Talk:Galactus

The Role/Importance of Galactus

I've found a lot of good source material dealing with the importance of Galactus and the role of balance he plays in the Marvel Universe.

I'd like to know what everyone thinks of having a dedicated section detailing Galactus' part in the universal order. As the article stands now, there are various scattered, but repeated, references to his importance in several different sections.

I think the article could be improved by having an area that explains cleary what exactly makes Galactus a singular, unique entity in all of the Marvel Universe and exactly why he is of such great importance.

I would propose to include information such as:

-Information already present in the article, i.e. third-force in the universe, one of the 5 essential entities, the only power that keeps Abraxas in check, the cosmic tribunal in which Eternity appears.

I would also inlcude information detailing

-Living Tribunal explaining his three faces of representation, one of which is Galactus (Equity) -Statement by some abstract character (forget which one, will look up source material) speculatng that Galactus may be even more important than Eternity because he is the only being to have ties to the previous reality, the contemporary reality, and the next reality simultaneously, something which no other character shares.

-misc other items.

I feel the need for a dedicated section because Galactus has such a specific, defined, and important role which is not replicated anywhere in any character throughout all of Marvel's characters. This is in contrast to the abstracts (Death, Eternity, etc.), who by their mere existence fulfill their roles in the universal order. Mobb One 18:59, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

• I think the problem with trying to define his role is that it is so ambiguous. Byrne seemed to establish that Galactus' role was to weed the universe, to test planets, and made a vague connection between Galactus, Death, and Eternity by naming them each corners to a "great triangle which is the universe." Steve Englehart fleshed out the Galactus/Eternity/Death relationship by establishing Galactus as the "third force of the universe" and by revealing that he provides balance between them. The problem is that Englehart never portrayed Galactus as a universal tester/weeder, but strictly as a balancing force between Eternity and Death. He also established that Galactus' existence was necessary for universal survival. For all we know Galactus MAY fulfill his role just by existing like the full-abstracts. The whole Abraxas-thing throws even more onto Galactus' plate, an interesting development from Abraxas Saga is that keeping Abraxas improsined may be the reason Galactus suffers from his hunger. TheBalance 20:58, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Superman?

How can Superman be one of Galactus's heralds? Superman is a DC Comics hero, Galactus is from the Marvel Comics.

Hello is anyone still there?

Anon

It's from the Fantastic Four-Superman crossover. In it Galactus takes Superman as his Herald and grants him the Power Cosmic. The empowered Superman gains a glossy, metallic, golden skin (think The Runner) and refers to himself as "Kyrptonian". TheBalance 15:39, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Oh I see. I've never read that one. Thank you anyway.

Anon

Merge from Power Cosmic

• Support It's basically nothing more than a fork from the Powers and abilities section of this article, with a mention of the Heralds thrown in. Nothing that can't be covered here and in the Heralds articles (and should be). CovenantD 04:46, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
• Merge - if Galactus is the sole source of the Power Cosmic, it's better as part of this article. If that changes as a result of new plot elements from Annihilation (due to Tenebrous and Aegis...) we can always revisit this, but for now it's not justified. --Mrph 10:32, 4 March 2007 (UTC)
• Wait I agree with merging it, but would imagine it wait until Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #2 is released. We'll be able to gleam more information regarding Tenebrous and Aegis in this issue, and hopefully find more information on their background and whether they wield the Power Cosmic or not. If they do wield it, then I would vote for a separate article as that indicates Galactus is not the primary source, as we have all originally thought.Mobb One 19:38, 4 March 2007 (UTC)
• Support If the Power COsmic had more detail then i would say keep, but due to lack of info, merge.Phoenix741 14:35, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

The creation of the character of Galactus

I've seen comic character entries that wikipedia has deemed to be excellent (storm, batman, superman), and the one thing they all have in common is an extensive publication history that chronicles the actual creation of the character by the storytellers.

I've noticed that the Galactus entry sorely lacks this. One might lead to question why does the Galactus entry need such treatment, I'll respond by saying that out of all the characters created in comics, very few have been created under the supervision of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, both of whom we can safely call two of the "founding fathers" if you will, of the comic book as we know it today. Now of those few characters created by both, it is widely regarded that the storyline that ran from Fantastic Four #48-50 is perhaps the greatest collaboration between the two creators. Those who have the knowledge can immediately recognize that those issues introduced Galactus and the Silver Surfer into the comics world.

I've found many sources on the web, as well as a Jack Kirby interview, expounding a bit more on the actual character of Galactus, and exactly how revolutionary he was when he was introduced. The whole story of "The Coming of Galactus" and the two issues following have a strongly profound Face of God/Fallen Angel mythos attached to it, which, according to the interviews, had never, ever been done in comics previous to that point. I know there are potentially semi-controversial religious undertones in that, but the fact is primary sources/interviews elaborate on this idea, and confirm it as well.

The article as it stands now contains 1 phrase to capture this entire idea. I don't think that's sufficient. If we're going to look at the standards for a standout entry, as mentioned above for Storm, Batman, Superman, the Watchmen, Captain Marvel (DC), I feel the Galactus article must discuss in some respectable depth the ideas that Stan Lee, but primarily Jack Kirby, had in mind when creating Galactus. This material would elevate the article as it is now to one that is truly more encyclopedic and distinct from many of the more "fan-oriented" entries, as Asgardian likes to label them. Mobb One 05:03, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Agreed that a Publication section is sorely needed here. If you'd like to write up the background info (having already done the research) I'll help by pulling out the publication info from the fiction bio sections. CovenantD 00:22, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

A slight tidy-up (not a removal). Some of the introductory information shuffled down to where appropriate to conform with Wikipedia opening statements. Noticed that about three times the same thing was just being said in different ways so performed a slight graft so that it reads a tad better and each point naturally flows to the next. A slight cull on two images that have been placed next to better ones and look like clutter. Perhaps the Gah Lak Tus image could be popped in further down on the left if wanting another one? Much better than a staid shot of Galactus without his helmet. That said, this article has really come along. Nice to see a few other folk actually researching and writing as opposed to just editing. Great use of new images. Looking very sharp.

Asgardian 11:25, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

IQ and Powers

The article says that Galactus is the most intelligent and powerful being in the universe but aren't the five other members of his species as powerful and smart as he is? Furthermore it also says that Mr Fantastic is possibly the most brilliant mind on Earth but isn't Doctor Doom every bit as smart as him? Just something worth noting.

Anpn

Makasoff?

Galactus Makasoff first appeared in a classic Fantastic Four storyline in which...

Where is this coming from? Dlong 17:21, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Death in the Silver Surfer third volume

Galactus apparently dies in the 109th issue of the third volume of the Silver Surfer. He dies when containing the power of the ultimate nullifier which is triggered by his herald Morg when attempting to defeat Tyrant, his sentient creation. I'm sure he comes back alive later but this fact should be included in the history but I do not know where to include it. Zuracech lordum 21:43, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Galactus and his Relationship to the In-Betweener

I don't know if the omission was a deliberate action or if it was just due to the addendum being lost in multiple Page Edits (some sort of Edit War seems to be going on at the present time), but I earlier provided a direct Reference -namely, Silver Surfer Volume 3, Issue #10, -wherein it is revealed that the In-Betweener is the metaphysical counterpart to Galactus.

Unless you can find a reference directly contradicting my source that I cited, I kindly ask you to leave the addendum in.

I'm placing the In-Betweener/Galactus blurb (alonmg with its attendant reference) back into the Article.

Thanos777 02:59, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

There was some debate over this topic between Galactus and In-Betweener in SS#10. Nothing was ever established. IIRC, The In-Betweener claimed the reason he couldn't summon Galactus' polar opposite was because he was Galactus' opposite -- I believe Galactus disputed the In-Betweener's claim. TheBalance 14:58, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Reply: I believe that it is as you have said; and I'll now give thought to making my earlier, declarative Statement into a more speculative/'strongly implied' one.

And I mis-typed the proper reference (which I will go and correct now): it wasn't SS-V3-#10, it was SS-V3-#18.....Thanos777 21:32, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Knock it off

Knock the edit war off. Seriously. It's getting annoying. Dlong 04:29, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

I suggest you sit back, grab a beer and relax. Whenever Asgardian makes an appearance a revert war usually ensues. Asgardian can be also be found engaged in childish, prolonged revert wars on the Thanos and Celestial pages, among many, many others. I suggest you do a search on Asgardian. TheBalance 14:20, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

I suggest you try less assumption and more meaningful dialogue. The latter - and any real work on many of these articles - appear to be lacking.

Asgardian 08:19, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Let's be realistic, you are and have been involved in revert wars on numerous entries time and time again. Your stubborness, unwillingness to compromise and belief that the goal of an encylopedic entry is brevity leads to perpetual revert wars. All one has to do is look at your user talk page history - the constant here is you. TheBalance 14:22, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

If you wish to be realistic, I suggest you first look at your own behaviour. You and your offsider are very quick to accuse...but do little to discuss.

Asgardian 08:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Correction - I no longer bother compromising with or initiating talks with you. It's a well beaten path that leads nowhere. TheBalance 14:58, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Heaven knows I have had my differences with Asgardian, but his intro and general edits do seem to best follow the Comics Project editorial guidelines and exemplar.

As for the brevity issue: Generally speaking the fewer and more precise words needed to describe something, the better. Lots of phrases can be streamlined ("At a later point in time John Doe began to..." can be simply "Later, John Doe began to...") and the passive voice changed to active voice ("It was suggested by Joe Quesada that Galactus was..." is better as "Joe Quesada suggested Galactus was...").

I'm sure reasonable minds can come together. --Tenebrae 09:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

The main problem I have with Asgardian's edits, is that he removes too much, and makes the article just look incomplete. -- DCincarnate

We can come up with a middle ground. What I'd like to suggest is to first conform the article to the edit-guidelines/exemplar format. Maybe Asgardian could do that. Then you and TheBalance can each add a paragraph or a sentence to that, without changing the format. Then the three (or more?) of you can discuss the pros and cons of that paragraph or sentence and refine it. Then repeat as necessary.

It's a bit laborious, but once the article's in shape, then it'll always be in shape, and it'll just be a matter of maintenance. I'm not an admin, but in the interest of harmony, I'd be glad to help peer-mediate if you need me. What does everybody say? --Tenebrae 16:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you Tenebrae. Common sense has prevailed. I've been asking 2-3 parties for some time to study the changes (eg. correct Wikipedia introduction, present tense, no POV) before hitting revert. If they looked they would see 95% of the article is STILL THERE. It's very close to "A" standard, but still needs minor work. A little more discussion and consideration would be appreciated, especially for those us that actually spend hours researching and writing these things. It's not as easy as it looks!

Asgardian.

I see that the article has been locked due to constant revisions. Well in any case...we wouldn't be in this position to continually improve the article if asgardian had not had the original initiative to clean it up and reference it, so let's acknowledge that.

That being said, it's all fine having a format done and agreed to, but in terms of brevity and the like....yes it is much better to be more succinct with terminology, but at the same time we shouldn't sacrifice delivery and tone. In this regard a middle-ground must be met.

Now in terms of content. Above all the publication history needs to be expounded. In particular the issue I raised above (The creation of the character of Galactus) concerning the actual creation of the Galactus character by lee and kirby, which covenantD has also agreed is necessary. Now I've already done most of the research on that, and have a draft of a new introduction paragraph incorporating that material, but as it is I still want to work on it. However I have a titanic, once-in-a-year exam approaching the first week of june, and all my time outside of work is devoted to that. If someone would care to begin the publication history by dealing with, specifically, the "Galactus Trilogy," Kirby's inspirations/though processes, etc. that would really begin to separate this article from the rest of the comic book character entries. Mobb One 01:58, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Hear, hear. The "Publication history" section is wholly inadequate as it stands. Galactus has made several key appearances throughout the years not only in Fantastic Four but in Thor, The Silver Surfer, Iron Man, ROM Infinity Gauntlet and many more. A "road map" through these is needed. --Tenebrae 03:45, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Hooray...progress. I'm happy to expand on a PH as that is easily done. It just has to be objective with no POV and sourced which is what my revisions have tried to achieve. Having had another look at the two versions, I'm still a little miffed that a certain trio never took the time to study the changes, which only try to enforce some consistency throughout the article and stop that POV and image overkill which seems to creep in on cosmic characters that have a strong following.

Onward.

Asgardian 08:25, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

This is nice, hearing people come together. One quick suggestion: Probably it might be helpful to keep unmentioned those things that miff. No good comes of that in discussions like these; trust me. Unquestionably, though, as Asgardian says, POV has to be removed.

Mobb One, why not post your PH draft here, and let us fellow eds take a crack at polishing? -- Tenebrae 13:27, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Fairly Oddparents

In The Fairly Oddparents, I just wanted to add that Timmy's godparents appear as parodies of the Silver Surfer with skateboards instead of his surfboard. Should this be in the Silver Surfer article or can it be noted here?Hoopesk2 22:52, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Silver Surfer's. Still, I don't know if it's worth adding. --Soetermans 10:00, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

yes but also Timmy appear as Galactimus, a clear parody of galactus in the name,apparence and beavour(he proclam to eat the planet

Additions, Revisions, Edits, and Modifications

Alright guys, I encourage all the people who have contributed to this article lately (you know who you are) to get together here and start brainstorming about how to improve this article.

As per the discussion topic above, I'll post a preliminary draft of a new intro and publication history that details the actual circumstances and background concerning the creation of the character.

I've just read that Galactus may take the form of a storm cloud in the new FF movie. Many fans are extremely irate, some don't even know who Galactus is. From what i've seen, many people are turning to wikipedia for a complete learning of what and who Galactus really is. This motivates me to really see this article done well and I think we should use this opportunity to illustrate that wikipedia can be the one stop source of information.

I'll be posting my draft here soon.

Mobb One 17:32, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

I think it's important to mention the 'cosmic cloud' Galactus in the article. Perhaps when unlocked, it can be put in. 60.241.198.190 13:11, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

Here is a preliminary draft of the Galactus intro and opening paragraph of the publication history. I don't have the specific references with me on hand right now, but as you can see i've inserted them and will specify them sometime later this week.

-Introduction-

Galactus is a fictional character, a cosmic entity who appears in publications of Marvel Comics, occasionally appearing as an adversary of the Fantastic Four or Silver Surfer. Sometimes called the Devourer of Worlds or Ravager of Planets, Galactus is an enormously powerful being who must “feed” on the energy of planets to survive.

Galactus was created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, first appearing in in the landmark Fantastic Four #48. Kirby envisioned Galactus' character to be conceptually equivalent to God, making Galactus one of the first comic-book characters conceived in this mold. (citation, television interview with Jack Kirby)Depicted as a being existing since the beginning of the current Marvel-616 universe, Galactus has consumed countless planets, resulting in the elimination of entire extra-terrestrial civilizations. As one of the most powerful and terrifying characters ever created by the publisher, Galactus has become more developed in recent decades, coming to embody a force of cosmic nature whose existence is necessary for the continuation of the universe. Writers have explored topics involving morality, philosophy, and religion with stories concerning the necessity of Galactus in the universal order , coupled with the required destruction of entire inhabited worlds for his survival.

-Publication History-

"The Galactus Trilogy"

Writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby first introduced Galactus —as well as the Silver Surfer— in the landmark Fantastic Four #48, published in 1966. A classic story in which Galactus' then-herald, the Silver Surfer, located Earth for destruction, issue #48 was titled "The Coming of Galactus." It was the first of a three-part story, with "If this Be Doomsday!" and "The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer" being parts 2 and 3, featured in Fantastic Four #49 and #50, respectively. The "Galactus Trilogy," as the three issues have become collectively called, is considered by many to be the finest work of Kirby and Lee collaborating together, and has been called "one of the most historically significant moments in Marvel's Silver Age." (citation, The Jack Kirby Collector)

In a 1989 interview, Kirby explained that the inspiration for Galactus was drawn from the Bible. (citation).

I will add more later, as the rest of it is on another computer. --Mobb One 17:32, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

Hooray! We are underway. I'll have a good look later.

Asgardian 00:52, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

after my exam is over next week i'll get back to this. i'd like a real nice article before the ff movie comes out....and people start questioning who/what galactus is.

Mobb One 04:36, 28 May 2007 (UTC) 04:35, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Can - Monster Movie

Anybody wish to add the reference to Can's album Monster Movie which has a picture of Galacctus on the cover and is a very influential LP? 82.29.114.179 18:05, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I recently read the novelization of the film and Galactus appears as a kind of cosmic storm/vortex but he isn't shown in his humanoid form. He's also called the Gah Lak Tus, like the Ultimate Marvel version of Galactus. It should be noted under the other media secion. While it's not the film, it's based on the film's script.Odin's Beard 17:40, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Dial "M" for Monkey

{{Editprotected}}

Since I can't directly edit the page, I'll say it here... The enemy that Monkey fights in the episode of Dial "M" for Monkey is named "Barbequor". More information on the specific episode can be found here. ~ Joseph Collins (U)(T)(C) 02:15, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Protection has been reduced. Cheers. --MZMcBride 19:31, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Request to add citation

{{Editprotected}} I'd like to add this reference to the last quote (from Tim Story) in the Movies section. The code would be:

Story, Tim (2007-03-02). "Wow - the clock is ticking..." Retrieved 2007-05-21. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

Thanks. [edit: the URL is currently blacklisted, b/c of the root domain. So, for now, I've put {}'s around the "blog" portion of the URL until it is whitelisted (assuming my request for it to be whitelisted is approved).]

Earthsound 13:28, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Protection has been reduced. Cheers. --MZMcBride 19:31, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, MZMcBride. I will add the cite when the URL is whitelisted. Earthsound 17:45, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

I found a workaround to the blacklist, so I didn't have to wait for the whitelisting as I previously thought. Earthsound 18:02, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

Request to fix headings

I would like to request that the heading "Alternate realities" be changed to "Other versions" and the heading "Appearances in other media" be changed to "In other media" so that this is consistent with the template established in the Comics WikiProject. --Freak104 14:19, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Protection has been reduced. Cheers. --MZMcBride 19:31, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Edit war

I've rv to last Smackbot. If there's going to be an edit war between The Balance and Asgardian, why don't we just start before them and ask for an RfC. Thoughts from fellow editors?

One thought from me at top: "It is revealed that" is a passive-voice weasel phrase that should be avoid. Better to use active voice and to just say what was revealed. "In Fantastic Four #1000, Galactus learned he had indigestion all these years", or whatever. --Tenebrae 18:55, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Formal Request for Comment

Since User:Asgardian has chosen to revert and continue an edit war, I am calling for a Request for Comment from fellow editors. Given the sheer number of changes, I'd suggest we take it paragraph by paragraph.

The two versions are Asgardian's and User:TheBalance's:

• Last Asgardian version

• Last The Balance version

I'd like to get the ball rolling with graf 1:

Galactus is a fictional character, a cosmic entity, in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciler and co-plotter Jack Kirby — prompted by Lee's suggestion to Kirby to "have the Fantastic Four fight God"[citation needed] — he first appeared as an antagonist in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #48 (March 1966), the first of three consecutive issues comprising what fans and historians would later call "The Galactus Trilogy".

• First sentence I'd suggest slight expansion for WPC style, to say "fictional comic-book character in the Marvel Comics universe".

• I'd leave out the m-dash phrase in sentence 2, and place it in PH if we can source it.

• The rest of sentence two seems factual: Antagonist? Yes. FF48? Yes. Three consecutive issues? Yes. Called "Galactus Trilogy"? Yes, and given that it's a term used commonly and typically, I believe it belongs in the lead, but sourced. There are countless sources; offhand, I've pulled out: Thomas, Roy, Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Universe (Sterling Publishing, New York, 2006), "Moment 29: The Galactus Trilogy", pp. 112-115. ISBN-10 1-4027-4225-8; ISBN-13 978-1-4027-4225-5; Marvel Spotlight: Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer (2007; no month): "Jack Kirby's The Galactus Trilogy", by Erik Larsen, pp. 10-21 (unnumbered).

Thoughts? --Tenebrae 15:19, 11 June 2007 (UTC)