If there is one great good still to be found in the fate which has befallen me-- it's that I have power enough to protect the children of this world! 
Appearing in "Editori-Al"
Featured Characters:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Editori-Al"
Editor Al Milgrom introduces this alternate story of the Silver Surfer that was intended for him prior to the launch of Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #1. It is presented in this issue of Marvel Fanfare, because he believed it was such a great story that it should have seen print even though it's not part of canon.
Appearing in "The Great Terror"
Featured Characters:
- Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Mantis (Mandy Celestine) (First appearance)
- Sprout (Arthur Raymond Celestine) (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Kree Empire
- General Dor-Rixx (First appearance) (Death)
- Supreme Intelligence (First appearance)
- Mangog (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mephisto (First appearance)
- Human Torch (Johnny Storm) (First appearance)
- Alicia Masters (First appearance)
- Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie) (First appearance)
- Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) (First appearance) (Astral Form)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Clay Quatermain (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Chrysima (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Empress Shalla-Bal (First appearance) (Cameo)
Races and Species:
- Zenn-Lavians
- Kree
- Demons
- Humans
- Atlanteans
- Cotati (Mentioned)
- Alien Race (Unnamed)
Locations:
- Earth-900651 (First appearance)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Great Terror"
Brief Summary:
The Silver Surfer is still trapped on Earth and is attacked by a Kree cruiser. The ship is destroyed by the Surfer falls to Earth injured. He recovers and sets out to find the Kree soldiers. He locates them and defeats them in battle, which attracts the attention of Mantis. The Supreme Intelligence empowers Mangog to continue his mission of killing Mantis' child, but the Surfer is able to stop him.
Detailed Summary:
In this alternate reality, the Silver Surfer is still trapped within the barrier put around the Earth by Galactus. He is just outside of Earth's atmosphere when he spots and is attacked by a Kree cruiser. The Surfer ultimately destroys the ship, but not before they hit him with an abolition ion that drains his powers and renders his unconscious as he falls back to Earth. These events are all being watched by Mephisto who is eager to find a way to steal the Surfer's soul.
The Surfer wakes up some time later in a hospital room, with the Human Torch, Alicia Masters, and the Sub-Mariner watching over him. He thanks them for their assistance, but quickly departs as he is determined to locate the crash site of the Kree cruiser. The Surfer arrives at the scene of the crash and gets information from Clay Quartermain who has a S.H.I.E.L.D. unit out investigating.
The Surfer tracks down the two Kree soldiers and defeats them both in battle. His battle attracts the attention of Mantis, who invites him into her home where she tells the Surfer all about her recent past and about her son, Sprout, who is a human/plant hybrid.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Intelligence is on distant Kree-Lar and furious that his Kree mission to Earth has failed. The Intelligence is looking for the child of Mantis so that he may destroy it, because he seems the child as a future threat to the Kree's galactic dominance. He looks for a new agent to continue the mission and finds the perfect tool in Mangog, who is still ant-sized following his battle against Thor. The Supreme Intelligence contacts him and promises to restore him if he tracks down the child of Mantis and kills him. Mangog agrees and is restored to his normal height and goes on a rampage.
Back on Earth, Mantis communicates with the plant life on Zenn-La to check up on the planet and the Silver Surfer's love, Shalla-Bal. However, they are interrupted by Mangog's attack. The Surfer and Mantis battle the creature, but not even the intervention of Sprout seems to be enough to stop Mangog. The Surfer soon figures out the unstoppable creatures Achilles heel: it's a creature spawned on vengeance. So when the Surfer submits to Mangog, it saps the creatures strength and it eventually fades into nothingness.
Appearing in "The Believer"
Featured Characters:
- Milton Deever
Supporting Characters:
- Charlie
- Ned
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- "Malleus"
- "Occult Guard"
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Al's Bar
Synopsis for "The Believer"
Nightmare causes trouble with some of Earth's humans.
Appearing in "Pin-Up"
Featured Characters:
- Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) (Pin-Up)
Supporting Characters:
- Galactus (Galan) (Pin-Up)
Synopsis for "Pin-Up"
A pin-up of Silver Surfer flying through space.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
"The Great Terror"[]
- Galactus banished the Silver Surfer to Earth after he betrayed him to save the planet. [1]
- Mephisto has wanted the Silver Surfer's soul ever since he first saw him. [2]
- The Silver Surfer teamed with Namor, the Hulk, and Doctor Strange for a number of adventures as the Defenders. [3]
- Norrin Radd became the Silver Surfer to save his planet, but also lost it and his true love, Shalla Bal, at the same time. [4]
- The Silver Surfer first met Mantis during the Avengers/Defenders War. [5]
- The Silver Surfer gave Shalla Bal a portion of his Power Cosmic so that she could replant a destroyed Zenn-La. [6]
Trivia
- This story was to be the first of a 12-issue limited series, where Steve Englehart was "going to try and present the most spectacular space epic yet devised with the Silver Surfer acting as general of an inter-galactic armada fighting the Kree Empire from his 'prison' on Earth. There will be the Watcher, the Kree, the Skrulls, Moondragon, the Badoon, Mantis, you name them, if they've been in space, they'll be here." [7]
- Al Milgrom mentions that there is an alternate version of X-Factor #1 that might someday be presented in Marvel Fanfare, but it never was. It has yet to be published anywhere.
- "Marvel Fan Flair" letter column has letters published from: Richard Scott, Charles Haskell, and Robert Spassov.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Silver Surfer (Vol. 3) #1 - The actual Silver Surfer storyline that Marvel decided to go with over this issue's story.
The story references:
- Thor Annual #13 - Mephisto vs Thor!
- Avengers/Defenders War - The time that the Avengers and Defenders battled because of the meddling of Loki.
- Avengers #128 and Giant-Size Avengers #4 - Mantis' marriage to the Cotati.
- Thor #250 - Mangog vs Thor
- Silver Surfer (Vol. 2) #1 - The Silver Surfer gave Shalla Bal a portion of his Power Cosmic so that she could replant a destroyed Zenn-La.
Links and References
- Grand Comics Database Marvel Fanfare #51 Grand Comics Database. Retrieved on 12 Nov 2021.