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Wednesday 5 April 2017

Silver Surfer: In Thy Name Review (Simon Spurrier, Tan Eng Huat)


Silver Surfer stumbles across a utopian planet that turns out to be anything but. Zzz…

In Thy Name is quite the stinker. It’s less a story than a heavy-handed extended metaphor for Earth and humanity. Look at this wonderful planet these idiots are spoiling with their selfishness! Look at the wars they fight over nothing – how petty! In mocking a thinly-veiled Christianity-type religion, the Surfer finds himself in the role of the Second Coming of Christ and a new wave of fighting ensues – religion is stoopid and baaad! 

Simon Spurrier’s writing is so leaden, obvious and preachy, it feels like you’re reading a teenager’s script – not just in terms of ability but in the know-it-all arrogance of the overall message: you can’t fundamentally change what people are. Woooow. Thanks for letting everyone know, Mr Deep Thinker!

The characters are instantly forgettable and the story is so poorly told that it’s almost impossible to pay attention to, it’s that boring. The Surfer himself is more of an observer most of the time, “philosophising” like a cosmic emo dumbass, occasionally bolting into trite, uninteresting action.

Tan Eng Huat’s art is really ugly too. The lines are too wavy, the pages look flat and clogged with too much detail, and the Surfer looks like a robot. Gahbage!

In Thy Name desperately wants to be intellectual and profound but that’s far beyond Spurrier’s abilities and he should’ve tried making the book entertaining instead; as it is, it fails across the (surf)board! I recommend trying the first three volumes of Dan Slott/Mike Allred’s vastly better Silver Surfer run over this unrewarding crapola.

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