Silver Surfer #85: Review

Oct 1993

Ron Marz, Ernie Steiner

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Story Name:

Compassion

Review & Comments

Rating:

Silver Surfer #85 Review by Rob Johnson (March 11, 2023)

Tom Christopher has inking help from Maria Beccari, Howard Shum and Scott Koblish

This is the last tie-in to the Infinity Crusade event, specifically to IC#5.

Because of their involvement here Storm and Wonder Man don't show up until halfway through that issue.

Silver Surfer will be in the finale IC#6.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Silver Surfer #85 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

In Infinity Crusade #4 Silver Surfer absorbed energy from the Sun and thus-empowered smashed the moon of Paradise Omega as a diversion while the unbeliever heroes attacked the planet. At the end of last issue his weakened body crashlanded on Omega. Meanwhile the believer heroes on Omega have been seeking out the attackers (in IC#5).

2 of the believers, Storm and Wonder Man, find Surfer's body suspended in a tree (in a crucified Christ-like pose), his board lying nearby. SS *was* a believer but he renounced the Goddess (IC#3 and our #83). WM believes that for that the heretic must die. But Storm thinks it's more important to continue looking for foes who are a present danger. Angry Simon Williams insists on punishment but more pacifist Ororo tries to stop him. And when Surfer wakes and tells them to wait she hopes that means he's returned to the light.

But the still-weak Norrin Radd instead tries to convince them that Goddess is a false deity so Wondy punches him again and he lands in a river As Simon tries to drown him Ororo protests that the Goddess *she* believes in is good and would show compassion. But Williams just piledrives Surfer deeper into the river bed, and then they leave him for dead to go do the same to other unbelievers.

However Norrin calls out weakly and Wonder Man turns back to finish the job. Storm holds him off saying the Goddess' plan is to bring peace and love to the universe so she wouldn't condone murder. Surfer tries to rise to stop them attacking unbelievers by convincing them they're wrong. But WM just keeps beating him and eventually throws him away into a wood. And again the pair head off to find and fight others.

But behind them a glow indicates that the Power Cosmic has relit in Silver Surfer. And he bursts out of the wood on his flying board. He attacks the pair with cosmic blasts, concentrating his fire on Wonder Man though Storm is felled by the side-effects. Now it's a fight between the 2 men rather than a beating, and soon Simon Williams falls.

Ororo wakes to see Surfer menacing his fallen foe. She was compassionate while he was weak but has no pity for someone who attacked a defenceless person. She calls a storm and strikes him with lightning. But she hesitates when Surfer claims she misunderstood his actions. Simon was injured and he was using his power to heal him. She lets him continue and and Wondy revives. All 3 still retain their respective beliefs but they call a truce. The 2 believers go to find others to fight (specifically Havok and Spider-Woman in IC#5) while Surfer goes to face the Goddess herself (but not until IC#6).

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