Silver Surfer Books

If you had a short time to live what would you do? This book has Silver Surfer answering this question in an introspective yet melancholy story. Taking place on Earth, crossing the universe and ending back in his home planet, this book raises questions about mortality, responsibility, and facing ones' limitations.
Too many times people say comics are for kids and there is no substance in the medium; but with this book not only are the nay-sayers proven wrong but it can sometimes show that comics can surpass visuals shown in movie and emotions expressed in books.

This is a piece of Literature that breaks down all assumptions of what a "super-hero" is. I am not at all ashamed to say that I cried a little at the end of this book. It is an amazingly powerful story told in amazingly vivid and arresting artwork. When I was a child, i loved the "idea" of Silver Surfer, but now that I am older and can presumably deal with more a more mature telling of a story, I have a newfound admiration for what Stan Lee started with Norrin Radd, and what is continued here in "Requiem." Surfer comics continue to be some of the bravest and most moving pieces of art in main stream comics.

The Silver Surfer is my favorite comic book character and this is my favorite story featuring him. Requiem has a lot of emotion. You really feel what the Surfer is going through. The writing is amazing. The art is amazing. This book is amazing. Stop what you're doing and READ THIS BOOK!

I really enjoyded the art of this book, and the story is the best way to say goodbye to a great, tormented and interesting character.

The Silver Surfer was one of Marvel's most under-used cosmic superdudes... He was also one of the most difficult to frame dramatically, and had a history of disappointing storylines, which may help to explain the motivation behind this Death-Of-The-Silver-Surfer mini-series.

Part of it may have been that he had a bit of a "Superman problem," since he was so super-ultra powerful compared to the rest of the characters in the Marvel universe -- indestructible, able to alter reality, faster and mightier than nearly any foe he could encounter. Initially, writers dealt with this by focusing on the soap opera-tinged alien-in-exile theme (after Galactus banished him from space and forced him to stay on the planet Earth) and later, when his banishment was broken, by sending him out into the stars where he could encounter all kinds of trippy, cosmic stuff. In between, there was his run as a more or less conventional super-hero in "The Defenders," and many random cameos in various space sagas. But for whatever reason, the Surfer never really clicked and the folks at Marvel decided to have him go out with a big bang in the four-part series, "Requiem."

Although I've considered myself a Silver Surfer fan, I have to admit I wasn't really wowed by this book. It felt rushed and there was just too much crammed into its pages, too many plot-points and too many marks to hit. (Perhaps a fifth issue would have helped?) Also, the tone was too melodramatic and too monochromatic -- reverence and awe for the Surfer; maudlin sorrow at his inevitable demise.

What was missing, more than anything else, was a sense of the cosmic majesty that the Surfer could experience. We are given this sense of wonder by proxy, when the Surfer zaps Spider-Man's wife and gives her cosmic consciousness and lets her trip out on the universe for a while, but the Surfer himself never basks in the beauty of the stars, which is something I imagine he might do, were he flying off to his own death. When he returns to his home planet to die, he simply goes from Point A to Point B (with a detour to end a pointless space war on the way). Personally, I would have enjoyed an entire issue just devoted to having him cruise through the cosmos, glorying in and saying goodbye to the unimaginable beauty that only he had the opportunity (and soulfulness) to appreciate. It would have been a nice artistic note to strike, but, alas, the moment has passed. As it was, this series felt functional, but little more, not unlike the late-1960s stories in his own short-lived series. And, I suppose, that is as fitting a tribute to this character as any. This book is worth checking out, but I wish it could have been more. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This book is helpful as it has six stories instead of the five it was originally released with, the last WORLDS WITHOUT END being a particular favourite of mine

As a longtime Silver Surfer fan, who didn't managed to keep very many issues over the years, I am delighted to find a collection such as this. I am not at all disappointed with my purchase, but will have to struggle a bit to limit my reading of this to just a few times so that I can keep it in pristine condition.

The art of this collection is exquisitely beautiful, as always with Silver Surfer stories. "Masterworks" is truly an appropriate title because both the art and storytelling are masterful, treating Stan Lee's greatest character creation (in my opinion) with the loving care a masterpiece deserves.

The stories in this book very much embody the true essence of Silver Surfer and everything that is wonderful about his saga. Please excuse any gushing in my descriptions, but I am sure that many other female Surfer fans feel the same way I do about this amazing character.

Having read the six stories in this book without pausing, I am once again mesmerized and awed by the many exceptional qualities of my favorite superhero: self-sacrifice, insight, humanity despite not being human, kindness, trusting nature, sensitivity, the ever-cool surfing the solar winds skills, quick thinking, ability to look at the big picture, amazing speed, no apparent Achilles heel (other than a trusting and kind nature), purity of motives and spirit, no human flaws such as greed or pride, compassion, tremendous power, etc. Also, his expressions are often incredibly endearing; for example, frequent expressions of surprise and delight, which contrast nicely to his normal stoicism. The unique and engaging villains are also an interesting element in these tales.

The morals and values present in these stories are highly significant. I believe kids should definitely be encouraged to read them. Parents striving to raise decent human beings, and the heroes of our future, would do well to encourage this pursuit because the lessons in this book are well worth learning.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles, and Silver Surfer fan

If the comics are reprinted under the Marvel Masterworks title, it's gotta be a masterpiece, and the Silver Surfer stories written by Stan Lee are definitely classics.

The Silver Surfer has always been one of my favorite comic characters, unfortunately, there were never many Silver Surfer books. This TPB collects the first 6 issues of the original Silver Surfer story. Written by legend among comic creaters, and founder of Marvel, Stan Lee, and pencilled by a lengend in his own right, John Buscema. Together they bring us one of the best comics of Marvel, the origin of the Silver Surfer. Originallt named Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfers acquired his powers of the cosmos when the almighty Galactus threatened to destroy Norrin Radd's home planet. To save his planet Norrin Radd became Galactus's herald looking for other planets for Galactus to devour, in the process, acquiring his powers. But when the Silver Surfer defied Galactus when he tried to devour Earth, Galactus trapped the Surfer on Earth. But even though the Surfer save Earth from being destroyed, the humans did not know it and always thought of the Silver Surfer as a menace, too blinded by the fact that he's different to see his good will. On Earth, the Sufer will fight many villains, including a misterious alien race, Mephisto, and even the Mighty Thor, but only because he was decieved by the evil Loki. But even after all he has done the human race just cannot except him, instead they hate and fear him. This book is beautifully written, wonderful story, and great read.

If you're a Silve Surfer fan, this is a must-have, beautifully restored and you are bound to enjoy it.

The reason I give this four stars, not five, is because I didn't like the first two issues collected very much. They are OK, but the series really gets going with issue 3, in which he battles Miphisto for the first time and which is one of the greatest Marvel comics ever! I didn't really care much for Silver Surfer before reading this issue, which captures his unique personality, nobility and charm extremely well. I read the issue without any prior knowledge that issue 3 was regarded as a classic so there was no preconceived notions on my part. I liked it based on its merit alone. Later, I found out that the story is highly regarded in many circules and all I can say is that it truly deserves to be called a classic. Issues four and onwards maintain a high quality also, although not as good as the flawless issue 3. And Buscema's art is brilliant. As much as I like Kirby, he draws the Silver Surfer much, much better. This is even better than his early Conan work, in which he kind of drew Conan looking a bit too weak for my tastes. And I never really held Stan Lee in such high regard before reading the Masterworks volumes. I always thought he was just a self-promoter but his work stands well on its own. The fact that he and Kirby created so many classic characters is testament to his talent as a writer/creator.

I read these when they first came out and they were my instant favorites--the issues featured some of Lee's best writing and art by Buscema (always great). What more could one want? You can read some of the other reviews for summaries, but issue #5 won the "Academy Award" for best comic that year and it holds up well over time.

As I re-read these issues, I was still impressed by everything, but I can also see why the series didn't last. For most comic readers of the time (perhaps today as well), the Surfer is sometimes overly preachy and the conflicts (inner and outer) are very serious with none of the humorous banter that shows up in the FF or the wise-cracking Spiderman. Though originally created by Jack Kirby, the Surfer as taken over by Lee and Buscema becomes more like the early Ditko Spiderman who can't ever get a break. However, Marvel was reaching for an older audience (hence the "expensive" 25 cent larger size), and, unfortunately, it didn't work well enough. The last few issues (in the second volume) are a disappointment as Lee drops back to a smaller comic size and lower price and introduces guest-star battles. Even so, these Surfer issues remain one of Marvel's (and Stan Lee's) brightest accomplishments.

This is a remarkable oportunity to rediscover the work of the underestimate John Buscema. Great storylines , in a luxous volume.But I missed more Jack kirby works with the surfer

I haven't read a Surfer story since I was a kid... I loved this book! I read it in one sitting (rainy Sunday afternoon) and was transported back to 1968...still a "carefree kid". The stories have held up well and managed to hold my interest. I you read comics as a kid, or still read them, I would recommend this book...Enjoy!

This book contains the first 18 issues and Bonus material of the Silver Surfer written by Stan Lee. While the modern Silver Surfer is sometimes a bad character in these first issues he is something like a saint and he is suffering human prejudice but never giving up to help. He examines the human race in order to understand human behaviour. The Silver Surfer therefore is not a character you can easily identify with but the moral and message of the stories and the way the Surfer views the humans is absolutely interesting and very thrilling. Issue 1-17 was drawn by John Buscema. I know his work on the Avengers which is great but these Silver Surfer stories are by far his best work. Buying this book means buying the very best of John Buscema. In addition the printing quality is superb and the book is oversized.

I ordered this from amazon several months ago. About one month ago they informed me it would not ship until some time in 2008. I am not sure why they are still selling it if they are having that much trouble shipping it out. Just go get one from your local comic book shop. It's worth it.

This huge book reprints all 18 issues of the original Silver Surfer comic book series from the Silver Age of comics (including the letter pages), plus a Surfer back up story from Fantastic Four Annual #5 and a Surfer parody from Not Brand Echh #13. The Silver Surfer happens to be writer Stan Lee's personal favorite character. To quote Stan from the book's intro: "Perhaps the Silver Surfer comes closest to being the ultimate, quintessential superhero. The virtue of his character, the purity of his soul and the nobility of his actions, coupled with the altruism of his motives, are virtually without parallel--unless one returns to the root of all goodness, for perhaps only in the Holy Bible itself does such morality exist." Stan used the Surfer to articulate his own beliefs and convictions, as the Surfer soared around the Earth soliloquizing about mankind's faults (particularly prejudice and bigotry). Pretty heavy stuff for a superhero comic book. The Surfer was a tragic figure, as he regularly faced fear and hatred wherever he went, despite the purity of his motives. Another tragic aspect of the comic was the forced separation of the Surfer and his ladylove, Shalla Bal, who still lived on their home planet of Zenn-La. But I don't want to give the impression that this comic book is all talk and no action. There is plenty of action, as the Surfer battles villains like the Stranger, the Abomination and his archenemy Mephisto. Through the typical Marvel Comics misunderstanding, he also battles heroes like Thor, Spider-Man and the Human Torch. All this is beautifully illustrated by John Buscema, with the exception of the last issue, which was drawn by Jack Kirby. This review ran longer than I intended, so I will wrap it up by recommending this book to all fans of Marvel Comics.

This story in this reprint comic from 1992 is indeed a high watermark in the history of the Fantastic Four comic series. It represent some of the finest work from the creative team that developed it, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Joe Sinnott. This story arc is taken from the last half of Fantastic Four Comics #48, all of #49 and the first half of FF #50, all published in 1966, at the peak of the Silver-Age of the Comics.

Some minor corrections and clarifications. Yes the second Silver Surfer arc from issues #55-61 of the Fantastic Four is stunning as well, but to be clear, those issues are NOT reprinted in this volume. Further, there are NOT ten "golden age" stories, but essentially only one, extracted from three comics that come from the "silver age".

It should also be noted that this story arc is available in other Marvel reprint books. In particular Marvel Treasury and Essential volumes. Both are still in print at the time of this posting. Marvel has also reprinted it twice in comic book format prior to this.

-jb the ib -

As others have said before, this is the best collection of the original appearance of the Silver Surfer.
This is Jack Kirby and co-ploter Stan Lee at the top of their game, when Marvel Comics had really hit their stride and were tremondously popular on the college campus.

I bought these books as they came out on the spinner rack in the mid 1960s, and thought the stories were incredibly dramatic and cosmic in scope. Little did we know that the series was at the high water mark, and Kirby's growing dis-satisfaction with being overlooked for creative credit by Lee in interviews despite his continual content input would spell the end of their collaboration in just two short years. (Kirby would start witholding his creative ideas, waiting for the right deal to be struck with DC in 1970... when he jumped ship from Marvel and stunned the comics world!)

If you have only one opportunity to buy representative Fanatastic Four stories, make this the one. Even at inflated re-reprint prices, this would be a bargain!

PS: There were two other editions of this material (FF #48-49-50) pared down into JUST the Galactus storyline that were issued as $5.99 and $6.99 graphic novels in the early 1900s. If you can find them, that represents the cheapest way to pick up the first arc, known throughout comic fandom as "The Galactus Trilogy" even though it may be retitled Silver Surfer: The Coming of Galactus.

'nuff said!

I have been a fan of the Silver Surfer ever since I was a kid, and this collection of stories did not dissapoint. Collected in this edition are ten "golden-age" stories which truly capture the surfer at his freshest and best. Buy this if you appreciate the true art of comics. Peace.

If you were going to get just one volume of reprints from the "Fantastic Four" I would argue that "The Coming of Galactus!" would be the best of all possible choices. The focus is on the Silver Surfer, who first appeared in "Fantastic Four" #48 as the herald of Galactus and ended up being exiled to earth, stripped of his space-time powers for daring to betray his master and stop Galactus from eating the Earth. The result is that this one volume has some of the greatest stories from the comic book that proudly proclaimed itself "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine," with some of Stan Lee's best stories and some of the finest artwork of Jack Kirby's distinguished career.

Essentially you have two great F.F. sagas with an intermission. We begin with the Galactus saga: #48 "The Coming of Galactus," starts with the F.F. leaving the hidden land of the Inhumans, thereby separating Johnny and Crystal. However that matters little when the Watcher shows up and tries to help hide the Earth from the Silver Surfer who arrives and summons Galactus, who shows up ready to drain the planet of all elemental life. #49 "If This Be Doomsday" has the F.F. fighting a losing battle against Galactus while the Silver Surfer meets the blind sculptress, Alicia Masters, who teaches him something about humanity. #50 "The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer" has the sky rider of the spaceways fighting against Galactus, while the Human Torch travels through sub-space to bring back a weapon that might stop Galactus in his tracks. The F.F. wins the battle and the Silver Surfer is now stuck on earth.

In between the sagas there is the story you knew that was coming, #55 "When Strikes the Silver Surfer!" Ben is worried about Alicia, and when he shows up to visit his girlfriend he finds the Surfer is there. Of course the first thing the Thing does is punch the Surfer through the wall ("My former friends is displeased!" notes the Surfer as he flies through the air). The fight is pretty good as basically the Surfer takes it easy on the orange skinned Thing (and even gives him a lovely parting gift). This is probably the best Surfer story of the bunch, mainly because he has more to do in this issue than any other in this collection.

But if you are talking the Fantastic Four then sooner or later that means Doctor Doom has to enter the picture in a story line that is every bit as good as the Galactus epic. #57 "Enter...Dr. Doom" starts with the F.F. have a minor skirmish with the Sandman and the Wizard while in the kingdom of Latveria Dr. Doom invites the Silver Surfer for a visit. Then, the bad doctor steals the Silver Surfer's cosmic power (you know this cannot be good, especially as Doom gloats in the full-page shot on page 15). #58 "The Dismal Dregs of Defeat" has Dr. Doom fighting and defeating the members of the F.F. one by one until even Reed Richards has to admit Doom is unbeatable. #59 "Doomsday" has the F.F. trying to unite the world against the threat of Dr. Doom while the weakened Surfer is in a Latverian dungeon. Meanwhile, Black Bolt frees the Inhumans from being trapped behind their great barrier. #60 "The Peril and the Power!' has a great Kirby cover of Doom and the Thing going toe to toe as the F.F. take on Doom. Of course it is not brute power that is going to bring down Dr. Doom when he has the Silver Surfer's powers.

Granted, the Silver Surfer is reduced to a spectator in this second story arc, but since Dr. Doom has the Surfer's cosmic power these stories rightfully belong here. I really do not think that Kirby's art was ever any better than it is in these issues, inked by Joe Sinnot. Kirby was even experimenting with using reproductions of photographs in a couple of these issues. At this point in the history of the Silver Surfer we know nothing about his back story (his true origin was not revealed until he got his own comic book several years later), but even as a supporting character he remains one of the most captivating creations by Lee and Kirby.

I have been a fan of the Silver Surfer ever since I was a kid, and this collection of stories did not dissapoint. Collected in this edition are ten "golden-age" stories which truly capture the surfer at his freshest and best. Buy this if you appreciate the true art of comics

While this volume of the Surfer's exploits has been variously reviewed as (a) some of Jack Kirby's greatest work and (b) a great Golden Age read, it is neither. What it is is unparalleled characterization.
This Silver Age run of the Surfer, by Stan Lee and John Buscema, sees Lee channeling Shakespeare for the plots and dialogue. To call this book tragedy would not be wrong. Lee so loved what he wrote here that he refused to change directions to save the book from cancellation and also refused to let any other writer work with the character for many years. And he was right. This is SF Hamlet and one of 2 volumes of the Surfer that are must-haves for the true fan of Norrin Rad, Stan Lee or John Buscema.

I have been a fan of the Silver Surfer ever since I was a kid, and this collection of stories did not dissapoint. Collected in this edition are ten "golden-age" stories which truly capture the surfer at his freshest and best. Buy this if you appreciate the true art of comics. Peace.

I have been a fan of the Silver Surfer ever since I was a kid, and this collection of stories did not dissapoint. Collected in this edition are ten "golden-age" stories which truly capture the surfer at his freshest and best. Buy this if you appreciate the true art of comics. Peace.

I feel compelled to write a review for this, seeing is how it's probably my favourite Silver Surfer story ever. Requiem, which is another amazing book, but seems to get all the attention while In Thy Name is forgotten, perhaps because it came out in the shadow of Requiem.

Regardless, In Thy Name is a touching look into Surfer's outsider nature and how he views life. The abstract and unique artstyle only help to illustrate (pun) the unquantifiable nature of life itself, as this book demonstrates. The ending is quite depressing and just shows how pathetic civilizations can be and how people (or aliens in this case, but they're interchangeable with humans anyways) will always find a way to hate others and go to war with them.

This is a must buy for any Surfer fan or anyone who just enjoys a good story in general.

I have been a fan of the Silver Surfer ever since I was a kid, and this collection of stories did not dissapoint. Collected in this edition are ten "golden-age" stories which truly capture the surfer at his freshest and best. Buy this if you appreciate the true art of comics. Peace.

It's amazing how well these stories hold up almost 40 years after they originally appeared. Next to Conan, it is John Buscema's best work of all time, and the issues that were inked by Sal somehow stand out just a little bit over the ones inked by Joe Sinnot and Dan Adkins.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough! One of the most enjoyable of all the Essential collections.

A fun read. I used to collect comics as a kid and never saw the early issues. This caught me up somewhat and I have already ordered volume 2. If you are remotely curious give it a shot. The only downfall is the black and white colors,

As a child, I loved a few comics and characters. Silver surfer was among the top--if not the top--comic book character in my world. I had not looked at original comics in some 17-18 years, and I never really had the chance to see many originals, becuase nobody around my comic book store appearantly wanted to give them up. Can I blame them?

The original 18 silver surfer comics with John Buscema at the pencil hold up surprizing ly well. The complexity of The Silver Surfer is amazing. I mean, how many superheroes actually cry for humanity? I do admit that some of the later issuse in this volume get a little "comicy" (like some of the team-up issues), but for the most part, the stories are written so well and the art is so good that they have a timeless quality to them that good science fiction should have.

If you are an old fan or just want to see what all the Silver Surfer "hype" is about in preparation for the movie, this is where you should start. (Of course the Omnibus collection is a bit better, because it is colored, but for people cutting their teeth in the mythos, it might be a bit expensive.)

I agree with other reviewers that I would like to have seen other tales that were also included in other books (I have no interest in reading or buying any Fantastic Four books) but other than that, this is a great buy. I would especially have appreciated FF # 48. I consider his first appearance pretty essential.

There's plenty of great artwork - improved by the B&W format. Color was so bad in comics when I was a kid it's nice to see them de-uglified. There are plenty of great frames of the agonizing Surfer and tons of awesome dialogue. The dialogue was usually pretty bad back then too but the Silver Surfer (and Dr. Strange) books both fit perfectly with the lofty, ethereal soliloquies.

He's trapped on Earth for the duration of this volume and I look forward to a Volume 2 with extra-terrestrial tales.

The infinity gauntlet is one of the best series ever written, and this FINALLY collects Thanos:Infinity Quest. A series i could never find way back in the day when "gauntlet" was coming out. The 1st half of the book is the resurrection of Thanos and his meeting and outwitting of the surfer. Good stuff. The story of how Thanos obtained the gems is where the real meat is though. He shows his usual ruthlessness and also shows some introspectiveness, and a glimmer of remorse over the vanquishing of a particular foe. There is also a reprint of some ancient logans run comic that shows just how far back Drax and Thanos rivalry spans. If your reading this you probably find Thanos a pretty fascinating character like i do, and this story shows him at his best. A must buy for Thanos fans.

This is where the Inifnity Gauntlet epic begins. With Thanos being resurrected and going after more power. This is a masterful cosmic story of the strategy of an evil genuis of Thanos. You'll be admiring the most evil creature in the universe... Thanos for how he does what he does. READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ INFINITY GAUNTLET.

Jim Starlin is without a doubt the master of the cosmic epic. Case in point is one of my all-time favorite comic books, Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, starring The Thing and Spider-Man. It features the conclusion of a story began in Avengers Annual #9 (also by Starlin). The Avengers have been captured by the evil Thanos (a super powerful demi-god), who plans to blow up our sun as a tribute to Death. In short order, Spider-Man and the Thing free the Avengers and a huge battle ensues between the heroes and Thanos and his many minions. In the midst of the chaos, Spider-Man manages to revive Adam Warlock (who was slain by Thanos in Avengers Annual #9). Warlock then takes his revenge on Thanos by turning him to stone. End of Thanos? Not exactly.

Jump ahead a few years and Jim Starlin is penning the adventures of the Silver Surfer. He decides to bring back one of his greatest creations - Thanos! (Wise decision). This trade paperback features the complete story of the "Rebirth of Thanos", from Silver Surfer #34-38 and the excellent two-issue miniseries "Thanos Quest". As an added bonus it also includes a rare Thanos short story from the comic "Logan's Run #6" (huh???).

Anyway, this is an excellent book with stellar writing by Starlin and crisp, dynamic art from Ron Lim. The gist of the story is that Death returns Thanos to the land of the living so that he can balance the scales of life and death by killing half the the sentient beings (people, animals, etc.) in the universe. The Silver Surfer learns of Thanos' plot and tries to stop him. The two battle and Thanos tricks the Surfer into thinking that he's killed him. This buys Thanos the time he needs to collect the Infinity Gems (formerly called the Soul Gems). Once he has all of the Infinity Gems in his possession, Thanos gains the unlimited power of a God. This is all a prelude to the massive Marvel crossover, "The Infinity Gauntlet". (Also collected in trade paperback). But that's a review for another day.

To sum up, if you like awesomeness, you'll like this. It's a great story with great art from the days when Marvel comics weren't so concerned with the "real" world, and were still fun to read.

i read this because it was on wizard's top 100 graphic novels list. it's not that good, or comics just lacks quality in depth. the first part is all about the silver surfer (and drax), surfing around looking for thanos. all of a sudden you get dropped into the second part which is all thanos (and no surfer in sight), who goes around rapidly (the battles with the elders should have been greatly expanded in length) collecting infinity gems.
without the infinity gauntlet, this is nothing more than a two-part shallow prequel to that series.

This run should have been called SS guest starring Starlins creations. When Jim Starlin took over he brought a great deal of excitement with him, he also brought the world of Thanos that he created many years ago in Captain Marvel & Iron Man. I am not complaining, i have always been a fan of Thanos, Drax, Mentor & friends. I also enjoyed the addittion of Impossible Man in this collection. Ron Lim is one of the more under rated artist, I wish he would get his own series, maybe the new Nova.

The only fault I find in this collection is Starlin tended to minimize the SS in terms of power, he comes on as greatly inferior to Thanos. We all tend to forget his original appearences, the SS represented an Angel of Death ( while Galactus represented God himself ). In defense of starlin most people seem to have forgotten what Kirby meant with the creation of this Iconic Charecter screaming for his own book ( not a mini )