Silver Surfer #133

Against a blazing orange-red sky, the Silver Surfer looms over a woman cradling what appears to be a stricken child — the cover's stark tagline, "Slain by the Hand of the Surfer!", casting an ominous shadow over the cosmic hero's usually noble image. It's a genuinely arresting composition by cover penciler Olivetti and inker Atomic Media, pairing the Surfer's gleaming, board-in-hand presence with raw human anguish below. J. M. DeMatteis and Tom DeFalco are joined by artist Paul Pelletier and inker Matt Ryan for part two of "Messiah Syndrome," making this November 1997 issue a compelling chapter in one of Marvel's most philosophically charged runs.