It's tough to have your comic tie into something like "Secret Wars," where the Marvel Universe has literally been destroyed and replaced by a handful of special miniseries. On the one hand, I do feel like Dan Slott, Michael Allred and Laura Allred deserve some kudos for making the most of it. At the same time, though, this second chapter in "Last Days of Silver Surfer" feels a little too one-note in its message.

It's fun to try and see some sort of meta-message attached to "Silver Surfer" #14 as Silver Surfer and Dawn are given the chance to recreate the entire universe from scratch. Both of them almost instantly discover both the pluses and minuses of such a power, and the potential traps that one can fall into. Dawn, in particular, quickly realizes that she's bitten off far more than she can chew, a little nod perhaps to the fact that rebooting an entire company's line is far more difficult than it would seem to the casual observer.

Unfortunately, once you get past that, there's little else going on in "Silver Surfer" #14. This feels like half an issue's worth of plot stretched out over the course of 20 pages, and I suspect I'm not the only reader who started thinking, "I get the point, let's move on." Operating in a blank void is clearly not only a struggle for Surfer and Dawn, but for Slott and Allred too; there's only so much one can do devoid of anything to interact with, after all.

The Allreds still make "Silver Surfer" look great, if nothing else. Laura Allred makes sure that the worlds bursting into existence have bright, vibrant colors that pop off of the page without needing to rely on any sort of special filter or effect overlay, just solid, perfectly-chosen colors. Michael Allred's art is suitably dramatic at just the right moments too. The destruction of Galactus in this new reality is wonderfully dramatic, with the crumbling of his body like a huge rock formatted in a neat visual take on the idea.

"Silver Surfer" #14 ultimately feels like it was compiled by creators who are stalling for time. With the series almost at an end, I can understand wanting to extend for just a little longer. While a strong conclusion may very well be around the corner, this chapter feels like it's dragging its feet when it's time to get sent to bed. It's not bad, but its welcome is overstayed at this moment.