Marvel Comics Library. Silver Surfer. 1968–1970

Introduced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the fertile pages of The Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer quickly established himself as one of Marvel’s most far-out characters. Enslaved by Galactus to prowl the cosmos for the demi-god’s next planet-sized meal, the Surfer was as tragic a figure as any in comics – and he looked impossibly cool at the same time! A smash hit with fans and a regular supporting character in Fantastic Four, the character struck a creative nerve with Lee, who couldn’t wait to begin to tell some Surfer solo stories, but the timing had to be right.

In the spring of 1968, things came together for both writer and character, with Lee giving the Surfer Marvel’s very first ongoing double-sized book. Lee also recruited John Buscema, who had recently been lending his muscular brushwork to The Avengers, for art chores. Together, they spun off a run of legendary tales that helped define the character forevermore.

The entire 18-issue run of the 1968 Silver Surfer series, with a final issue that reunites Surfer creators Lee and Kirby, is collected in this cosmic-sized XXL tome from the Eisner Award-winning series, every page shot with the highest production values from a pristine copy of the original comic book.