The Comic Speculation Trend (and What Videogames Could Learn From It)

I fell in love with comics during the late 80s. My best friend at the time showed me his small comic collection and I remember listening to Jean Michel Jarre and reading them. The art, stories and dynamism shown on the page blew me away ; it's interesting how such seemingly different art forms can intertwine and create such a powerful impact. For me, the sound of Oxygene combined with late 80s/ early 90s Iron Man, creating a truly immersive experience my head.

I remember vividly going to bed excited to visit our local comic book store, Rodney's Books and Games. The makeup of the shop was strange but cool, at the top was Rodney who sold second hand books and in the basement was Ian, the mid-30 pony tailed guy who sold the comics and manga. I'd been visiting this place to get the books as I was really into the Fighting Fantasy series of books by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. I'd never really ventured downstairs as that was where the men and older teenagers hung out.

There was a connecting space as at the top were rows of comic book boxes with grab bags, £1 a piece, which contained about 4 to 5 comics. The corners were snipped off but it was a cheap way to read loads of comics really easily. Sure, you'd never get a story arc but back then it was a great way to be introduced to a wealth of comics.

I loved visiting every Saturday morning with my best mate and spending our pocket money. However, the early 90’s were when I stopped collecting comics, this was when the comics boom started. I had only a little amount of pocket money and the possibility of getting a girlfriend, socialising with friends by going to the cinema or Pizza Hut buffet whilst collecting all the variants and crossovers made it all too hard for me to keep up with everything. Also, factor in the price rise in comics (from about 80p to about £1.50 to some being over £2) and I was out of the game. Speculators made it hard to collect the comics I wanted and when I could get it, the comic seller had usually jacked up the price. The biggest example I have of this is I was a huge Iron Man fan, who I'd followed since reading a mate’s issue of #250, which I bought and still have. I'd buy monthly issues but the Death of Tony Stark was the next issue (#284 for those who are interested) and I couldn't find it for love nor reasonable money.

I moved onto Flair Cards and loved them for their stunning artwork, interesting facts and good quality card and foil effects but then they became a speculative bubble. I knew this was happening when my group of equally geeky friends suddenly saw many more of our student peers collecting the cards in the playground, it became a phenomenon. Then, after my young cool uncle lent me VHS copies of Akira and Devilman, I got into manga and that was my thing for the next couple of decades.

I know I sound like a hipster but I'm not- I like the stuff I like because I genuinely like it. When things get speculative I get priced out and that's annoying. I loved comics and felt sad that I had to step away however, when I got my first proper paid weekend job in Peacocks, as well as saving some, I'd buy CDs, DVDs but also graphic novels. I found that with graphic novels you'd usually get a whole story arc and the prices wouldn't be speculated on. I've amassed a sizable collection of over 700 and have continued collecting, getting only the stuff I want to read. I don't follow trends or hype cycles but follow the creatives or characters I want. I dropped out of comic collecting because it became prohibitively expensive. I only get a few issues a year and usually they are for the big events like the death of Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) or the first appearance of Spider Boy, and even then I don't stress about variants, foils etc... life's too short! I find that the indie scene is exciting and I enjoy supporting new creatives as there are genuine innovations and a refreshing ideas. I buy several graphic novels each year as the price is quite expensive buy I do get a few single issues too.

As a lifelong videogamer, I’ve been surprised and thankful at how game prices had remained relatively low. It's incredible how much the market has changed over the years. The early 2000s were definitely a golden age for bargain hunters, especially those with a penchant for older systems like the NES, Gameboy, Master System, Megadrive and SNES. However, the internet and nostalgia (as well interest heightened during Covid) have driven up prices for retro games.

When you want to buy a game you don’t expect to look at a table to consider your purchase.

The comic book industry has shown that offering too many different versions of a product can confuse consumers and lead to decreased sales overall. Thus the videogame industry should heed the lessons learnt from that industry and not over-saturate the market with different editions of games or Day One DLC, microtransactions or season passes that are not considered worthwhile for the customer. It’s been a real bloodbath over the past couple of years and I hope the industry recalibrates itself.

LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK- Streets of Rage 2 OST on Vinyl Review

LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK- Uncharted 4- Video Games As Art

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Carmen Sandiego- Complete Series 1 Review

Hilda- Season 2 Review

Hilda is an amazing Netflix animated show. The first season, a 13 part animated series, was adapted from the multi-award-winning and highly acclaimed graphic novel series by Luke Pearson about a young, blue-haired girl who goes on many adventures.

I love the graphic novel series. You can see how Luke Pearson’s art changes and evolves.

I love the graphic novel series. You can see how Luke Pearson’s art changes and evolves.

In season 1, protagonist Hilda lived with her mother in a cabin near the woods and mountains, away from people. It is in this landscape that Hilda went on her first few adventures filled with magical creatures and magical worlds that co-exist alongside hers/ours.

When their home is destroyed Hilda and her mother left their cabin and moved to the city of Trolberg. Here, Hilda adapted to life in an urban setting, meeting new people and the complexities that brought. She began to understand the beauty that can exist in the city and developed friendships through the Sparrow Scouts group she joined. It was here that the main thrust of the series pushed forward with each episode being an amazing and whimsical adventure. There were elves, stone giants, a Thunderbird and even a nightmare inducing teen thrown into the mix and it all ended up making sense as the world with a tapestry of story and character with its world-building logic.

I loved the original series and felt that the weirdness and slight tinge of unease was reminiscent of Over The Garden Wall, Gravity Falls and Scrooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.

With season 2, Netflix have kicked things up a gear as we have lots of new stories which diverge from the comic series as most of this had been covered in the previous season. Fear not however as these original tales are excellent and continue the good work done in the previous season. It deepens the relationships between Hilda and the citizens of her world as they try to navigate the threat posed by Ahlberg, a narcissistic figure who seeks to destroy the trolls and ascend to some form of power. He is a great foil for our heroine over the course of the show, which has this through-line.

The individual episodes and my thoughts are below, but be aware, there be mild spoilers:

In Episode 1, The Stone Circle, we are introduced to Erik Ahlberg who is the self-appointed Trolberg Safety Patrol Inspector and is a vain glorious man, seeking fame and fortune at any cost, even if it means ruling up the trolls who are wandering closer to the city walls. This is a great start as it sets up an antagonist for the duration of the show.

In episode 2, The Draugen, Hilda goes through different adventures to ascertain who Ahlberg is and what his endgame is. This includes meeting pirate ghosts (the Draugen) and making a deal with the Rat King, but to no avail... yet. This is quite scary as you see the ghosts of dead sailors seeking to wreak havoc but the ending is quite sweet and emotional.

The third episode, The Witch, sees Hilda and best friend Frida help the librarian retrieve an overdue library book from a scarily private and accomplished witch. It's fun and full of awesome moments, and features trials much like the ones The Goonies faced but more kid friendly and with less problematic slurs. There are sweet moments like when a pupil meets her teacher and realises that she didn't disappoint her but achieved her best.

Episode 4, The Eternal Warriors, has Hilda, Frida and David explore the wilderness with the Sparrow Scouts but when David is scared of ghost stories he meets Warriors who can grant him immunity from fear. This is quite a gruesome episode as heads and limbs are lopped off, but it's all quite comedic as David learns the value of accepting who he is.

The Windmill, which is episode 5, sees the return of meteorologist Victoria Van Gale. When the team meet her -living off grid in windmill surrounded by woodland creatures- they are suspicious of her but soon she wins then over. However, is she hiding a deep secret? This is an emotive episode that looks at how we can do bad things, even when our intentions are good; it's the whole 'hubris of man' thing.

In episode 6, The Old Bells of Trolberg, when an automated systems which rings the bell on the hour every hour is installed by the Safety Patrol it wreaks havoc on the lives of everyone in and surrounding Trolberg. Hilda et al. plan and carry out a heist to take the system out before it is rolled out. This is a great episode as we see different groups working together to keep Trolberg noise free from the bells.

The seventh episode, The Beast of Cauldron Island, finds the Lindworm accused of destroying boats in the harbour. When Ahlberg assembles a motley crew to take the creature down, Hilda and crew try to ensure its safety but find another, more true, threat. This is an exciting show as the lore of mythical creatures is extended and we are introduced to a true legend. We also see the dynamic between Hilda and her mum as concerns about her safety come to the fore.

The Fifty Year Night, episode 8, sees Hilda grounded after lying to her mum in the last episode. When she sees her neighbour acting suspiciously Hilda opens one of his historical magazines only to be transported 50 years into the past. She discovers a tale about one magical night at a dance hall and a lifetime of regret and seeks to change that. But, messing with the past had repercussions and echoes. This is a really emotional episode and very heartfelt as Hilda learns about regret and consequences. I won't spoil it but there is an emotional scene with soft piano music playing where an acceptance of a decision that has consequences nearly had me bawling my eyes out.

Episode 9, The Deerfox, sees Twig leave Trolberg and going back into the wilderness. He seeks refuge in the destroyed remains of the house he once lived in and loved in the wilds but also feels a greater pull calling to him. Hilda is bereft to realise that Twig is gone and goes out to find him. What follows is a flashback of how Hilda and Twig first met. This is a beautiful story as we see Hilda realise that she might have taken Twig for granted. Also, we see Twig's origins of sorts and it is one of the most gorgeously animated sequences in the series.

In episode 10, The Yule Lads, Hilda accidentally gets her mum kidnapped by some elves who seek out naughty children and adults. This is a fun Christmassy story about not judging others and making things right. It's a slight but sweet episode.

When the Tide Mice cause magical troubles at the local snack company in episode 11, The Jorts Incident, it is up to Hilda and crew to track them down. This is a really fun episode with elements of The Real Ghostbusters as the team go the Jorts Head Office to track down all the Tide Mice and retrieve the soul of their latest victim. You also get a nice character development with Kaisa (the Librarian witch) and David, who pair up to round up the pesky rodents.

In episode 12, The Replacement, Alfur is relieved from his duties after the council refuses to believe his extraordinary reports about his various escapades with Hilda. When they come to take him away they become embroiled in an adventure too. This is a fun, fast paced story with Alfur's friendship with Hilda coming to the fore. It shows how much Alfur has grown as a character and how he is much more integral to the adventures with Hilda than may have been thought of before.

The series ends with The Stone Circle, the final and longest episode of the series. It builds on the television series but also the story arc of the final graphic novel which was released at the tail-end of last year. I reviewed the graphic novel but this episode is a little different as Hilda and her mum get thrown out by an accident occurring in the Nissa No-where Space. They end up inside a mountain inhabited by trolls and must make their way out back to Trolberg. In another plot, The Trolberg Safety Patrol end up stranded outside the walls with David and Frida and must survive the night. Both plots complement each other as they are about surviving against the odds in perilous circumstances. There are some pretty close calls and squeaky bum moments but it all ends up pretty well, until the final moments which set up the feature long movie due later in the year.

Overall, I loved this series and felt it kept the great momentum from the first season going. However, once again it's the smaller, more contained episodes with heartfelt moments that made the show something special that hits hard. We see the various creatures and Hilda's crew band together to protect one another in grand battles but it's the wrinkled hands held, the tears of a frustrated mother, the nuzzle of a parent to their young that truly make this one of the greatest animated shows I have ever seen, and I've seen A LOT.

Whilst Hilda is aimed at slightly older kids, it is a PG after all, it is excellent for older people too as the central story about facing the challenges the world throws at us and being kind and understanding in the face of it all is universal. It’s a great time for animation at the moment, what with Carmen Sandiego, Disenchantment and The Hollow out there but you REALLY NEED to watch Hilda!

LINK- Hilda Comic Series Review 

LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Series 2 Review

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

Sunny Side Up- Graphic Novel Review

Sunny Side Up is the story of Sunny Lewin, a young girl who is packed off to Florida to stay with her grandpa for the summer during the 70s. Sounds great right? Disneyland, Sea World, the Everglades, Miami! Unfortunately, her grandpa lives in a retirement village and everyone is old... Except one boy who she befriends.
As the two young whippersnappers hit it off over a love of comics, earning money by collecting stray cats and golf balls we get more of an insight into Sunny's life and the familial strife that led to her staying with her grandpa.

The graphic novel is charmingly drawn and there is a lot of observation comedy noted as Sunny adapts to life in 70s Florida. However the book does deal with quite heavy stuff, like what an impact her brothers substance abuse and addiction has on her mental health. For a young child's graphic novel this is quite dark but I'm sure that this is a reality for many of them and I'm glad that this graphic novel deals with it in a sensitive way. There isn't a nice neat ending but that's fine as sometimes there isn't a conclusion to addiction, it's always there and this graphic novel has the maturity to treat it as such.

It is a great read and my daughter and I read it together and loved it.

Low Riders In Space- Graphic Novel Review

Whilst browsing through my school’s library I saw the spine for Low Riders In Space and the first thing that drew me in was the unique hand drawn font and art style. Picking the book from the shelf the cover impressed me, it was an assault on the eyes but in the best possible way. It reminded me of the drawings I used to do in ball pen in my books whilst being bored in lessons back at school but this is about a million times better.

The story is very simple, Lupe Impala (a dog, I think, El Chavo Flapjack (an octopus), and Elirio Malaria (a mosquito) enjoy working with cars and dream of having their own garage. However, they cannot afford to realise this but when a competition to build the best car is announced with a huge cash prize, the team come together to create a mean hip and hop, dip and drop, go low and slow machine. Will they realise their dreams and create a winning machine that could be their way to a better life? You need to read it to find out!

I read this with my 5 year old daughter and we both loved it. The fantastic artwork and colours by Raul the Third, and the humour by Cathy Camper drew us both in. The theme of teamwork, friendship and dreaming big is a universal one and this story shows that by aiming for the stars, you can often achieve it with a little help from your friends. It is a celebration of Latino culture and the love of the culture and language emanates through the pages.

This is an excellent graphic novel and I look forward to reading the next two in the series.

LINK- Hilda Comic Series Review

LINK- Lumberjanes Ongoing Series Review

LINK- Comics in the Classroom

LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter- Comic Review

Onibi is a beautiful graphic novel about Japanese culture and its connection with the spirit world. The setup is quite simple, a young couple find a magic camera, the camera obscura, which is said to show ghosts, yokai, which apparently roam the lands but are invisible to the naked eye. The couple travel through the Japanese countryside, visiting places that have a reputation of paranormal activity and take pictures, hoping to glimpse the yokai.

The graphic novel is beautiful and the watercolours are lush!

Over the course of 8 short stories we see the couple explore different regions of Japan, trying to lay their eyes on the yokai prize. As a result the story is quite choppy and disjointed, with some stories being better than others, but it is a novel that requires thought and maybe a re-read after reaching the end.

That's not a knock as you get another chance to enjoy the stunning pencil and water-colour art. The considered palette and use of shading adds to the atmosphere of the story and there are a few larger panels where the majesty and artistry is on full display.

As a graphic novel, the premise appealed to me as I had seen this trope before in a video game series I like, Project Zero/ Fatal Frame, so to see a graphic novel take on this premise intrigued me. However, I feel that it wasn't executed as well as I'd have liked. I think the fact that the story kept changing locations and times so suddenly didn't give us a chance to understand the two protagonists and it felt a little like a walking simulator videogame, where you expect something to happen or a jump-scare but... It doesn't materialise.

It's a good graphic novel with a great premise but for me, it feels like a promise unfulfilled. Well worth a read but I’m not sure I’d have it in my graphic novel collection for posterity.

LINK- Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter Trailer

Zita the Spacegirl Trilogy- Comic Review

The Zita the Spacegirl trilogy is a young adult graphic novel series that starts with a simple premise but builds into something so much more over time.

The story begins when Zita and a friend find a mysterious box with a huge red button on it, which seems to have fallen from space. Being ever adventurous, young Zita presses the button, a portal opens up and tentacles grab her friend and drag him through it. As she is to blame for her friend’s kidnapping, Zita feels that she must rectify the situation and so she presses the red button once again and travels through the portal and this is where her wild adventure begins. She soon realizes getting back to earth is not going to be easy and spends three graphic novels travelling through space helping various aliens she meets along the way whilst still trying to find her lost friend, kinda like an intergalactic Littlest Hobo.

After saving a planet in her first adventure (in Zita the Spacegirl) she discovers that fame has its price in the second novel ( in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl) and must recover her spaceship after a doppelgänger robot assumes her identity and goes off on a mission to fight an evil alien horde. In the third and final novel, The Legend of Zita, she must stop a crazy dictator as he plans to invade Earth with his galactic army. Can she stop him? What do you reckon?

The character of Zita is wonderfully realised as she no real powers, just her intelligence, determination and her sense of loyalty. She makes friends with some pretty reprehensible and unlikeable people but through her sheer good will and kindness, she commands loyalty and respect and turns some people around... like a pre-teen Teen Angel (yes, my references are old)

Writer and illustrator Ben Hatke has a fun, almost naive art style but this betrays a world building masterclass; what he has created is similar in style to the imperious Saga or Star Wars... high praise indeed, but when you read the novels you know that there is a bigger world with a wide and varied bestiary with potentially an entire lore-filled universe.

The Zita trilogy is an excellent graphic novel series that I wish I'd had in my youth, alongside Asterix and Tintin. Its premise is fun and instantly engaging and, with an expanded universe potentially presented at the story's conclusion, ripe for an imagination to let loose on and let fly. Check it out or miss it at your peril graphic novel fans!

LINK- Comics in the Classroom (article)

LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me

LINK- Roller Girl Comic Review

An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

Precisely a month ago today, my wife, children and I left the UK. When deciding to move abroad and work away for a few years, I was excited to leave but something was holding me back. Yes, family and friends, but I knew we'd still be in touch regularly through various means (all being well) but something else... it was my large comic book collection. Yes, I know it sounds incredibly materialistic but I'll explain.

Whilst clearing through our belongings and deciding what to put into storage, I decided to sell most of my 300+ DVDs and 200+ CDs to CEX for a pittance. I thought I'd miss parting with my collections because I'd built it over many years and I’d always reasoned I'd need them in case streaming services or the internet went kaput. However, thinking through this process I realised that in a Mad Max-style dystopian world people would have more pressing concerns than getting a CD of Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene or a VHS copy of Hello Dolly, and yes that was a timely reference to Wall-E.

However, with my comics I felt differently... I couldn't bare to part with them. For me it wasn't even an option. I started comic collecting when I was about 7 years old and my first loves were Tintin, Iron Man, Spiderman and Zoe Ball. The affection I have for my comics collection isn't just based on the rather large financial commitment required over the years but more to the memories and nostalgia I have attached with them. I still vividly remember lying in bed listening to Interpol's Antics whilst reading Maus in 2005, or lying in bed reading Craig Thompson's Blankets whilst listening to Bjork's Vespertine. A lot of my memories involve me lying in bed and listening to music, especially when it comes to comics and graphic novels. The music I listened to and certain comics I read are forever intertwined in me as they were often formative.

At the time of leaving England, I had built up a mighty and eclectic collection of over 500 graphic novels and many comics too. I had signed ones by Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, League of Extraordinary Gentleman) , Jeff Smith (Bone), Erica Henderson (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl), Becky Cloonan (Demo, Chance or Providence) and many more. This may not sound impressive and compared to many collectors out there, it isn't, but what I loved most was meeting each and every one of the artists or writers I had sign my graphic novels. This was more important than the signed comic itself, the chance to have a quick chat and tell my heroes what I thought about them and their work. I remember this one time, whilst browsing the basement area of Orbital Comics in its original location opposite the British Museum, I saw Alan Moore signing his works quietly. There was no queue or gaggle of fans, just Mr Moore, two of my friends and I. Trying to be nonchalant, I walked up to him and spoke of my admiration of his work. I walked away feeling like a boss, feeling like I’d spoken with eloquence and gravitas until my friends informed me I had sounded like a pre-pubescent teen and had been shaking all the time I had been talking to him. Nope, this was not my finest moment but one I will treasure forever because… comics!

I thought that by going to Saudi Arabia I might have to put a lot of this behind me as comics and the availability of pop culture paraphernalia was limited, at least from what I had heard and been led to believe. I know that you can get comics on tablets, phones etc but in the same way I put up with reading books on my Kindle for convenience sake rather than a love of the format, I knew I would miss the tactile nature of holding a comic, smelling the print and all that other stuff old duffers like me often say. Comic shopping is quite a social thing, although for many newbies going into comic shops it may not seem so… but, once you break through the knowledge-bomb dropping bravado, comic nerds are alright and just want to talk about their hobby.

However, having been here only a month so far, I have been excited to learn that Saudi Arabia does actually have a quite vibrant fandom scene. Okay, it’s not London level fandom but it is growing. In the past few weeks I have been to various game sessions and many more game-meets have been planned for the future. Also, I learnt from a colleague that the local hypermarket was running a models and maquette meetup. Fellow model enthusiasts brought along their elaborate models and dioramas to share with an appreciative audience, which included video game, anime and comic fans. Also, whilst shopping at the local shopping centre I came across Toca Boca clothes (they make cool educational apps) and Cuphead figures!

I have also been incredibly surprised and pleased to learn that the school I work at now houses a very impressive graphic novel collection in its library. Granted, the more controversial and adult-themed comics aren't there, it is a school after all, but what is there is mightily impressive and has pleased this old comic fans heart.

Posy Simmonds: Retrospective at House of Illustration

Writer and illustrator Posy Simmonds has been a comic artist and graphic novelist for over 50 years. Her works have garnered much praise and have even been turned into an Indie movie (Tamara Drewe). In celebration of her impressive achievements the House of Illustrations in Kings Cross is running a 4 month exhibition.

The exhibition will run from 24 May to 15 Sep 2019, 10:00am - 5:30pm and will feature lots of work covering the span of her career as well as offering an insight into her creative process. I hope to visit soon and will, of course, write a review.

Posy Simmonds Exhibition at House of Illustration

Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 5- Comic Review

With volume 5 we are given more insight into Baron Muster, a true comic book villain; all twirling moustache and cackling but in the very best sense. The previous volume had us judge him as a power crazy monster, however a flashback to his youth shows his motivation and brings a bit of humanity into the proceedings. His descent into madness and mania is operatic and tragic but is interspersed with the darkest of humour that Kishiro does so well. He goes full Cronenberg and the body horror is truly grotesque.

We get a little more information on Alita’s origins but yet again, they remain shrouded in mystery as her ‘birth’ is anything but normal. I won’t spoil it here but it Kishiro sure knows how to keep people on tenter hooks.

Vol. 5 goes into deep Martian lore.

Vol. 5 goes into deep Martian lore.

Silver Surfer by Slott and Allred- Complete Comic Series Review

I'm a huge comic nerd and have been for over 30 years. Of course I've known of the Silver Surfer for many years, but he just wasn't a character I was that interested in... he just seemed a little, well, lame. I read a few of his comics back in the early 90s and found his brooding angsty vibe a bit too edgy for its own good. My only recent experience with the Silver Surfer was with the second Fantastic Four movie and that certainly didn't help to adhere him close to my heart. However, over the past couple of years I've been hearing people raving about the recent Dan Slott and Michael Allred run so I thought I'd give the Surfer another chance and by gosh I'm glad I did.

Over the course of 29 issues Slott's Surfer takes us on quite the journey. He still carries the weight of the worlds he helped destroy with Galactus on his shoulders, but with the help of young human Dawn Greenwood, he realises he must move forward and make amends for his past misdeeds.
The Surfer and Dawn are perfect travel companions and as their friendship grows through the various adventures you find yourself rooting for this couple. You see sides of the Surfer that are rarely explored (at least in my experience from his cartoon show and frequent guest appearances in other comics) as he often 'Silvers Down' to talk about the existential crises he often faces; how can he enjoy life when he has led so many to their doom? It's not all serious though, the entire run has goofy humour and silliness galore as the Dr Who influence is placed front and centre. Cases in point: After performing a tonsillectomy we have our hero take Dawn to the universe's best ice cream parlour, take her on (frequent) bathroom breaks and keeping her constantly fed and watered.

Silver Surfer by Slott and Allred

One of the most interesting storylines sees the Surfer confront his past sins and the 6 billion survivors of the many worlds he led Galactus to destroy on a new planet called Newhaven. He knows he must atone for this and seeks to offer an apology and help the survivors, when Galactus arrives... hungry for more planets and souls. What follows reminds me of the most recent incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, as the Silver Surfer and Dawn look for a new, safer home for the inhabitants of Newhaven, the space flotilla search for the Promised Land.
This arc is quite dramatic as Dawn realises the true nature of Surfers past but she forgives him and gets him to reflect on what little choice Galactus gave him, easing his conscience. After this drama, events seems to peater out and never quite achieve the sense of pathos I feel that it was striving for but it is an intriguing arc nonetheless as it offers the Surfer a redemptive arc and brings Dawn closer to Norrin Radd.

In the forth graphic novel Dawn and Norrin become a couple as Norrin chooses to save the culture of Earth from the Zenn-Lavians. It is a dramatic arc as Norrin understands what it is to be the last of your kind on an alien planet (much like Dr Who being the last Gallifrayan) as he is excommunicated from Zenn-La but is welcomed as a citizen of Earth. Dawn also meets her estranged mother but at her time of most need, Dawn is abandoned again. The forth graphic novel is full of high emotion and unresolved strands, showing how messy life can get.

For the final graphic novel collection, the Surfer and Dawn are very much in love and enjoying the different worlds. Dawn seeks high adventure and danger but it comes at a high cost when her father passes away whilst they are away on their escapades. Stricken by grief, they attempt to travel back in time but overshoot somewhat and end up at the birth of the current universe. As they are isolated, the Surfer creates a new world and spends his life with Dawn until she passes. Being immortal, he feigns growing older with her and it is here that the true moment of beauty and philosophy come into play; what does it mean to be human and what is the meaning of life?

The love between the Silver Surfer and Dawn Greenwood is well earned and slowly reveals itself ©Marvel

To hammer home the gravitas of Dawn's passing, the Surfer must watch the new (current) worlds events unfold in front of him and not interfere in any way, lest he affect the timeline. This is all very wibbly wobbly time wimey stuff a la Dr Who.

Over the course of 5 graphic novels, 29 issues, Slott and the Allred’s have created a momentous story arc for the Silver Surfer that joins the pantheon of the greats. The art style complements the writing and whilst not as detailed as the super shiny muscular versions from the 90's, it shares much with the cartoony but heartfelt look and feel of much of the Marvel Now imprint, things like Howard the Duck, Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.

This version of the character makes the Silver Surfer more relatable and likeable than ever before. Dawn Greenwood is an excellently realised character who brings the humanity out of the Zenn-Lavian and the storylines are similar in style to the Kirby/Lee run. More than anything Slott's Silver Surfer has amazing storylines that ring with pathos and humanity and deserve to be read. This may not be your dad's Silver Surfer but it's a brilliant one that deserves to be appreciated.

LINK- Comics in the Classroom (article)

LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 3- Comic Review

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 2- Comic Review

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 1- Comic Review

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review

LINK- Inspector Gadget Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Sonic Mania Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack

LINK- Thomas Was Alone Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack Review

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review