"... I Welcome Its End."

The Cosmic Tragedy of Jim Starlin's WARLOCK
(PART ONE)
By J. Kevin Carrier

Superheroes, ultimately, are about wish fulfillment.

In a complex and often-overwhelming world, the idea of an individual having the power to cut through the B.S. and make some kind of difference is an appealing one. Even as superheroes got more "realistic" with the advent of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, et. al., the basic idea remained: Spidey might run into any number of personal setbacks along the way, but he still would ultimately triumph over the bad guy.

What do we say, then, about a superhero who didn't emerge triumphant? A man of enormous power (and the best of intentions) who nonetheless fell short of all his lofty goals and ideals? A man who was -- figuratively and literally -- his own worst enemy, and (finally) his own assassin?

Ladies and Gentlemen: Adam Warlock.

Warlock started out as one of Stan Lee's and Jack Kirby's lesser creations. Originally called simply "Him", he was an artificial life form; created in a laboratory, and blessed with incredible powers, but naïve to the ways of the world. (A pretty typical Lee/Kirby riff.)

Him turned up in a couple of Fantastic Four and Thor stories (why does that sentence sound like Bizarro wrote it?), then was left to languish in comic-book limbo for a while.

But every Kirby character comes back sooner or later (I'm sure we're all eagerly awaiting John Byrne's "definitive" take on Paranax, the Fighting Fetus), and "Him" was no exception.

Writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane dusted the character off; gave him a spiffy new costume; a slightly better name -- "Adam Warlock" -- and launched him into his own series. This incarnation of Warlock only lasted 8 issues, but it was a very unusual (and occasionally controversial) run. It probably merits an essay all its own, somewhere down the line...

...but: we've got other fish to fry.

Namely: a fellow by the name of Jim Starlin.

Starlin first made his mark on another of Marvel's lesser lights: the mostly forgettable Captain Marvel. The character had never really caught on, and had slipped in and out of cancellation several times over the years. Stan Lee and Co. must have figured they had nothing to lose by letting the new kid take a crack at it; as both writer and penciller.

Starlin showed some rough edges at first, but matured quickly; launching a cosmic epic that turned Captain Marvel from a marginal title to the cutting-edge of the 70's superhero avant-garde.

Most notable among Starlin's accomplishments on the book was the creation of Thanos: the mad demigod who worshipped the concept of death, and sought to conquer the entire universe in "her" name. Oozing with menace and charisma, the stony-faced Thanos is easily the most memorable villain to come out of Marvel in the post-Kirby period; more on him later on.

So: we had Jim Starlin, with his taste for the cosmic and surreal, and a view of the world that was decidedly cynical (if not downright morbid); and Adam Warlock, the naïve space-wanderer with a tendency towards introspection, mordant self-doubt, and a raging messiah complex.

The two came together explosively in the pages of STRANGE TALES #178. After a lengthy recap of Warlock's past (narrated by a sarcastic alien named Sphinxor; did I mention Starlin's talent for the absurd?), we (finally) get to the main event.

A young woman travels to a distant planetoid, seeking the help of the legendary Adam Warlock. She finds him, but a trio of alien assassins is close on her heels.

Warlock promises to protect the girl, and -- with his superhuman strength and reflexes -- easily mops the floor with her assailants. But Warlock's overconfidence (ultimately) proves to be his undoing; while he is distracted, one of the aliens shoots the girl dead. The three then teleport away; their mission accomplished. Warlock is wracked with guilt over his failure, and vows to track down those responsible for the killing.

What follows is an extremely creepy and disturbing sequence... and a hint of darker things to come. Warlock draws upon the power of the Soul Gem -- the mysterious oval jewel he wears on his forehead -- and reanimates the girl's corpse, so that she can tell him why she was being hunted in the first place.

The assassins, she reveals, were agents of The Universal Church of Truth: an interplanetary religion that spreads its faith by force of arms. Unbelievers (such as the girl) are targeted for execution. (Starlin doesn't even try for subtlety, here; the parallels between the Universal Church and Earthly religions are painstakingly evident).

Before he can learn more, however: Warlock is confronted by the image of The Magus, the self-appointed god of the Universal Church. The looming, leering face transports Warlock to a hallucinogenic realm, where he is attacked by demons while the Magus taunts him with hints about his true nature.

Finally he reveals what Warlock has already begun to suspect:

"You cannot fight me!" the Magus sneeringly intones. "I am everything you are, plus all the things you hate! I am only doing what you fear to do! For the choosing to do it gives me the power to do it! Fight me, and you battle your very soul, for I am The Magus!"

"Of course," Warlock snarls, by way of response. "I should have realized... those creatures were my own inner demons... and The Magus... magus is Latin for wise man... magician... WARLOCK!!"

"That's right, Adam," the Magus cackles, daemonically. "You and I are... one and the SAME BEING!"

The Magus then disappears; leaving a confused Warlock to chew on that little karmic tidbit. But our gold-skinned warrior is still resolute: "The Magus must be stopped, and only I can do so... no matter what the cost!"

If he'd had any inkling of what was yet to come: Adam might well have thought twice about issuing that particular ultimatum...

The second installment of the series ("Death Ship!"; STRANGE TALES #179) finds Adam confronting one of the Universal Church's gigantic warships... and getting clobbered, in short order, by its vastly superior weaponry.

When he wakes up, he's sharing a cell with a motley collection of aliens; prisoners whose only "crime" is being non-humanoid, and (thus) demons in the eyes of the Church.

Also being held captive is Pip: the sarcastic, cigar-smoking troll. Pip is Adam's exact opposite in many ways: earthy, hedonistic, and always ready with a quick quip in even the grimmest of situations.

The two compliment each other well, and Pip becomes Warlock's sidekick/foil for the rest of the storyline.

Meanwhile, we're introduced to some of the movers and shakers within the Church's holy hierarchy. Warlock's captor, Captain Autolycus, is not purely villainous; he's shown to be a brave and capable warrior, with a certain amount of honor. Unfortunately, that honor takes a back seat to his unswerving loyalty to his Church superiors; namely...

... The Matriarch: a sultry and scheming wench who is The Magus' second-in-command. Unlike Autolycus, she has no loyalty whatsoever; she is aware of the connection between Warlock and The Magus, and hopes to exploit it to her benefit. She orders Autolycus to kill Warlock, thinking that this will kill The Magus as well; leaving her as the sole leader of the Church.

Adam's fellow prisoners are aware of his reputation as a mighty warrior, and nominate him to lead their revolt/escape attempt. To their surprise, Warlock turns them down cold. He explains his reasoning via a parable, a cautionary tale about a group of cavemen in prehistoric times: The cavemen's leader, Grak, was a tyrannical brute who exploited his people shamelessly. Finally, another caveman, Bak, got fed up and leads "Earth's first revolution". Grak was killed, and Bak became the new leader... and soon was just as corrupt and tyrannical as his predecessor. Warlock sums up: "I rule no one, so no one rules me! That is my path! I cannot change! I cannot lead you!"

This bit of philosophy, sadly, goes right over the other prisoners' heads. They conclude that Adam is just plain chicken, and they'll have their revolution with or without him, thankyouverymuch.

They then charge off to battle, where they would surely be slaughtered by the guards' superior numbers and weapons, outright...

... if not for Warlock.