Paul extolls the virtues of Silver Surfer in his review. He also points out that the Surfer’s series lost its direction after the first few incredible issues. An interview with John Buscema in Jack Kirby Collector #18 confirms that Stan Lee knew this. John recalled,

Many years later, Stan told me at lunch one day, “John, I just didn’t know what the hell to do with the damn thing. I didn’t know what direction we were going.”

Read the whole Buscema interview at TwoMorrows Publishing. It also includes Buscema’s recollections on copying layouts from Kirby’s panels, and Stan’s furious deconstruction of Buscema’s masterful work on Silver Surfer #4. (Later, Stan would tell John it was the greatest thing they ever did!)

Of course, the answer was right in front of Stan the whole time: Get the “Sentinel of the Spaceways” back into outer space where he belonged! But it wasn’t until 1987, nearly 20 years after this landmark issue, that Steve Englehart worked out the solution to give the Surfer direction once again. In Silver Surfer Vol. 2, #1, Englehart and Marshall Rogers got the Surfer past the barrier of Galactus for good.

Despite losing direction, Stan Lee and John Buscema would unite once more for one of Marvel’s greatest visual accomplishments: The Silver Surfer graphic novel, “Judgment Day.” Judgment Day (also available in paperback) features splash panel after splash panel of glorious Buscema artwork. “Judgment Day” pits the Silver Surfer against Mephisto once again. And, just to top the hellfire-and-brimstone extravaganza of Silver Surfer #3, this time Galactus gets involved! Satan versus the Big G? We’re there! You can read a fun review on Take Back What You Said About Thor.

If you need a copy of Silver Surfer #3 for yourself – and believe us, you do – then here is a list of every time Marvel has printed it. Have fun shopping!

- From Silver Surfer #3; Marvel Comics, September 1968.
Reprinted in Fantasy Masterpieces Vol. 2, #3; 1979.
Reprinted in the Silver Surfer Omnibus Vol. 1
Reprinted in the HardCover Silver Surfer Masterworks #1, a 2003 Paperback version, and a 2010 Paperback.
Reprinted in black and white in Essential Silver Surfer, Vol. 1, Edition 1 and in Edition 2.

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Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.

We invite you to:
Shop for original issues of Turok.
Choose an archival edition of Turok.
Browse our galleries of Dinosaurs or Dinosaur Comics.
See all our Young Earth or Turok exhibits.
Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.

We invite you to:
Shop for original issues of Turok.
Choose an archival edition of Turok.
Browse our galleries of Dinosaurs or Dinosaur Comics.
See all our Young Earth or Turok exhibits.
Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.

Occupation Records has a Sponsume campaign (similar to Kickstarter) now with just 19 days left to make your pledge. Premiums include signed “V” masks by Alan Moore, signed copies of “V for Vendetta,” and limited and signed prints by Jamie Reid (who designed all the Sex Pistols album art.) And, since they are making a record, you also get CDs, vinyl LPs and T-shirts for donations to support the label and the work of Occupy.

So, feed your comic book lust and your love of social justice here:
http://www.sponsume.com/project/occupation-records-99-cent-launch-record-label

We like that they quote Tom Morello, Harvard graduate and guitarist for one of our favorite bands, Rage Against the Machine – and Audioslave, and Street Sweeper Social Club, who we saw open for Jane’s Addiction & Nine Inch Nails a couple years ago. Rock on. If Tom Morello AND Alan Moore are into it, that’s enough endorsement for us!

We invite you to:
Shop for original issues of Turok.
Choose an archival edition of Turok.
Browse our galleries of Dinosaurs or Dinosaur Comics.
See all our Young Earth or Turok exhibits.
Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.

We invite you to:
Shop for original issues of Turok.
Choose an archival edition of Turok.
Browse our galleries of Dinosaurs or Dinosaur Comics.
See all our Young Earth or Turok exhibits.
Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.

Our reader had this to say about his historic ring:

“When my dad was in high school in the late 1940′s, he worked a summer at the community pool. When the pool was drained for the winter, my dad found this ring. He told me he thinks that it used to have “jewels” in the eyes. He gave it to me about 30 years ago. I wore it for a while and then put it away. I was looking through an old jewelry box the other day and came across the ring. Out of curiosity, I started doing web searches for skull rings and came across the old ad on your website.

The ring is just as shiny as the day my dad gave it to me 30 years ago and probably the same as the day he found it. So that “Eternium” stuff must be really tough . I suspect it’s stainless steel, because it is not magnetic and it’s fairly heavy (3/8 oz. or 13 grams.)”

Here is the complete original ad page from Captain Science #1, 1950. It displays the name and mailing address of the company selling the Lucky Skull Ring and also the Lucky Pirate Ring: the cryptic “Montrose Co,” sporting a New York address with no zip code. Curious! Maybe that is a clue for you astute researchers of Lucky Skull Ring lore!

We invite you to:
Shop for original issues of Turok.
Choose an archival edition of Turok.
Browse our galleries of Dinosaurs or Dinosaur Comics.
See all our Young Earth or Turok exhibits.
Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.

We invite you to:
Shop for original issues of Turok.
Choose an archival edition of Turok.
Browse our galleries of Dinosaurs or Dinosaur Comics.
See all our Young Earth or Turok exhibits.
Like Young Earth? You’ll love Age of Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals.