Utterly Impossible, Man!

Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite, and Impossible Man -- three outrageous characters who can do outrageous things and all to get a chortle or a guffaw from their targets. Part of a long tradition of tricksters, Impossible Man, from the planet Poppup first arrived on Earth in the eleventh issue of the venerable Fantastic Four comic circa 1963.

While he does rate the cover this was an oddball issue of the FF since it featured not the usual single book-length story but rather two smaller adventures. So in his debut poor Impossible Man doesn't even rate the full treatment given others like Miracle Man, Mole Man, and Kurgo Master of Planet X. Impossible Man is really the first interstellar threat the FF faced since sending the Skrulls to munch in the meadows in the second adventure.

The green man from space doesn't really linger and disappears from the pages of the FF and everywhere else until the advent of the Bronze Age and then, then he finds himself more comfortable in a comic landscape where self-aware irony was more wildly appreciated. Impossible Man was the Deadpool of our time, a character who clearly seemed to be aware of his narrative reality and who altered himself like a strange blend of Plastic Man and Snapper Carr, a mascot but one with skills.

(This issue NOT included in this collection.)

Below are the comics contained in this volume. A Spider-Woman story, a Surfer yarn, several dust ups in the X-Universe and the two totally delightful summer specials which really elevated the character in my mind.  Enjoy!

At the full price this collection isn't really worth its weight, but since I got it at a significant discount (roughly the price of two modern comics) it found its way into my mitts. If you can find it cheap, I recommend it.

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