I agree. I thought Alred work with the Surfer was fun, but lacked gravitas. Your observations there are sure. When we think cosmic we think, not just space-cosmic, but God-cosmic. The cosmic characters are metaphysical, mythical. This is lost in the Alred treatment. Sort of.
Alred's voice is casual and humorous. Early on we see Dawn scrying in the Surfer's board. In it she sees the board itself and befriends it just as a Medeival magician might befriend a spirit in the reflection of an obsidian mirror, or crystal ball. She names the board Toomie, as in "To me, my board!" A famous Surfer line originating in his original series.
This title is absolutely a blast.

I disagree with you about tying it into the films. Other popular characters always cross into less popular books. Guardians is a popular title. It's a cash in on the popularity of other titles, not the films. This is aquibble, but I think, necessary distinction. The comics sourced the films.
Thanks for posting.
Also, did you catch all the 70's/80's advertisement homages?