Redrawing The Galactus Trilogy in Silver Surfer: Parable

The cover of Silver Surfer: Parable #1, drawn by Mœbius, featuring Galactus and the Silver Surfer.

“Silver Surfer: Parable” (1988), by Stan Lee & celebrated French creator Mœbius, imagines #Galactus returning to Earth, where he’s opposed by the Surfer. Mœbius’ visualization of these iconic characters both extends & reinterprets themes from previous stories. 1/14 #FantasticFour

A page from Fantastic Four #49 showing the Four in dynamic battle with an opponent.

Jack Kirby, artist of the original Galactus Trilogy, is known for his exaggerated, dynamic bodies, which Charles Hatfield describes as “vectors of force.” Hatfield also observes the “breakneck pace” of Kirby’s storytelling as perhaps its defining feature. 2/14

A tiny Silver Surfer confronts a very large Galactus in a page from Silver Surfer: Parable. The quote is from Charles Hatfield’s book Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby.

Mœbius’ action scenes are similarly but differently forceful. For instance, to emphasize Galactus’ divine threat and his thematic contrast with the Silver Surfer, he incorporates manipulations of size and scale that could be seen as broadly referencing Kirby. 3/14

A page from Fantastic Four #49, showing the team gazing up at Galactus and the Watcher. The quote is from Eliot Borsenstein’s book Marvel Comics of the 1970: The World Inside Your Head.

Eliot Borenstein argues that in the original Galactus story, “the cosmic scale of godlike beings threatens to completely eclipse our own ordinary world (indeed, to swallow it whole).” The Fantastic Four often share the reader’s perspective, gazing skyward in helpless awe. 4/14

A page from Fantastic Four #50, showing the described scene.

Yet Borenstein also emphasizes Kirby’s careful contrasting of the cosmic with the mundane, as on this page, which includes Reed and Sue tenderly comforting Johnny Storm amid the teen’s existential crisis, contrasted with a dramatic tableau of the Surfer battling Galactus. 5/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable, showing the described scene.

As in the original Kirby-drawn story, Mœbius’ Galactus towers over the city and its denizens. His size is monumental, his body seemingly indestructible as he effortlessly tramples cars and carelessly topples skyscrapers. 6/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable, in which a tiny Silver Surfer shoots cosmic rays at a very large Galactus.

Galactus also towers over the Silver Surfer, emphasizing a “David vs Goliath” dynamic that helps humanize the Surfer and underscore his role as humanity’s champion. At times, the tiny Surfer’s cosmic blasts appear hopelessly futile, like an insect biting an elephant. 7/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable in which Galactus crushes the Surfer in his hands, then releases him.

In a contextualizing essay, Mœbius says he didn’t maintain a specific size for Galactus, but rather “modified Galactus’ proportions throughout the story… These changes do not bother me because they’re part of the mythical nature of the character.” 8/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable in which the Surfer sails away as Galactus continues destroying the city.

But Moebius’ approach to action is also dramatically different. Where Kirby’s Surfer attacks Galactus directly, Moebius’ surfer dodges & weaves. And Moebius eschews breakneck action in favour framing & whitespace that evokes contemplative stillness within active tableaus. 9/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable in which the Surfer confronts a raucous public who refuse to listen to his warnings about Galactus.

Yet through his contemplative grace, Mœbius’ Surfer speaks to what Alicia Masters, in the original story, calls the character’s defining “nobility” and “loneliness.” Indeed, while Moebius’ humanizes the Surfer, he also clearly distinguishes him from the masses of humanity. 10/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable showing a close-up of the Surfer confronting Galactus.

But Moebius’ delicate linework also, at times, makes both the Surfer and Galactus seem unusually vulnerable. As contrasted with the thick, bold lines of Kirby, Mœbius’ even, detailed linework can make Galactus feel weighty and weary. 11/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable, in which the Surfer strikes an iconic, perhaps Christ-like pose while confronting Galactus.

Mœbius’ visualizations of Galactus and the Silver Surfer capture the sense of wonder and sublimity associated with these characters’ first appearances while indulging in a more contemplative iconicity–like a vivid, subjective memory of a memorable event. 12/14

A page from Silver Surfer: Parable, in which the Surfer strips away the rags that initially concealed him to reveal his familiar, glittering form.

Alternatively, Mœbius’ visualizations bear the scars of past stories, just as the Surfer finds himself slipping between his present (our future) and his real (imaginary) past). The weight of history clings to him like the rags that initially conceal his glittering form. 13/14

Covers of the stories Silver Surfer: Parable, Marvels, and The Last Galactus Story, which we will discuss in future threads.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be exploring various artistic & thematic aspects of the Galactus Trilogy, reckoning with its significance and some of the ways we can interpret it. We’ll also be exploring notable retellings by other writers and artists. Stay tuned! 13/13