An Obscure Silver Surfer Story: The Answer

Epic Illustrated #1 (Spring 1980)
"The Answer, A Tale of the Silver Surfer"
Stan Lee-John Buscema/Rudy Nebres

Doug:  Back on January 21, our friend and frequent commenter Edo Bosnar subtly reminded me that back in January of 2010 I'd made a pledge to review a short Silver Surfer story that I'd read within the pages of the hardcover (must-have hardcover to you) Marvel Visionaries: John Buscema.  I told him in a reply that I'd totally dropped the ball on that, and would soon enough provide said review.  That's today.  You'll see that the story was published in the pages of Marvel's Epic Illustrated, the company's attempt to catch on to a bit of the market enjoyed by such publications as Heavy Metal.  One might also consider this an evolution of Marvel's extensive foray into the realm of black and white magazines during the early Bronze Age; you'll note that Epic Illustrated was entirely in color.  Let's check it out --

Doug:  One of the aspects of this story that you may notice right from the get-go is the quality of the artwork.  From the linework to the coloring to the panel details, this is far different from any four-color comic books we've examined in the past here on the BAB.  While the pencils are John Buscema's, I wouldn't say the pages scream Buscema.  Rudy Nebres is overpowering to say the least.  It seems that every time we discuss Big John outside the Silver Age, the issue of lay-outs vs. full pencils comes to the fore.  As this was published in 1980, I honestly don't know how tight John's pencils would have been.  While he could draw anatomically correct figures with the best of the masters, there are details in the story that lead me to believe that Nebres had some real liberty with the finished product.  As I said above, this magazine was a conscious effort by Marvel to get into whatever comics/magazine market periodicals such as Heavy Metal occupied.  For those of you who've seen anything in that genre, I think you'd say this is a pretty solid effort on Marvel's part.

Doug:  The story is only eight pages, and it's quite simple.  What we have here is an untold tale of Galactus and the Silver Surfer, from their earliest adventures together.  This almost has a warm feeling to it, sort of a mentor/mentee vibe.  Norrin Radd asks his master how he might learn the answer to the mystery.  As you can see, Galactus' answer is a flat "There is no answer."  The Surfer pushes him, asking if he himself knows more.  The Surfer, feeling small in comparison to not only Galactus but the universe, compares himself to a mere flyspeck.  Galactus declares that while he himself is more than man, he is less than god.  The Surfer presses him, even accusing the master of lying to him.  Galactus calmly states that he is power absolute, and has no reason to lie.  He repeats that there is no answer, but encourages the Surfer to seek his own resolution.

Doug:  The Surfer takes to his board, seeking to "strip away the final veil of darkness".  In a quest to see beyond the furthest star, he streaks away from the asteroid he and Galactus had occupied.  Pledging to not turn back, the Surfer goes deeper and deeper into space, until finally he finds what he is looking for:  a black hole, a fissure in the very fabric of space.  Entering it, Norrin Radd is positive that his power cosmic will protect him while he searches for infinity.  What he finds is an overload for his senses, a writhing, sharp, stabbing collection of light colors that spiral to the center of the black hole.  This is no Kirby spacescape!  This is akin to a journey to the center of the human being rather than down Alice's rabbit hole.

Doug:  The Surfer begins to feel very emotional -- excitement, anticipation, and perhaps even trepidation.  He nears his goal: the answer.  Yet, closing his eyes, he is astounded upon opening them that he found not what he sought and is instead on his way out of the black hole.  Disappointed, he's somewhat incredulous to return to Galactus so soon.  Asking his master if he had reached the answer first, Galactus assures his herald that he has not moved in the Surfer's absence.  The Surfer cries out, "It cannot be!  There must be something -- somewhere --".  Galactus answers that he tried to warn Norrin Radd.  And here is the resolution:

 

Doug:  Is anyone out there surprised that this comes from Stan Lee and not Jack Kirby?  Kirby had for years explored religious themes in his art and plotting/scripting, but for the most part Stan's dalliances in religious topics seemed to focus more on ethics rather than theology or the existence of God.  Here Stan not only names God, but takes one of Marvel's more powerful beings and humbles him in the presence of God.  This would seem to be an examination of the very nature of and existence of a deity as it might have played out in the Marvel Universe.  The result seems not too different from interpretations of God from the great religions around the world, and Stan seems careful not to make this God slanted toward any of those specific religions.  

Doug:  It's a curious tale, tucked far away from the eyes of the everyday Marvel Comics reader.  While I knew Epic Illustrated existed, this was the time when I was not buying comics.  It was still published, and indeed on its last legs, when I returned to the hobby in late 1984/early1985.  I believe the Surfer series ran throughout, and I'd be in debt to any of our readers who can shed some light on the life of this magazine and even moreso on the Surfer feature.  You have my thanks in advance.