“Silver Surfer” #2 continues what Dan Slott, Michael Allred and Laura Allred began in their previous “Silver Surfer” run; namely, telling inventive stories about the Silver Surfer and his companion Dawn Greenwood. Slott and the Allreds have regularly shown a willingness to mix things up and avoid standard space adventures, and that continues in this month’s “Silver Surfer” #2, where many familiar faces appear, but not in the positions one might expect.

So many aspects of the Silver Surfer’s story were set in stone over the years: the Surfer is the former herald of Galactus; his planet Zenn-La and his love Shalla-Bal are lost to him; the Fantastic Four are his allies; and Alicia Masters is, at times, his love. It’s fun to see Slott take those elements and flip them around in subtle ways. The most obvious is taking the Thing and making him the herald of Earth’s newest invader, with the Surfer having to try and stop him before the world is destroyed. It’s a familiar setup that’s upended without being blatant or in-your-face with the subverted symbolism. With each new reveal, Slott’s script aims to delight longtime fans while offering up fun for newer readers who aren’t as acquainted with these old stories. This is handled with a mixture of exposition and reactions within the context of the story; everything you need to know is contained within “Silver Surfer” #2.

It also helps that, over the course of the past two years, Dawn Greenwood has become a strong component of “Silver Surfer.” A new love interest for the Surfer could have floundered horribly, but Slott eased readers into it so well she’s become a welcome part of the title. Her position in “Silver Surfer” #2 is important, because her reactions to these pieces of the Surfer’s past bring a strong level of humanity to the book and reminds us just how uncomfortable the situation she’s in really is. She’s as much the audience viewpoint entry as she is an equal part of this title, and I’m delighted she’s still a co-star.

Michael and Laura Allred’s art continues to be a perfect choice for “Silver Surfer.” Michael Allred’s inks are smooth and almost slide across the page; watching the transformation of Norrin into the Surfer is so slick you can almost believe you’re actually seeing the silver crawl up around his form. Allred handles some of the iconic moments of the character perfectly too, like the Surfer with his outstretched arm as he shouts his traditional phrase, “To me, my board!” The art is certainly aided by Laura Allred’s ever-gorgeous colors, which manage to look rich and vibrant without ever seeming overly synthesized. This is a truly handsome looking comic.

“Silver Surfer” #2 is a lot of fun, complete with little in-jokes about how the Marvel Universe was put back together incorrectly at the end of “Secret Wars” and the discovery that the Fantastic Four are no longer in residence. So long as Slott and the Allreds are creating “Silver Surfer” comics, I’ll keep buying them, doubly so with such a fun cliffhanger leading into next month’s installment. Once again, an excellent issue by an excellent creative team.