Coming out of West Coast Avengers Annual #2 and Avengers Annual #16, the Silver Surfer confronts the Collector about recent machinations of the elders. He is temporarily appeased, and continues on a hunt for answers, only to be effectively assaulted by the Runner, another Elder. The Surfer crashes on a nearby planet, where he is found by Mantis. Meanwhile, a Kree vessel defeats a Skrull vessel as part of the mounting hostilities between the races, only to have the defeated Skrulls commit suicide before their capture. This leads the Kree on an investigation which may eventually reveal that the Skrulls no longer can shapeshift.