Dawn and Silver Surfer come full circle.
The success of the previous volume of Silver Surfer was almost entirely due to the creative partnership between writer Dan Slott, artist Michael Allred and colorist Laura Allred. If any one piece of that equation wasn’t still present for the relaunch, Marvel might have been better off shelving the character for a while. But the whole gang is back, and as a result Silver Surfer remains as colorful and appealing as ever.
Not that the previous volume was ever very hard to dive into, but Slott and company use this relaunch as a way of offering a clean gateway into the book. The issue opens as Norrin and Dawn return to Earth after a long absence and reconnect with Dawn’s family. That reunion becomes complicated when a group of aliens arrive and try to steal every last tidbit of art and pop culture from the planet. It’s a neat, lighthearted, high-concept premise that makes the series’ Doctor Who influences that much more obvious. There’s not a tremendous sense of danger to the conflict. The creators focus more on celebrating the power of art and story and cramming in as many fun cameos as possible (including nods to everything from The Matrix to Harry Potter to even Zardoz).
It’s a story that’s just the right size and scope for the single-issue format. The only disappointing element is that Slott doesn’t take the opportunity to explore how Norrin feels about Earth’s art and culture and how it’s shaped his often lonely existence. As is often the case with this run, Slott focuses more on Dawn than Norrin, and in this case that’s to the detriment of the book.
The best thing about the concept of this issue is that it allows the Allreds to embrace their whimsical and wacky side even more than usual. Early on, the clean, elegant line-work shines as they explore the happy reunion between Dawn and her family. And later, as pop culture icons begins coming to life and merging with strange aliens, the book takes on a very kinetic vibe. The previous Silver Surfer volume consistently ranked as one of Marvel’s best-looking comics, and it doesn’t appear that anything will be changing in that regard with this new series.
With the creative team staying the same, it should come as no surprise that the new volume of Silver Surfer is every bit as fun and entertaining as the last one. This issue offers a clean gateway into the franchise and a great showcase for Mike and Laura Allred’s art. The story misses some opportunity when it comes to fleshing out the title character, but it’s still an enjoyable read.
