Books : Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos (Fantastic Four)

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Finally this is collected in a trade!!
The silver Surfer issues collected in this trade were some of the first comics I ever read.
And some of the BEST I have ever read.
Some writers cannot get the aspect of cosmic comics done right.
But Starlin is clearly the right guy for the job.

The art and writing are perfect in this book!
A true GEM for true fans of the Silver Surfer and Thanos alike!
You cannot get a better point of view into Thanos mind than these issues. which is also a good trade to have next to your Starlin Thanos Volume 1 trade

Rating:

- Gets the job done, at least
This trade features the earliest issues of what would eventually become Marvel's Infinity Saga. Collecting Silver Surfer # 34 - 38, Thanos: Infinity Quest # 1 - 2, and a back-up story from Logan's Run # 6, REBIRTH OF THANOS tells the story of Thanos' return to life in order to do the bidding of his true love, Death. He must gather several gems that will aid him in eliminating half of the universe's population at Death's request. The Silver Surfer, with help from Drax the Destroyer, the Impossible Man, the Titans, and others must see to it that Thanos fails, and it certainly doesn't look to be easy. As a set-up for INFINITY GAUNTLET, the basic story serves its purpose, but there's an issue that really bugs me: Death requires Thanos to eliminate half of the universe's inhabitants due to some cosmic imbalance. It seems that some civilizations are either becoming too technologically advanced, or have no natural predators, to the point that the universe could potentially become... crowded(?). So the boundless, limitless universe is becoming over-populated and can't handle the strain? Hmm... for all the cosmic storylines Jim Starlin has written, this has to be the worst premise I've ever heard from him. Better to have Thanos just be his usual villainous self, than to try to couch his objective as a sociological issue within cosmic terms.

Anyway, as far as the story quality goes, it could have been much better. In fact, I would have demanded a rewrite of entire sections. For example, one issue consists almost entirely of the Impossible Man's crazy antics as he gives the Surfer a pep-talk for his upcoming battle with Thanos. This issue is pure filler, packed with stupid jokes and annoying repetitive behavior that is straight out of vaudeville. Best to have left this issue out. And as far as Thanos' actual quest for the Infinity Gems: who would have thought it would be so easy to defeat big-league galactic-scale characters such as the In-Betweener, Champion, the Gardener, Grandmaster, and the Collector? It's hard to see how these guys got their reputations when Thanos wipes the floor with them, always staying one step ahead. The short bonus story from Logan's Run is a typical Thanos-Destroyer smackdown that was common fare during Starlin's run on Captain Marvel - nothing special, save for its historical context. As for Ron Lim's art, I have never been a big fan of his. It looks like a cross between George Perez and Michael Golden, but with none of the specific qualities that make those two artists so special. It does the job, and that's it. Flat, somewhat distorted, but it does get better in time for the Thanos Quest issues, looking more like Jim Starlin's classic pencils. In fact, I was quite impressed by the reality-bending graphics featured in that part of the story.

Overall, I wasn't impressed with the work in SILVER SURFER: REBIRTH OF THANOS, but it was good reading to get the background for THE INFINITY GAUNTLET. I'd say it's definitely worthwhile if you can get it at a discount.

Rating:

- Good Storyline, Appealing to Both Male & Female Surfer Fans
This is an amazing and almost fatiguing Silver Surfer adventure to read. Right off the bat we have sympathy for our hero: He hasn't slept for ages; yet, when he tries to take a nap, he immediately has a nightmare, which turns out to be real and engages him in a tiring quest to save billions of lives spanning the entire universe.

I found it interesting that Death is portrayed as a female in this story; I am glad the power of the feminine is not understated or underestimated in graphic novels.

Two endearing scenes in this tale add to the amazing sensitivity and compassion of the Silver Surfer character - the beautiful image of Surfer cradling the baby he saved from the volcano, and the gentlemanly way he reacts to She-Hulk clobbering him when she mistakes him for a bad guy intruder. (He is very polite and does not fight back. Not that he needs to since she obviously cannot do much damage to him. Still, his benign reaction to her assault is very nice.) Good job of appealing to female Surfer readers like myself.

One of my favorite recurring elements of the Silver Surfer saga also happens in this story: Additional powers are continually and conveniently revealed in his adventures - in this case, when our hero saves the Salarians. ("Good thing Galactus bestowed this useful power upon me; now I can save this entire planet.")

The only sequence I didn't like in this book was the encounter with the Impossible Man. I thought it was boring and was likely added as entirely useless filler to extend the story. But that is just my opinion. Some people might like the endless shapeshifting and pranks of the Impossible Man. I already think Silver Surfer has enough ability to understand humor, so I was puzzled as to why the need to develop more was stressed.

Overall, this is a great storyline; and I will enjoy reading this graphic novel again.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles, and fan of Silver Surfer

Rating:

- Witness the return of the destroyer of worlds!
I have been a fan of the Silver Surfer ever since I was a kid, and this collection of stories did not dissapoint. Collected in this edition are ten "golden-age" stories which truly capture the surfer at his freshest and best. Buy this if you appreciate the true art of comics. Peace.

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