I only ask because this was the second consecutive DC/Marvel crossover in which he starred, and if we look at all four of the standalone crossover one-shots that the two publishers released in 1995 and 1996, the Surfer was prominently featured in three of 'em.
Their Silver Surfer/Superman story really seems premised on the meeting of the villains in the piece; while Superman and the Surfer do indeed have a couple of things in common, it's the villains of this story fulfill similar niches in each publisher's respective universe. In fact, a pretty strong case can made that one's portrayal is based on that of the other.
I know he was carrying his own ongoing title back then—according to Comics.org, The Silver Surfer launched in 1987 and lasted through 1998, running 146 issues—but when I think of popular Marvel characters of the '90s, I tend to think of Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Punisher and Ghost Rider, not Norrin Radd.
Was he really one of their top characters, or was he simply over-represented in these crossovers, a Marvel character that the various creators involved just saw fit to repeatedly meet with members of the Distinguished Competition's roster?
At any rate, the character returned to the spotlight in Silver Surfer/Superman #1, a one-shot special published just six months after the DC Versus Marvel miniseries wrapped; obviously, that event series wasn't meant to be any sort of climax or culmination of the publishers' 1990s crossovers, as they would continue unabated for a few more years. (Which means, of course, there are still plenty more posts yet to go in this series).
This time the creative team would consist of the popular and talented George Perez, here relegated to scripting only, with no hand in the art, and the prolific Ron Lim, who had by this point produced plenty of pages for the Silver Surfer comic, not to mention many of Marvel's other titles. (He'd also drawn Superman at that point, but not for any great length.)
Perez, meanwhile, had written a run on Silver Surfer, and had plenty experience drawing Superman in different capacities for various titles.
Finally, rounding out the creative team was veteran inker Terry Austin, whose name didn't make the cover, as you can see above. (Nor did that of colorist Tom Smith.)
Finally, rounding out the creative team was veteran inker Terry Austin, whose name didn't make the cover, as you can see above. (Nor did that of colorist Tom Smith.)
Their Silver Surfer/Superman story really seems premised on the meeting of the villains in the piece; while Superman and the Surfer do indeed have a couple of things in common, it's the villains of this story fulfill similar niches in each publisher's respective universe. In fact, a pretty strong case can made that one's portrayal is based on that of the other.
These villains are, of course, Mr. Mxyzptlk, a character dating back to a 1944 comic from Superman's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and The Impossible Man, a one-time Fantastic Four character created in 1963 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee who had since gone on to mess with various other Marvel characters, the Surfer included.
Though their exact natures and powers varied a bit—Mxy was a fifth dimensional imp with seemingly limitless magic powers, while the Impossible Man hailed from the planet Poppup and had extraordinary shape-shifting abilities—both were diminutive pranksters that enjoyed teasing strait-laced heroes, and the stories featuring them were generally more comedic in nature, offering a temporary respite from the more standard and serious superhero fare.
Though their exact natures and powers varied a bit—Mxy was a fifth dimensional imp with seemingly limitless magic powers, while the Impossible Man hailed from the planet Poppup and had extraordinary shape-shifting abilities—both were diminutive pranksters that enjoyed teasing strait-laced heroes, and the stories featuring them were generally more comedic in nature, offering a temporary respite from the more standard and serious superhero fare.
Thus, this story, entitled "Pop!" is really more of a Mr. Mxyzptlk/Impossible Man crossover than a Superman/Silver Surfer one.
It's kind of too bad that the villains, if we can really call them that, are so prominently placed on the book's wraparound cover, as it spoils their presence, draining the What's going on? melodrama that our heroes experience at the beginning of the tale, when they find themselves in strange, even impossible circumstances.
Superman is just finishing up a routine patrol of Metropolis when he disappears in a "Pop", reappearing on what seems to be an intact and populated Krypton...although he can tell from the positions of the stars that he hasn't traveled back in time, and that, as impossible as it seems, this Krypton exists in the present day.
After tangling with Kryptonian soldiers, he's faced with a much more formidable foe: The Super-Skrull!
Meanwhile, The Silver Surfer is investigating a mysterious planet in deep space, when he also disappears in a "Pop", reappearing in Metropolis, where he finds things are very wrong. It's not just that everyone's afraid of him and calling for a "Superman" to come save them, but his powers don't seem to be working quite right, and when he tries to flee for space, he rams into and shatters some sort of glass barrier.
After tangling with Kryptonian soldiers, he's faced with a much more formidable foe: The Super-Skrull!
Meanwhile, The Silver Surfer is investigating a mysterious planet in deep space, when he also disappears in a "Pop", reappearing in Metropolis, where he finds things are very wrong. It's not just that everyone's afraid of him and calling for a "Superman" to come save them, but his powers don't seem to be working quite right, and when he tries to flee for space, he rams into and shatters some sort of glass barrier.
The Surfer soon finds himself standing outside a miniaturized, "bottled" Metropolis, in what appears to be Superman's Fortress of Solitude...although the fortress seems endless, ever-changing, sentient and...to have a sense of humor...?
Superman eventually figures out what's going on—or at least thinks he does—and he punches out the Super-Skrull while shouting in big red letters, "GAME OVER, IMP!!"
Superman eventually figures out what's going on—or at least thinks he does—and he punches out the Super-Skrull while shouting in big red letters, "GAME OVER, IMP!!"
It turns out he's got the wrong alien prankster though, as the Super-Skrull was really the Impossible Man in disguise, not Mxyzptlk. Impossible Man then explains the situation to Superman: He ran into Mr. Mxyzptlk (who he continually refers to as "Mixed Pickles") in one of the "dimensional interfaces" that he travels through when popping. They hit it off, and came up with a challenge of sorts, where they would swap playmates with one another.
Mxy doesn't play entirely fair, however, leading to he and Impossible Man battling one another in a fun four-page sequence where they each take on the appearances of heroes from their respective universes, only color-coded, so that green and purple Marvel characters fight orange and purple DC characters. This gives us a rapid succession of strange panels like Thanos punching out Plastic Man and Wonder Woman blocking Wolverine's claws with her bracelets and so on.
Eventually, thanks to the Impossible Man's trickery and some similar quick-thinking from our heroes, all four end up in the same place at the same time, and Mxy is prevailed upon to join his powers with the Impossible Man's and put the heroes back in their home universes.
This is, by the way, another crossover in which the DC and Marvel characters are explicitly denizens of two separate universes, their crossover only made possible by the villains' extraordinary powers piercing the border between the DC Universe and the Marvel Universe. Perhaps also worth mentioning? At one point, Access from DC Versus Marvel is name-dropped by the Impossible Man: "Mixed Pickles and I found out it took both our combined powers to make the switchover between you and the Surfer work," he explains to Superman, "Neither one of us is Access after all."
Overall, it's a rather fun outing, and the best kind of crossover, one that finds similar characters from each publisher and lets them play off of one another, comparing and contrasting them. It's just that in this case, somewhat unusually, it's the antagonists more than the heroes who are most similar.
Next: 1997's Batman & Captain America #1
Next: 1997's Batman & Captain America #1
1 comment:
They were doing so many cross overs at the time, and the Surfer did have a bit of a resurgence. I think he just fit with the characters he crossed over with on a power and environment level.
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