The Silver Surfer Storyline That Mocked Marvel’s Then Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the 919th installment of Comedian Guide Legends Revealed, a column the place we look at three comedian ebook myths, rumors and legends and make sure or debunk them. It is a particular “basing characters on actual life individuals” version of CBLR. Within the first legend, we take a look at a Silver Surfer storyline constructed round mocking Marvel’s then-new Editor-in-Chief.

This may be a surprising revelation, however fairly often, individuals view occasions when it comes to how they have an effect on them personally. I do know, I do know, it is a gorgeous reality, however it’s true, no matter personally impacts you probably the most tends to be your takeaway from any given state of affairs. That is the humorous factor, then, about Editors-in-Chief at comedian ebook firms, in that folks’s tackle who was a superb Editor-in-Chief and who was a nasty one tends to contain whether or not one E-i-C or the opposite gave them assignments.

On the finish of the day, in comics (or heck, in any enterprise), nobody goes to be thrilled by the individuals who fireplace them, ya know? Frank Miller’s Daredevil is among the all-time nice comedian ebook runs in historical past, proper? Properly, for Miller to take over as the author on Daredevil, the then-current author, Roger McKenzie, needed to LOSE the gig. That is the reality for a lot of well-known runs in historical past. Well-known run X solely began as a result of some guys misplaced their jobs doing the ebook earlier than the well-known run began. It is a reality of life within the comedian ebook trade. Because the saying goes on the planet of sports activities, coaches are employed to be fired. It is a related factor about comedian ebook artistic groups. You may say that it’s not private, however for the individual dropping their gig, it IS private, ya know? On the similar time, that is simply actuality. You are GOING to piss some individuals off if you happen to’re an Editor-in-Chief. Within the case of Tom DeFalco, although, when he informed Steve Englehart that his run on Silver Surfer was ending, Englehart went out with fairly a bang, mocking DeFalco alongside the best way.

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Who was the Silver Surfer character, Clumsy Foulup?

Steve Englehart described the beginning of his run of Silver Surfer over at his website:

It started when Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter requested me to do a SURFER ebook. I used to be happy to be requested, however remembered that the character had been reserved for Editor Emeritus Stan Lee. Jim was clear in his response: the present Powers That Be had determined the Surfer may make the corporate cash, and will. So, if I had been going to do the Surfer, I needed to get him off Earth. He had been trapped right here, denied the vastness of area, since his first epic in FF #48-50, and I felt that state of affairs had lengthy outlived its curiosity. For one factor, regardless of everybody’s affection for the character and a few good individuals giving it their all, he had by no means offered. The Surfer appeared like he must be nice, however he wasn’t. However, I used to be informed he needed to keep on Earth. So I wrote a #1 subject, and plotted two extra, underneath that restriction. However I stored bugging Jim, and abruptly, for no matter purpose, I obtained my means. The Surfer may fly free. That first subject was shelved and I began over with a brand new #1. That “earthbound” first subject later appeared as an “imaginary story” in MARVEL FANFARE [I did a Comic Book Legends Revealed on that years ago]. However we had been off to the races ultimately. I obtained the Surfer into the grandeur of area, and for the primary time ever, he offered.

In Silver Surfer #11 (by Englehart, Joe Staton and Joe Rubinstein), Surfer and Nova are on the run, they usually present up in disguises at a kind of pirate planet, the place they’re accosted by an alien…

Later, the alien assaults them, and we be taught from somebody that the alien’s identify is “Foulup”…

On the finish of the problem, we uncover that Foulup is part of a bunch of pirates, led by a Captain Reptyl….

Within the subsequent subject (Marshall Rogers now on pencils), we be taught that this pirate underling of Captain Reptyl’s full identify is Clumsy Foulup…

Now, at this level, it’s fairly clear that Clumsy Foulup is only a minor character, and he does not appear to be any kind of particular parody of anybody. That will quickly change, although.

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How did Clumsy Foulup’s rise to energy satirize Tom DeFalco’s rise to Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief?

DeFalco had been the Editor-in-Chief at Marvel since Silver Surfer #5, however as time glided by, Englehart felt that DeFalco was having him make too many modifications to the collection, noting, “I used to be informed to return to the formulation which hadn’t labored: one subject tales, with an ethical, whereas he pined for his misplaced girlfriend (who hadn’t been his girlfriend since subject 2 of this run).”

DeFalco had been Jim Shooter’s second-in-command when Shooter was fired, with DeFalco promoted to take excessive job. Clearly, one thing like that occurs all the time, however naturally, if you happen to’re Shooter, you are feeling stabbed within the again, whereas if you happen to’re DeFalco, what are you alleged to do? The man was getting fired it doesn’t matter what, so you are going to flip down the highest job?

Nonetheless, Englehart clearly noticed it as a “backstabbing,” and so when DeFalco let him know he was being taken off of Silver Surfer, DeFalco gave Englehart free rein to wrap up his storylines. Englehart then had Clumsy Foulup be manipulated by the Elder generally known as the Contemplator (who had been seemingly killed by Reptyl in Silver Surfer #12) to betray Captain Reptyl and reduce a take care of the Kree.

Englehart’s closing arc on Silver Surfer was a brand new Kree-Skrull Warfare. Reptyl turned the chief of the Skrulls, however then, in Silver Surfer #29 (by Englehart, Ron Lim and Tom Christopher), Clumsy actually stabs Reptyl within the again…

Clumsy then escapes to the Kree…

And Clumsy’s Kree benefactors are shocked within the subsequent subject when the individuals deal with Clumsy as a conquering hero for killing Reptyl…

That is all of the Contemplator’s doing, as properly…

And by the top of Englehart’s run, Clumsy Foulup is now the pinnacle of the Kree Empire…

Or, as he places it, “Da Boss.”

This, after all, is how DeFalco was referred to on the time, like on this Rick Parker cartoon in Marvel Age #123…

On his web site, Englehart famous, “Once I left, Clumsy Foulup dominated the Kree Empire, and 4 years later, Marvel was bankrupt.”

In Englehart’s departure from the Incredible 4 across the similar time, he used a pseudonym and did a little bit of a protest over the path Marvel needed on the collection (I famous this in an previous Comedian Guide Legends Revealed).

I am not saying who was proper or incorrect on this battle between Englehart and DeFalco, as I do not suppose there actually IS a proper or incorrect, simply noting that Englehart’s departure concerned him making enjoyable of DeFalco on the best way out.

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