Silver Surfer: Parable

Silver Surfer (1988) #1-2

by Stan Lee, Mœbius (Illustrator), Keith Pollard (Illustrator)

Galactus has converted humanity into his followers, and he's leading them to their doom! The planet-devouring demigod's only challenger is the hero he himself trapped on Earth: the Silver Surfer. It's a war for Earth's worship, but how much will be left when it's over? Plus: The Surfer must save his world and ours from the planet-sized peril posed by the Enslavers! With guest appearances by the Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more!COLLECTING: Silver Surfer (Epic) 1-2, Silver Surfer: The Enslavers HC

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comic Book

135 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2012

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains two Silver Surfer stories.

Parable is the first. And it's the worst thing Stan Lee ever wrote. Ever. Imagine some really stoned youth writing, for the very first time, something "wise" and "profound". Yup, it's that bad. And ham-fisted. Mobius is often an interesting artist, but the story is so god awful, nothing helps. ZERO STARS.

The second story is The Enslavers and it's pretty good as a stand alone. It doesn't work in the context of the Marvel Universe. Why? Because it's a First Contact story of alien invaders who capture every man, woman and child on Earth. The aliens are treated as if Earth in the Marvel Universe had never seen hide nor hair of any aliens, ever. That's just silly! Marvel Earth is repleat with Aliens, especially in Manhatten. They invade nearly weekly! It just doesn't make sense that humanity is utterly ignorant of aliens. Never the less, I enjoyed The Enslavers. THREE STARS.

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read some good Silver Surfer stories over the last few years but have always heard mixed things about “Silver Surfer: Parable”. I know it had gotten some significant attention because it was a collaboration between Stan Lee and renowned French artist Jean Giraud (Moebius). IMO its a creative team that should work, Lee created/oversaw the creation of some of the most recognizable comic book characters in the world and as seen with “The Incal” Moebius excels at drawing wondrously unique sci fi characters (so an alien riding a surfboard through the cosmos is right up his alley). Parable had potential with this team, sort of lived up to that potential, but also fell short.

Parable is pretty much a standard Silver Surfer and Galactus story, and I think(?) is meant to be an alternate version of Galactus’ first appearance on Earth where there’s no Fantastic Four (nor any other Marvel superhero), it's just the Surfer trying to save humanity from falsely worshipping Galactus and tearing itself apart to give Galactus an excuse to consume the planet. It’s simultaneously an essential version of the Surfer’s conflict with Galactus/his relation with humanity and the most bizarrely written one. Parable is short, only two issues long, and as such I think it should have been expanded to let the story breathe and progress at a logical pace. Its very heavy handed with the messages about religion and tolerance (i.e., a televangelist taking advantage of Galactus to increase his influence, Surfer is basically Jesus but everyone rejects him, etc.). Characters meanwhile make very strange decisions (i.e., Galactus’ reaction to the world military finally attacking him). And then there’s the dialogue. While there’s some occasionally profound (if not melodramatic) lines, everything else reads like a bad English translation of a melodramatic non-English text mixed with the worst examples of Lee’s writing from the Silver Age of comics.

While the dialogue is clunky and awkward, Moebius’ artwork is uniquely quaint. Having previously read The Incal and seen his concept art for a Dune , I was familiar with his artstyle and do think it lends itself nicely to crowd scenes and to the more elaborate otherworldly designs of Silver Surfer and Galactus. I do wish this story had been set on a different world or Future Earth to better take advantage of Moebius’ visionary style. Otherwise though it carries Parable which just felt like a bizarre and bare bones story (although paradoxically I still think it deserved additional issues to expand on everything).

This version of Parable also included another Surfer story, “The Enslavers” by Lee and Keith Pollard in which a non-Galactus threat attacks Earth, enslaves everyone including the superheroes and its up to the Surfer to save everyone. Like Parable this felt like a Silver Age story written in the 80s (makes sense because it's Lee). This one was weird but a bit more enjoyable. The main enslaver felt OP and a too one dimensional and there wasn’t too much depth to this story. Probably the coolest thing story wise was Surfer deliberately halving his power to make a human scientist (the one responsible for this mess) into a second Surfer. Otherwise it felt like a rather generic “Marvel alien warlord shows up, acts evil and the Marvel Hero has to use pure will to overcome them” story. But like Parable, the artwork carries the story and Pollard’s work felt like a good mix of Moebius’ and Jack Kirby designs so it delivered on the elaborately designed characters and sequences I wish Parable had more of.

Ultimately this collection of Silver Surfer ended up being a let down due to Lee’s stories but both Moebius and Keith Pollard carried the Surfer through the melodrama and weird character/story choices.

[Mike Kleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parable #1

Ugh, Stan Lee is a terrible writer. Or, since this is my first time actually realising I just read a Stan Lee sorry—it was horrendous. Overly simplistic, extremely odd prose and no more interesting than a late-night Oxyclean television promo.

The Moebius art is fantastic. The Silver Surfer, as a story-telling tool, is severely under-used, but that’s not his fault. I can see why this comic is always described as “over-looked.” It ought to be, truly. If not for Moebius’ artwork, there is nothing worth taking your time to read, here. The synopsis promises great things. But then, it’s just a lot of telling (rather than showing) in that God-awful weak and archaic prose. Also, the font is very hard to read, at times.

I may look at this again, sometime in the future, but only for the art. There might as well NOT have been story—what a waste... This is a story/parable for kids. Everyone else, there is so much better to read, out there.

Parable #2

The story here, is better than #1. I did not enjoy the artwork, as much, for obvious reasons. The colours seemed to be too high contrast. And the artwork itself appears to have been compressed in size. There is no quality loss but it just seems to have been shrunk down. I enjoyed this story more because it literally took everything to outerspace and was willing to take more freedoms with the storytelling (breaking the fourth wall and referencing the type of storytelling employed in comics). Yes, it is still plagued by the, I am going to tell you what is happening within the panel, as it is happening, in case you are too dense to figure it out which completely takes me out of the experience, but clearly, this is a product of its time ...how they used to write comics. There's some sex stuff, in this one (which was interesting) and you get to find out more about Silver Surfer but here is my issue with the character, and this has ALWAYS been my issue: everything seems to always conveniently work and flow together, for several inexplicable reasons, always in the nick of time. Silver Surfer will struggle, and he will weaken himself in new ways you didn't think were possible (for the sake of planet Earth (le sigh)) and then, because we are dealing with the POWER COSMIC(TM), the way it works just cannot make sense to us mere mortals/human beings so ...not everything is always explained clearly. And this is the problem with god-like supernatural characters, like Silver Surfer. Everything is Deus Ex machina. You kind of know what you are getting into. It's formulaic, like the ALIENS films. In this case, Silver Surfer fights someone (or something). That person (or thing) has more power than him and overcomes him (almost) and then at the last possible moment, he somehow overcomes the impossible (because of the POWER COSMIC) and all is well, again so he may cruise the galaxy, anew. Fine, fine ...I totally drink the Koolaid. It's just too bad Moebius couldn't have illustrated THIS ONE. And I still think Stan Lee can't write (for shit).

###Conclusion

For all the shit-talking I am doing, I do get the impression that Stan Lee loved his job, enormously, and he absolutely was into his craft. I am glad something like this exists. It is certainly not up to my quality standards, but not everything always has to be. I have always been fascinated by the character of the Silver Surfer, mostly because I have always known so little about him. I can now see why you probably won't see him on the silver screen for a very long time. His stories are just not that interesting (not that that has ever stopped Hollywood *cough*TRANSFORMERS*cough* *cough*). 3 out of 5, overall. Not bad, right?

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects two separate Silver Surfer stories that both have to be considered out of continuity. The first is "Parable" in which original Silver Surfer writer Stan Lee teams up with European comic legend Moebius who provides the art. Galactus has landed on Earth but after his promise not to destroy it. Instead, he sets himself up as God and proclaims a lifting all moral code and have yourself good time, putting the Earth in peril. It turns out his plans to feed his hunger is letting the Earth destroy itself.

The story intentionally plays into the typical Silver Surfer religious overtones with style and without apology. The Surfer as a sort of Christ trope has never been quite so obvious as in this story. The art is superb and very appealing and different style by Moebius.

There are some surface level points about what happens when you throw off all morality or moral control as well as people killing in the name of religion, but I have to say that this story is far shallower than it appears in terms of it's overall thrust. This is problematic because Parable is an often illogical story particularly it's central plot point. Galactus isn't going to sit around for years and wait for humanity to destroy itself because he'd starve. For us to ignore that problem, we need a very deep, very involved story. Far more involved than we actually get.

The second half of the book is the 1990 Graphic novel, the Enslavers where Stan Lee teams up with artist Keith Pollard. The story's art is decent. It's the early 1990s, but Pollard hasn't surrendered to the garishness which overtook that decade. Despite a few digressions, the Enslavers is a far more straightforward story than, "Parable." An intergalactic overlord comes to invade the Earth and subdues all of its heroes in short order and it's up to the Surfer to find out the truth, save the Earth, and save Shalal-Bal

It's pretty much a straightforward space adventure. Of course, there are logical problems. Mainly the creation of the villain Mrrungo-Mu who conquered galaxies and subdued all the Avengers and hasn't been heard from in 25 years. Of course, that might be believable with his ending, but still not given the track records of villains like Thanos in the Marvel Universe. Given what happened to these characters, particularly the Silver Surfer, it's fair to question whether any of these events are/were canonical.

However, that doesn't matter much. If you're a fan of the Silver Surfer, the Enslavers gives you a chance to see the Surfer fighting his demons and then opening up the full force of the Power Cosmic with perhaps, the most upbeat ending to a Silver Surfer story ever.

In some ways, it's an interesting contrast. You have two different Silver Surfer stories by the character's creator. There's the brooding homeless wanderer of, "Parable" and the heroic Sentinel of the Skyways whose as large a legend as any pulp hero.

This is one case with two unrelated stories where the whole is greater than the sum of the two tales as the flaws of the two stories balance out to give us an interesting if somewhat unusual collection.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for a Jean Giraud?

BLASPHEMY!

Ok, put down the torches…there should be an asterisk beside that two.

Although this TPB is called Parable, it is in fact TWO stories.

Parable by Moebius is sublime. The art is timeless and certainly could stand alongside modern indie comics with a nice minimalistic vibe. The writing and lettering are biblical and foreboding.

This part of the TPB is certainly higher than a two…

Here’s where they lost me.

Stan Lee and Keith Pollard’s The Enslavers.

Now, the precis says “Don’t laugh at Mrrungo-Mu…”

Ugh…

Can I tell him to fuck off instead?

This short story took me FIVE attempts to finish. Why is that? Well, it lays squarely on the shoulders of the Mu fella we’re not supposed to laugh at.

At first, I thought there were some weird editing issues with the dialog, but then realized “Nope, that’s how he talks.” How on Earth did they think that a character whose every 5th word is “be” can pass as believable, serious, entertaining, or threatening? Crud.

“I be the one who be in charge of this be ship, ya be?” Ok, I made that one up, but it’s not far off.

Also, I never thought there could be too much Kirby Krackle…ever…but I was proven wrong with this.

If I could have ripped out the latter half of this book and paid half the price, I would have.

The final consolation are some of Moebius’ notes on Parable which sort of wash away the stank of Enslavers. Also, I enjoyed his way out there takes on some Marvel mainstays.

Anyways, if you’re able to JUST get Parable, I say pull the trigger. Otherwise, treat The Enslavers like Rocky V. It didn’t happen, if you believe it didn’t happen.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, an actual Stan Lee penned book! Silver Surfer 2 part series, is a very philosophical book, which makes sense when you know it's about a cosmic being, the former Norinn Radd, Silver Surfer and his former boss Galactus, the devourer of planets.
This is more a book however, about faith, belief, power, truth, greatness, and other things.
Galactus comes to Earth in the near future, where the Surfer lives in retirement in disguise, but he is not there to destroy Earth, as he had vowed to the Surfer he would never do so. However, he's wise enough to know that if he simply stays on Earth long enough, that humanity will destroy itself, and he can harvest the planet.
Therein lies the challenge for Surfer, to try and convince humanity not to implode...
The second half of the book is a graphic novel about the Surfer rescuing all of Humanity (again) from the Enslavers, who do just as their name says.
Stan's work is good, even written in 1988, he's still got a way with words and ideas, head firmly stuck in the cosmos. It's refreshing, and nice that a story all about aliens consuming and battling can really be based on nothing more than good old fashioned wonder and awe at the power of good.

A good read for sure, worth checking out sometime, my first Surfer book, though I'm thinking if they're all on this level they're worth checking out more...

[Gavin Jefferson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Parable: Moebius's art was lovely, but the story was dull. The inking was shite, and difficult to read at times. Took me three attempts to get through it.
Enslavers: Art was nice, lots of Kirby crackle. The villain (Mrrungo Mu) was shit beyond words. Embarrassingly bad, actually. It's as if Stan stole the idea from some random three year old kid, believing it to be fun. Total misfire. The story was boring and joyless, too. Torturous.
The only reason to buy this is for the art, or if, for some reason, you're a sadistic collector who must own every Surfer comic.
Terrible.
Don't bother.
It'll ruin the Surfer for you.

[Russell Mark Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, I should have given this edition 3.5 stars. This edition of parable is lumped together with the Lee/Pollard Enslavers story, which is a bit flat and fairly tedious. But the Lee/Moebius story is so good that it bumps it up to 5 stars. Moebius is on top form and his process statments at the back of the book, although brief, are very insightful. Great GN.

[Vincent Stoessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique collaboration between Stan Lee and the late Moebius, one of my favorite artists.
The 2 part story is indeed a parable and commentary on the human condition and regards to faith and the acceptance of the "other"
My edition had an aditional Lee/Pollard story that ok but seemed a little out of place for the moebius stories.

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parable was pretty good; The Enslavers not so much. Moebius' art is amazing as always, and I got a thrill when I saw the unexpected Moebiua pinups of other Marvel heroes like Elektra, the Thing, and Iron Man.

[Bill Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herald of the sky ways.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition contains two stories- Moebius' Parable and Keith Pollard's The Enslavers, as well as some supplementary material.

Parable-
Moebius' art here is of course incredible, both on its own merits and to see how he adapts to the limitations of American newsprint comics. The sense of Galactus' monumental scale is done really well, and the texture and expression of the line work is magnificent. Despite the cosmic subject matter, the focus is very personal and intimate. The story is a sort of pseudo-philosophical exploration of free will and the human desire to have a god to give it up to that reads kind of like a cheap knockoff of Frank Herbert.

The Enslavers-
In a very different turn, Keith Pollard forgoes elegance to give us a maximalist, cosmic 80's blacklight bowling alley extravaganza. It's tacky and garish in all the right ways. The story is again kind of dumb but lacks the pretension of Parable.

This collection also includes a very interesting interview with Moebius that gets into his experience dabbling in the "Marvel Method," and all its peculiarities. Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of his work.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the original story. the later story included in the collection was just fine and I don't think it really enhanced the experience. absolutely recommend the first story, though.

read it on comixology since it's otherwise prohibitively expensive (even the reprint version is more than I was willing to spend sight unseen) and it REALLY SUCKS to read on there because the text is microscopic and the zoom functions apparently hate my laptop. this doesn't affect my star rating (though my opinion of the second story does), I just wanted to complain. if you have a tablet, it's probably a lot less shitty.

[Dominic Sedillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE the Silver Surfer! The more I read of this character the more I fall in love with him. What makes him work so well is that he is much more philosophical than other superheroes. He is not of this world and is able to point out all the contradictions and hypocrisy of mankind but also able to see and experience the beauty and enduring quality of mankind.

The first story is very allegorical and it is obvious it’s speaking about worship of a deity and the role of a savior and the sometimes misguided nature of followers of a God. Some of the representations of believers of a deity are one-sided and they are mostly depicted as empty headed, which I did not like. Had it been more even handed and left for interpretation it would have been excellent.

The second story is pure adventure and I think I had the most fun with that one.

[Kosmas Panagiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Διάβασα την ελληνική έκδοση από τον οίκο 'μικρος ηρως' , η οποία περιέχει πρόλογο από τον Σταν Λι αλλά και επίμετρο από τον Μοέμπιους. Δεν είναι η τυπική υπερηρωϊκή ιστορία αλλά στις λίγες σελίδες της αναπτύσσεται πραγματικά μια παραβολη για τη δύναμη, την εξουσία, την ψυχολογία της μάζας και γενικά τις ανθρώπινες αδυναμίες. Δεν ήξερα πως ο Λι μπορούσε να γράψει τόσο στιβαρό 'πολιτικοποιημενο' κόμικ. Όσο για το σχέδιο του Μοέμπιους, δεν απογοητεύει. Θα παραμείνει η αγαπημένη μου ιστορία του Σίλβερ Σέρφερ.

[Scott Waldyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is still one of the greatest comics I have ever read. It was as true then, when I was a small one picking this off a shelf in Venture, as it is now, in 2025, during a authoritarian regime fueled on fanaticism and unyielding worship.

Stan Lee and Moebius really cook. Moebius' art is incredible, and Lee's prose has never been better.

[Al Capwned · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains two stories:
1) Parable is not only outdated but extremely shallow in its attempt to dive into philosophical matters about religion and such.
2) The Enslavers is yet another generic cosmic superhero story.

[Eric Serviss · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little overrated…

…But with a message that still rings true: Self-serving power hungry parasites will always try to subvert those foolish enough to buy into the bluster. And so this world will always need heroes.

[ComicBookCult Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful short series, makes you think and also blows you away with gorgeous art all in one package, highly recommend for everyone who’s into comics. A must read.

[Jin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good illustrations. To wordy for my taste.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the concept and look of Parable was pretty interesting. It’s an odd story, But it works.
The Enslavers with its faux Kirby look did nothing for me though.

[Lucas Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

stay for the art

Look, the story is nothing special, thanks Stan for the outline I guess, but Keith Pollard's Kirby-ass art fully whips.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really just here for the Mœbius art.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hooo boyyyy this was a doozy. I'm reviewing the first half of the 168-page HC premiere edition that also includes Silver Surfer: The Enslavers, as part of a stack of galactic Marvel books featuring Thanos, Groot, and Silver Surfer. When I opened this one and realized it was written by Stan Lee, I took a deep breath and tried to set my preconceived notions about him aside. After all, Moebius is an extremely talented illustrator, and this was made at the end of the '80s, centered around religious and cultural themes, so it could be a real gem, right? Wrong.

By page 30, I was really struggling to force myself to continue reading. The lettering (by Moebius and Michael Heisler) is among the worst I've ever seen in print. I might not have 20/20 vision, but I've gotten through plenty of DIY zines that were basically written on napkins and then Xeroxed with no thought given to spelling. This was almost illegible in many parts - and it's supposed to be a goddamn Marvel Premiere Graphic Novel, penned by the King Creator of that empire himself!

Even if you don't mind the fo-
nt and aw-
kward alignment and spa-
cing of the text,
the script itself is awful.

Basically, every character in the story either talks like Yoda with a King James affectation or like a generic, uneducated citizen extra that might be part of a shouting crowd in an after-school action cartoon. Surfer strikes Jesus-on-the-Cross poses while Galactus acts completely out of character and utters lines such as, "Not for me is the anarchy of base emotions!" while his entire plan relies on base emotions ruling the human hivemind.

There's a tele-evangelist in the mix that could have been a great focal point and believable villain, if he weren't written so poorly. I thought guys like Garth Ennis and Mark Millar were the worst of the successful writers that love to write "edgy" religious satire without actually making a case worth a cent for anyone but the most ignorant of the masses, but Stan Lee takes the cake here.

I'm looking at maybe 130 more pages of this book and wondering if it's unfair for me to write such a strongly-worded review without having finished it. Nah, it would be more unfair for me to push through and waste my time any more with this rubbish.

Hey Stan! You thought up some real nifty characters, but you kinda suck as a person and as a writer!

[Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than the average hero tale

I don't know how the Silver Surfer fits in today's Marvel Cinematic Universe; he hasn't been seen since the 2007 Fantastic Four movie, but with all films pointing to the Infinity Gauntlet, that will likely change (if licensing rights allow it). But the Surfer was always a different kind of hero, often misunderstood, harboring the private loss of his love and a homeworld forbidden to him, drifting through the endless cosmos alone.

This volume has two tales, with the Surfer saving the Earth in different ways. The second story is the more traditional, with the Earth invaded by the Enslavers and Mrrungo-Mu, an all-powerful race who weaken the planet by first taking its heroes, then its population to satisfy its own needs. If the Surfer is to be mankind's last, best hope, he will need to rely on his virtue even more than his Power Cosmic. It's a well written story, but beyond that doesn't do much to distinguish itself; on its own, it is probably a 3.5 star story.

What elevates this collection is Parable, a two-part, Eisner winning story that otherwise doesn't fit with the Surfer timeline. It pits the Surfer against Galactus, his traditional foe, as instead of the powerful alien invading the Earth, he merely appears, and watches as humanity tears itself apart. Again, the Surfer's greatest power in this battle is his virtue, but the tale is far more than Herald against his former master; it is a story of prophets and false prophets, of fanatic belief and disbelief, of gods and idols. On its own, it makes the collection worthy of 5 stars, and is one of the most moving stories I have ever read in a comic book/graphic novel. To say that it's timely today would be trite; the story's theme is more universal to human nature.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 3 out of 5]

*A minor note up front, while I read the main story, I did not read the side-story (Enslavers) that was included in this volume.

I will be honest, I picked this book up for one reason only, the artist Mœbius. I first started encountering his artwork online and it is amazing in every respect. This is the first time I have seen late French artist's work full-length, but I hope to encounter him again. The writing by Stan Lee...a bit painful. This was not Stan Lee of the silver age of comics, but the Stan Lee at the end of his career. His writing is a very bewildering attempt to examine how figures can use religion to their own devious aim, but it does not work and it comes across as, ironically, preachy. Marvel does have a much better attempt at this (i.e. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont), but you definitely should avoid Parable if you are interested in the story. I hope to get another graphic novel of Mœbius some day.

[Kieran Westphal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why? Why did you do it? You could have had it all! You could have been a god! A GOD! You threw it all away, just for us! And the tragedy of it is... we don't deserve it!"

It's so cool to read comics written by Stan Lee decades after he first co-created the Marvel Age. His collaboration with Moebius on Parable is truly something special, and the included bonus work he did with Keith Pollard on The Enslavers is spectacularly 90s in the best way.

Looks like 2020 is the year I get reeeeally into the Silver Surfer.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Stan Lee/Moebius story that gives this collection its name is beautifully drawn if not a bit simplistic. However, the bulk of the edition I have is another Silver Surfer story, "The Enslavers," which is rather not good at all. And to make things worse, it was originally printed oversized and has been reprinted reduced here, so it's hard to read, and in a different trim size ratio, so the bleeds don't even all go off the page.

[Kenny Innes · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for the excellent Moebius art in the first third. The rest is filled with fairly adolescent writing dressed up as profound thoughts on “spirituality”. I’ve never dug the space/interplanetary element of Marvel stuff much, and this is no different. I prefer my superheroes a little less invincible than the Surfer and his nebulous “power cosmic”.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could look at Moebius's Galactus all day, but the second half of this book, "The Enslavers" by Stan Lee and Keith Pollard, is pretty run of the mill. Stan's writing in "Parable" is theatrical and IMPORTANT, but the rest is just blah.