Silver Surfer #87: Review

Dec 1993

Ron Marz, Andy Smith

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Story Name:

Strange affairs

Review & Comments

Rating:

Silver Surfer #87 Review by Rob Johnson (June 3, 2023)

This is part 6 of the Blood & Thunder crossover, following on from Thor #469.

The heroes will reach the realm of Asgard in Warlock Chronicles #7 where they'll get involved with Beta Ray Bill and Sif and a load of Rock Trolls. We won't see Thor and Valkyrie because they'll still be getting there the slow way.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Silver Surfer #87 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

Story continued from THOR #469.

Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock have arrived on Earth after they left mad Thor in space (Thor #469) and they have come to seek the aid of Dr Strange. Surfer rattles his door knocker. There's no answer but the door is open so they go in. There's still no sign of life so they try an inner door and find themselves in an Escheresque environment. Norrin Radd remembers that Stephen Strange had once warned him that it was easy and dangerous to get lost in his house. Despite that they each try another door out. Surfer's room contains a turbulent protoplasmic mass. Warlock winds up halfway up a tree with an alien lizard. They both back out into the Escher place where they are attacked by a tentacled monster. Adam's karmic blast from his Soul Gem has no effect because the creature has no soul. A blast of Power Cosmic does shred it but it is replaced by a massive Troll who commences beating them up.

Then Dr Strange joins them and welcomes them to his abode. The Troll disappears and Stephen explains that the house reacted to what it thought were intruders. He apologises that Wong is out for the evening and he himself was lost in his studies. He makes them some tea (not up to Wong's standard) and then they turn to the problem at hand. The duo explain what they know of Thor's madness and what SS learned from Beta Ray Bill:-

After Thor was freed from within the mind of Eric Masterson (in Th#457) he was unhappy and quick to anger, so Odin sent him on a journey across the stars to seek inner peace (Th#460). But his madness deepened to paranoia and he twice attacked Bill who tried to help him (Th#461 & #468 (which began this Blood & Thunder crossover)). Surfer intervened to save him last issue. Warlock learned about Thor's illness via the Orb Of Eternity (Warlock Chronicles #6) and joined SS in fighting the mad God (Warlock & Infinity Watch #23). There his Soul Gem revealed that Thor had created an imaginary Dark Valkyrie who told him what he wanted to hear and pushed him deeper into madness. Now he intends to destroy Asgard and probably won't stop there.

Dr Strange agrees that this dire situation needs dealing with. He uses *his* Orb Of Agamotto which shows the Thunder God flying through space towards Asgard with Valkyrie at his side. Strange assumes that he can see her as Adam did due to his mystic abilities, but when Norrin says that *he* can see her now too Stephen is forced to conclude that she has somehow become real.

Meanwhile near Asgard Sif is tending to Beta Ray Bill's wounds (after Surfer's board delivered him to her last issue). He awakes and insists that they must return to trying to save their friend Thor. So he grabs his hammer Stormbreaker which transforms him into his Thor-like form.

Back in DrS's Greenwich Village Sanctum Warlock prepares to summon the Infinity Watch, who he told Pip The Troll to get in readiness (W&IW#23). But a crashing noise in another room leads them to discover the Watch already here. Pip has to explain that he disobeyed Adam's order and teleported the Watch to where Thor was (in Th#469) but discovered AW and SS gone. So they had to fight the Thunder God on their own. Moondragon also has to confess that her attempt to mentally cure Thor's madness only succeeded in giving Valkyrie reality. Then Gamora adds that while Drax The Destroyer was fighting a blow to the stomach made him cough up his Power Gem which the Asgardian now wears on his brow. And Thor now threatens to destroy the universe. (Maxam doesn't have anything to say.)

Pip offers to use his Space Gem to teleport them all to Asgard, but Dr Strange insists on doing the honours with a spell.

Story continued in WARLOCK CHRONICLES #7.

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