The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Another title I follow that you should be reading if you aren't.
I've spoken about it before in the "What Comics Are You Reading Thread?" -- but that was before we had this sub-forum dedicated to discussing comics.
With this series, current "The Amazing Spider-Man" scribe Dan Slott has transformed the Silver Surfer from a shiny alien who -- in one of the greatest accidental juxtapositions ever -- rides around the universe on a surfboard moping with interesting things occasionally happening to him into a shiny alien who rides around the universe on a surfboard moping (juxtaposition intact) but is actually fun to read about.
In getting Norrin (not-so-)Radd to this point, Slott had to lift the formula and TV bible of Russell T. Davies-era "Doctor Who" -- but, hey, there's choices a lot worse he could have picked to borrow from (such as Steven Moffat-era "Doctor Who" -- but that's a discussion for another time =P). If you're going to rip something off, steal from the best.
Thanks to that, the Surfer now has the optimistic and open-minded Dawn Greenwood of Earth as his ever-present companion, allowing him to bounce off her personality and grow into less of a buzzkill even as her horizons expand and she makes new discoveries about herself. Coupled with this is finally establishing the Surfer's board (named "Toomie" by Dawn) as a character with personality in its own right, analogous to The Doctor's TARDIS.
Such an obvious thing to do in hindsight, but no one -- at least no one writing the damn character -- ever thought to before.
I haven't mentioned the art on the book up to now because, frankly, I'm not a fan of Laura and Mike Allred's aesthetic. That's just personal preference talking, though. Mike is a competent, clear visual storyteller with a pencil, and one look at Laura's colors will show you that she understands contrast and iconography in ways that I certainly never could. Dawn's design is cute but still with a hint of the strength she didn't know she had at the series' beginning, and she contrasts perfectly with the Surfer in every panel they share.
Long story made short: The Allreds are prefect for this book.
And with that, what else can I say but "Start fucking reading this"? If you like "Doctor Who," if you want to read Marvel but want some lighter yet sophisticated fare amidst their often heavy offerings, if you just like to read good stories -- start fucking reading this.
I've spoken about it before in the "What Comics Are You Reading Thread?" -- but that was before we had this sub-forum dedicated to discussing comics.
With this series, current "The Amazing Spider-Man" scribe Dan Slott has transformed the Silver Surfer from a shiny alien who -- in one of the greatest accidental juxtapositions ever -- rides around the universe on a surfboard moping with interesting things occasionally happening to him into a shiny alien who rides around the universe on a surfboard moping (juxtaposition intact) but is actually fun to read about.
In getting Norrin (not-so-)Radd to this point, Slott had to lift the formula and TV bible of Russell T. Davies-era "Doctor Who" -- but, hey, there's choices a lot worse he could have picked to borrow from (such as Steven Moffat-era "Doctor Who" -- but that's a discussion for another time =P). If you're going to rip something off, steal from the best.
Thanks to that, the Surfer now has the optimistic and open-minded Dawn Greenwood of Earth as his ever-present companion, allowing him to bounce off her personality and grow into less of a buzzkill even as her horizons expand and she makes new discoveries about herself. Coupled with this is finally establishing the Surfer's board (named "Toomie" by Dawn) as a character with personality in its own right, analogous to The Doctor's TARDIS.
Such an obvious thing to do in hindsight, but no one -- at least no one writing the damn character -- ever thought to before.
I haven't mentioned the art on the book up to now because, frankly, I'm not a fan of Laura and Mike Allred's aesthetic. That's just personal preference talking, though. Mike is a competent, clear visual storyteller with a pencil, and one look at Laura's colors will show you that she understands contrast and iconography in ways that I certainly never could. Dawn's design is cute but still with a hint of the strength she didn't know she had at the series' beginning, and she contrasts perfectly with the Surfer in every panel they share.
Long story made short: The Allreds are prefect for this book.
And with that, what else can I say but "Start fucking reading this"? If you like "Doctor Who," if you want to read Marvel but want some lighter yet sophisticated fare amidst their often heavy offerings, if you just like to read good stories -- start fucking reading this.
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