Silver Surfer #5

By: Dan Slott (story), Michael Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors)

The Story: The Lord of Nightmares has his worst nightmare.

The Review: Of all the new Marvel titles I’ve picked up this year, Silver Surfer is probably the one I find hardest to review. It’s not enough for me to say that I enjoy it, which I do consistently; if my love for chicken nuggets taught me anything, it’s that enjoyment is a poor gauge for quality. My difficulty with Silver Surfer is figuring out what kind of title it wants to be. Is there any depth to be had, or is it just straight sci-fi-adventure?

This issue pushes the series toward the latter. From front to back, the plot is completely self-explanatory and almost childishly simple: the Lord of Nightmares has fallen asleep and must be awaken before the night has ended lest the world sleepwalk in bad dreams forever. That this is a done-in-one should already tell you that Norrin and Dawn have little difficulty with his particular challenge, making the situation seem less dire than everyone hypes it up to be.

Needless to say, Dr. Strange and Bruce Banner’s guest appearances are almost wasted here. After outlining the mission at hand, the other Defenders have nothing else to do except keep the nightmares at bay while Norrin and Dawn wander her inn, searching for their target. I’m not a Defenders fan, really, but even I’m a little disappointed Strange and Bruce don’t have more of an active role in the issue.

Instead, Slott focuses on developing Dawn, his new pet character, which would be fine if there was more to her than her barely-concealed desire to finally get out and see the universe. That longing was pretty obvious from day one, so you knew she’d be leaving with Norrin even before her dad and sister send her off with their blessings at the end of the issue. Despite placing her at the center of the issue, Slott doesn’t manage to reveal any new layers to her character.

The only characters we really get insight into is Dawn’s father and sister, and not very much at that. That Eve fears a life as routinized and confined as Dawn’s is predictable enough, and it’s not terribly surprising that Mr. Greenwood fears his life’s work and happiness being swept away by time. Still, these revelations lend the story a little more weight than it would’ve had otherwise.

Again, I’m not suggesting that Silver Surfer has to be any more sophisticated or involved than it is, though a little more complexity would be appreciated. It’s enough that the issue gives you a steady stream of pleased chuckles: Dawn’s fruitless attempts to wake the Lord of Nightmares (including a Disney princess kiss), Bruce’s irritation at breaking a pen in Hulk form, Norrin declaring angrily that with the Power Cosmic, “I cannot be held at bay by glass, wooden frames…or drapes!” Anyway, after a brain-intensive comic like Bodies #2, light and frothy entertainment makes a good palette cleanser.

The Allreds’ jolly, old-fashioned art fits in with the playfulness of Slott’s script, their soap-opera expressions and body language landing very comfortably between satire and seriousness. There’s clearly a Silver Age pastiche quality to the art, but the heavier linework and richer colors give the art more substance than mere homage.

Conclusion: A fun, fairy tale-like story that doesn’t aim to be more complicated than that.

Grade: B

- Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: - This is how out of the loop I am: I didn’t realize that Bruce is now in control even in Hulk form now.

- “How do you pee?” a guest asks Bruce in Hulk form.

“From a mile away.” Then you better have good aim then!