Silver Surfer #1 ( Facsimile) - Stan Lee and John Buscema

Ever since I picked up my first Silver Surfer comic (issue 12) as a 10 year old in 1970 I have been a massive fan of the broody Sentinel of the Spaceways. So you can imagine my excitment to find out that Marvel will be publishing facsimile editions of the first 7 issues of his original series by Stan Lee and John Buscema. Today (Wednesday) I picked up the first issue (originally published in 1968) and I have to say that I was surprised to find out that it was such a thick book of around 50 pages of silvery fun. Although I have read these Surfer tales in various UK reprints its good to see these stories in full colour and in their original format.

In addition to the main 38 page Silver Surfer tale is a very nice 13 page Gene Colan\Stan Lee Watcher story which I seem to recall reading in a Marvel UK weekly many years ago.

Favourite comics: Silver Surfer issue 12

A recent survey of favourite childhood memories noted that the most common responses included the endless stretch of lazy summer afternoons, playing with friends, spending time with your family and pets and riding your bicycle through the neighborhood after dark. To that list I have to add the day I purchased Silver Surfer issue 12. I have no idea why the purchase of this comic is so fixed in my mind but I have retained a mental picture of the day I first saw the above cover in a spinner rack in my then local towns newsagent. It was around March 1970 when my 10 year old self entered our local newsagent on my weekly trip to the shops with my family to spend my hard earned pocket money. At this time I was only vaguely aware of the Silver Surfer but I do vividly remember being surprised that he had his own comic so after a quick scan of the pages and seeing the story involved witches and took place just “down the road” in England meant I just had to buy this comic.

Silver Surfer issue 12 ,“Gather, ye Witches” by Stan Lee and John Buscema went on sale in the US in November 1969 and was cover dated January 1970. The story itself revolves around a coven of witches in England who are seeking to prove their power by summoning a creature that is capable of killing the Silver Surfer. They rescue the Abomination from exile, but he refuses to obey the coven's commands as he has his own agenda to wreak havoc on the world. The Silver Surfer attacks the Abomination in a fantastic 7 page battle scene that for me has rarely been bettered in comics, in the hope to stop him from creating anymore destruction. The Abomination initially repels the weakened Surfer, but the Surfer eventually perseveres, using his power cosmic to lull the beast to sleep. He returns the Abomination to the coven and demands that they send him back from where he came from.

I think it would be fair to say that for most comic readers from this time Silver Surfer issue 12 isn’t considered a classic but for myself it has remained one of my all-time favourite comics. Perhaps it was that great 7 page fight scene, the great villain (the Abomination is still my favourite comic book baddie) or the fact that I was taken aback by the melancholy of the Surfer (i.e. he was a bit of a moaning git) or maybe it just links me to those other childhood memories like riding my bicycle through the neighborhood after dark.