I'll Be Honest, Marvel's Most Underrated Romance Needs to Drop In On the MCU
Some Marvel Comics heroes get love stories for the ages, romances that absolutely shatter your heart by the time the comic comes to an end. Such is the case for the Silver Surfer in Dan Slott, Michael Allred, and Laura Allred's Silver Surferseries - at least in my expereince as a reader.
The 2014 Silver Surfer series includes Marvel's best romance, and I still have not recovered from its heartbreaking end.
Slott and the Allreds tell the story of a small-town girl falling for one of Marvel's strongest heroes: the Silver Surfer. As such, this comic is larger than life while also having plenty of tender, human moments. Plus, the Allreds are at their best, embracing the weird, abstract, and fun of the cosmic corners of Marvel. It's a comic I wish I could read for the first time again, so do not miss out on Marvel's best love story.
Marvel’s Best Romance Turns the Silver Surfer into Doctor Who
2014's Silver Surfer Delivers an Epic Meet-Cute for an Epic Couple
The short and sweet of this Silver Surfer run is that it is Marvel's answer to Doctor Who. The Silver Surfer is the Doctor, and Dawn, his eventual love interest, is the companion. Aliens have kidnapped Dawn, believing she is the most important person to the Silver Surfer, and they plan to hold her hostage to get him to do their bidding. However, there's a problem. Dawn and the Silver Surfer have never met before, but that doesn't mean that these aliens are entirely wrong. Instead, they are just off on when she would become the love of his life.
Marvel Needs to Bring Back the Annihilators, And Silver Surfer Is Living Proof
The Silver Surfer is leading a new and powerful team, and it makes the case for Marvel to bring back his other squad: the Annihilators!
Already, with it seeming like fate that these two would fall in love, I was in. Add on top of that Dawn - a human woman - rolling with the punches and taking matters into her own hands after being abducted, and I knew there was something magical about this series and this character. How she handles herself in this situation, as well as her overall independent and determined personality, made her feel like Buffy from the early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's no wonder that the Silver Surfer falls for her, as I was also smitten with Dawn after just one issue.
While Dawn tries to save herself, the Silver Surfer agrees to do what he must to help her: a great moment for the Silver Surfer, as it shows readers that he has a good heart right off the bat. Plus, it makes for an epic-meet cute, as the Silver Surfer tries to save a human who's three steps ahead of him. She also isn't ready to let this experience come to an end, wanting to travel across the galaxy with the Silver Surfer, and he wants that too - thus setting up their Doctor Who-like dynamic.
The Silver Surfer Run by Slott and the Allreds Is Dawn's Story
One of the Best Superhero Love Interests - I Want Her Back
Dawn is living a comic book reader's dream. She saw an opportunity to travel the far reaches of the Marvel Universe and went for it. While there are terrifying things lurking in the depths of space, Slott and the Allreds want to embrace the fun of the cosmic side of Marvel. If Dawn wants to go on an epic and fun space adventure, then gosh darn it, that is what she deserves. She brings such a fresh perspective to the world of heroes, because the chaos is all new to her, even if it is not new for heroes like the Silver Surfer.
Like many comic readers, Dawn dreams of impossible adventures.
Plus, Dawn's perspective captures what it's like to read a game-changing comic for the first time, and I wish I could recapture what that was like as I thumbed through the pages of this epic love story. This Silver Surfer run is one of those stories that embraces the fun and impossibility at the heart of superhero comics. I was smiling ear to ear every time this comic dared to get weird or psychedelic. With a character like the Silver Surfer, why not push boundaries at any possible opportunity? Plus, with a character like Dawn, why not give her the space adventure of her dreams? Dawn is one of Marvel's best audience surrogate characters.
Like many comic readers, Dawn dreams of impossible adventures. She's an ordinary woman with no powers who happens to get sucked into the Silver Surfer's world. However, despite being human, she still brings so much light to the Silver Surfer's tragic life, and she absolutely helps out on these adventures in ways that are uniquely Dawn. Because of her place in the narrative, Dawn is a wonderful reminder to us that even when we do not see ourselves as significant, there are people out there who will. She also reminds us that we can be extraordinary by just being ourselves.
The Silver Surfer's Relationship with Dawn Is Not the Story's B-Plot
Slott and the Allreds Put Dawn and Silver Surfer's Relationship Front and Center
What makes this Silver Surfer run stand out is how the romantic relationship is not a B-plot. Yes, there are other Marvel comics that have a relationship or love story as a central plot point, but most of the time, these relationships are not the main plot. Take Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto, which sees Mary Jane and Peter Parker married and with kids. While the series spends a lot of time on their relationship and family, the central plot of the comic is about an adult Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man later in life.
Looking for more romance in your Marvel comics? Check out the recent She-Hulk run by writer Rainbow Rowell and various artists, which is available now in full both digitally and in collected editions from Marvel Comics.
This Silver Surfer run, on the other hand, is a love story through and through. It starts off with an unconventional meet-cute, and then most of the run is about Dawn and the Silver Surfer falling in love. They go on some of the most epic dates while also sharing soft and vulnerable moments together.
Yes, there are some massive threats in this comic - the Never Queen, Shuma-Gorath, and Jumbonox the Giganormous amomg them - but at the end of the day, it's a story about a man who's seen countless tragedies falling in love with life all over again after meeting a woman who finally brings whimsy, joy, and light into his world. The Silver Surfer has one of Marvel's saddest stories, but Dawn turns that story into one of Marvel's most beautiful romances.
Silver Surfer's 30 Issues Was Not Enough of Marvel's Best Love Story
Please Marvel, Give Me More of Silver Surfer and Dawn
30 issues was not enough for this run. If this Silver Surfer run hit triple digits, then maybe I would be satisfied. After all, this comic oozes imagination, so I know that the Silver Surfer and Dawn had dozens - if not hundreds - of other dates where they explore the cosmos together. I would even take another arc dedicated to the Silver Surfer getting to know Dawn's family more, because what we got from that story felt so genuine. I wanted so much more of these two, especially since it's rare to come across a Marvel comic or adaptation that puts the romantic relationship front and center.
"I'm—It's Shiny": Julia Garner Addresses Silver Surfer's Appearance In The MCU's Fantastic Four Movie And Whether The Marvel Character Will Be CGI Or Live-Action
Julia Garner will portray Shalla-Bal's Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: First Steps and has addressed her appearance in an exclusive interview.
Yes, I love superheroes and the action associated with them. I love seeing heroes kick ass and save the world. However, at the end of the day, what makes me love a hero is their humanity. There are many ways to show off their humanity, but one excellent way to do so is to show off the relationships - romantic, platonic, or familial - in their lives. What works even better is when the people in their lives are treated as fully-fleshed-out characters, not just props.
This Silver Surfer run delivers in this area tenfold, as Dawn is not just a love interest. She is a co-lead, and she brings out the humanity in the Silver Surfer while also standing strong on her own person. Marvel Comics has already delivered one of the best love stories in all of comics, so please give us more of this in some form -whether that is by bringing Dawn back or by giving another hero a love story of epic Silver Surfer proportions.
Silver Surfer is available now from Marvel Comics.
Silver Surfer
- Release Date
- 1998 - 1998-00-00
Silver Surfer is an animated series that follows the journeys of Norrin Radd, who sacrifices his freedom to save his home planet, becoming the Silver Surfer. As the herald of Galactus, he traverses the universe seeking new worlds for his master to consume. The series explores themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and the cosmic balance between good and evil.
- Cast
- Paul Essiembre, James Blendick, Tara Rosling, John Neville, Camilla Scott
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Creator(s)
- Larry Brody, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
- IMDb ID
- tt0203268
- Seasons
- 1
- TMDB User Rating
- 7 .192
