Bad Past Experiences In Silver Surfer: The Prodigal Sun #1
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Prodigal escaped the bubble-trap of the ship he stole from the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four find no readings of him on the moon, so they abandon their search. We then jump to the past, when Prodigal was ordered to quell an insurrection on a world under the control of his father’s empire. Prodigal obeys, and he goes to the world to find its inhabitants fleeing en masse. The Silver Surfer has arrived on their world, and that means that Galactus is on his way. Prodigal takes it upon himself to beat the Surfer and repel his master. Prodigal is powerful, but is he capable of stopping the World Devourer?
Silver Surfer: Prodigal Sun #1 finds the titular Prodigal squaring off against the mighty Silver Surfer for the fate of an entire world. The story brings us a pitched battle between Prodigal and the Surfer, and it shows us what might have been the first significant pang of conscience experienced by Prodigal.
Once again, Prodigal proves to be a thoroughly delightful and engaging character. He’s had his ego for a long time, but it’s (arguably) somewhat justified by the immense power he wields. We see the philosophy of a cold pragmatist when speaking with his father and brother, but he shows genuine compassion when he tries to defend that other world from Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
Prodigal is a complex character with a sense of humor, and I look forward to seeing more of him when Guardians of the Galaxy: Prodigal Sun #1 comes out.
Francesco Manna shows an eye for fight scenes and expressions of great power in this issue. The battle between Prodigal and the Silver Surfer runs long, and it gets very creative. Prodigal’s elemental powers look damn cool under Manna’s pen. Espen Grundetjern’s color art is vibrant and punchy too, and it serves the comic very well.
Silver Surfer: Prodigal Sun #1 is another engaging and fun issue in this sort-of-miniseries. We get to see Prodigal square off with two of Marvel’s most powerful beings, and we get to see how he reacts to watching a world in the process of death. It’s a good read and easily earns a recommendation. Check this one out.
Silver Surfer: Prodigal Sun #1 comes to us from writer Peter David, artist Francesco Manna, color artist Espen Grundetjern, letterer VC’s Cory Petit, cover artist Mico Suayan with Rain Beredo, and variant cover artist Ron Garney with Richard Isanove.
Final Score: 8/10
