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116-449: The Silver Surfer is a humanoid alien with metallic skin who can travel through space with the aid of his surfboard -like craft. Originally a young astronomer named Norrin Radd on the planet Zenn-La, he saved his homeworld from the planet devourer, Galactus , by serving as his herald. Imbued in return with some portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic , he acquired vast power, a new body and

232-400: A boxer , he began painting portraits of boxers and sold some cartoons to The Hobo News . Seeking work as a commercial illustrator while doing various odd jobs, Buscema found himself instead entering the comic book field in 1948, landing a staff job under editor-in-chief and art director Stan Lee at Timely Comics , the forerunner of Marvel Comics . The Timely "bullpen", as the staff

348-416: A humanoid of dinosaur origin. Over geologic time, Russell noted that there had been a steady increase in the encephalization quotient or EQ (the relative brain weight when compared to other species with the same body weight) among the dinosaurs. Russell had discovered the first Troodontid skull, and noted that, while its EQ was low compared to humans, it was six times higher than that of other dinosaurs. If

464-501: A " Batman Black and White " short story in Batman: Gotham Knights #7 (Sept. 2000). He reunited with Stan Lee on the 2001 one-shot Just Imagine Stan Lee and John Buscema Creating Superman . He finished the pencils on 2003's Superman: Blood of my Ancestors , begun by Gil Kane , who had since died, and had just signed on for a five-issue miniseries with Roy Thomas, JLA: Barbarians , though he died after finishing

580-674: A 5-part mini-series titled Silver Surfer: Black was released featuring art from Tradd Moore in collaboration with writing from Donny Cates. The series is an extension of a Guardians of the Galaxy storyline in which the Surfer was sucked into a black hole and ejected into unfamiliar space territory. This run follows the Surfer as he traverses the spaceways on a journey back home. Silver Surfer later plays an important role in King in Black storyline. With

696-631: A cover that was also sold as a poster. Buscema capped off the decade penciling writer Doug Moench 's three-issue Weirdworld epic-fantasy tale "Warriors of the Shadow Realm" in Marvel Super Special #11–13 (June–Oct. 1979). Pacific Comics released an accompanying portfolio of six signed, colored plates from the story. In the mid-1970s, Buscema ran the John Buscema Art School, which advertised for students in

812-405: A generally humanoid shape is likely, though octopus- or starfish-like bodies are also possible. An opposing view is given by Mike Wall, who argues that intelligent extraterrestrials able to contact Humans would most likely have reached a phase allowing them to develop themselves into machines. Several in-universe explanations have been offered for the abundance of humanoids. One of the more common

928-494: A hierarchy of cooperating systems that make up any organism . Luis Villazon points out that animals that move necessarily have a front and a back; as with animals on Earth , sense organs tend to gather at the front as they encounter stimuli there, forming a head . Legs reduce friction, and with legs, bilateral symmetry makes coordination easier. Sentient organisms will, Villazon argues, likely use tools, in which case they need hands and at least two other limbs to stand on. In short,

1044-518: A major pop-culture conglomerate . His younger brother Sal Buscema is also a comic book artist. Buscema is best known for his run on the series The Avengers and The Silver Surfer , and for over 200 stories featuring the sword-and-sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian . In addition, he pencilled at least one issue of nearly every major Marvel title, including long runs on two of the company's top magazines, Fantastic Four and Thor . He

1160-720: A multitude of worlds toward a humanoid form. In the television series Stargate SG-1 , the Jaffa are explained as being a hundred-thousand year offshoot of humanity bred by the Goa'uld to suit their purposes, hence their almost-human appearance and physiology, while many other "alien" characters are actually the descendants of human- slaves who were removed from Earth by the Goa'uld. Any humans isolated on multiple planets after 100k+ years of adaptations would most certainly seem "alien" to Earthlings. Similarly, in its spin-off show Stargate Atlantis ,

1276-410: A navel, as a placenta aids the development of a large brain case. However, it would not have possessed mammary glands and would have fed its young, as birds do, on regurgitated food. He speculated that its language would have sounded somewhat like bird song . Russell's thought experiment has been met with criticism from other paleontologists since the 1980s, many of whom point out that his Dinosauroid

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1392-488: A portion of his Power Cosmic, which she uses to revitalize the plant life of their ravaged homeworld. After the Surfer aids the Fantastic Four against Galactus's latest herald Terrax , The Surfer eventually pierces Galactus's barrier by acting on a suggestion of trying to pass through on a spaceship instead of via his own power on his surfboard. He also makes peace with Galactus by rescuing current herald Nova from

1508-519: A real person as possible, although these words are frequently perceived to be synonymous with a humanoid. While there are many humanoid robots in fictional stories, some real humanoid robots have been developed since the 1990s, and some real human-looking android robots have been developed since 2002. Similarly to robots, virtual avatars may also be called humanoid when resembling humans. Deities are often imagined in human shape (also known as " anthropotheism "), sometimes as hybrids (especially

1624-498: A result of similar evolutionary pressures. American psychologist and Dinosaur intelligence theorist Harry Jerison suggested the possibility of sapient dinosaurs. In a 1978 presentation at the American Psychological Association , he speculated that dromiceiomimus could have evolved into a highly intelligent species like human beings. In his book, Wonderful Life , Stephen Jay Gould argues if

1740-532: A return to The Savage Sword of Conan with #191 (Nov. 1991) for a 20-issue run. Conan the Rogue , a graphic novel Buscema plotted, pencilled, inked, and colored over a period of five years in his spare time appeared that same year. He both penciled and inked the graphic novel Wolverine: Bloody Choices (Nov. 1993). Buscema returned to crime fiction with The Punisher War Zone #23–30 (Jan.–Aug. 1994, self-inking #26–29), that title's 1993 summer annual , and

1856-580: A sleep-like meditation to dream. He can survive in nearly any known natural environment, including deep space, hyperspace, black holes and stars . The Surfer can project energy in various forms for offensive and defensive use, including force fields, bolts of cosmic force powerful enough to destroy entire planets, and create black holes. He can utilize the Power Cosmic to augment his superhuman strength to indeterminate levels. The Surfer can heal both himself and other living organisms, though he cannot raise

1972-501: A son, John Jr., and a daughter, Dianne. His granddaughter Stephanie Buscema is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, who started out as an inker for her grandfather. Buscema was diagnosed with stomach cancer , and died on January 10, 2002, at the age of 74. He was buried with an artist's pen in his hand. On October 11, 2024, the Harvey Awards announced that Buscema was one of five comics creators to be inducted into

2088-539: A story for the science-fiction anthology Worlds Unknown . Buscema contributed as well to Marvel's black-and-white comics magazines, including the features " Ka-Zar " in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971) and " Bloodstone " in Rampaging Hulk #1 (Jan. 1977), and Doc Savage #1 and 3 (Aug. 1975, Jan. 1976). Other magazine work ran the gamut from horror ( Dracula Lives! , Monsters Unleashed , Tales of

2204-584: A surfboard-like craft on which he could travel faster than light . Now known as the Silver Surfer, he roamed the cosmos searching for planets for Galactus to consume. When his travels took him to Earth , he met the Fantastic Four , who helped him rediscover his nobility of spirit. Betraying Galactus, he saved Earth but was exiled there as punishment. In the alternate continuity of Earth X and Universe X , Shalla-Bal , Norrin's lover and

2320-634: A trait of primates , crows , and dolphins , at some point. In 1982, Dale Russell , curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa , conjectured a possible evolutionary path that might have been taken by the dinosaur Troodon had it not perished in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, suggesting that it could have evolved into intelligent beings similar in body plan to humans, becoming

2436-542: A variety of genres, including crime fiction and romance fiction . Buscema married in 1953. He continued to freelance for Timely, by now known as Atlas Comics , as well as for the publishers Ace Comics , Hillman Periodicals , Our Publications/Orbit-Wanted, Quality Comics , St. John Publications , and Ziff-Davis . Buscema's mid-1950s work includes Dell Comics ' Roy Rogers Comics #74–91 (Feb. 1954 – July 1955) and subsequent Roy Rogers and Trigger #92–97 and #104–108 (Aug. 1955 – Jan. 1956 & Aug.–Dec. 1956); and

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2552-925: A variety of media. Buscema called this time "quite a learning period for me in my own development of techniques". He returned to comic books in 1966 as a regular freelance penciller for Marvel Comics , debuting over Jack Kirby layouts on the " Nick Fury , Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. " story in Strange Tales #150 (Nov. 1966), followed by three " Hulk " stories in Tales to Astonish #85–87 (Nov. 1966 – Jan. 1967). He then settled in as regular penciller of The Avengers , which would become one of his signature series, with #41 (June 1967). Avengers #49–50, featuring Hercules and inked by Buscema, are two of his "best-looking [issues] of that period", said comics historian and one-time Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas , who wrote those issues. Thomas and Buscema introduced new versions of

2668-651: A way that it had never been before. Anatomically balanced figures of Herculean proportions stalked, stormed, sprawled, and savaged their way across Marvel's universe like none had previously". Buscema would pencil an average of two comics a month in collaboration with such inkers as George Klein , Frank Giacoia , Dan Adkins , Joe Sinnott , his younger brother Sal Buscema , Tom Palmer , and, occasionally, Marvel production manager and sometime inker- cartoonist John Verpoorten . John Buscema named Frank Giacoia, Sal Buscema, and Tom Palmer as his favorite inkers. Among Buscema's works during this period fans and historians call

2784-607: Is a non- human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of the human skeleton . Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it is now considered rare. More generally, the term can refer to anything with distinctly human characteristics or adaptations, such as possessing opposable anterior forelimb - appendages (i.e. thumbs), visible spectrum - binocular vision (i.e. having two eyes), or biomechanic plantigrade - bipedalism (i.e.

2900-471: Is a robot that is based on the general structure of a human, such as a robot that walks on two legs and has an upper torso, or a robot that has two arms, two legs and a head. A humanoid robot does not necessarily look convincingly like a real person, for example, the ASIMO humanoid robot has a helmet instead of a face. An android (male) or gynoid (female) is a humanoid robot designed to look as much like

3016-431: Is composed of a nearly impervious, cosmically powered silvery material similar to his own skin. The board is mentally linked to the Surfer and moves in response to his mental commands even when he is not in physical contact with it. The board is nearly indestructible, but on the rare occasions it has been damaged or destroyed, the Surfer can repair or recreate it with little effort. The Surfer can attack opponents by directing

3132-813: Is controlled by the Carnage symbiote , which is seeking revenge for the destruction of its homeworld. Later, the Surfer works with the alien Annunaki race to gather and protect some of Earth's most extraordinarily gifted children. In the end, one of these children, Ellie Waters, saves Earth from the godlike Marduk entity, preventing the Apocalypse and reordering reality as if the Marduk crisis had never happened (though Ellie alone apparently retains her memories of these events). The Surfer resumes his interstellar wanderings, but promises to be ready to aid his adopted homeworld should Earth ever need him. During his travels,

3248-602: Is enslaved by an obedience disc. The conflict is ended when Skaar's mother Caiera sacrifices her soul and Old Power as sustenance for Galactus. Unfortunately, Galactus now seems addicted to the Old Power and has begun searching for other planets containing it to sate himself. After an encounter with the High Evolutionary , the Silver Surfer and Galactus battled Thor and the Asgardians . The battle ended when

3364-531: Is overly anthropomorphic. Gregory S. Paul (1988) and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. , consider it "suspiciously human" (Paul, 1988) and Darren Naish has argued that a large-brained, highly intelligent troodontid would retain a more standard theropod body plan, with a horizontal posture and long tail, and would probably manipulate objects with the snout and feet in the manner of a bird, rather than with human-like "hands". (Although bipedal dinosaurs often do have hands , if they don't turn them into wings.) A humanoid robot

3480-404: Is that authors use the only example of intelligent life that they know, humans. In live-action television and films, using humanoid aliens makes it easier to cast human actors to portray alien characters. A study by the zoologist Sam Levin suggests that aliens might indeed resemble humans, given that they are presumably subject to natural selection . Levin argues that this can be expected to produce

3596-529: Is that the humanoids in the story have evolved on an Earth-like planet or natural satellite , totally independently from Humans on Earth . However, some works have offered alternative explanations: In Star Trek , the explanation is given that a primordial humanoid civilization, the Ancient humanoids , seeded the Milky Way Galaxy with genetically engineered cells to guide the evolution of life on

Silver Surfer - Misplaced Pages Continue

3712-444: Is the fact that I didn't have to spend time writing synopses for him. ... He'd always growl over the phone, 'Don't bother sending me any outlines, Stan. I hate to waste time reading them. Just tell what you've got in mind over the phone. I'll remember it.' So I'd tell him the story I wanted, and I have a hunch he didn't even write any notes while I spoke — because I spoke too fast — but it didn't matter. He remembered every last detail and

3828-476: The Bible , and I came up with Galactus. And there I was in front of this tremendous figure, who I knew very well because I've always felt him. I certainly couldn't treat him in the same way I could any ordinary mortal. And I remember in my first story, I had to back away from him to resolve that story. The Silver Surfer is, of course, the fallen angel . When Galactus relegated him to Earth, he stayed on Earth, and that

3944-688: The Black Knight and the Vision during their collaboration on The Avengers . In order to adapt to the Marvel Comics style of superhero adventure, Buscema "synthesized the essence of [Jack] Kirby's supercharged action figures, harrowing perspectives, monolithic structures, mega-force explosions, and mythological planetscapes into a formula that he instantly integrated into his own superbly crafted vision," wrote comics artist and historian Jim Steranko . "The process brought Buscema's art to life in

4060-596: The Charlton Comics series Ramar of the Jungle and Nature Boy — the latter, Buscema's first superhero work, with a character created by himself and Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel . Buscema next produced a series of Western , war , and sword and sandal film adaptations for Dell's Four Color series. Buscema recalled, "I did a bunch of their movie books ... that was a lot of fun. I worked from stills on those, except for The Vikings . ... I think one of

4176-470: The Silver Age of comic books are The Avengers #41–62 (June 1967 – March 1969) and The Avengers Annual #2 (Sept. 1968); the first eight issues of The Sub-Mariner (May–Dec. 1968); The Amazing Spider-Man #72–73, 76–81, 84–85 (ranging from June 1969 – June 1970 providing layouts finished by either John Romita Sr. or Jim Mooney ), and two issues he himself finished over Romita layouts. Buscema drew

4292-614: The Skrulls . Galactus declares the Surfer's exile ended. The Surfer immediately revisits his homeworld, but Shalla-Bal, in his absence, had become empress of the rejuvenated Zenn-La and is unable to renew their romance. Embroiled in fresh hostilities between the interstellar Kree and Skrull empires, the Surfer also intervenes in a series of plots by the Elders of the Universe , who plan to become supremely powerful by destroying Galactus and

4408-621: The Squadron Supreme in #85 (Feb. 1971). With Jack Kirby's departure from Marvel in 1970, Buscema succeeded him on both of Kirby's titles: Fantastic Four (penciling issues #107–141, following John Romita Sr. ) and Thor (#182–259). He additionally launched the feature " Black Widow " in Amazing Adventures vol. 2, #1 (Aug. 1970). Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee , who collaborated with Buscema on many stories up to this time, wrote, One thing I loved about Big John

4524-592: The gods of Ancient Egyptian religion ). A fragment by the Greek poet Xenophanes describes this tendency, ...Men make gods in their own image; those of the Ethiopians are black and narrow-nosed, those of the Thracians have blue eyes and red hair. In animism in general, the spirits innate in certain objects (like the Greek nymphs ) are typically depicted in human shape, e.g. spirits of trees ( Dryads ), of

4640-602: The " Planet Hulk " storyline in 2006, the Surfer was featured in its spin-off series starring the Hulk's son Skaar in 2008, both written by Greg Pak . The Silver Surfer received a sixth volume, an eponymous 5-issue miniseries written by Pak, debuting in February 2011. He was also a core cast member in The Thanos Imperative (2010), Annihilators (2011), and Fear Itself : The Deep (2011). Beginning in 2011,

4756-682: The "Top 10 1970s Marvels". For about ten years, he would produce an average three to four books' worth of pencils a month, such as Nova (1976) and Ms. Marvel (1977). In addition to his regular assignments he would pencil covers and fill-in issues of titles including Captain America , Captain Britain (Marvel UK), Daredevil , The Frankenstein Monster , Howard the Duck , Master of Kung Fu , Red Sonja and Warlock . He also drew

Silver Surfer - Misplaced Pages Continue

4872-662: The "real-life" dramatic series True Adventures and Man Comics (the premiere issue of which sported one of Buscema's earliest recorded comic book covers), as well as to Cowboy Romances , Two-Gun Western (for which he drew at least one story of the continuing character the Apache Kid ), Lorna the Jungle Queen , and Strange Tales . Until the bullpen was dissolved a year-and-a-half later, as comic books in general and superhero comics in particular continued their post-war fade in popularity, Buscema penciled and inked in

4988-665: The 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark . He left King Conan in 1982 after nine issues, although he remained with Marvel's Robert E. Howard franchise with a revival of the Kull series for 10 issues, and left The Savage Sword of Conan in 1984 with #101 with a series of stories that he plotted himself. After pencilling the Conan the Destroyer movie adaptation in 1984 and the Conan of

5104-433: The 1988 graphic novel Silver Surfer: Judgment Day , self-inked and done entirely as full-page panels. That year he and inker Klaus Janson drew a Wolverine solo feature in the biweekly anthology Marvel Comics Presents , followed by self-inked Wolverine series in that title. He pencilled the first 14 issues (Nov. 1988 – mid-Nov. 1989) of the first Wolverine ongoing series, self-inked on #7–8. Bill Sienkiewicz , who inked

5220-506: The 1994 graphic novel A Man Named Frank , a parallel-universe Punisher Western tale. He pencilled the Punisher portions of 1994's Archie Meets the Punisher team-up. No longer attached to a regular series after his Punisher run, he penciled and inked The Avengers Annual #23 (1994) and five more black-and-white Conan adventures, serving as that Marvel franchise's final artist on The Savage Sword of Conan with #235 (July 1995) and on

5336-457: The Barbarian comics. He contributed some superhero drawings for Pro , the NFL official magazine (1970), and penciled some chapters of the first issue of Marvel Comics Super Special featuring the rock group Kiss (1977). In 1978, small-press publisher Sal Quartuccio released The Art of John Buscema , a retrospective that included an interview, previously unpublished sketches and drawings, and

5452-508: The Black Lagoon , made in 1954 by Jack Arnold . John Buscema John Buscema ( / b j uː ˈ s ɛ m ə / bew- SEM -ə ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema , Italian: [dʒoˈvanni naˈtaːle buʃˈʃɛːma] ; December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002) was an American comic book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to

5568-487: The Destroyer into the series. Under Jim Starlin and later Ron Marz, the series would receive acclaim and sales boost due to Silver Surfer's involvement with Starlin's Infinity Trilogy, with George Pérez and J. M. DeMatteis also having brief writing stints on the series as well. Additional artists included Tom Grindberg , Ron Garney , and Jon J. Muth , as well as periodic guest spots by John Buscema . The title experienced great initial success which allowed Marvel to push

5684-468: The Hulk is eventually able to destroy the Surfer's obedience disk. The Hulk and several other slaves and gladiators are freed when the Surfer uses the Power Cosmic to remove their own obedience disks and give them a way out of the arena, although the Hulk declines the Surfer's offer to take him back to Earth. During the Annihilation war, the Silver Surfer again becomes Galactus's herald to help save

5800-522: The Isles graphic novel in 1987, he left Conan the Barbarian with #190 in 1987, ending a 14-year association with the character. After nearly five years away from superheroes, except for the first two issues of the X-Men-related, four-issue miniseries Magik (Dec. 1983 – March 1984), Buscema returned to familiar ground as regular penciller on The Avengers from #255–300 (May 1985 – Feb. 1989). He

5916-535: The Living Planet. Gathering the energy from the cosmos, Silver Surfer managed to defeat Knull. During the " King in Black " storyline, Silver Surfer passes by the planets that were ravaged by Knull. At the advice of Thor, Hugin and Munin summon Silver Surfer to Earth. Silver Surfer arrives to where the Enigma Force is and frees it from the symbiotes. Knull reels in pain and Eddie Brock is chosen to be

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6032-519: The Pirates . He showed an interest in commercial illustration of the period, by such artists as N. C. Wyeth , Norman Rockwell , Dean Cornwell , Coby Whitmore , Albert Dorne , and Robert Fawcett . Buscema graduated from Manhattan 's High School of Music and Art . He took night lessons at Pratt Institute as well as life drawing classes at the Brooklyn Museum . While training as

6148-528: The Silver Surfer began appearing regularly in The Mighty Thor and a new volume of Defenders , both written by Matt Fraction . In March 2014, Silver Surfer volume 7 began as part of All-New Marvel NOW! by writer Dan Slott , artist Mike Allred , and colorist Laura Allred . In January 2016 Silver Surfer volume 8 began with a special 50th-anniversary edition expected release in March 2016. In 2019,

6264-570: The Silver Surfer chose to leave his post as herald and guard an Asgardian artifact. Galactus "tethers" him to Asgard's location in Oklahoma , resulting in his powers waning the further he travels from Asgard, and grants him the ability to return to human form. During the War with the Serpent , Silver Surfer aids Doctor Strange, Namor, Loa , and Lyra in the liberation of New Atlantis from Attuma, who

6380-651: The Silver Surfer was a human being from space in that particular form. He came in when everybody began surfing — I read about it in the paper. The kids in California were beginning to surf . I couldn't do an ordinary teenager surfing so I drew a surfboard with a man from outer space on it." Kirby further elaborated on the narrative role the character was created as "My inspirations were the fact that I had to make sales and come up with characters that were no longer stereotypes. In other words, I couldn't depend on gangsters, I had to get something new. For some reason I went to

6496-419: The Silver Surfer. Radd had intended to lead Galactus to uninhabited planets, but Galactus tampers with his soul to prevent this. Radd serves Galactus for an unspecified amount of time. Eventually, the Surfer summons his master to Earth. Here the Surfer meets the Fantastic Four and Alicia Masters . Touched by their nobility, he rebels against Galactus, who is eventually driven off. Before he leaves, he confines

6612-401: The Surfer forms the "Titans Three", a group dedicated to battling evil on Earth. Soon, Doctor Strange joins the group and it becomes "The Defenders ". Surfer stays with them for a while, but his overwhelming desire to be free of Earth and his frequent collisions with Galactus's energy-draining barrier eventually drives him to leave the group. The Surfer finally pierces Galactus's barrier with

6728-474: The Surfer is captured by a portal of the Sakaar Empire . Left weakened and vulnerable by his trip through the portal, the Surfer is subdued and implanted with an obedience disk to ensure he remains loyal to them. Fighting as a gladiator (and believed to be the fabled 'Sakaarson' due to his appearance), the Surfer is finally forced to face the Hulk along with his Warbound . Through teamwork and distraction,

6844-541: The Surfer is overcome with grief until he is able to forgive himself. The Surfer finds interstellar allies in Adam Warlock 's Infinity Watch and the "Star Masters" team, and he begins attending occasional Defenders reunions. The Surfer returns home to Zenn-La to find that the planet has vanished, and learns it was actually destroyed in the 1940s (Earth time) by the entity known as the Other. Zenn-La and its people which

6960-451: The Surfer repeatedly encountered since leaving Galactus's service were actually reproductions, created by Galactus so that the Surfer would have a home to return to. Losing his capacity for emotion again, the Surfer returns to Earth. He later regains his personality during a time-travel adventure and sharing a romance with Alicia Masters. The two ultimately part as friends after many adventures together. Silver Surfer temporarily bonds with and

7076-551: The Surfer to Earth with an invisible barrier that affects only him. During his exile, the Surfer fights numerous villains, including Doctor Doom , who wants his Power Cosmic, and Mephisto , who wants his soul. The Surfer's only ally during these trials is a physicist by the name of Al B. Harper, who eventually sacrifices himself to save the world from the Stranger . Banding together with the Hulk and Namor during these wanderings,

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7192-494: The Surfer, even asking other writers not to use him as a general rule, and with Kirby collaborated on a seminal 1978 graphic novel starring the character, the only original story featured in the Marvel Fireside Books series. After a 1982 one-shot by writer-artist John Byrne (with scripting by Stan Lee), the Surfer appeared in his second solo ongoing title in 1987. Initially written by Steve Englehart ,

7308-672: The Unknown , and Forbidden Worlds before leaving comics to do freelance commercial art. He began a freelance position for the New York City advertising firm the Chaite Agency, which employed such commercial artists as Bob Peak and Frank McCarthy . Buscema spent approximately eight years in the commercial-art field, freelancing for the Chaite Agency and the studio Triad, doing a variety of assignments: layouts, storyboards , illustrations, paperback book covers, etc. in

7424-659: The Zombie ) to humor ( Crazy , Pizzaz ). Buscema left the Thor title for a time to launch the Marvel version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character Tarzan in 1977. Other licensed projects include a 72-page The Wizard of Oz movie adaptation in an oversized " Treasury Edition " format with DeZuniga inking. For Power Records , which produced children's book-and-record sets, Buscema drew Star Trek and Conan

7540-900: The ability to walk on heels and metatarsals in an upright position). Humanoids may also include human-animal hybrids (where each cell has partly human and partly animal genetic contents) and human-animal chimeras (where some cells are human and some cells are animal in origin). Science fiction media frequently present sentient extraterrestrial lifeforms as humanoid as a byproduct of convergent evolution . Humanoid characters are defined by their human-like physical characteristics and forms, which can vary. These characters may appear entirely human, predominantly human-like (e.g., Saiyans from Dragon Ball Z , Martians and Kryptonians from DC Comics ), or they may possess general non-human traits while still having human-like physical characteristics (e.g., human-like Pokémon , ThunderCats characters, various characters from The Amazing World of Gumball ). In

7656-409: The aid of Reed Richards and temporarily escapes Earth. He discovers, though, that his homeworld has been ravaged by Galactus and Shalla-Bal has been abducted by Mephisto and taken to Earth. Even though it means trapping himself once more, the Surfer returns to Earth to battle and defeat Mephisto. Before being vanquished, Mephisto sends Shalla-Bal back to Zenn-La, but the Surfer manages to endow her with

7772-519: The backup story of Fantastic Four Annual #5 (Nov. 1967). Beginning in August 1968, Lee launched the solo title The Silver Surfer . John Buscema was penciller for the first 17 issues of the series, with Kirby returning for the 18th and final issue. The first seven issues, which included anthological "Tales of the Watcher" backup stories, were 72-page (with advertising), 25-cent "giants", as opposed to

7888-842: The battle axe form following Knull's death, Thor and Silver Surfer noted that things will not be back to normal soon. The Silver Surfer wields the Power Cosmic , granting him superhuman strength, endurance, and senses and the ability to absorb and manipulate the universe's ambient energy. The Surfer can navigate through interstellar space and hyperspace , which he can enter after exceeding the speed of light allowing traversing interstellar and intergalactic distances to other galaxies millions and even billions of light years away. He has proven capable of time travel on several occasions and can transport other people through time. The Surfer sustains himself by converting matter into energy; he does not require food, water, air, or sleep, but occasionally enters

8004-695: The best books I ever did was Sinbad the Sailor ." He drew at least one issue of the radio, film, and TV character the Cisco Kid for Dell in 1957, as well as one- to eight-page biographies of every U.S. president through Dwight Eisenhower for that company's one-shot Life Stories of American Presidents . During a late 1950s downturn in the comics industry, Buscema drew occasional mystery , fantasy , and science-fiction stories for Atlas Comics' Tales to Astonish , Tales of Suspense , and Strange Worlds , and American Comics Group 's Adventures into

8120-470: The board against them, and the board is capable of temporarily absorbing and imprisoning other beings. When Galactus exiled the Surfer to Earth, his means of imprisonment was linked to the board. When the Surfer and the Fantastic Four realized this, the Surfer put it to the test by leaving the board planet-side and entering space in the Four's spacecraft. Once he was free of Earth, the Surfer remotely converted

8236-434: The board to energy, recalled it to him, and reformed it in space. The Surfer has displayed the ability to shed his silver skin and revert to his original appearance as Norrin Radd, masking the Power Cosmic and allowing him to be more inconspicuous when needed. In this state, he can properly eat, drink and sleep. Humanoid A humanoid ( / ˈ h juː m ən ɔɪ d / ; from English human and -oid "resembling")

8352-524: The book How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way ( Marvel Fireside Books , 1978), a primer on comic book art and storytelling based on the comic art classes Buscema had given a few years prior, and has remained in print for over 25 years, in its 33rd printing as of 2007. After drawing the first issue of The Savage She-Hulk (Feb. 1980), Buscema abandoned regular superhero work in order to spearhead art duties on all three Conan titles. The popularity of

8468-532: The character into other media, including a 1990 video game , 1992 trading card set, and 1998 animated series , as well as spinning off a variety of other comics series including Cosmic Powers , Cosmic Powers Unlimited , Captain Marvel vol. 2, and Star Masters . It ran 146 issues, through 1998. The next year it was followed by the two-issue miniseries , Silver Surfer: Loftier Than Mortals . A two-issue Silver Surfer miniseries (later collected as Silver Surfer: Parable ), scripted by Lee and drawn by Moebius ,

8584-585: The character spurred the release of a Conan movie in 1982; Buscema provided pencils and inks for a 48-page movie adaptation. He continued to tackle other high-profile projects such as a Silver Surfer story for Epic Illustrated #1 (Spring 1980), a King Arthur story in Marvel Preview #22 (Summer 1980), the St. Francis of Assisi biography Francis, Brother of the Universe (1980), the second Superman and Spider-Man team-up (1981), and an adaptation of

8700-860: The dead, and he has proven capable of revitalizing and evolving organic life on a planet-wide scale. He can cast illusions, create interdimensional portals to other locations including microverses, manipulate and phase through solid matter, and exercise some level of control over the astral plane . However, using these abilities results in his becoming greatly weakened, making their use limited. His senses enable him to detect objects and concentrations of energy light years away and to perceive matter and energy in subatomic detail, including life energies of living beings. The Surfer can even see through time, and can achieve limited perception of past and future events in his general vicinity with concentration. He has demonstrated telepathic ability, including mind-reading, and can influence human emotion and sensation. The Surfer's board

8816-465: The empress of Zenn-La, is depicted as joining him as a second Silver Surfer, both serving as the twin-heralds of the second Galactus . In 2011, IGN ranked the Silver Surfer 41st in its "Top 100 Comic Heroes" list. The Silver Surfer was portrayed by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer . Jack Kirby commented on the character's creation during an interview stating "My conception of

8932-648: The explanation offered for the humanoid appearance of the Wraith is that the Wraith evolved from a parasite which incorporated human DNA into its own genome after feeding on humans, giving the Wraith their present form. In the field of ufology , humanoid refers to any of the claimed extraterrestrials which abduct human victims, such as the Greys , the Reptilians , Nordics , and Martians . In fantasy settings

9048-511: The first Silver Surfer stories not written by Stan Lee, a fact which Lee was openly unhappy about. He explained: After I gave up Spider-Man then someone else did Spider-Man, and someone else did the Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange and the X-Men and all of them. I felt that it was kind of nice for me to have been the only writer of the Silver Surfer, so I felt a little bit disappointed when somebody else did it. I would have liked to have been

9164-536: The first appearance of the Prowler in The Amazing Spider-Man #78 (Nov. 1969). In August 1968, Buscema and Stan Lee launched a new title, The Silver Surfer . That series about a philosophical alien roaming the world trying to understand both the divinity and the savagery of humanity was a personal favorite of Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who scripted. Buscema penciled 17 of its 18 issues —

9280-550: The first issue. An 11 x 17-inch lithograph print of the late 1960s/early 1970s Avengers, penciled by Buscema and painted in watercolor by Alex Ross for the publisher Dynamic Forces , was Buscema's last professional work. Buscema's passion for drawing was such that he continued to draw and sketch in his spare time, often on the back of comic book art pages, and these images form a considerable body of work in their own right. His brother Sal Buscema recalled, This guy used to eat, sleep and breathe drawing. It didn't matter what

9396-409: The first seven as a 25¢ "giant-size" title at a time when comics typically cost 12¢. "Beautifully drawn by John Buscema, this comic book represented an attempt to upgrade the medium with a serious character of whom Lee had grown very fond," assessed comics historian Les Daniels . Roy Thomas said Buscema considered Silver Surfer #4 (Feb. 1969), featuring a battle between the Silver Surfer and Thor, "as

9512-556: The help from Hugin and Munin , Surfer helps Enigma Force to enter Earth and chose Eddie Brock / Venom as a temporary Captain Universe , to aid his fellow heroes against Knull and his army. Norrin Radd is from the utopian planet Zenn-La, in the Deneb star system of the Milky Way galaxy . He is the son of Jartran and Elmar Radd, and he has a half-brother, Fennan Radd. Zenn-La's ancient and significantly advanced civilization has lost

9628-922: The highpoint of his Marvel work". Characters Buscema co-created in The Silver Surfer include the long-running arch-demon Mephisto in issue #3 (Dec. 1968). Toward the end of the decade, Buscema drew some fill-in issues of superhero series and returned to familiar 1950s genres with a spate of supernatural mystery stories in Chamber of Darkness and Tower of Shadows , and romance tales in My Love and Our Love . He then returned to his signature series The Avengers for 11 issues inked by Tom Palmer. The creative team of Roy Thomas and John Buscema introduced new characters such as Arkon in The Avengers #75 (April 1970), Red Wolf in #80 (Sept. 1970), and

9744-407: The last five issues of that run, recalled Buscema's pencil work as "the sturdiest foundation an inker or an embellisher could possibly hope to build on, and their beauty was not in their attention to fastidiously rendered minutiae, but instead were marvels of deceptive simplicity. Each page an example of grace, elegance and power." Buscema began his sixth decade in the field by joining Roy Thomas for

9860-486: The latter case, they often overlap with anthropomorphic characters, with humanoid characters being a subtype of anthropomorphism, specifically in terms of physical characteristics. Although there are no known humanoid species outside the genus Homo , the theory of convergent evolution speculates that different species may evolve similar traits, and in the case of a humanoid these traits may include intelligence and bipedalism and other humanoid skeletal changes , as

9976-411: The mid-1960s, developed a collaborative technique known as the " Marvel Method ": the two would discuss story ideas, Kirby working from a brief synopsis to draw the individual scenes and plot details, with Lee finally adding the dialogue and captions. When Kirby turned in his pencil art for the story, he included a new character he and Lee had not discussed. As Lee recalled in 1995, "There, in the middle of

10092-499: The morality of her role as herald to Galactus. Eventually replaced by the far more ruthless Morg , Nova dies in a conflict between the new herald and the Surfer and the other ex-heralds. The Surfer repeatedly battles space-born menaces, the chief of whom is Thanos, who attempts to kill half the life in the universe using the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet . Through Thanos, the Surfer learns how Galactus had altered his soul. He convinces Galactus to restore it, but once Galactus has done so,

10208-518: The most prolific runs for an artist on a single character. He additionally drew the Conan Sunday and daily syndicated newspaper comic strip upon its premiere in 1978, and even contributed some storyboard illustrations for the 1982 Conan movie, as well as painting four covers for the Conan magazines. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Buscema's work on Conan the Barbarian seventh on its list of

10324-708: The new Captain Universe . As Silver Surfer faces off against him, Knull recalls his previous fight against him. Through the God of Light, Silver Surfer assumes a chrome form and turns his surfboard into a sword while Knull transforms his armor into one that would enable him to combat Silver Surfer. As Knull begins to fight Silver Surfer, the members of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men charge towards Knulls so that they can aid Silver Surfer. Just then, Venom appears having been transformed into Captain Universe stating that he will handle Knull for them. With their weapons separated from

10440-419: The noble features of the new character, who turned on his master to help defend Earth, Lee overcame his initial skepticism and began adding characterization. The Silver Surfer soon became a key part of the unfolding story. Following the Surfer's debut, Lee and Kirby brought him back as a recurring guest in Fantastic Four #55–61, 72, and 74–77 (ranging Oct. 1966 – Aug. 1968). The character made his solo debut in

10556-563: The only person. Had I known they were absolutely going to have the book done, I would have found the time to do it myself. I didn't really have time but I would have made the time, rather than have anybody else do it. ... this is not at all a criticism of Steve [Englehart] or of Marshall [Rogers, artist on the series], it's just that it's one book that I would have liked to have always done myself. [emphases in original] Englehart introduced many villains for Silver Surfer, as well as featured space politics involving Surfer's homeworld Zenn-La, which

10672-450: The pages of many Marvel titles. Stan Lee made appearances as a guest lecturer at Buscema's school, and some of the school's graduates (including Bob Hall and Bruce Patterson ) went on to become professional cartoonists. Buscema later said that teaching the class was "very gratifying" but that having to make the 60-mile drive after a day's work was too exhausting, and ultimately forced him to give it up. Buscema then collaborated with Lee on

10788-412: The populated planet Orbucen, which brings him into conflict with Richard Rider . He delays the planetary destruction to give the inhabitants more time to evacuate. The Silver Surfer returns to Sakaar in a plan to feed Galactus with the unique "Old Power" which he claims would sate his master's hunger for thousands of years, sparing many other inhabited worlds. He is opposed by the Hulk's son, Skaar , and

10904-448: The rest of the universe, but Silver Surfer unmade Galactus while Dawn unknowingly created another version of Norrin. The Shaper of Worlds is not happy with the changes. Dawn and the Surfer embark on more adventures which culminate in their entering a universe predating the main continuity. When Silver Surfer was displaced in time, he had an encounter with Knull . Silver Surfer was infected by one of Knull's symbiotes only to be saved by Ego

11020-464: The series was to be set on Earth and one issue was completed under this premise before Marvel agreed to let Englehart remove the long-standing restriction regarding Silver Surfer being imprisoned on Earth. This first issue was shelved and a brand new first issue was written, to set up this plot twist; the original first issue would ultimately be reprinted in Marvel Fanfare #51. The series marked

11136-574: The short-lived spin-off Conan the Savage with #10 (May 1996). Through 1999, he penciled a variety of superhero comics; both penciled and inked a black-and-white short story for Shadows and Light (1998); and made a final return to Conan with the Death Covered in Gold three-issue miniseries (1999). Buscema worked with DC Comics for the first time in 2000, initially doing both pencils and inks on

11252-408: The stories always came out perfect — at least as far as I was concerned. Buscema began penciling Conan the Barbarian with #25 (April 1973) following Barry Smith 's celebrated run, and debuted as the Conan artist of the black-and-white comics-magazine omnibus Savage Sword of Conan with issue #1 (Aug. 1974). He would eventually contribute to more than 100 issues of each title, giving him one of

11368-414: The story we had so carefully worked out, was a nut on some sort of flying surfboard". He later expanded on this, recalling, "I thought, 'Jack, this time you've gone too far'". Kirby explained that the story's agreed-upon antagonist , a god-like cosmic predator of planets named Galactus , should have some sort of herald , and that he created the surfboard "because I'm tired of drawing spaceships!" Taken by

11484-456: The superhero group the Defenders . In 2006–2007, he starred in the four-issue miniseries Annihilation: Silver Surfer and co-starred in the miniseries Heralds of Galactus , both part of the Annihilation fictional crossover . In 2007, the Silver Surfer starred in a four-issue miniseries Silver Surfer: Requiem by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Esad Ribic. The first issue

11600-403: The tape of life were re-wound and played back, life would have taken a very different course. Simon Conway Morris counters this argument, arguing that convergence is a dominant force in evolution and that since the same environmental and physical constraints act on all life, there is an "optimum" body plan that life will inevitably evolve toward, with evolution bound to stumble upon intelligence,

11716-595: The term humanoid is used to refer to a human-like fantastical creature, such as a dwarf , elf , gnome , halfling , goblin , troll , orc or an ogre , and Bigfoot . In some cases, such as older versions of the game Dungeons & Dragons , a distinction is made between demi-humans , which are relatively similar to humans, and humanoids, which exhibit larger differences from humans. Animals that are humanoid are also shown in fantasy. Humanoids are also used in some old horror movies, for example in Creature From

11832-651: The trend in Troodon evolution had continued to the present, its brain case could by now measure 1,100 cm ; comparable to that of a human. Troodontids had semi-manipulative fingers, able to grasp and hold objects to a certain degree, and binocular vision. Russell proposed that this " Dinosauroid ", like most dinosaurs of the troodontid family, would have had large eyes and three fingers on each hand, one of which would have been partially opposed . As with most modern reptiles (and birds), he conceived of its genitalia as internal. Russell speculated that it would have required

11948-488: The typical 36-page, 12-cent comics of the time. Thematically, the stories dealt with the Surfer's exile on Earth and the inhumanity of man as observed by this noble yet fallen hero. Though short-lived, the series became known as one of Lee's most thoughtful and introspective works. Following his series' cancellation, the Surfer made sporadic appearances as a guest star or antagonist in such comic books as Thor , The Defenders , and Fantastic Four . Lee remained partial to

12064-484: The universe from the despot Annihilus . Annihilus captures them and gives them to Thanos for experimentation. Drax the Destroyer frees the Surfer, who in turn frees Galactus. An enraged Galactus destroys more than half the Annihilation Wave, and Annihilus is defeated. Later, the Surfer is joined as herald by Stardust , a former herald the Surfer had replaced. The Silver Surfer leads the world devourer to

12180-500: The universe with him. The Surfer thwarts this plot with the aid of his new love interest, Mantis , the Earth-born cosmic heroine also known as the "Celestial Madonna". She seems to die in the process, and although she eventually returns, she never fully renews their romance. After this loss, a grief-stricken Surfer turns to Nova and romantic feelings begin to develop between them. The Surfer's influence gradually leads Nova to question

12296-437: The will to strive or explore, leaving the young scholar Norrin Radd restless and yearning for adventure. Facing the destruction of his world by planet-consuming Galactus , Radd bargains with the cosmic being. In return for the safety of Zenn-La and his lover, Shalla-Bal , Radd pledges to seek out planets for the world devourer to consume as his herald. Galactus imbues him with a portion of the Power Cosmic , transforming him into

12412-406: The woodlands (the hybrid fauns ), of wells or waterways ( Nereids , Necks ), etc. With regard to extraterrestrials in fiction , the term humanoid is most commonly used to refer to alien beings with a body plan that is generally like that of a human, including upright stance and bipedalism , as well as intelligence. In much of science fiction , humanoid aliens are abundant. One explanation

12528-553: Was called, included such fellow staffers as established veterans Syd Shores , Carl Burgos , Mike Sekowsky , George Klein , and Marty Nodell . Fellow newcomer Gene Colan , hired roughly two months earlier, recalled that "... John never seemed very happy in comics ... there always seemed to be something else he really wanted to do." His first recorded credit is penciling the four-page story "Till Crime Do You Part" in Timely's Lawbreakers Always Lose #3 (Aug. 1948). He contributed to

12644-434: Was caught in the middle of a renewed Kree–Skrull War. However, issues regarding Englehart wanting to use his Avengers character Mantis as Silver Surfer's companion, as well as editorial refusing to let him use Thanos or other concepts conceived by Jim Starlin , led Englehart to leave the book with issue #31. Starlin took over as writer with issue #34 after several fill-in issues, and incorporated Thanos, Adam Warlock, and Drax

12760-501: Was going on around him. He would get bored with it and start sketching. ... He just couldn't stop drawing. [His back-of-board sketches were] better than some of the stuff that he did on the front. ... He'd get a spark of inspiration and turn the page over and draw whatever was in his skull. Buscema, who lived in Port Jefferson, New York , on Long Island , at the time of his death, was married to Dolores Buscema, with whom he had

12876-812: Was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002. In October 2024, Buscema was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame. Born in Brooklyn , New York City, from Sicilian parents who emigrated from Pozzallo , Ragusa , John Buscema showed an interest in drawing at an early age, copying comic strips such as Popeye . In his teens, he developed an interest in both superhero comic books and such adventure comic strips as Hal Foster 's Tarzan and Prince Valiant , Burne Hogarth 's Tarzan , Alex Raymond 's Flash Gordon , and Milton Caniff 's Terry and

12992-606: Was published through Marvel's Epic Comics imprint in 1988 and 1989. Because of inconsistencies with other stories, it has been argued that these stories actually feature an alternate Silver Surfer from a parallel Earth. This miniseries won the Eisner Award for best finite/limited series in 1989. A new ongoing Silver Surfer series began in 2003, focusing on the character's alien nature and messianic allegory. It lasted 14 issues. The Surfer later appeared in an issue of Cable & Deadpool and has been reunited three times with

13108-414: Was regular penciller on Fantastic Four for its 300th issue, during a 15-issue stint from #296–309 (Nov. 1986 – Dec. 1987). Additionally, he fit in the three-issue film adaptation Labyrinth (Nov. 1986 – Jan. 1987) and the four-issue miniseries Mephisto (April–July 1987), starring a character he created with Stan Lee in The Silver Surfer . Buscema reteamed with Lee on the Silver Surfer himself with

13224-483: Was released May 30, 2007 to coincide with the character's first movie appearance. Published under the Marvel Knights imprint, Silver Surfer: Requiem portrays the character upon learning that he is dying as the silver shell he is encased in is deteriorating. This was followed by the four-issue miniseries Silver Surfer: In Thy Name , by writer Simon Spurrier and artist Tan Eng Huat . After an appearance in

13340-492: Was the beginning of his adventures." Created by Jack Kirby , the character first appears in The Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the first of a three-issue arc that fans call " The Galactus Trilogy ". The Silver Surfer debuted as an unplanned addition to the superhero -team comic Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966). The comic's writer-editor, Stan Lee , and its penciller and co-plotter, Jack Kirby, had, by

13456-657: Was transformed into Nerkodd: Breaker of Oceans. Silver Surfer and Dawn meet Glorian the Maker of Miracles, who plans to rebuild our universe for the heroes to return to after they finish in Battleworld. Glorian has also enlisted the help of the Shaper of Worlds. Glorian then greeted Silver Surfer and Dawn with a tantalizing offer: ally with the Shaper of Worlds to rebuild the universe that was lost. Dawn agreed to use her memories to restore Earth while Silver Surfer left to restore

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