Issue(s): Silver Surfer #33
Cover Date: Jan 90
Title: "Nothing is impossible, man!"
Credits:
Jim Valentino - Writer
Ron Lim - Penciler
Tom Christopher - Inker
Renee Witterstaetter - Assistant Editor
Craig Anderson - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue, which was published when most books were participating in the Acts of Vengeance crossover, is identified on the cover as being parts of Acts of Idiocy. It's the only such entry in that crossover (at least officially; i'm sure we could all nominate a few more), and this is really the second of two fill-ins by Jim Valentino in between the Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin runs on Silver Surfer. Valentino will soon be launching a Guardians of the Galaxy series that for the most part i won't be covering (since it takes place in the future).

This story guest stars the Impossible Man, who has the same effect on me as migraine headaches, so let me just briefly sum it up and then add some screenshots. The Impossible Man is being chased by an alien race called the Ergonar because he insulted their queen in some way. The Silver Surfer defends the Impossible Man from the Ergonar, and then goes home with the Ergonar to apologize to the queen. But before leaving he plays a practical joke on the Impossible Man, pretending to be an Ergonar that is going to kill him, supposedly giving the Impossible Man a taste of his own medicine.

Ok? Now the screenshots.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• The Impossible Man mentions that Galactus ate his home planet, which gave him indigestion. That was in Fantastic Four #175.
  
• No footnote for that, but a footnote does clarify that that was a separate incident from the indigestion Galactus got from eating the Elders of the Universe, as shown in Silver Surfer #15.
  
• The Impossible Man says he hasn't had so much fun since the scavenger hunt from Uncanny X-Men annual #7.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Just killing space til Starlin comes aboard for his classic run next issue.

Oh, I can't WAIT till you get to the IMPOSSIBLE MAN SUMMER VACATION SPECTACULARs.

Credit where it's due: One panel looks like a nod to the Golden Age Red Tornado, another to the Yellow Kid, the 1890's satirical character who had the distinction of appearing in both the rival New York newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, and was the inspiration for the term "yellow journalism", sensationalism that each publisher had been accused of.

Totally agree, if there's any value to the Impossible Man's recent appearances, it's that he referred to the history of comics. It was horrible and quickly forgotten - I don't even remember Ma Hunkel appearing in the story - but Dark Phoenix, Spider-Ham, Rocket Raccoon and the Yellow Kid, this story was clearly trying to refer to comics history.

That's not Red Tornado, that's Forbush Man: http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Irving_Forbush_(Earth-665)

@cullen I stand corrected. Should have known they wouldn't get away with using Ma Hunkle. I do recall the name Irving Forbush used in the comics, but I'd never seen his "alter ego".

Well it should be Ma Hunkle, whom Irving Forbush was obviously modeled after. Someone should be doing something with her anyway.

I know it wouldn't exactly be a box office smash, but I can't imagine why DC doesn't reprint Sheldon Mayer's work. "Scribbly" is one of the great early comics, and "Sugar and Spike" should be in cheap collections and shoved into the faces of every 3-8 year old on Earth.

Sorry, off-topic.

Big, wide gaping mouths are Ron Lim's equivalent of Gil Kane's nostrils.