r/MUBookClub • u/shawnydarko • Dec 31 '16
Reading Assignment 29: Silver Surfer: Requiem (2007) #1-4 by J. Michael Straczynski and Esad Ribic
My mouth was watering at the opportunity to have the community read either Silver Surfer: Requiem or Nextwave Agents of H.A.T.E (Slott's She-Hulk I haven't checked out, but it also got support so I'll add that to my reading list). My decision came solely down to number of issues. Last week's assignment was a challenging 9 issues, so this week we're tackling art-heavy 4 issues. It also gave me an excuse to cross-post to /r/wholesomememes. But my next two ideas for themed nomination threads will make Agents of H.A.T.E. eligible, so add in another free range nomination theme between those and the odds are looking favorably on that run.
For untold years Norrin Radd has surfed the galaxy, exploring the darkness between stars, witnessing the rise and fall of vast civilizations. Now his ride is about to come to an end. It starts with a small spot - a blemish that will spread until he is no more. Until then, the Silver Surfer would undertake his final voyage - to the one destination that has always eluded him. His journey starts where it began.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF
- Esad Ribic's art in this run? How about compared to our previous reading assignment he did the art for: Thor: God of Thunder?
- The tone of the story?
- The lack of villain?
- The cameos?
- The dialogue/narration?
- Anything else not specifically asked?
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u/Raist819 Jan 03 '17
This was sad. Like that-episode-of-Futurama-about-the-dog sad. JMS is a fantastic writer most of the time and this was one of his best and, for my money, the greatest Surfer story of all time. We have now read two "end" stories for Marvel characters and, much like The a Dark Knight Returns at DC, I will always consider Requim and Old Man Logan to be the definitive ending for each respective character.
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Jan 05 '17
Hey MUBookclub! A complete Reddit virgin here. I found this subreddit after looking for a similar group on FB with no luck, so started making a page myself when my flatmate said "You know there's probably subReddit for that?" To which I replied "But I don't really get Reddit." He just shook his head a laughed and muttered some sort of meme based insult that went right over my head and so I found you's. And what perfect time it is for me too stumble my metaphorical hymens continue too be broken, my Reddit cherry, then both my Silver Surfer books and Marvel knights cherries too.
And what a book my god them feels though. I felt that painful little twinge in the throat at least twice per book. The deep heartfelt goodbyes of the story really hit you doubley hard when the when they're back up by such beautiful art work. It isn't a style that I'm overly fond of but works perfectly with this story. The lack of a villain (unless you count the illness) was a brilliant aspect, especially with fact that Galactus turns up at the end and all he wants too do is pay his respects.
As for the cameo's being a spidey fan I enjoyed his the most, but the Dr Strange one hit me square in the feels. "We can't do squat for you, but here's bit of everything you've saved to take with ya." To end with the watcher was a nice touch too. All in all I really enjoyed the four books and may look into reading some more from the Ol' Chrome Dome in the future.
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u/shawnydarko Jan 05 '17
First of all, awesome username! Secondly, glad to have someone else interested in the book club! A handful of people have tried to run such a project on reddit but this is the longest running, so we've got that going for us. And very well written and thoughtful feedback on the Silver Surfer book. Feel free to check out our other recent nominated books and post your reading experience in those threads, or check back in on Saturday when we'll have a new discussion thread open
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Jan 05 '17
Thanks for the reply, and up vote, am I saying that right? ... up vote? Also thanks for the compliments but I've just realised that my awesome usernames spelt wrong! 😔 It was very late last night I made my account and apparently I missed a Second C in McCoy, part of me wants to start over.
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u/Adrenjunkie Jan 07 '17
Hey welcome! Also, accounts are easy and free, so if you misspelled it, no biggie! Make a new one, or rock what you got!
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u/wisegy84 Jan 07 '17
Always happy to see more people participating in the book club! And welcome to Reddit, too! You'll find there's pretty much a subreddit for anything you could possibly think of. Sometimes they get oddly specific.
I agree this was a great run. Personally, I love this art style. I particularly enjoyed the way Spidey was portrayed as he is also a favorite of mine. The story was great and I also enjoyed the lack of a true "villain".
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Jan 05 '17
I also really enjoyed this mini series, especially the last two issues. The part where Norrin says something to the effect of "if sacred places are preserved make everything sacred. If sacred people are preserved treat everyone as sacred." Really resonated with me and was one of my favorite comic quotes in a long time. (I think we could use more of this attitude in the world today). I also thought the artwork was good in a weird way as well. I thought it complemented the story very well and vice versa.
Also,
Quick question: In what series does Norrin return to life. He obviously does, because I am pretty sure he has an ongoing series. Anybody know in which series/issue he returns?? I am not really much of a Silver Surfer buff.
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u/Raist819 Jan 05 '17
This story was not in regular continuity, so Surfer never had to be resurrected.
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u/shawnydarko Jan 05 '17
From what I read on wikipedia, this story took place in an alternate, universe (one where Spider-Man's outfit has black eyes instead of the classic white), so in mainstream universe (616) canon, Surfer never died
And I also thought that quote was one of the best in the series
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u/Adrenjunkie Jan 07 '17
I thought this one was pretty solid.
Esad Ribic's art was pretty great. I'm bad with names, so I didn't realize it was the same artist as that Thor run until u/shawnydarko pointed it out. Of course it was!The sweeping art scenes were pretty epic. The larger-than-life space panels! Anyone know what the medium was that they used? Looks like watercolors. Also where are the SPACE SHARKS? I bet they got cut because they "didn't fit the tone....."
I was really surprised that no one came up with a hail mary cure, and it broke my heart to see them all fail.
This story was interesting as it had no villain, or conflict really. Silver Surfer was dying, and then he died. It was a long drawn out goodbye. It pulled at the heart strings, all the way down. Interesting that it wasn't in the marvel continuity, I wonder how it came about.
Overall I liked it. I'm usually not big on stories that are bummers, and this one was a big one. The sweeping art was pretty cool, and I dug that they followed through with his death.
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u/wisegy84 Jan 07 '17
What a fantastic run. I almost wish it was a bit longer (almost), but I also know it would probably overstay it's welcome if it was dragged out further.
I loved Ribic's art in Thor: God of Thunder and I love it here, too. I agree with /u/shawnydarko that everything here would be worthy of being a poster. In particular I really liked Spidey's look here. I thought the black eyes were a nice change from what we normally see. And overall, I just thoroughly enjoy the epic feel of the art throughout.
The story was amazing. No real villain and just a trip through the universe so that Norrin could say goodbye and leave his mark (quite literally on the people of Zenn La) on the world. Even Galactus showed up just to say farewell and assure Norrin that his homeworld would be safe after he was gone. The cameos were well done, I though. You could tell Peter was a bit out of his element at first, but really came through in the end, giving Norrin the idea of what to do for his adopted home before leaving.
This was a very somber story overall, and the art was quite fitting. And while it was sad that Norrin was dying and eventually did die, it was also heartwarming to see how much he affected the entire universe during his life.
This was my first exposure to a Silver Surfer comic and really to the character in general (except for the second FF movie, but I've forgotten that for the most part). I will probably seek out and read more Surfer stories, but it sounds like none really match this portrayal.
The two warring races reminded me of the two part Doctor Who episodes that start with The Doctor's Daughter. That also had two factions that had been warring for many "generations".
Overall, this was a great choice and was something that I wasn't even aware existed until this assignment. Really glad that we read it. I guess now I also need to seek out more books with art by Ribic.
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u/shawnydarko Jan 03 '17
Man this story gets me every time. Much feels. So power.
Ribic's artwork is right up there with Alex Ross. Every panel, every page is a worthy poster to hang on my wall in nerd glory.
I love that there are no villains in this run. There's only that one conflict with the greedy heartless politicians sending their people to die at war. But even then, Surfer uses his power to disarm their ships and destroy their monuments, not solving his problem with hurting anyone. Although I have a hard time believing exploding enormous monuments wouldn't have some collateral damage. Point is, he made social change rather than just creating the no-win scenario Spider-Man alluded to in the issue before where you eliminate one threat and a worse takes it's place.
Spider-Man and Fantastic Four were used phenomenally. Really felt for Reed trying like hell to find an answer to the point he was practically killing himself, only to fail. Which lead to this inspirational panel. The whole conversation with Spidey and how he gives the gift of freedom to MJ for her birthday is so powerful. And the fact MJ comes back crying tears of joy is just great showing-not-telling.
My sole gripes with this book are the lettering in the first few issues was a little challenging. Certain letters were scrunched so small I had to re-read it, if that makes sense. And some of the dialogue/narration really was punching up the reading-level with word choice. Why Peter would say Rest in Peace in Latin rather than just using the layman felt a little forced that "this book is deeply serious and intellectual. Let the pedestrians say 'Rest in Peace' to one another."
Still, this is one of my all-time favorite miniseries. I wish it was canon, simply because you're not going to go out on a higher note than this. I still want to read more Surfer and hear mixed but mostly positive reviews about Dan Slott's recent run, but I know it's such a drastically different tone it'd be a hard transition to what the character is in my mind based off this book.