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Nim and Rod are a pair of imbecilic aliens from the planet Mirage who have a major role in the Mirage Guest Era story arc, Spaced Out!
History[]
Nim and Rod visit the Earth and buzz past the "O'Niel Farm". They witness Raphael milking Bessy, and confusing them for two humans attempting to copulate, abduct them into their flying saucer.
The two aliens strap down the turtle and cow, intending to perform an experimentation on them that will reduce them to brain-dead husks. One of them accidentally presses the wrong button, which frees Raph instead of starting the machine. He attempts to clobber them, but they move out of the way and reach for a pair of ray guns. Raph jumps at the last moment and the aliens zap each other. Now at Raph's mercy, they cry and beg for forgiveness, saying they only wanted to conquer the planet, not hurt anybody.
Later, they treat Raph to a hot tub and Bessy to a tanning booth, explaining that they have to conquer Earth to get into their fraternity. The saucer is suddenly attacked by the military, and the two aliens freak out again and start apologizing to each other about a number of things before coming to blows. Raph gets angry and forces them to pilot the saucer, or they're all doomed. They then run out of fuel, and begin fighting again, blaming each other for not filling up the reserve tank. Spaced Out!, part 1
The saucer crash-lands on McDonald's farm in Simpletown, U.S.A. While Nim and Rod run out excitedly and Bessy is romanced by a nearby bull, Raph is left disoriented. As the aliens hold up and zap a scarecrow, Raph comes to and devises a plan to get some fuel. He steals one of Mrs. McDonald's dresses and attempts to lure a vehicle so he can hitch-hike. Jethro Hogbreath pulls up in his pickup truck and lets Raph in, with Nim and Rod riding on the back. Jethro attempts to put the moves on Raph, and Nim and Rod move up to the front of the truck to "drive" it, which manages to send them careening towards the townsfolk. Spaced Out!, part 2
Nim or Rod fires a ray gun out the window, causing the people to scatter and letting them have a path through town. The Sheriff of Simpletown orders them to stop, but when they do, Raph and Jethro are flung out of the windshield and into a comic book store. Nim or Rod attempts to zap the Sheriff, but the ray ricochets off of his badge and destroys the gun. After reading comics for a while, Raph realizes that even though Nim and Rod have been nothing but trouble for him, he needs to go rescue them. He gives an impassioned speech, which puts the townsfolk to sleep, allowing them safe retreat, but then they notice their saucer being hauled away by a helicopter.
Raph takes Jethro's pickup and tracks the saucer to a nearby military base. He warns Nim and Rod that they need to approach by stealth, just to see the two of them careening down the hill. They manage to sneak into the base, and land in front of President Bush, the Secret Service, Colonel Bullmoose, and Professor Eggbert. Bullmoose cowardly offers the President up to the "killer alligator" (Raph) to eat, while Nim and Rod bounce all over Eggbert's machines and press random buttons. Their efforts electrocute the professor, reverting him to a infantile mental state.
Bullmoose and Bush beg for them to not eat them, but Raph just yells that they want fuel for the ship. Nim and Rod add that they want total global domination as well. Bush accepts the terms of the fuel, but will not give them the world. Nim and Rod cry, causing Bush to ask if they would settle for Idaho, which they happily accept. With the deed to the state in hand and fuel in their ship, Nim, Rod, and Raph take off back for Northampton. As they prepare to return Raph to the farm, he asks them their names, which he says he "should have figured" when he learns them. He tells them to say hi to the rest of their fraternity, to which Nim and Rod tell him they're the only two members. Raph angrily goes to attack the pair due to them essentially dragging him through this ordeal for no reason, but they plop him back down into the farmhouse before he can reach them. Spaced Out!, part 3
Notes and trivia[]
- Nimrod was the name of a Biblical king and mighty hunter, as well as the commissioner of the Tower of Babel in some extra-biblical sources. The sarcastic use of the name "Nimrod" to refer to an inept hunter can be traced back to at least 1932, although Daffy Duck's usage toward Elmer Fudd in 1948's What Makes Daffy Duck is said to have popularized it. From there, it became a common insult for inept people or characters altogether.
- Nim and Rod appear on a poster titled "Nimrods" in the comic Gen 13: A Christmas Caper, which was written and drawn by Tom McWeeney, the co-writer and co-artist of Spaced Out.
See also[]
- Character gallery: Nim and Rod
- Appearances of Nim and Rod