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Flashback Friday: Silver Surfer: Riding the Cosmic Waves

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The Silver Surfer is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel who is capable of extraordinary feats. A Jack Kirby creation, he was introduced in The Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966) as a world-ending weapon. But before he was the herald of Galactus, he was Norrin Radd, a young scholar from the utopian planet Zenn-La.

When Galactus threatened to destroy the planet, Norrin negotiated with the cosmic being. He pledged to find other planets for Galactus to consume if the latter would spare Zenn-La and his lover Shalla-Bal. Agreeing to the proposal, Galactus gives him a fraction of the Power Cosmic, transforming him into the Silver Surfer.

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Imbued with the Power Cosmic, the Silver Surfer can absorb and manipulate the universe’s energy to create bolts of cosmic force so powerful they could destroy a planet, project force fields, and create black holes. He can travel through interstellar space and hyperspace, create interdimensional portals, see through time, and he’s telepathic.

Norrin had planned to take him to uninhabited planets, but Galactus manipulated his soul to prevent that from happening. After serving as Galactus’ herald for an unknown amount of time, Silver Surfer summoned him to Earth. The Silver Surfer’s perspective changed drastically after he met the Fantastic Four and Alicia Masters, and chose to help drive Galactus away. Before he was driven away, Galactus punished Silver Surfer by confining him to Earth under an invisible barrier.

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Now bound to Earth, Silver Surfer became a target for power hungry villains and an ally to some of the planet’s heroes. Doctor Doom attacked him in the hope of wielding the Power Cosmic and Mephisto sought to take his soul. He partnered with Hulk, Namor, and Doctor Strange as the original lineup of the Defenders.

Unhappy with being bound to Earth and affected by the energy-draining barrier, he worked with Reed Richards to break through. He returned to his home to learn that Galactus had ravaged the planet and Mephisto kidnapped Shalla-Bal, taking her to Earth. Silver Surfer defeated Mephisto and gave Shalla-Bal some of the Power Cosmic to rejuvenate Zenn-La.

Once he helped rescue Nova (Galactus’ current herald) from the Skrulls, the two made peace and Galactus lifted Silver Surfer’s exile.

CAPSTONE - STONE ARCH BOOKS
DC SUPER HERO FAIRY TALES AQUAMAN & RAPUNZEL PLOT
(W) Laurie S. Sutton (A) Agnes Garbowska
Aquaman's underwater kingdom is facing a medical threat. Luckily, a sea witch offers him a rare plant to fight the sickness in exchange for a hefty price. But the Sea King soon discovers she isn't just greedy. The old woman has locked the true crop owner in an enchanted coral tower! What's worse, the trapped mermaid thinks she's being protected not imprisoned, so her living seaweed hair is ready to fight off any stranger who climbs inside. Can the Atlantean hero partner with the coral captive to end the witch's fishy scheme?
In Shops: Feb 09, 2022
SRP: $6.95
PREVIEWS Page #274

DC COMICS
AQUAMAN BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS HC
(W) Geoff Johns (A) Pete Woods, Paul Pelletier, Jean-Claude St. Aubin, Geraldo Borges, Various Others (A/CA) Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Just in time for the big screen release of the Warner Bros. movie Aquaman, DC rush solicits the new AQUAMAN BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS hardcover! Collecting the entire run of Aquaman written by Geoff Johns, this 728-page hardcover includes AQUAMAN #0-19, #21-25, #23.1 (featuring Black Manta), #23.2 (featuring Ocean Master) and JUSTICE LEAGUE #15-17. These issues are illustrated by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Pete Woods, Paul Pelletier, Claude St. Aubin, Geraldo Borges and others, with a cover by Reis and Prado. As these stories begin, Aquaman has renounced the throne of Atlantis - until, from a forgotten corner of the ocean, emerges the threat of the Trench! Then, Aquaman joins up with his old teammates, The Others, to learn who destroyed Atlantis! But as they seek the truth, Black Manta is stalking them all-and Mera learns some dark truths about Aquaman! And in the "Throne of Atlantis" epic, Aquaman teams up with his Justice League comrades to defend the surface world from the invading Atlantean horde.
In Shops: Dec 12, 2018
SRP: $75.00

DC COMICS
AQUAMAN BY PETER DAVID TP BOOK 01
(W) Peter David (A) Kirk Jarvinen, Jim Calafiore, Casey Jones, Howard M. Shum (A/CA) Brad Vancata, Martin Egeland
Peter David's classic run on Aquaman begins in this volume collecting AQUAMAN: TIME AND TIDE #1-4 and AQUAMAN #0-8. From his abandonment on a reef to his upbringing by a dolphin to his first encounter with surface dwellers, these tales chronicle the origin and ascension of the mythic figure known as Aquaman.  
In Shops: Feb 07, 2018
SRP: $29.99
DC PREVIEWS Page #127

DC COMICS
AQUAMAN DEATH OF A PRINCE DLX ED HC
(W) Steve Skeates, David Michelinie, Paul Kupperberg, Gerry Conway, Paul Levitz, Martin Pasko (A) Mike Grell, Don Newton, Carl Potts, Juan Ortiz, Vince Colletta, Joe Rubinstein, Dick Giordano, John Celardo, Bob McLeod, Dave Hunt (A/CA) Jim Aparo
After being dethroned by his own people and sent into exile, Aquaman discovers a conspiracy in his kingdom, in this tale presented for the first time in hardcover. Rather than reclaim his birthright, he becomes a hero, but even Aquaman cannot escape tragedy as Black Manta kidnaps and kills his infant son! How Aquaman copes with these crushing blows comes to define him as the hero we know today. Collects stories from Adventure Comics #435-437, #441-455, and Aquaman #57-63.
In Shops: Jan 29, 2020
SRP: $39.99
DC PREVIEWS Page #85

DC COMICS
SHOWCASE PRESENTS AQUAMAN TP VOL 01
(W) Robert Bernstein, Jack E. Miller (A) Nick Cardy, Lee Elias, Ramona Fradon, Jim Mooney, Al Plastino, Kurt Schaffenberger, Charles Paris (CA) Howard Purcell, Sheldon Moldoff
Collecting classic tales of Aquaman from  ADVENTURE COMICS #260-280, 282 and 284 and more! Over 500 pages highlighting classic tales of Aquaman, featuring the debuts of Mera and Aqualad!
In Shops: Feb 14, 2007
SRP: $16.99
DC PREVIEWS Page #93

DC COMICS
AQUAMAN DEADLY WATERS DLX ED HC (RES)
A war has been brewing between the different colored Lantern Corps, with the Green Lanterns fighting the Yellow, the Red trying to destroy everything, and the Blue attempting to broker peace among the tribes. But the real battle is yet to come: the undead Black Lanterns are coming and seemingly nothing can stop them. Putting aside old vendettas, it's up to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps to lead DC's greatest champions as well as their deadliest foes in a battle to save the universe from an army of the dead. Then, once dead heroes Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Deadman, Jade, Osiris, Hawk, Captain Boomerang, and Zoom must discover the mysterious reason behind their return and uncover the secret that binds them!
This eye-popping box set includes 12 brand-new hardcovers that collect this entire epic, featuring stories by top DC talent including Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi, Ivan Reis, and many more!
Plus, this box set also includes a set of nine plastic rings from across the spectrum of the many Corps that are a part of this story!

Includes 12 new hardcover collections!
•  Blackest Night: Prelude collects Green Lantern #26-28 and 36-43, and Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1
•  Blackest Night collects Blackest Night #0-8 and pages from Untold Tales of the Blackest Night #1
•  Blackest Night: Green Lantern collects Green Lantern #44-52
•  Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps collects Green Lantern Corps #39-47
•  Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Book 1 collects Blackest Night: Batman #1-3, Blackest Night: Superman #1-3, and Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1-3
•  Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Book 2 collects Blackest Night: The Flash #1-3, Blackest Night: JSA #1-3, and Blackest Night: Titans #1-3
•  Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns collects The Atom & Hawkman #48, Phantom Stranger #42, Green Arrow #30, Adventure Comics #7, Starman #81, The Question #37, Catwoman #83, Weird Western Tales #71, and The Power of Shazam! #38
•  Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps collects Blackest Night: Tales of the Black Lanterns #1-3, Adventure Comics #4-5, Untold Tales of the Blackest Night #1, stories from Green Lantern #18-20, 40, and 49, Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps: Secret Files #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime #1, and pages from Blackest Night #0
•  Brightest Day: Green Lantern collects Green Lantern #53-62
•  Brightest Day Book 1 collects Brightest Day #0-11
•  Brightest Day Book 2 collects Brightest Day #12-25
•  The Book of the Black collects sketch material (both previously released and new), series proposals, variant covers, posters, Blackest Night outline scripts,
In Shops: Aug 12, 2020
SRP: $39.99

This article originally appeared in Gemstone Publishing’s e-newsletter Scoop.

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Amanda Sheriff is Gemstone Publishing’s Associate Editor, serving as the writer/editor of the e-newsletter, Scoop. She is the author of The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Movie PostersThe Overstreet Guide to Collecting Concert Posters, and The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Horror, and co-author of The Overstreet Price Guide to Star Wars Collectibles and The Overstreet Price Guide to Batman.

 

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