Silver Surfer

Julia Garner plays a new version of the classic Marvel character.

Get ready for a new Silver Surfer as Julia Garner takes on the role of Shalla-Bal in Marvel's Fantastic Four reboot.

On December 9, 1965, a shining man flew down from the sky, looked around for a bit, and then doomed the Earth. Or at least he meant to at the time. This was Fantastic Four #48, by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, and of course the shining man from the sky was the Silver Surfer.

The 28th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards took place this Friday at San Diego Comic-Con, where the creators, editors and publishers of your favorite comics were honored for their accomplishments. While many will be nominated, only a select few will take home the top honors in one of comic's most respected awards. It was a particularly good night for publishers Drawn and Quaterly and Fantagraphics, with fan and critical favorites like Over the Garden Wall, Cliff Chiang and Bandette being recognized as well. Check out the complete list of winners and nominees below.

Yesterday we reported on the leaking of Marvel Comics' Marvel Previews free magazine, unveiling their entire post-Civil War II line-up including comics such as The Unstoppable Wasp, Solo, Foolkiller and Prowler. Today, the magazine has officially been released via comic stores and online, confirming even more titles and creative teams, including a Kate Bishop Hawkeye book and the much awaited Gamora solo title from Guardians of the Galaxy screenwriter Nicole Perlman.

Jean Giraud, better known to many in comics by the pseudonym Mœbius, is a legendary figure in the comics industry, and one of the most influential European comic artists of all time. Whether it’s his esoteric and complex creator-owned work in his native France, or his occasional dalliance with work-for-hire comics in America, few have come close to rivaling Mœbius’ breathtaking brilliance.

The Silver Surfer gets his post-Secret Wars relaunch in January, keeping the same creative team of writer Dan Slott and artists Mike and Laura Allred. While the creators remain the same as his last run, the focus is shifting from the far reaches of the galaxy to more Earth-centric adventures. Indeed, the preview pages show Surfer and his sidekick Dawn Greenwood returning to Earth even as some very Allred-looking aliens invade our planet's televisions, spooking everyone in Times Square, and even the Obamas.

Welcome to The Issue, where we'll take a look at some of the strangest, most interesting and most distinctive single issue comic stories ever to grace the medium. You know the ones; silent issues, sideways issues, backwards issues; the comics that try to do something different with the form, and stand out from the series they belong to. We're kicking off with a recent example, one that seems to have come from an alternate universe where the rules of the comics form are slightly different: Dan Slott and Mike Allred's Silver Surfer #11.

The Diamond Retailer Summit is underway in Baltimore this weekend, timed to coincide with Baltimore Comic Con, and Marvel has taken the opportunity to unveil more new titles for the All-New All-Different line relaunch, including ongoing series for two former West Coast Avengers, Moon Knight and Mockingbird.

For most of his publication history, the Silver Surfer has been a character marked by tragedy and tumult. The inherent irony of the character was that he could traverse the vastness of space with ease and wield immeasurable power in the palm of his hand, but he could hardly bear the torture of his own emotions. The first issue of the brand new Silver Surfer series by writer Dan Slott, artist Mike