Warning: Contains a preview for Silver Surfer: Rebirth #4
The latest issue of Silver Surfer: Rebirth pays homage to the long history of the character by showing five alternate versions of Silver Surfer, each inspired by one of the legendary artists who contributed to the iconic look of the Cosmic Wanderer throughout the years.
Silver Surfer: Rebirth is a limited series set in the Surfer's past when he was dealing with the dangerous artifact known as the Reality Gem, the most powerful of the Infinity Gems (which would be later renamed Infinity Stones). After the first assembly of the Gems into the Infinity Gauntlet, Adam Warlock decided to leave each of the artifacts in the custody of a member of his Infinity Watch, but he gave the Reality Gem in secret to his former enemy Thanos, believing that the powerful Mad Titan was the safest warden. However, someone was able to outsmart Thanos and steal the Gem, causing havoc in the universe. Reality is shattering, alternative timelines and dimensions are converging, leading to Silver Surfer, whose help Thanos enlisted to recover the Gem, meeting four different versions of himself. Marvel took this chance to give readers a glimpse into the character's past, as each version is drawn in the peculiar style of one famous artist.
Over his long publication history, Silver Surfer has been drawn by some of the greatest comic book artists of all time. Silver Surfer: Rebirth #4 is written by Ron Marz and drawn by Ron Lim, with colors by Don Ho. Lim penciled the Silver Surfer vol. 3 series for almost six years, giving Norrin Radd his iconic look of the early 90s. Lim decided to pay homage to some of the great artists who came before and after him, starting with Jack Kirby, who created the character with Stan Lee in 1966, for the legendary "Galactus Trilogy" in Fantastic Four. John Buscema drew the Surfer's first solo series, which lasted until 1970. Moebius (Jean Giraud) is a legendary French artist who, in 1988, authored with Stan Lee a two-issue miniseries called Silver Surfer: Parable, which won the Eisner Award for best limited series. Finally, Lim pays homage to Michael Allred, the artist who, together with Dan Slott, was responsible for the critically-acclaimed Silver Surfer's relaunch in 2014.
Despite being one of Marvel's most popular and recognizable characters, Silver Surfer has had few ongoing series over the years, with Ron Marz and Ron Lim's one being the longest. This meant that a limited number of artists worked on the character, making their designs more impactful and easily recognizable. Kirby's Surfer wears silver-colored underwear, a detail (most likely motivated by censorship) that Buscema retained, while making the character's shape more rounded and delicate, compared to Kirby's more squared anatomic depictions. Lim's own Surfer is a reflection of the superhero comics style of the 90s: he is tall, muscular, an imposing figure that fills the panel. Moebius' signature blend of psychedelic fantasy and surrealism inspired the aesthetic of modern sci-fi. His version of Surfer is very simple and linear by design, as the artist felt he had to step away from Kirby and Buscema. Finally, Michael Allred's style is influenced by pop art and 1950-1960s comic books, so his Surfer is a callback to Kirby's original design but also feels really modern and unique.
Silver Surfer: Rebirth is a nostalgic book that brings readers back to an earlier time for the character, starting from a classic creative team. The idea to pay homage to the artists who made the character one of the most iconic in the whole comic books industry is great: long-time fans of the Surfer will appreciate the references, and new readers can feel inspired to go check out these older stories. It is also a nice way to explain alternate versions of the same character, "as each was made by a different hand." Silver Surfer: Rebirth #4 will be available on April 27.
Source: AIPT Comics
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