NORRIN RADD: THE SILVER SURFER

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at the very first series starring Marvel’s alien from Zenn-La – Norrin Radd, called “the Silver Surfer” by the media. These are the Silver Surfer stories that Richard Gere talked about in the remake of Breathless (1983).

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #1 (August 1968)

Title: The Origin of the Silver Surfer

Villain: Galactus

NOTE: After his impressive debut in the Fantastic Four story in which he turned against his master Galactus the world-devourer in order to help save the Earth, the Silver Surfer kept rising in popularity as he guest-starred in other stories. Now he got his own series.

Synopsis: The Silver Surfer saves astronaut John Jameson from the Spider-Man series when his latest space flight goes wrong. A misunderstanding causes the military to attack our hero, who simply flies away rather than risk lives.

This latest reminder that he’ll always be an outsider here on Earth, where Galactus exiled him to after the Surfer turned against him causes him to reflect on his past. Flashbacks show us his life back on his home planet Zenn-La.

He and his beautiful romantic partner Shalla-Bal shared in the planet’s technological paradise. With no conflicts and no needs Norrin Radd hated how complacent and listless his people had become. All this leads up to him becoming Galactus’ herald to save Zenn-La from being fed upon by the Big G.

After an unknown amount of time and unknown number of planetary meals, the Surfer led Galactus to Earth but betrayed his “boss” for reasons I dealt with HERE. And so, with the origin of his powers and his exile on Earth explained, this 1st issue ends. 

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #2 (October 1968)

Title: When Lands the Saucer

Villains: The Badoon Race

Synopsis: While Norrin Radd continues to pine for his beloved Shalla-Bal, readers are shown that she is still pining for him back on Zenn-La. Back on Earth, the Silver Surfer defeats a scout ship of the Brotherhood of Badoon, an alien race of humanoid lizards who often conquer less advanced planets to enslave them.

Our hero outfights the incredibly futuristic spaceship AND the powerful Monster of Badoon, an android creation of the Badoon. The Badoon vessel decides to bypass Earth for now and move on to the next planet. They assume by the time their race’s search around the universe once again leads them to Earth, the distrustful Earthlings will probably have killed Norrin Radd themselves.

Comment: This was the very first appearance of the Badoon, who became one of the major antagonistic alien races in the Marvel Universe, along with the Kree, Skrulls, Z’Noxx and others. The Badoon would clash with the original Guardians of the Galaxy, the Defenders, the X-Men and Fantastic Four.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #3 (December 1968)

Title: The Power and the Prize

Villain: Mephisto (1st Marvel appearance)

NOTE: Yes, Mephisto is supposed to be the same Mephistopheles from Faust and other writings. A powerful demon, over time Mephisto came to be conflated with Satan in Marvel stories but was also frequently presented as an entirely separate entity.

Synopsis: The story starts out with shades of the traditional Faust story. As he was with Faust, Mephisto is resentful of Norrin Radd’s selflessness and nobility and wants to tempt and corrupt him out of spite.

To that end, Mephisto plucks Shalla-Bal from Zenn-La and appears with her before the Silver Surfer here on Earth. He tells her and Norrin Radd that they can be reunited as long as the Surfer yields his soul to Mephisto and obeys him in all things.

Naturally, our hero refuses, so Mephisto teleports himself and Shalla-Bal to his infernal domain, which is sometimes the actual Hell and sometimes his own separate hell-like domain in Marvel Comics. The villain is shocked that the Silver Surfer’s Power Cosmic even allows him to follow him to his fiery realm.

Mephisto and his army of demons attack Norrin but our hero is able to withstand all of them. Mephisto offers the Silver Surfer one last time to be reunited with his true love by surrendering his soul and free will to him.

Again, Norrin Radd refuses and Shalla-Bal tells him he is doing the right thing because of the vile things that one such as Mephisto would make him do. The defeated Mephisto teleports Shalla-Bal back to Zenn-La and the Surfer back to Earth. He relishes the torment he has caused both of them and vows to one day have Norrin Radd’s soul.   

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #4 (February 1969)

Title: The Good, the Bad and the Uncanny

Villain: Loki

Synopsis: Loki takes advantage of the Silver Surfer’s unfamiliarity with Asgard and the Norse Gods to trick him into thinking Thor is a villain. He manipulates Thor and Norrin into a battle in Thor’s castle home in Asgard.

Eventually, the Surfer realizes he’s been fooled and that Loki is the real villain. Loki returns Norrin to his exile on Earth and escapes.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #5 (April 1969)

Title: And Who Shall Mourn for Him?

Villain: The Stranger

Synopsis: Not even a device invented by Reed Richards can help the Silver Surfer break through the Galactian Barrier that prevents him from flying too far away from the surface of the Earth. A physicist named Al Harper IS able to construct a device to slip the Surfer’s molecules through the barrier and reassemble him on the other side.

This device succeeds in getting Norrin Radd through the barrier, but he soon encounters the Stranger.

NOTE: The Stranger is one of the Elders of the Universe, the first intelligent race to evolve after the Big Bang. Other Elders include the Collector, the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), and the Gardener.  

The Stranger reveals that he is disgusted with the people of Earth following his encounters with the X-Men, Magneto, the Hulk, the Abomination and others. He plans to destroy the world and everyone on it. Norrin Radd stops him, but Al Harper is killed during the battle.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #6 (June 1969)

Title: Worlds Without End

Villain: Overlord Rakkhal

Synopsis: The Silver Surfer’s latest attempt to escape the Galactian Barrier causes him to instead travel to the far future while doing so. He discovers that countless worlds have been destroyed by a red-skinned Earth mutant called Overlord Rakkhal.

The Surfer fights it out with that villain back on Earth, which he has also drained of life.

The two battle, but Rakkhal is even too powerful for Norrin Radd to deal with. Learning Rakkhal’s origin, the Surfer travels back in time to when he left and prevents Rakkhal from being born a mutant by saving his father from radiation exposure at his job.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #7 (August 1969)

Title: The Heir of Frankenstein

Villain: The latest Frankenstein and his new monster

Synopsis: The latest Dr. Frankenstein tricks the trusting Silver Surfer and uses some of his Power Cosmic to power his latest creation.

The clay monster’s powers grow at an exponential rate and make him a match for Norrin Radd. The two battle it out but in the end the Surfer drains all of the power from the clay creation and it evaporates. Dr. Frankenstein is killed by his often-abused servant. 

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #8 (September 1969)

Title: Now Comes the Ghost

Villain: Mephisto and the Ghost Mariner

Synopsis: Driven by his hatred of the Silver Surfer, Mephisto nearly kills him, but then refrains and breaks off the attack since he wants Norrin Radd’s soul, not just his bodily death.

Mephisto regards several damned souls and decides upon the Flying Dutchman himself, still trapped in his eternal wanderings. He offers to free the suffering soul if he can force the Silver Surfer to give up his soul to Mephisto.

The villain grants the Dutchman enough power to fight Norrin Radd, christens him the Ghost (should be Ghost Mariner) and teleports him to Earth. The Dutchman unleashes destruction on New York City, drawing the Silver Surfer into battle with him.   

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #9 (October 1969)

Title: To Steal the Surfer’s Soul

Villains: Mephisto and the Ghost Mariner

Synopsis: The Silver Surfer and the Ghost engage in a very lengthy, drawn-out battle of the Power Cosmic against the Power Infernal.

As the destructive clash goes on and on, the combatants learn a lot about each other. The Surfer is moved to shed a tear over the Ghost’s account of being damned to forever wander the seas.

A tear being shed over him breaks the figure’s damnation and his soul is at last at rest as he fades away. Mephisto is furious and becomes even more determined to have Norrin Radd’s soul. NOTE: Kang the Conqueror would later pluck the Ghost from the time stream to use against the Avengers.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #10 (November 1969)

Title: A World He Never Made

Villain: El Capitan

Synopsis: After learning the location of her beloved Norrin Radd back in issue #3, Shalla-Bal had Yarro Gort, Zenn-La’s leading scientist, construct a spaceship to transport the two of them to Earth utilizing stargates.

As their vessel nears the Earth, the Silver Surfer becomes involved in helping the suffering people of an unnamed fictional nation in South America. He winds up helping dissidents fight the armed forces of their dictator, the General and his underling El Capitan.

After the rebels win the initial battle, one of the dissidents (a beautiful woman of course) gives our hero a passionate kiss to thank him.

In Soap Opera fashion, this is the sight that Shalla-Bal sees on the spaceship’s viewscreen, making her fear Norrin Radd has a found a new woman to love.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #11 (December 1969)

Title: O Bitter Victory

Villain: The General and El Capitan

Synopsis: While the rebel forces welcome the Silver Surfer to their ranks, the spaceship with Shalla-Bal and Yarro Gort gets damaged by the General’s jumpy armed forces. Yarro Gort says he can repair the ship over time, but in the meantime, to keep himself and Shalla-Bal alive he promises the General that he will use his Zenn-Lavian technology to help him wipe out the rebels.

Yarro Gort plans to use the tech to kill Norrin Radd, too, since he wants Shalla-Bal for himself. (Of course.) During the next great battle, the General’s Zenn-La enhanced forces are defeated by the Silver Surfer, but Garro Yort is slain and Shalla-Bal is seriously injured.

Her injuries are beyond the Power Cosmic’s ability to heal, and far beyond Earth medicine, so our hero puts Shalla-Bal in stasis, repairs the spaceship and programs it to take her to Zenn-La for proper treatment. He hopes that she will live and someday make her way back to Earth. 

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #12 (January 1970)

Title: Gather, Ye Witches

Villain: A Witch Coven and the Abomination

Synopsis: The Silver Surfer’s latest attempt to penetrate the Galactian Barrier which prevents him from flying too far away from Earth fails and causes him to plummet to the ground below. He survives, of course, but a coven of witches in England carry his unconscious body to their lair. 

To curry favor with infernal forces, they offer the Surfer as a sacrifice and magically summon the Abomination from his captivity on the Stranger’s world. (Hey, if the mystic brazier in the Black Knight’s castle can free Magneto and the Toad from the Stranger’s world why not witchcraft?)

The witches want the Abomination to kill Norrin Radd, but he refuses to be ordered around and goes on a destructive rampage around England. The Silver Surfer comes to, battles the Abomination and has him sent back to the Stranger’s world.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #13 (February 1970)

Title: The Dawn of the Doomsday Man

Villain: The Doomsday Man

Synopsis: The United Nations has had a very deadly and unstoppable android constructed but are now fearful because no one can control it. (That sounds like the U.N.)

When the robot – called the Doomsday Man – runs amok the Silver Surfer fights it and saves the entire world from a cobalt radiation holocaust.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #14 (March 1970)

Title: The Surfer and the Spider

Villain: Spider-Man

Synopsis: The Surfer saves the Earth from the collision of two enormous meteors. Later, in New York City, Spider-Man attacks the Surfer because of his controversial reputation.

The army joins Spider-Man in fighting Norrin Radd, but when the Surfer saves a little boy at the risk of his own destruction, the army and Spider-Man call off their attack. Spidey reminds himself how misunderstood he is himself and sympathizes with the Surfer’s plight.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #15 (April 1970)

Title: The Flame and the Fury

Villain: The Human Torch 2

Synopsis: A misunderstanding makes Norrin Radd think that the Fantastic Four are planning to work with the army to capture him. He leaves the Baxter Building in disgust and is pursued by the Human Torch, who wants to clarify the situation.

The Silver Surfer and the Torch fight it out for a while before Norrin finally understands the situation. The U.S. government wanted the Surfer’s help with their space program but his battle all over New York City with the Human Torch has caused such an uproar that it is now too politically controversial to enlist his aid.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #16 (May 1970)

Title: In the Hands of Mephisto

Villain: Mephisto

Synopsis: Norrin Radd’s archenemy Mephisto strikes again. The villain visits Earth and unleashes his deadly powers on innocent bystanders, drawing out the Silver Surfer.

Mephisto says he can use his power to get Norrin past the Galactian Barrier so that he can once again travel throughout the universe. He claims he wants nothing in return, he just wants to be rid of the Surfer here on Earth.

The villain gets our hero past the barrier, and his first destination is his homeworld of Zenn-La to be reunited with Shalla-Bal. Once that incredibly long journey is over and he reaches the planet, Norrin learns that it was all a cruel trick of Mephisto’s – he abducted Shalla-Bal and took her to Earth.

The Surfer makes the long journey back to Earth, where he and Mephisto engage in a battle royal while Shalla-Bal looks on. S.H.I.E.L.D. enters the fray. 

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #17 (June 1970)

Title: The Surfer Must Kill

Villains: Mephisto and S.H.I.E.L.D. 

Synopsis: Mephisto manipulates the Silver Surfer into battle with S.H.I.E.L.D., thinking he must do so to save Shalla-Bal’s life. After attacking a S.H.I.E.L.D. installation, Norrin Radd discovers that Mephisto was being deceptive again.

The villain had magically made Shalla-Bal think she was an employee at the installation, hoping the Surfer would accidentally kill her during his attack, thus tormenting him forever. Norrin Radd and Mephisto briefly battle in the S.H.I.E.L.D. installation.

Mephisto teleports Shalla-Bal away, telling our hero he gave her a false set of memories and refuses to say where he sent her. Mephisto escapes, and the Surfer flies off, but in doing so gets hit with Z-Gas, a weapon Tony Stark devised for S.H.I.E.L.D. to use against Norrin.

The gas overcomes our hero as he is over the Himalayan location of the Inhumans’ city of Attilan. He spirals down into it.

SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #18 (September 1970)

Title: The Unbeatable Inhumans

Villains: The League of Evil Inhumans

NOTE: Due to dropping sales figures, this was the last issue of the Silver Surfer’s first series.

Synopsis: The woozy Norrin Radd crash-lands in the Great Refuge (Attilan). The Inhumans’ archenemy Maximus the Mad, leading his superpowered League of Evil Inhumans (later the Inhuman League), attacks the Silver Surfer.

Norrin defeats the villains, but the Inhuman royal family – Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon and Triton – attack the Surfer, thinking he started the battle. Our misunderstood hero overcomes the Inhumans and flies off, vowing to consider everyone on Earth an enemy. 

FOR MY REVIEW OF THE SILVER SURFER’S EARLY ADVENTURES AS A MEMBER OF THE DEFENDERS CLICK HERE.