino does not care. He's going to gore the Surfer good and show him those horns he wears aren't fancy decorations.

I love this cluster of panels. They really give an idea of the Rhino charging closer and closer to the Surfer, the Rhino's rage and intent, and Surfer's lack of fear over this as...well, he's faced threats that would turn the Rhino's suit white with fear. The Surfer shows his power by easily stopping the villain.

One hand. Just one hand. That's all it took to stop the Rhino, a villain who has tangled with The Hulk. The Surfer is fed up with Rhino's antics, and decides to give him a Power Cosmic-charged Mighty Punch to the face. However, the Rhino's jaw is saved by the sound of a gunshot. The two decide to check it out, and Rhino is shocked by what he sees.

A policeman had seen a tiger running around, and shot it in a panic. The Rhino is furious and wants to beat the officer to a pulp. The Surfer stops him from doing so, saying that this was Rhino's fault. His foolhardiness led to the tiger getting shot. He stated his desire to free the animals led to them getting endangered, as he just let them loose in a place that was not meant for them. However, the zoo's pens were meant and designed for them, a place where they could be safe.

Rhino kneels over the injured tiger in remorse, saying he didn't mean for this to happen. He just didn't want them to spend the end of the world in a cage. The Surfer does agree that they do deserve to be free, but that isn't meant to be here. They need to be somewhere safe. They need to be back in their pens. Using the Power Cosmic, the Surfer heals the injured tiger, and asks the Rhino to help him repair the damage he did to the zoo. The Rhino reluctantly agrees.

The Rhino helps repair the damage he caused without incident, but he still feels what he's doing isn't right. He feels that there was no point to all this as Thanos is bringing the world to an end. Surfer tries to reassure him that Thanos will bring about his own downfall and the world will be saved. He suggests that Rhino join the heroes, as his strength would be a help against Thanos, and considering much of the superhero community are among the people whom Thanos has made vanish. Rhino turns it down, saying he'll keep an eye on things in the city.

The Surfer understands, and heads out. He hopes that he and the Rhino meet again under better circumstances, but they both think they doubt that. The Surfer returns to the heroes' gathering area, feeling renewed, only to hear a new voice.

Yup, it's the Hulk. Evidently, while the Surfer was having his little donnybrook with the Rhino, the Hulk had changed his mind and decided to help the heroes battle Thanos.

This was a good issue. I had to admit, I was left a little confused as to how this brawl with the Rhino helped clear the Surfer's mind. It's not a bad issue, though. It's was nice seeing another, more empathetic side of the Rhino. One can understand his actions, and the good intention behind them. He believed the world was doomed, and he just wanted to give some animals one last taste of freedom before the end. Maybe that's what did it.

I like to think that the Surfer convincing the Rhino to help him repair the zoo and put the animal back in their cages was his way to trying to being some optimism to the Rhino, trying to reassure him the world will not end, and the heroes will triumph in the end. That, and letting a bunch of wild animals loose in a city that is already freaking out over half its citizens vanishing is not the best of ideas. I have no complaints about Ron Lim's art, it's great work. 

I also have one other complaint about this comic, but it's not one you can really hold against this story. From what I figured, this comic takes place during Infinity Gauntlet #3, but there's a bit of a continuity mishap. You see, this comic states that Hulk had changed his mind and arrived at Avengers HQ before the Surfer returned from his adventure with the Rhino. But in the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries itself...

Silver Surfer is shown to be in the room when Hulk does arrive. I don't know if it was an art goof, or there was some miscommunication between Jim Starlin (who wrote the main IG mini) and Ron Marz, but it's something I noticed and wanted to point out. It's not a strike against Silver Surfer #54 at all, it's still a good comic. And I just wanted to show a panel drawn by George Perez. Who doesn't love George Perez art on things?

Next time, we're going to the DC Universe, as the Flash battles the new Doctor Alchemy...