The original Galactus Trilogy informs everything the big guy does… but how many people actually know what he did immediately afterwards?
Thor #134 (1966)
by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
This is the first appearance of the High Evolutionary. He doesn’t interact at all with Galactus, but I find it interesting considering their paths will cross later on in this chronology.
Thor is hanging out with the alien Rigellians in this storyline, and they barely miss interacting with a weird spaceship.
A ship piloted by a Galactus splash page.
This is indeed his very first appearance after the trilogy, and it’s just a one-panel cameo.
Notice his coloring is still off, that he’s missing the big G on his chest, and that the proportions of his helmet don’t exactly match his earlier appearances.
Zooming better into the page, we see that he’s talking about eliminating a menace from the “Dark Galaxy”. This will show up in later Thor issues down the line.
I’ve seen mentions that Kirby didn’t want Galactus to be used a second time, and that only the sheer amount of readers requesting to see him again made a difference.
I’m a bit skeptical of that: not only because that doesn’t match how Kirby would use his characters in his own series, but because this comic was published just 6 months after the trilogy… sounds a bit too short of a gap.
Daredevil #37 (1968)
by Stan Lee & Gene Colan
Here’s how you win at a game of Marvel trivia: ask where Galactus shows up immediately after the original trilogy. There’s a good chance someone might say Thor if they’re up to their Marvel history (he will show up A LOT on Thor books), but very few will remember that Galactus later shows up on DAREDEVIL.
Bonus: this is even the very first time Doctor Doom and Galactus meet, as I already covered.
Adding the trivia options: this the conclusion of the storyline where Doctor Doom stole Silver Surfer’s powers, AND it’s the very first time anyone but Jack Kirby draws the big guy.
Fantastic Four #74 (1968)
by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Giving SOME credit to the idea that Kirby didn’t want to use Galactus again, up to this point he only had two cameos. It took him a couple of years after the original trilogy to get an actual story.
Silver Surfer has been hanging around Earth for a while now, to the point that he started to wear pants.
Silver Surfer is here because he’s been called back to serve Galactus again.
The big guy couldn’t even go a couple of years without someone preparing his meals… how did he survive billions of years before getting a herald!?
For a guy constantly going on and on about how savage humans are, the Surfer sure can have a short temper.
Galactus isn’t even bothering picking up Silver Surfer himself: he sent his old robot servant, The Punisher, to retrieve him.
The Human Torch doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of the Surfer, considering he’s fine with him going back to his old job.He p
robably has bigger concerns, like what the background just vanished.
The problem is that Silver Surfer has grown a conscience, so he’s not willing to feed planets to Galactus if that means killing people.
Weird how the two superheroes didn’t think of that.
Also, it’s pretty clear that at this point the idea that Galactus can operate wholly independently from Silver Surfer wasn’t established yet.
The Punisher is already here, and you can tell how Stan Lee was interested in the character when he doesn’t even bother coming up with a new description.
The Punisher previously defeated 3/4ths of the Fantastic Four without even trying, and according to Silver Surfer it’s more powerful than ever!
It’s going to be extremely difficult for the Silver Surfer to defeat this thing now!
Not so much for the Fantastic Two, however, because The Punisher was only slowed down: the Thing and the Human Torch have an extended fight with it.
But why are we only dealing with the Fantastic Two now? Because Susan is currently pregnant.
Guys, if you don’t want her to learn that her brother is currently fighting an alien robot, maybe stop TALKING ABOUT IT NEXT TO HER?
The Punisher was nothing to Silver Surfer, but he’s more than the Fantastic Three can handle.
We finally learn why Galactus wants Silver Surfer back so badly… he just sucks at finding planets he can eat.
We get one of the best Kirby splash pages featuring Galactus. Notice the colors are now the traditional color scheme, but the G is still gone.
Also: for all the talks about his nobility, Galactus is quick to consider breaking his oath when he’s hungry.
After several pages of fights, The Punisher is just recalled by Galactus.
That’s because Silver Surfer has managed to hide himself so well that the robot can’t find him.
Amusingly, Galactus doesn’t want to get too close to Earth because it’s “aroma” would make eating it irresistible.
Ah, so Superman isn’t the only one who can smell things through space.
But when his sense of smell fails, Galactus uses his Cosmic Life Probe™ to look for Silver Surfer.
Here’s a thought, Galactus: maybe use that thing to look for planets to eat?
Fantastic Four #75 (1968)
by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
One of the many, MANY reasons why the Lee&Kirby run is amazing is that you could be reading a Galactus storyline and seamlessly find yourself in a Microverse story.
Yes, that’s where Silver Surfer decided to hide: the Microverse.
Galactus is so excited to have found him that he forgot to put on some pants.
Galactus with humanoid eyes looks very off to me. That’s one of the things that sells his otherworldliness best.
Just how terrifyingly powerful is Galactus?
Enough to create earthquakes FROM A BILLION LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
Not to mention mess with the Fantastic Three by throwing them into space (!!!) for a couple of seconds. That feels uncharacteristically petty of the big G.
Not to mention creating weird doppelgangers.
Which turns into, what else, a Big Dumb Duplicate Fight.
Hey at least Silver Surfer is having some fun. He might miss flying through space, but flying through molecules is apparently good enough.
Once the Fantastic Three defeat their copies, Galactus grows impatient.
From a modern perspective, it’s weird he doesn’t just read their minds to learn where Silver Surfer is. And even if at the time he wasn’t EXPLICITLY said to have that power, I think it’s fair to assume everyone already knew he had it.
But no, Galactus decides that if can’t eat the Earth, he can at least BLOW IT UP.
Hey he promised not to eat it, he said nothing about destroying it!
The weakest part of the storyline is the length at which characters are going through to make sure Susan doesn’t hear anything about the current threat.
I could kind of understand it if she was in labor or extremely late in pregnancy, but she can’t be… or can she?
She only left active membership 4 issues ago, and we learned about her pregnancy 3 real-life months before that, but she will give birth 5 real-life months after this issue.
Still, I find it hard to believe that Susan would truly fall for all these people constantly telling her that everything is perfectly fine while keeping her away from the news or even looking out the window.
If you thought I was out of line for assuming Galactus must have telepathic powers this early on… Reed makes the same guess in order to call him, and he’s right!!!
In order to stop Galactus from destroying Earth, the Fantastic Four agree to give him back the Silver Surfer… whether he agrees or not.
Fantastic Four #76 (1968)
by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
So this turns into a full Microverse storyline.
While the Fantastic Three travel there to look for Silver Surfer, Susan is kept completely in the dark.
Notice that her doctor doesn’t mention any serious trouble with her pregnancy.
It’s a good thing that there were no troubling news in 1968.
Look I’m not arguing that Susan should join the mission, regardless of just how far along she is in her pregnancy, but give her SOME credit!
Also, not that it would make things easy or anything, but you’d think she and Reed discussed about the impact of their dangerous lifestyle on raising a child.
Galactus has had enough for his lunch. Unless the Fantastic Four deliver Silver Surfer by his deadline, he’s going to eat the Earth regardless of his oath.
That is the cutest device ever built to alert you the meal is ready.
The rest of the story is a fight between the Fantastic Four and Psycho-Man, who is trying to control Silver Surfer. But by the time he is defeated, the Surfer has changed his mind.
The Fantastic Three will stay behind, however, to continue dealing with Psycho-Man.
Reed, when you eventually tell Susan about this adventure, maybe skip the part about maximum penetration.
Fantastic Four #77 (1968)
by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
The finale of the storyline is still about Psycho-Man. Poor Galactus, only his second storyline and he can’t even get top billing.
Upon returning to the regular universe, Silver Surfer takes the time to talk to Susan.
Reed Richards has never vanished without a word!? Susan, I know it’s weird to ask considering your current condition, but… have you MET your husband!?
Susan is apparently so hysterical that Silver Surfer has to sedate her.
Galactus is so hungry that he will spare Earth only if Silver Surfer gives him a different planet within seconds.
Weird proportions on his body, but from a modern perspective that tracks: it will later be established that the longer Galactus goes between meals, the smaller his body shrinks.
Silver Surfer easily completes his mission, finding a dead planet that has JUST been hit by a meteor. This makes it capable of sustaining life (somehow) and therefore suitable to be eaten by Galactus.
How long Galactus can go between meals has never been consistent, but is Silver Surfer under the impression that he only needed ONE planet?
But at least this early, it was assumed that Galactus would go for a long time between eating planets: he returns Silver Surfer to Earth, since he may not return for “countless millenniums”.
We will meet Galactus a few more times in space, but he will eventually return to Earth (and to the Fantastic Four series) in April 1972.
And since this is an August 1968 story…
Millennia before Galactus returns: 0.00366
Historical significance: 0/10
Outside of confirming Galactus is a permanent part of the Marvel Universe and not a one-off, I can’t think of serious repercussions. It’s not even the first Microverse story.
Silver Age-ness: 4/10
The scenes with Susan really stick out.
Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
I skipped A LOT of the story, since it ultimately doesn’t involve Galactus… which is kind of a problem. Given his introduction in the original trilogy, it should be A BIG DEAL to see him back!
But while he’s a looming presence in the background, he barely interacts with the characters and the sheer terror he inspires in the FF doesn’t come off as warranted if you haven’t read the original trilogy. I think it ultimately ends up being a disservice to the character who feels less special, especially considering how desperate he is throughout the story… he was hungry in the first trilogy too, but he still felt above it all.
Don’t get me wrong, these are not bad stories by any stretch of the term! Kirby in particular is on fire, even if I can’t forgive giving Galactus humanoid eyes.
As a whole the story feels a bit meandering, and the Susan scenes haven’t aged all that well.
Showing her worried for her family and frustrated by her inability to help is one thing, but the lengths they go through to hide everything feels too much.
Times Galactus has threatened to eat the Earth: 2
Planets eaten by Galactus: 1
Planets Galactus failed to eat: 2