Required Reading

Being an insanely huge fan of comic books, every so often I will post a comic that I find to be exceptional in either story, art or both.

Today's entry is Silver Surfer: Requiem. This book features words by J. Michael Straczynski and art by Esad Ribic. The story is basically this: The Silver Surfer is dying. Ok, I know this sounds like a gigantic spoiler but it's not, and is the premise for the entire mini-series. The Surfer, once being the mortal Norrin Radd who was transformed into the Herald of Galactus, must now face the imminent failure of his alien technology and begin to decide how he will spend his last days. Straczynski's script is moving and portrays the Surfer with a depth I've never read before. Ribic's artwork is nothing short of spectacular, with the fully painted pages pacing the story perfectly. I've always wondered how much of a pain in the ass it must be to draw the reflective surface of the Surfer and Ribic really nails it.

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of the Silver Surfer, as a kid I was always enthralled by the Uncanny X-Men and more of the mutant heroes as opposed to the "galactic" heroes like the Fantastic Four and our Surfer. However, this book caught my attention and I'm glad it did, there aren't many comics out there that hit on such an emotional level. I highly recommend this one!