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Quote1 Galactus and I have fought before. Perhaps it is our destiny to engage in a conflict without end. His is the greatest power by far. But he fights for himself alone. I seek to save a world. Quote2
Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)

Appearing in "Parable"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Elyna Candell (First appearance)

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Shalla-Bal (Only in flashback)

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Parable"

Brief Summary:
Galactus returns to Earth, creating a wave of panic over the planet. He promises to bring humanity a new era with him as their god. He grants them freedom from all man-made laws, thus creating mass anarchy. The Silver Surfer confronts Galactus and demands him to honor his past pledge and stop harming the humans. Galactus states that he has done nothing and that the humans are to blame for this chaos. The Surfer tries to reason with the people of Earth, but they lash out at him in anger for his disrespect of their new god. Galactus also joins in on attacking the Silver Surfer.

Silver Surfer Vol 4 1 page 1

Detailed Summary:
An unidentified object is seen plummeting to Earth. The object is an enormous space ship, large enough for giants, and its appearance causes mass hysteria across the planet. The Silver Surfer sits amidst all the chaos, disguised as a vagrant and pining for his past life on Zenn-La. The police aggressively interrupt his daydreaming, but are distracted when the giant space ship lands within the city.

Out from the space ship comes Galactus. He promises to bring a new era by being their new god. All wars and violence comes to a halt and a new religion springs up for Galactus. Colton and Elyna watch these events unfold and Colton is determined to profit from the religious fervor around the giant alien. Galactus announces that he has come to set all free, free from guilt and man-made laws. This announcement creates a wave of anarchy through the city.

The Silver Surfer confronts Colton and warns him not to use Galactus' false promises to take advantage of the people. He ignores him, dismissing him as a common vagrant, but Elyna is curious about the Surfer's courage to stand up against the majority. She pleads for him to not confront Galactus, but the Surfer insists on risking his life to save this world.

The Silver Surfer asks why Galactus has broken his pledge to not harm Earth. Galactus states that he has come in peace and that the humans are the ones harming themselves. He is merely letting them destroy each other. The Surfer pleads to the humans to not listen to Galactus' words, but the crowds grow hostile to his lecturing. They lash out at him and try to shoot him from the sky. Galactus joins in the hostilities towards the Surfer, blasting buildings as he attempts to destroy his former herald.

Notes

  • While the people of Earth-7888 do not remember, this isn't the first time Galactus has been on Earth. Back when the Silver Surfer was Galactus' herald, the two fought over whether or not the Earth should be consumed by the world-eater. Galactus eventually spared the Earth, but before he left he erased everyone's memory of his visit. [1]
  • During their first visit to Earth-7888, the Silver Surfer agreed to stay on as Galactus' herald if he spared Earth and did not consume it. At some point, the Silver Surfer must have left Galactus and went into hiding on Earth. [1]

Trivia

  • While European comics are generally printed in specialized formats, Moebius requested that this Silver Surfer project be first published in the regular 4-color comic book format. He was so pleased at how well his previous illustrations were printed in Marvel Age Vol 1 55, that he wanted this new work to also be presented in a regular American comic book. His art was then re-done in full-process color when the story was collected into a hardcover edition. [2]
  • Stan Lee has cited this comic as being his most favorite Silver Surfer story that he has ever written. [3]
  • In the 1995 film Crimson Tide, there is an argument over who is the best Silver Surfer artist: Jack Kirby or Moebius. [4]
  • As reported by Marvel: this issue was the sixth best-selling direct sales title for the publisher during the month that it was released. [5]

See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Fireside Book Series #11
  2. Marvel Age #71
  3. Silver Surfer - Comic Origin Pt. 2 YouTube. Retrieved on 23 March 2018.
  4. Crimson Tide (film) Wikipedia. Retrieved on 21 Sep 2021.
  5. Marvel Age #73
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