SILVER AGE COMIC BOOK OF THE DAY

In the spring of 1968 (I was in the sixth-grade at Brykerwoods Elementary School), the powers-that-be at Marvel Comics made the decision to give the popular supporting character The Silver Surfer his own title. The Surfer had previously appeared in the pages of THE FANTASTIC FOUR where his appearances were written and drawn by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

For the Surfer's own book, the creative team was Stan Lee and John Buscema and, in my opinion, they did stellar work for the first ten issues or so. In addition to a great character and top-notch creative team, THE SILVER SURFER was a giant-size comic book with a cover price of twenty-five cents. It cost more than the regular twelve-cent Marvel Comic but that was one quarter that was well-spent as the additional page count allowed Lee and Buscema to really let lose with their stories.

The giant-size format lasted only seven issues before THE SILVER SURFER reverted to a regular size comic book with a cover price of fifteen cents. The title was cancelled after eighteen issues and oddly enough, number eighteen was the only issue in the series to be written and drawn by the Surfer's co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

All of this material has been collected and reprinted, both in color and in black-and-white. I have a copy of the MARVEL ESSENTIAL SILVER SURFER b&w reprint volume (which collects the entire eighteen issue run) on my shelf. But I also have this material in a unique, one-of-a-kind collector's item.

Years ago, my buddy Bob Parker had all eighteen issues of THE SILVER SURFER professionally bound into one hardcover volume. I am now the proud owner of said volume as Bob traded it to me several years ago. It's a unique way to enjoy this unique comic.