Silver Surfer

[Jiffie]

I need some help my head is mashed.

I have just read the complete volume 3 of SS from number 1 to 146 including annuals and the flashback.

I am confused, at one stage Sue Storm tells SS that Reed Richards is missing and that AntMan has replaced him in the FF 4.

Later on it transpires that the whole of the fantastic 4 are dead, but when SS starts to get romantically involved with Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm turns up obviously not dead but absolutely no explanation as to where he has been (that is roundabout SS 135) after Ben Grimm realises Alicia wants to be with SS, he disappears and there is no mention of the FF 4 until the very last issue of the volume issue number 146 when the whole FF 4 turn up including Reed Richards to send SS to sort out FireLord who has gone mental in Asia after a nuclear explosion.

Can anybody please fill in the blanks???????????????????????????????

[Mike_Murdock]

It looks like this somewhat occurs around the time of Onslaught where the Fantastic Four "died" and were sent into an alternate universe for about a year before coming back in a relaunched series.

[Jiffie]

I thought that might be the case but I was a bit unhappy that there was absolutely no context whatsoever offered to explain what actually happened.

As I said pretty much from 120 to 136 they were dead, Ben Grimm turns up alive and no context was given and then from 136 to 146 no mention until the very last issue of the volume (146) and there they all are as if nothing had happened sending SS to Asia because he could get there quicker, to be honest it sort of ended the volume off on a low because I thought have I missed something?

[ARkadelphia]

I thought that might be the case but I was a bit unhappy that there was absolutely no context whatsoever offered to explain what actually happened.

As I said pretty much from 120 to 136 they were dead, Ben Grimm turns up alive and no context was given and then from 136 to 146 no mention until the very last issue of the volume (146) and there they all are as if nothing had happened sending SS to Asia because he could get there quicker, to be honest it sort of ended the volume off on a low because I thought have I missed something?

You did miss something. The Fantastic Four books that were released covering the same time period.

[Jiffie]

You did miss something. The Fantastic Four books that were released covering the same time period.

Ah marketing ploy!

[Witchfan]

I need some help my head is mashed.

I have just read the complete volume 3 of SS from number 1 to 146 including annuals and the flashback.

I am confused, at one stage Sue Storm tells SS that Reed Richards is missing and that AntMan has replaced him in the FF 4.

Later on it transpires that the whole of the fantastic 4 are dead, but when SS starts to get romantically involved with Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm turns up obviously not dead but absolutely no explanation as to where he has been (that is roundabout SS 135) after Ben Grimm realises Alicia wants to be with SS, he disappears and there is no mention of the FF 4 until the very last issue of the volume issue number 146 when the whole FF 4 turn up including Reed Richards to send SS to sort out FireLord who has gone mental in Asia after a nuclear explosion.

Can anybody please fill in the blanks???????????????????????????????

Now that you read that entire volume, what were your favorite parts? What writers and artists were best?

[strathcona]

I need some help my head is mashed.

I have just read the complete volume 3 of SS from number 1 to 146 including annuals and the flashback.

I am confused, at one stage Sue Storm tells SS that Reed Richards is missing and that AntMan has replaced him in the FF 4.

Later on it transpires that the whole of the fantastic 4 are dead, but when SS starts to get romantically involved with Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm turns up obviously not dead but absolutely no explanation as to where he has been (that is roundabout SS 135) after Ben Grimm realises Alicia wants to be with SS, he disappears and there is no mention of the FF 4 until the very last issue of the volume issue number 146 when the whole FF 4 turn up including Reed Richards to send SS to sort out FireLord who has gone mental in Asia after a nuclear explosion.

Can anybody please fill in the blanks???????????????????????????????

OK... during DeFalco's run, Reed was thought to be dead and was replaced by Ant-Man on the team. This lasted a little over a year I believe. After Reed was found to be alive and Ant-Man left the team, the FF were involved in the linewide (well, almost linewide, Silver Surfer wasn't involved] Onslaught event. This resulted in the FF and the Avengers being thought to be dead. In reality they had been saved by Franklin Richards and rebooted in the Heroes Reborn universe. That lasted a year. Then the FF, Avengers and everyone else that was gone returned to the 616 in the Heroes Return mini and things returned to (relative] normal.

[Jiffie]

OK... during DeFalco's run, Reed was thought to be dead and was replaced by Ant-Man on the team. This lasted a little over a year I believe. After Reed was found to be alive and Ant-Man left the team, the FF were involved in the linewide (well, almost linewide, Silver Surfer wasn't involved] Onslaught event. This resulted in the FF and the Avengers being thought to be dead. In reality they had been saved by Franklin Richards and rebooted in the Heroes Reborn universe. That lasted a year. Then the FF, Avengers and everyone else that was gone returned to the 616 in the Heroes Return mini and things returned to (relative] normal.

Thank you for that, I can now sleep at night.

It really bugged me as I came to the end of that 3rd series and google as I might, I still couldn't find the answers.

I did however stumble on to why Alicia Masters finally marries Ben Grimm, which I suspect would have been my next breakdown.

Anyway thank you once more for the explanation.

Stay safe.

[Jiffie]

Now that you read that entire volume, what were your favorite parts? What writers and artists were best?

I was brought up in late 60’s on Lee and Kirby and love them both dearly.

Writing wise Englehart, Starlin, Marz and a big shout out to Perez, his storylines were just so intricate and made you concentrate with so much going on, but everything made perfect sense as each storyline concluded.

Art wise Buscema nailed it for me and I love the Moebius interpretation, it was high art, I have a first edition hardback copy including sketches and explanations from both Lee and Moebius.

And not forgetting Lim.

Overall my love of SS stems from his trusting innocence, his despair, his honour, his social conscience and his attempted non violent stance. I suppose in a way he is far more human than any other Marvel super hero.

In volume 3 - 40 to 43 in 1990 SS is in Dynamo City and is forced to seek a job, workers are mercilessly exploited and an under class live in a huge tented city, this was about 15 years or so before that actually became a norm in many cities worldwide.

The 2007 4 volume ‘Requiem’ in my humble opinion is probably the best comic books ever produced, it is just perfect in every single way, the artwork by Ribic and the writing by Straczynski is outstanding and heart wrenching and last years ‘Black’ series by Moore and Cates explaining how we arrived at the ‘Requiem’ scenario is great as well.