Random Happenstance

I absolutely love the current, Dan Slott/Mike Allred run on Silver Surfer. It swipes liberally from Dr. Who, and I mean that in the best possible way: the addition of a "companion," breaks the Surfer out of his somewhat stodgy shell. And the title is often funny, something the Surfer's comics usually aren't. Excepting today's issue, of course: from 1990, Silver Surfer #33, "Nothing is Impossible, Man!" Written by Jim Valentino, pencils by Ron Lim, inks by Tom Christopher.

This issue, the Silver Surfer runs into the Impossible Man. Pretty much literally.

Huh, it occurs to me that Impy predates the Surfer by several years: Impy first appeared in Fantastic Four #11, while the Surfer wouldn't show until #48. But it's not surprising they hadn't met until now, since Impy is fun personified, or at least trying too hard; while the Surfer hadn't shown even the hint of a sense of humor, ever.

We're just taking a moment to point out this miscarriage of justice, that the Impossible Man has an action figure, while Spider-Ham doesn't!

Impy's on the run from the Ergonian space fleet, over a "minor misunderstanding involving their queen," and the Surfer is forced to disable their ships to keep them from killing Impy. Still, the Surfer makes him apologize and promise to never return to their world, with a scathing lecture. The Surfer, figuring Impy is at the same level as a child, decides to stop wasting his time yelling at him, and takes the Ergonians home. Impy, having learned nothing, mulls over where to cause havoc next, when the Ergonian captain gets the drop on him! No, that was the Surfer, showing Impy how it feels to be on the other end of a practical joke. The Surfer then leaves, feeling the Impossible Man will have learned his lesson and may even need a new name...yeah, not so much.

As Marvel sometimes did, this was a lighthearted little issue, before events turned serious again: the next issue featured Jim Starlin and Thanos!