First, I was told to go back to the formula which hadn't worked: one issue stories, with a moral, while he pined for his lost girlfriend (who hadn't been his girlfriend since issue 2 of this run).

Second, I wrote an issue (what would have been #23) with Thanos and Mantis, and was told Thanos was not allowed in SILVER SURFER. [This would have come as news to Jim Starlin, who had created Thanos, eventually followed me on SURFER, and wrote some serious epics with the two then.] That script, which would have teamed the God of Death and the Goddess of Life long before AVENGERS CELESTIAL QUEST, was simply shelved.

What can I tell you? Things were bad, and looked like they'd only get worse. But then... [To Be Continued on the following page]