You might also notice that many of the characters at the center of those books, give or take a Superior Spider-Man, have been failing to anchor the most compelling books in the Marvel line-up over the last few years. Characters like Kamala Khan and Matt Murdock helped to anchor books like Inhumans: Attilan Rising, which (to put it light as Black Bolt) needed an injection of compelling humanity. It's not coincidence, either, that Khan and Murdock, before the Battleworld relaunch, were holding down some of the greatest stories Marvel had put on the shelf in years. Kamala's encounters with the Inhuman Royal Family and Wolverine were hilarious and revitalizing to a relapsed reader, while Matt Murdock's journey into the lighter side of life was a wonderful pivot away from the angst and pain that came to define the character. Neither of those protagonists got their own Battleworld stories, and when the creators slated for the relaunches were announced, many breathed a sigh of relief that G. Willow Wilson got to stay on with Ms. Marvel, her greatest creation. Many others were dismayed at the loss of Mark Waid on Daredevil, and his run bears the marks of a creator who stuck a landing that came far too soon.
Given the tendency of Marvel to turn their post-Secret Wars titles into facsimiles of their television shows (shots fired, Charles Soule's Daredevil) or to lose track of a character completely (I come to bury Dan Slott in a pile of Amazing Spider-Man #2 before I praise him), I really am overjoyed to herald Silver Surfer #1 as a wonderful Marvel title that hasn't changed a bit since the Last Days issues a few months ago. The creative team of Slott and Michael and Laura Allred have come together to continue the cosmic adventures of Norrin Radd & his companion Dawn throughout time and space, and the results are just delightful. The book is more than a little inspired by the popularity of Doctor Who and other time-traveling buddy shows (I think of the better episodes of Sleepy Hollow) and the influence shows in the fun banter between our two heroes.
The team achieves a wonderful balance between making Norrin completely alien to our Earth, while also recognizing that he's visited many times. It helps the book avoid many "fish-out-of-water" tropes that could easily occupy valuable pages in a much-missed book like this. Instead, Slott & the Allreds make sure that Dawn's family back in Anchor Bay, once the book gets there, are funny and strange (and ultimately, real) enough to weird out anyone, former Herald to Galactus or not. The planned celebration for Dawn having missed so many important holidays and family moments, a "Happy New Hallow-Givings Birth-Mas" Party, is a chance for the Allreds to flex on what makes them so special as creatives: an insane eye for detail mixed with human emotion.
This first issue, unlike many All-New All-Different stories that have hit the ground running with a villain so non-threatening that you can feel the writers blustering (looking at you, All-New All-Different Avengers!), wisely devotes the story to establishing emotional stakes between Norrin and Dawn and how much their relationship has changed since they met back in 2013. Dawn is a companion to Norrin, but her presence in the book is such a grounding and necessary human force that the story would simply not function without her. On page 4, her gleeful greeting to her father and twin sister are literally given prominence of place over the Surfer's cosmic battles.
The villains of the issue, the Hordax, look and sound silly at first, but their plan is actually terrifying (they manage to steal most of the world's culture and history of fictional characters before Norrin and Dawn stop them), and the metatextual aspect of it all can't be ignored: Slott and the Allreds have to be terrified, on some level, that their creations will be taken over someday by another writer, be it human, Hordax, or otherwise. When it's revealed that the Hordax are only servants for a stronger master (who has also managed to enslave new Guardian of the Galaxy, Ben Grimm), you realize that the team here has baited-and-switched you on a legendary level: the Hordax weren't trying to steal human culture for kicks; they were doing a public service by preserving the years of stories we have come to love.
Marvel will continue to launch their post-Secret Wars books in the coming weeks and months, some with All-New creative teams and some holding steady with their successful creators. While it'll be easy to get lost in the hype of a universe redefining itself, I know for a fact that I'm relieved that one corner of that big galaxy hasn't changed a bit. Slott and the Allreds have done the impossible: they make going "anywhere and everywhere" feel just like coming home.
Buy It, Wait for Unlimited, or Skip It?: Buy It
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