Even though Wednesdays are typically the day of the week we all look forward to because it's "new comics day", we thought it'd be nice to reserve one Wednesday a month to look back on those issues, series, iconic runs and graphic novels that have cemented our undying devotion to graphic storytelling. After all, these are the stories that are the reason you plan your Wednesdays around the hours of your nearest comic shop.
As a comic book fan, you learn pretty quickly to let go of naivete and accept that there are certain truths about the comic book industry. It's an industry meant to make money, and as such, there will always be tie-ins to other media. We see it with comic book adaptations of science fiction television shows like Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who, a wide array of video games from Mirror's Edge to World of Warcraft and films like RoboCop and Star Wars. Comics have another type of multimedia tie-in though, one far less obvious.
Take a look at this spring's solicitations from Marvel Comics and you'll see just what I mean. As you most assuredly know, Iron Man 2 hits this May. To prepare for such an occasion, Marvel has a slew of books like Iron Man vs. Whiplash, Iron Man 1.5 and a new Black Widow mini-series all scheduled to begin between now and May. Surely, two books starring characters featured in the film and another set within the film universe is not merely coincidence. Unfortunately, books such as these are near unanimous letdowns as they are thrown together not out of creativity but instead out of the publisher's marketing department.
That's part of the reason why J. Michael Straczynski and Esad Ribic's Silver Surfer: Requiem is so unique; it was clearly intended to feed off the hype of 2007's not-quite-abysmal-but-certainly-not-good film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. As is prone to happen when you involve the genius of a writer like JMS and the quality of work Ribic is capable of, Requiem turned the idea that a mini-series coinciding with a movie has to be underwhelming completely on its head.
Requiem is simple in its concept: Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, has learned that his time in the universe is short when the protective material surrounding his body starts deteriorating and the Power Cosmic that fuels his abilities begins to leave him. Given a few weeks left to live,Norrin Radd sets out to give his adopted home of Earth what he can before he's gone, and head back to his birth world of Zenn-La to die.
The series is interesting because it clearly exists within the Marvel Universe that we know, but at the end of the life of one its most beloved characters. Not only this, but for a series meant to coincide with the film (they came out the same week), it's a rather bold choice for the publisher to allow a story to be told that sees the character of interest on his death bed. And though the final issue would not be out until the film had already finished its run at the box office, JMS' sympathetic portrayal of Galactus, devourer of worlds and the movie's primary threat, is quite shocking.
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All of the multimedia nonsense aside, this is a comic book first and foremost, and thankfully, as so few of these tie-in books do, Requiem will forever stand the test of time as one of the best superhero comics around.
Interestingly, Requiem is as much an analytic exploration of other characters in the Marvel Universe as it is of the Silver Surfer. Characters like the aforementioned Galactus , in addition to members of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Mary Jane Watson, and even The Watcher get their moments of introspection by way of Norrin Radd's situation. What's remarkable is that JMS ties these other character's moments into his central themes, playing into what the character the Silver Surfer stands for and his overall desire to inspire hope in those around him, but more so, in humanity.
Readers get to see first hand the selflessness of the Surfer as he interacts with the Marvel Universe. In issue #3, as Radd has left Earth behind for good to journey to his homeworld, he stops amidst a cultural war that's been raging for generations between two alien civilizations to sort out their issues. Nevermind the obvious comparisons to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for now; the way that JMS creates a messianist aura around the Surfer is what adds to Requiem's message of hope. The Surfer is the pinnacle of hope personified, such that even in the end, Galactus is sympathetic to his devotion. There's a lot going on in Requiem to be sure, but on the hinge of it all is the selflessness of its primary character.
