Silver Surfer (TV series)
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This article is about the animated television series. For other uses, see Silver Surfer (disambiguation).
| Silver Surfer (1998 TV series) | |
|---|---|
 The Silver Surfer |
|
| Genre | Animated |
| Starring | Paul Essiembre Camilla Scott Colin Fox |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 (aired) 8 (on script) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 26 minutes/episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox Network |
| Original run | February 7, 1998 – May 29, 1998 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The Silver Surfer was an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero which aired on Fox in 1998. After the 13-episode first season, Marvel was facing bankruptcy problems and could not afford to air the second season, despite that scripts were written and the show had attained successful ratings.
Although it was among the first to feature computer animation, the series was true to the graphic style of Jack Kirby. The main plotlines were faithful to the comics, but some changes were made, and the tone was markedly more serious than that of most comics and animated series.
The series also stands out for its unusual style of dialogue: the language is very poetic, but the characters' expressions of thoughts/emotions are very explicit and not characteristic of most poetry. Thus, the dialogue can perhaps be more naturally considered as an artistic 'rendition' of conversation, indicating the characters' intentions rather than their verbatim discourse.
Contents |
[edit] Cast[1]
- Silver Surfer/Norrin Radd (Paul Essiembre)
- Shalla-Bal (Camilla Scott)
- The Watcher (Colin Fox)
- The Master of Zenn-La (Aron Tager)
- Galactus (James Blendick)
- Thanos (Gary Krawford)
- Ego the Living Planet (Roy Lewis)
- Lord Glenn (Marc Strange)
- Ivan and Pip the Troll (Robert Bockstael)
- Frankie Raye/Nova (Tara Rosling)
- Beta Ray Bill (Karl Pruner)
- Adam Warlock (Oliver Becker)
- Gamora (Alison Sealy-Smith)
- Supreme Intelligence (David Hemblen)
- Lady Chaos (Lally Cadeau)
- Drax the Destroyer (Norm Spencer)
- Mentor (Cedric Smith)
- Nebula (Jennifer Dale)
- Infinity (Elizabeth Sheperd)
- Eternity (John Neville)
- Infection (Shirley Douglas)
- Watcher Prime (Dennis Akayama)
- Amber (Alyson Court)
- Husseri (David Hemblin)
- Kalek (Don Francks)
- Gamma (Nicole Oliver)
- Shellaine (Valerie Buhagiar)
- Votrick (Rick Bennent)
- Maciag (Michael Copeman)
- Kili the Troll (Elizabeth Hanna)
- Raze (Len Doncheff)
- Geatar (Howard Jerome)
- Nietre (Bernard Behrens)
- Voice of Sphere (Lorne Kennedy)
- Kiar (David Calderisi)
- Zedaro (Lawerence Bayne)
[edit] Voice actors from X-Men
Several cast members of The Silver Surfer were also a part of the cast of the X-Men animated series from around the same period:
- Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm)
- Norm Spencer (Cyclops)
- Cedric Smith (Professor X)
- Dennis Akayama (Iceman)
- Alyson Court (Jubilee)
[edit] List of episodes
| Image | Title | Writer(s) | Original Airdate(s) | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
"The Origin of the Silver Surfer" | Larry Brody | February 7, 1998 February 14, 1998 February 21, 1998 |
1, 2, & 3 |
| Just as the Watcher has warned, Galactus has arrived at Zenn-La to consume its energy. Norrin Radd sacrifices himself by offering to serve as Galactus' herald, whose job it will be to scout out planets without intelligent life so that Galactus won't destroy any civilizations. On the upside, Galactus gives Norrin a portion of his powers, turning him into the Silver Surfer. On the downside, the transference of powers remove Norrin's memories and his moral convictions! With no memories, the Silver Surfer finds world after world for Galactus to devour, but the herald is troubled by the destruction. The evil Thanos uses Ego, the Living Planet to invade the Surfer's mind, intent on finding the secrets of Galactus within. The resulting mental battle unleashes the Surfer's memories and he goes to confront Galactus. When Galactus decides to attack the Earth, the Surfer rebels, attacking the world-eater. Although the Surfer cannot harm Galactus, he is allowed to return to Zenn-La. When he gets there, he discovers that the planet has been moved, and he is now alone in space! The Surfer vows to find Zenn-La, and his beloved Shalla Bal. | ||||
 |
"The Planet of Dr. Moreau" | Larry Brody & Chris Kane | February 28, 1998 | 4 |
| The Surfer searches to find a Kree colony, where a Zenn-La scholar is rumored to be living. Surfer is enslaved by the Kree, and forced to work alongside genetically-engineered creatures known as "Trolls." Teaming up with Pip the Troll, and Pip's girlfriend, Kili, the Surfer leads a revolt against the Kree slavers. | ||||
 |
"Learning Curve" | Larry Brody (part 1 & 2) & Andrea Lawrence (part 1) | March 7, 1998 March 14, 1998 |
5 & 6 |
| The Surfer and Pip join Mentor and his servant, Drax the Destroyer, as they search for the mythical Universal Library. Mentor hopes to stop his mad brother, Thanos, from taking over the universe. Plus, the Wanderers, Eternity, and Infinity have a grave warning for the Watcher, Gamora and the Draconians appear, and Nebula, the space pirate, unleashes monsters! Drax attacks the monsters and the Universal Library is destroyed, before the Surfer can find out where Zenn-La has been hidden. Plus, the Surfer and Mentor find out how the Watcher race was destroyed. In all the excitement, both Surfer and Mentor also miss the key to the knowledge they seek. | ||||
 |
"Innervisions" | Larry Brody & Alan Swayze | April 4, 1998 | 7 |
| The Surfer finds a series of planets that have been devastated by Thanos, and Surfer rushes to warn the next planet in Thanos' target. It is a planet of Dreamers, and Surfer must awaken one of their heroes, Beta Ray Bill, to help defeat Thanos once and for all. But how can they do that when all Thanos really wants is the love and approval of Lady Chaos? | ||||
 |
"Antibody" | Larry Brody & Michael Steven Gregory | April 11, 1998 | 8 |
| Galactus is dying, and his new herald, a spunky Earth girl named Nova, enlists the Surfer's aid to help save his life. They enter Galactus' bloodstream, where they must fight not only his antibodies, but also the "digested" souls of his victims. Surfer must make an anguished decision: save Galactus with the knowledge that he'll continue to consume worlds, or allow him to die and lose the chance to find Zenn-La again? | ||||
 |
"Second Foundation" | Larry Brody & Michael Steven Gregory | April 25, 1998 | 9 |
| Nova is torn between her duties for Galactus and her love for the Silver Surfer, but she helps the Surfer try to find Zenn-La. They end up on the ancient Skrull homeworld, where they become fighters in a revolution that is tearing apart the world of the shape-changers. | ||||
 |
"Radical Justice" | Larry Brody & Brooks Wachtel | May 2, 1998 | 10 |
| The Surfer is captured by Lord Glenn and the Wanderers and put on trial for the crimes of Galactus. The Surfer is stripped of his powers and must fight the bounty hunter Raze as a mere mortal. But in the battle, Surfer discovers that his loss of powers may not be all that it seems, and his discovery of a creature known as the Mind Worm helps him save both his life and that of the Wanderers. | ||||
 |
"The Forever War" | Larry Brody & Mark Hoffmeier | May 29, 1998 | 11 |
| The Surfer asks the Kree Supreme Intelligence to help him find Zenn-La, and is transported to another dimension, where Adam Warlock is in a never-ending battle with the Kree. The Surfer frees Warlock from the battle, but on returning to the Kree Home World, they discover that the Supremor has evil plans for Warlock. The two heroes must find a way to return Warlock to his "forever war." | ||||
 |
"Return to Zenn-La" | Larry Brody | May 9, 1998 | 12 |
| The Surfer finally finds Zenn-La, and is reunited with his beloved Shalla Bal. But things seem different, and the behavior of Shalla Bal gets increasingly strange and dangerous. The Surfer soon discovers that he has not found his home at all; instead he has once again found Ego, the Living Planet, who intends to repay his debt to the Surfer! | ||||
 |
"The End of Eternity, Part 1" | Larry Brody & Dallas Barnes | May 16, 1998 | 13 |
| The Surfer is summoned by Eternity and Infinity, and is warned that Thanos has found a way to make time flow backwards, thus bringing about the end of the universe! As the Surfer rushes to stop Thanos, the universe begins to contract around him. When it appears as if the Surfer dies in his battle with Thanos, Eternity and Infinity wonder if all has been lost. | ||||
[edit] Fantastic Four crossover
| Image | Title | Writer(s) | Original Airdate(s) | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
"The Silver Surfer & the Coming of Galactus" | Ron Friedman | October 22, 1994 October 29, 1994 |
5 & 6 |
| The Watcher contacts the Fantastic Four and warns them that the dreaded Silver Surfer is on his way to Earth. If he manages to send his homing signal to his master, Galactus, the Earth will be destroyed! The FF try and stop the Surfer, but are too late. Galactus has arrived and prepares to feed on the Earth! Galactus begins to setup his equipment to feed on the Earth, while the FF try to reason with him. He dismisses them, and they try to come up with a new plan. The Watcher has a suggestion, but it may cost the Torch his life! Meanwhile, the Silver Surfer visits Alicia Masters, and begins to see how wonderful the Earth really is. | ||||
 |
"The Silver Surfer & the Return of Galactus" | Ron Friedman | December 17, 1994 | 13 |
| The Fantastic Four investigate one of Galactus' abandoned pods, and rencounter Doctor Doom! The Silver Surfer appears and Doom steals his power! Will the FF be able to stop the power cosmic energized Doom? Of course they will. | ||||
 |
"When Calls Galactus" | Jan Strnad | November 18, 1995 | 21 |
| They tried to cram a lot of stories into this one, and well, they did... In the beginning, Johnny is depressed about Crystal, so, while they are signing autographs, he meets a girl named Frankie Raye, who happens to be a human torch too! (In the comics, Johnny doesn't meet Frankie until after Crystal marries Quicksilver. Oh well.) Anyway, Terrax, who happens to be Galactus' new herald after the Silver Surfer defected, attacks Earth (Manhattan). Galactus isn't terribly pleased to learn that his herald has defected, so he comes back to Earth to do away with Terrax. One problem, Galactus needs to feed, and the only planet in the vicinity is Earth! Since Galactus no longer has a herald to search out planets for him, he attempts to devour Earth. Thor and Ghost Rider arrive on the scene, but their efforts are useless. As a result, Frankie Raye offers to become Nova, Galactus' new herald, and Johnny is heartbroken once more. | ||||
 |
"Doomsday" | Cydne Clark | February 24, 1996 | 26 |
| Doctor Doom captures the Silver Surfer and steals his power cosmic (again). Doom uses the power cosmic to battle the FF. The Fantastic Four eventually defeat the good doctor by getting him to cross the cosmic ray barrier which Galactus left surrounding the earth so that the Silver Surfer could not escape. | ||||
[edit] Season 2 (unaired episodes)
Episodes that remained in the scripting stage. The second season was not produced because of Marvel's bankruptcy problems. However, eight episodes were written before production was shut down.[2]
| # | Title | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "The End of Eternity, Part 2" | Larry Brody |
| 15 & 16 | "Soul Hunter" | Larry Brody |
| 17 | "Rebirth" | Larry Brody |
| 18 | "Battlecry" | Larry Brody |
| 20, 21, & 22 | "Down to Earth" | Larry Brody |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Silver Surfer (TV series) at the Internet Movie Database
- Silver Surfer Episode And Scripts - Contains Scripts for all 13 aired episodes and 8 unproduced episodes.
- DGR4's Silver Surfer: The Animated Series Page
- Season 2 - Detailed episode summaries
- Silver Surfer - Garn's Guides
- International Catalogue of Superheroes
- Silver Surfer Cartoon Central
- The Spider's Web - The Animated Silver Surfer
