Issue(s): Silver Surfer #28
Cover Date: Oct 89
Title: "Neanderthals!"
Credits:
Steve Englehart - Writer
Ron Lim - Penciler
Tom Christopher - Inker
Renee Witterstaetter - Assistant Editor
Carl Potts - Editor

Review/plot:
Steve Englehart takes the reptile concept he's been pushing to extreme limits in this issue. It begins with the Silver Surfer walking in on Empress S'Byll and the Super-Skrull making out. And when he's like, "Oh, sorry!", they respond with "What's the problem? We're reptiles. We don't mind people watching us make out!".

Then, later, when Repytl starts doing a little trash talking, Super-Skrull moves to shut him up, but S'Byll shuts him down and sends him away.

And it's at that point that the Silver Surfer goes off on a weird rant about Neanderthals.

No. Just... no.

Then Super-Skrull finds Reptyl and S'Byll embracing and starts a fight.

Super-Skrull may have had worse showings, but never against such a lame foe.

Kl'rt gets his throat ripped out.

He's presumed dead. S'Byll is seemingly unmoved by the death, let alone the loss of a very powerful ally.

The Surfer flies off to give the Super-Skrull a funeral in space, because that's what Neanderthals do.

Also in this issue, Clumsy Foulup gets into position to betray Reptyl to the Kree. And Shalla Bal is kidnapped by a Kree Sentry while walking through the wasteland parts of Zenn-La to restore life to it.

And the ghost of the Contemplator discovers where the Supreme Intelligence is being kept on the Kree homeworld.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Silver Surfer annual #2 (which is the first part of Atlantis Attacks) takes place during this issue, and the MCP place Silver Surfer: Judgement Day and a Marvel Comics Presents appearance during the gap as well.

References:

• Shalla Bal gained the ability to create vegetation wherever she walked in 1982's Silver Surfer #1.
  
• Nenora demonstrated un-Kreelike behavior in Silver Surfer #20, when she issued an apology to the Surfer for mistakenly having him attacked, and in Silver Surfer #26 when she allowed the Surfer to negotiate a cessation of hostilities against Zenn-La.
  
• The Contemplator knows his way around the Kree palace from when he spent time with the Supreme Intelligence circa Silver Surfer #8.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

You're not the only person who didn't like the Super-Skrull's defeat- in Fantastic Four Annual 24, it's revealed that the Super-Skrull faked his defeat at S'Byll's orders. He complains about having to feign defeat at the hands of a loser like Reptyl and easily defeats Reptyl in their next encounter.

This is Englehart trying to write a serious long-form comic book. Other than Reptyl and Clumsy who first appeared in this series, I don't have enough knowledge of the characters to say how well they're being treated, but it is a consistent development from issue to issue, with Englehart making whatever points he thinks he's making about evolution, from reptiles to Neanderthals. He's coming up with what he wants to say/do first, and then fitting the characters in as best he can.

Notice that the Surfer has become just one character among many. The obvious protagonist sure, but he's not effecting many events, just observing and commenting.

There are many problems with this arc, but it is still the same story Englehart set out to tell from #1. I understand if people disagree, but I remain impressed.

How is it that the Supreme Intelligence became even uglier in that last panel?