University of Panels

23: Silver Surfer

(Norrin Radd)

 

I'm going mainly by the original 18-issue series written by Stan Lee in the 60's as those are the only Silver Surfer stories that I've actually read. Neverless, Silver Surfer truly is a tragic figure. Originally from the planet Zen-La, Norrin Radd's homeworld nearly faced annihalation at the hands of the world devourer known only as Galactus. Desperate to save his people, Norrin sacraficed life on Zen-La with his girlfriend in exchange for serivng as Galactus's herald, scouting the cosmos for other planets for his master to consume. He was then coated in a silver substance that gave him near infinite access to the powers of the Cosmos, and board that would allow him to explore the deepest regions of space. Things changed however when Galactus targeted Earth, and the Surfer betrayed his master after bonding with the human race. As punishment, Galactus formed an invisible barrier around Earth, preventing the Surfer from transpiring the cosmos. 

 

What drew me to the Surfer's character was how despite him attempting to coexist among the human race, he was feared and despised because of his alien nature, causing him to understand humanity's savage and violent nature. This was a rare message for comics at the time, and it was interesting to see the Surfer attempt to connect with humanity, but often fail because mankind is unwilling to let go of it's inner animal. He is a hero that acknowledges that humans are savage and cruel, but will not give up on trying to protect them as we have the potential to do good over evil.