There’s a reason Joe Satriani put the awesome Sky-rider of the spaceways on the cover of his 1987 album “Surfing with the Alien” (you can hear Satriani’s album here, be sure to listen to it loud). Okay, sure, it fits the name of the album perfectly, but the Surfer is more than just an iconic looking Marvel hero: he is a thoughtful noble soul and actually one of the most philosophical, not to mention powerful, beings in the Marvel Universe.
The ex-herald of Galactus can use the Power Cosmic. Even when exiled on earth and robbed of the full extent of his powers by his former master, the Surfer was still a formidable adversary, going toe to toe with the Badoon, Thor and even the dreaded Mephisto himself.
The Silver Surfer’s awesome power, however, is always balanced by his gentle, thoughtful and caring, nature. Moreover, in his original series, the Surfer was the ultimate misunderstood character. Wanting nothing but the best for humanity, yet everywhere he goes meeting with suspicion and hostility. In fact, the most common response from the humans he encounters is fear and violence, which he receives in large doses in exchange for his compassion. Less kindly souls would have lashed out against this situation meeting hate with hate (and there were times the Surfer was very much tempted to do just that). But in the end, the noble Norin Radd would not sink to that level.
Even after sacrificing everything to serve Galactus and save his homeworld of Zenn La, and after being forced to leave behind his beloved Shalla-Bal, he still refuses to give in to self-pity and hate. Without a doubt, all of these aspects contribute to making the Surfer a fan favorite, and especially to making his original solo comic (penned by Stan Lee at his creative peak and awesomely illustrated by John Buscema) a certified classic.
But while we all know the appeal of the Surfer and the value of his popular early appearances, for example the quickly heating up Fantastic Four #48; his popular -and rising in value- first cover appearance of Fantastic Four #49, and I’ve already recommended picking up the first Silver Age solo issue on several occasions, what about other Surfer comics?
Are there any Silver Surfer books worth investing in or seeking out from a speculation perspective?
Ignoring the probably already spiked Silver Surfer #44 of his third series, (this one really took off in value after the infinity Gauntlet was featured in the last Avenger’s film), in what follows I want to present three Silver Surfer comics that I think still have some real growth potential.
Silver Surfer #2 (October 1968) - First appearance of the Badoon
This comic features the first appearance of the Badoon and it’s also a classic Silver Surfer story. The Badoon come to earth to cause mischief and make the mistake of encountering and hunting the Surfer. Although he eventually manages to send them on their way, in the process besting the Monster of Badoon, he is subsequently blamed for almost all of the destruction caused by the battle. As the first issue of the Surfer’s Silver Age run grows in value, I think this comic could serve as a substitute, a Hulk 180 to the Silver Surfer #1's Hulk 181 status if you will. In other words, it has real growth potential. And as Marvel movies continue to expand into the 'cosmic' phase, who’s to say the Badoon won’t make an onscreen appearance? At that point, all bets are off. But currently you can get a graded 7.0 of this comic for about $100.00. Returns on that grade are also up +53.1% over the last ten years; best returns since 2011 have been on 5.0’s (+202.4%).
Silver Surfer #3 (December 1968) – First Appearance of Mephisto
This is a central key in the Surfer saga. Tempted by the devil himself, the Surfer shows his real mettle here as he resists and rebukes the will of Mephisto. Some people think that after the cosmic phase, Marvel may turn its focus on these mythological, underworld, characters. If Mephisto ever makes a movie appearance, you’ll definitely want this comic in your collection. This one is already a little pricer than issue #2, but returns are strong almost across the board. With over 1000 copies on the CGC census, the best returns have been on 4.5 (+ 130.8%) over the last four years and 8.0 (+138.7%) after 61 sales over the last 15 years.
Silver Surfer #4 (February 1969) – Classic Buscema Cover and Thor Appearance
Here’s my pick for most undervalued Surfer key. In Silver Surfer #4, the Surfer meets and fights Thor. This happens because Norin is tricked by Loki who transports the Surfer to Aasgard precisely to combat the mighty Thor. Odin, told of the Surfer’s arrival, is asked whether the Surfer should be detained and after giving the matter brief consideration advises that the Surfer be given free movement. By the end of the story, the Surfer comes to realize that Thor is not a tyrant, and that Loki was using him to get revenge on his brother. This comic has been gradually seeing stronger and stronger returns in mid and higher grades. Although down in 9.8 grade, returns on 9.6 graded copies are up +19.5% after 38 sales since 2007 and 9.4 graded copies are up +22.6% after 66 sales in the last 17 years. I can see this one going over the moon if the Surfer and Thor meet onscreen. Even if they don’t, this is still my favorite Buscema cover ever.
