WW CHICAGO: SI SPURRIER ON SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Announced at the Mondo Marvel panel this afternoon, Silver Surfer will soar once again in Marvel’s cosmic landscape in November with the debut of Silver Surfer: In Thy Name, a four-issue miniseries by British comics writer Simon Spurrier (2000AD, Gutsville) and Malaysian artist Tan Eng Huat (Doom Patrol, JLA, Batman: Journey Into Knight, The Authority).

This year alone, the Sentinel of the Spaceways was most recently seen in Annihilation, Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus, Fantastic Four: The End, Bullet Points and yes, Stan Lee Meets Silver Surfer. The Cosmic Wanderer is making appearances in recent and upcoming issues of Fantastic Four and Ultimate Fantastic Four. The Skyrider is also starring in the four-issue miniseries Silver Surfer: Requiem by the red hot creative team of writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Esad Ribic. And of course, that's not to mention the character's film debut in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer this past summer.

For a character who made his first comic book appearance in issue #48 of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four in 1966, the Silver Surfer's star has certainly risen of late, and is slated to go even higher with Straczynski having recently handed in his screenplay for a possible Silver Surfer film.

We spoke with Spurrier about his turn with the character.

Newsarama: Si, how did this project come about?

Simon Spurrier: Through the fabulous machinations of Mr. Aubrey Sitterson: a bright young editor, champion of wrongosity, and all round Top Bloke. I met him a year ago when I was just Frazer Irving’s spiky-haired sidekick, and he said he’d keep an eye out for projects for me. He’s even younger than me – which makes him practically still in the womb – which is particularly galling because now he’s my boss.

Without wishing to make In Thy Name sound like some soulless marketing shill – because it’s not – it goes without saying Marvel wanted some Silver Surfer product on the shelves to coincide with the DVD release of the FF movie. Aubrey asked a few guys to pitch ideas, and mine was given the nod. Simple as that.

It doesn’t tie-in to the movie in any way, just for the record.

NRAMA: How did you come up with your story in the first place? Were you inspired by past stories about the character or did your influences come from your 2000AD days and Sci-Fi in general?

SS: All sorts of ways, really. I mean… 2000AD is all about originality, invention and Doing New Stuff to the exclusion of all else, which – you could argue – is sort of anathema to the superhero genre: it has its conventions and its tropes and is occasionally guilty of sticking to them a little too hard. That sense of “be randomly inventive or else” could’ve been a real negative-mark against my name with some editors, but Aub really goes for that stuff. Like I said: Top Bloke.

Mainly the idea for the story came from a chance observation. I’d noticed several websites describing the Surfer as “a sort of cosmic messiah”, which grabbed my attention. I should state very clearly that the Surfer is not a cosmic messiah, and he’d be the first one to say so… but it did get me thinking. What if someone really did believe Norrin Radd was a divine saviour? Wouldn’t that mean that the Surfer would feel sort of responsible for any actions that person took in his name… no matter how depraved or violent?

And that got me thinking about what other reasons people might have for doing senseless and unpleasant things to each other, and the story just seemed to spring up around it.

NRAMA: In saying that, how familiar were you with Silver Surfer and his world prior to landing the gig back in February, as you had announced on your MySpace page?

SS: Only as aware as most casual comics-readers are. I knew his history as a herald of Galactus and had a sense of what characterises him, but hadn’t really gone out of my way to read any of his books. I think here in the UK – where “surf culture” never really took off like it did in the US, and never became synonymous with a way of life – the Silver Surfer was regarded with quiet bemusement: this impossibly powerful being who chooses to traverse the stars on a bloody surfboard, of all things. That’s changed in recent times – the character’s picked-up a sort of retro cool all of his own – so I was stoked when I landed the gig.

I sometimes find it tricky to get inside the heads of superheroes – some of them are so bloody simple and self-righteous, and don’t behave anything like I’d want to if I had amazing powers – but the Surfer really strikes a chord. It’s that sense of hopeless idealism: the optimism to see the inherent potential in everyone, the tragedy of constant disappointment. The Surfer’s so achingly aware of how ____ing stupidly people behave, but doesn’t ever give up on them.



NRAMA: Numerous creators had had their interpretations of the character since Stan and Jack created him. And there'd been other ongoing series and limited series over the years since then. What're some of your favorite Silver Surfer stories?

SS: I love the earliest [Stan] Lee/[John] Buscema run, which was just an object lesson in Torment. It’s almost Shakespearian: every episode had this poor tortured soul moping about on earth, trying to get back to his lost love, while [insert villain/alien/demon name here] threatens to squish the planet. The Lee/Moebius serial was great too. In fact, that’s exactly the sort of vibe we’re going for: thoughtful but action-packed, philosophical but not pompous, and cut-off from all the tangled continuity of current events elsewhere in the Marvel U.

NRAMA: As you’d mentioned earlier, the first issue of the mini-series is will be released to coincide with the DVD release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. What are your thoughts on the sequel to Tim Story's box office hit from 2005? Particularly the film director's take on the Silver Surfer?

SS: Never saw it, sorry.

Saw the trailer, though. Looked like they got the Surfer just right, and I’ve heard he was definitely the star-turn in the show.

NRAMA: As I understand it, Silver Surfer: In Thy Name does not lead into the six-issue Annihilation: Conquest mini-series running from November through April next year. Rather, it is a somewhat political tale about the Surfer's encounter with two warring alien races in the vast Marvel cosmic universe, right?

SS: Yeah, ish. I hesitate to use the word “political” because it conjures images of people in suits telling lies for 22 pages, rather than ghost-demons, astral-beings, organ-pirates and sexy alien Empresses. Buuuut, yeah: it’s essentially all about different groups imposing their values and ideals upon others. I tend to think every war in history started with someone announcing “Everyone’s entitled to my opinion,” and that’s precisely what happens here – with old Norrin Radd stuck in the middle.

There are one or two quiet parallels to things going on in the real world – all sci-fi is ultimately allegorical – but nothing that’ll get in your way. I’m not in the business of preaching, and it’s difficult to take sides when you’re writing from the Surfer’s P.O.V. After all, the only “side” he’s aware of is the one that says “All people are equally as petty, vicious and small-minded as each other, regardless of their beliefs, their skin-colour, or their country”.

NRAMA: And the two intergalactic races are neither the Kree nor the Skrull. Care to elaborate more on these new species that you've created for the mini-series?

SS: We-ell… on the one hand you’ve got the Ama, who appear to be peace-loving, inquisitive and all-round utopian. They’ve formed a collective with a bunch of other worlds and races, dedicated to self-improvement and exploration.

On the other hand you’ve got the Brekk, who are the most recent population to join the collective. They’re industrialised and impoverished, with a history of religious conflict.

The Ama think it’s their job to keep the peace and bring civilisation to the collective. The Brekk think the Ama are meddling where they’re not wanted. Enter the Surfer…

Physically, the trick was to make these two races a little more alien than the usual “human with green skin” bollocks. Not too alien, of course – it’s tricky for readers to identify with a sentient sound-wave or a squid-like polyp with tachyon-pulse limbs – but just enough to feel exotic yet familiar. Everything else – the wildlife, the locations, the technology – could be just as batshit as Tan and I wanted.



NRAMA: So, instead of being a herald of Galactus, the Surfer's playing savior this time around? Or what?

SS: Heh! That’s a wait-and-find-out question, I’m afraid.

In the vaguest possible light: the Surfer tries to intervene in an ugly situation and quickly discovers he’s become part of it. He can’t extricate himself without making things worse, and he can’t take control without causing carnage.

NRAMA: There will also be flashback sequences as well, right? C'mon, nobody would miss out on the opportunity to re-tell the origin of Norrin Radd with Shalla-Bal, Galactus, the Fantastic Four and all. So, how are you hoping to add to the character's backstory with In Thy Name?

SS: Ooh, good question. It’s a tricky one, sure enough. As I said, In Thy Name is designed to be an “evergreen” tale, so I didn’t want to get too caught-up in retelling the past. That said, I’ve stuck-in the odd bit of flashback here or there – primarily to keep all the first-time-Surfer-readers up to date, but also because they make for such cracking visuals.

And yeah… Who, in all conscience, could resist dropping-in a couple of Galactus flashbacks just for the hell of it?

NRAMA: What's it like to be seeing pages after pages of artwork from artist Tan Eng Huat coming in as you finish up the script for the fourth issue?

SS: It’s ____ing great. He’s been doing these stunning greytone washes over the inks. They’re so good I was afraid that colouring might ruin them, but not a bit of it: every page is crammed with alien detail and freakiosity. Plus he’s got a perfect handle on the Surfer: there’s a sense of vulnerability and warmth to him, but he can explode in a split-second and get frighteningly angry. Best of all is the way that Tan’s nailed the changes in perspective: going from big crash-bang-explodo epic stuff to these lovely little character moments in the space of a single gutter. Subtlety, thy name is Eng Huat.

NRAMA: Before we call it a day (for now), do you have anything else that you'd like to say to fans of Silver Surfer, especially to those who're reading this following the official announcement?

SS: Other than asking them politely to buy three copies of every episode? Umm… I could ask them to start some sort of online survey to settle once and for all one of the longest-running comic book debates of all time:

Should the Silver Surfer be drawn with a) snazzy silver underpants, or b) his featureless leg-joint anti-bulge exposed for the cosmos to behold? Answers on a postcard…

I should also take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my novel – a black-comedy crime-thriller about a hitman whose victims won’t stay dead – which is titled Contract and is currently available completely free of charge online for all to read. It’s a marketing experiment – don’t ask. Anyway, the paperback’s not out until October, so grab your fill while you can at www.itsallaboutthemoney.co.uk. Ta!

Check out these other just updated Mondo Marvel stories:

Cory Walker on Tackling Punisher War Journal

Genndy Tartakovsky Talks Marvel's Cage!

Robert Kirkman on Killraven with Rob Liefeld

[Somebody]

/........./

[BanMan]

Only time will tell.

Does this fall under the Marvel Knights banner?

[Korvac]

Good to see Tan Eng Huat on a book again.

[Mark Cardwell]

Great looking pages.

[Kent Horton]

Want.
Now.

[ThomasC22]

The art looks good but this guy really turned me off to the story in his interview.

He hits two of my biggest pet peeves in that he (a) mentions the "surf culture" as if it has something to do with the Silver Surfer and (b) admits to having virtually no interest in the character until someone was willing to pay him to get interested. All that and he intends to regress the character by about 40 years.

I'm a Surfer fan but I think I might pass on this one.

[Kerny]

I mean honestly is there anyone who doesn't like the Silver Surfer as a character

[artiepants]

Beautiful art, but is it just me or...

...does that look more like the Silver Snowboarder than Surfer

[Omega Flyer]

The art look gorgeous but i'm not sure about the premise, i'll wait for more information before i decide to pick this up. Plus is this going to be in-continuity or another Marvel Knights series cause right now Surfer's a Herald so....

[skl183]

Surfer kicked so much ass in the first Annihilation. One of the few things that went right in the last year. They should've added him into Conquest also.

[Spectacular1]

The pick at the top of Surfer overlooking the planets is amazing. Beautiful work.

[NedPepper]

Man, I gotta get a job writing for 2000 AD. It's like an automatic "in".

That, and I'd have to be British instead of an English Irish Cherokee Indian American mutt from Georgia...

[Uncle Jawa]

Awesome. I wish we could get a proper ongoing SURFER series, but these sort of projects will do, for now

[Jim Connick]

Originally Posted by NedPepper

Man, I gotta get a job writing for 2000 AD. It's like an automatic "in".

That, and I'd have to be British instead of an English Irish Cherokee Indian American mutt from Georgia...

Writing for 2000AD is harder than you might think. Plus, Mr Spurious has been doing stuff for 2000AD for about 6 years now, not counting time spent getting rejections before that, so it's far from an automatic in.

[NedPepper]

Originally Posted by Jim Connick

Writing for 2000AD is harder than you might think. Plus, Mr Spurious has been doing stuff for 2000AD for about 6 years now, not counting time spent getting rejections before that, so it's far from an automatic in.

I was kidding. But it does seem to be the "farm system" that American publishers go to get British talent. Millar, Ellis, Morrison, Moore, etc, etc.

[wespierce1]

Not familiar with Tan, but Surfer is strong at my shop. I'll carry it and see what happens. Looks interesting.

[Toneloak]

I don't know about this being for me. I'm a big Silver Surfer fan and this seems like a small and simple story if done out of continuity and very straight forward and classic if done in continuity. Maybe this is just for the new fan to get interest in this old character. But, I was hoping for something new playing off his new status quo (i.e Herald of Galactus). I wanted to see someone try weaving a classic SS story around that. They might have a very epic story to show for the effort.

Besides that, the art it just seems kind of strange to me. Why does the Surfer look so separated from the background is this image?

Either way good luck with this.

[ZampDiSata]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

SS:Physically, the trick was to make these two races a little more alien than the usual “human with green skin” bollocks. Not too alien, of course – it’s tricky for readers to identify with a sentient sound-wave or a squid-like polyp with tachyon-pulse limbs – but just enough to feel exotic yet familiar. Everything else – the wildlife, the locations, the technology – could be just as batshit as Tan and I wanted.

Sold!
The non-alien look of space-aliens has always bothered me. Just look at that krap on any Star Trek. It's just a human with some warts or weird ears or whatever. Lazy and not-creative.

[Nobody]

They had me at Tan Eng Huat. I loved loved loved his work on Doom Patrol.

[weaselwelch]

I will be picking this up for sure. The art looks awesome. I love the one were the Surfer is just sitting crossed legged on his board. I mean if I was the Surfer I'd sit for hours watching cosmic storms.

[astronato]

Looks good. I'm in. Glad to see the Silver Surfer getting the big push that he has been getting.

[beta-ray]

Originally Posted by ZampDiSata

Sold!
The non-alien look of space-aliens has always bothered me. Just look at that krap on any Star Trek. It's just a human with some warts or weird ears or whatever. Lazy and not-creative.

Or expensive (plus there is that whole seeding of the galaxy thing they worked in).

This looks nice. Not so sure about the story yet... A definite "think about it"..

[Anthony W]

Just another english writer from Central Casting.

[Tony Lee]

Originally Posted by NedPepper

I was kidding. But it does seem to be the "farm system" that American publishers go to get British talent. Millar, Ellis, Morrison, Moore, etc, etc.

Actually if I remember right, Ellis didn't write for 2000ad bar one tiny Dredd story once. He got his break doing Lazarus Churchyard for BLAST!.

Although the top bit is aimed at Ned, this is mainly to all the people going 'oh look, another Brit. What a surprise.'

It's a common misconception that 'all 2000ad writers move to Marvel/DC', 'All British writers write for 2000ad' or that 'Marvel/DC cherry pick from 2000ad'

Sometimes in the past a couple of these have been true. (the middle one isn't - 2000ad is traditionally the hardest publisher to break into.) But to be honest? The reason that many US publishers come to British writers who have worked for 2000ad/the other British equivalents is because of the way the comics are designed.

To work for 2000ad, you usually have to start with a thing called a 'Future Shock' - a self contained tale, five pages in length with characterisation and a gripping plot that has a start, a middle and an end. It also requires a twist. Maybe (and usually preferably) even two.

Oh - and the kicker? (as if that wasn't enough) - even though there's pretty much been a Future Shock every other week for thirty years - it can't be similar to something done before. You need to think 'out of the box'.

Yeah - in five pages.

Because of this, many British writers learn a very compressed style of writing, getting a lot of information and characterisation into a short amount of space without sacrificing story.

Of course you're going to look for this if you're an editor. You don't want someone who only does double page splash panels of a man walking his dog.

As for Si, he's a top bloke as well as a damned good writer. (and as he's my rival for writing gigs, it galls me to say that.) He's been writing for 2000ad since about 2000 - and in addition to that he's done tons of work elsewhere including several strips and books for Warhammer, Abaddon Books (where he helped create the AfterBlight Chronicles), the critically acclaimed Gutsville for Image and as he mentioned, Contract, his own book.

He didn't get this book because he was a Brit writer. And if you think that, well quite honestly? You're an idiot. He got it because his pitch was better/more different than the others at the time. Aubrey's a damned good Marvel editor and if he sees a story that works well, the fact that Si has form in 2000ad will help, but not become the be all and end all.

So let's stop the 'oh look a Brit - what a shock' comments. That's bollocks. Being a British writer gives you zero cred with publishers. Just look at the countless Brits who try and fail every year to get in there. There were points at San Diego when I had more wannabe British creators around me than at Bristol in May.

Being a writer with a large and well known portfolio gets you in the door. Being a writer who can work out great ideas that are 'out of the box' gets you in the editorial meeting. And being a writer who can provide proof that you can walk the walk you're talking about gets you in the shops.

Having a British accent just works with the chicks.

T