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This is, to me, an interesting choice for a Marvel Masterworks. Warlock first appeared in Fantastic Four #66 as Him, and shortly afterwards, Roy Thomas used him in Marvel Premiere. The response was strong and so he got his own series, which only lasted for 8 issues. He made some appearances in Incredible Hulk before he really went away until Jim Shooter revived him in the 80’s. Anyway, Warlock could be considered a flash in the pan, but he was very different from any other Marvel character at the time, and his brief run in the spotlight is collected here.
Spoilers Ahead
-Marvel Premiere #1- This is the longest issue of the collection, clocking in at 27 pages. This really just sets everything up. High Evolutionary finds Warlock’s caccoon (still called him at the time) and the two chat through a monitor. HE tells Him about the new world he is going to create devoid of any hate and war on the opposite side of the sun so the real Earth can’t see it. This Counter-Earth will be perfect and he will be lord over it. So HE creates this world, fast-forwards through billions of years right up to the time man shows up. Now, (and wrap your minds around this one), HE gets hit with a wave of exhaustion and falls asleep, just in time for Man-Beast (a creaion of HE) to wreak havok on the world, causing war and death. HE awakens and fights back but he isn’t enough for Man-Beast and his hordes. Him awakens and defeats the evil ani-men. HE says he will be destroy the Earth now that it isn’t perfect anymore before Him chimes in and says he will fix it. So HE sends Him down to Earth to stop war and Man-Beast and his new name will be Warlock. You can basically throw a dart anywhere in this issue to find religious overtones, HE unleashing evil on the world, and sending his “son” to stop it. After reading this you knew you were in for something vastly different than any other Marvel book on the stands.
-Marvel Premiere #2- Warlock awakens on Earth with no memory of why he is there. He immediately attracts four followers (his disciples). The four followers are young kids turning against their powerful fathers, all in search of peace. Warlock and the four are talking to the parents when one of Man-Beasts minions (Rhodan) attacks. Warlock saves the men and his children, remembers his reason for being there, and Warlock (named Adam by the four followers) departs with his followers.
-Warlock #1- High Evolutionary has second thoughts about this planet and wants to destroy it. Warlock intervenes and says they had a deal that he would save it. HE agrees not to destroy it unless Warlock tells him to. Warlock goes off with his followers and meets a strange prophet. They are attacked by one of Man-Beast’s minions and so Warlock must dispatch of the crony. Warlock and the prophet go looking for Man-Beasts lair and they find it! Of course, Warlock finds out that the Man-Beast who was sitting on the throne was a fraud and that the Prophet was Man-Beast in disguise! He tells Warlock to join his cause or face certain death.
-Warlock #2- This issue deals with Man-Beast showing Warlock hypnotically what could happen if Warlock lost it and acted the way the humans did. This vision is spurred on by his followers betraying him. It is not a happy ending, as Warlock kills, and destroys. Warlock realizes he doesn’t want it to be this way, turns against Man-Beast, who must free his soul before dying and Warlock is free. Think of this as the Devil tempting Jesus in the New Testament.
-Warlock #3- Warlock is asea with his followers (walking on water) when he is attacked by Apollo, an underwater ruler who is later revealed after a fight that he is a New-Man named Triax. Triax takes two of Warlock’s followers and says Warlock must choose between his demise or the followers.
-Warlock #4- Warlock tries to battle Triax when Astrella (a mysterious follower of Warlock), claims that politician Rex Carpenter (carpenter, like Jesus was) can help. Rex talks to Triax and actually calms him a bit, but the foolhardiness of men interrupt when the general, trying to save his two kids, orders an attack on the beast. Unfortunately, this attack occurs while Warlock is attacked by Triax’s ship, and Warlock is not in time to save Eddie from being thrown off the tower where Triax had jumped to. One of Warlock’s followers is dead, and both he and the general mourn for the lost. We end with Victor Von Doom warning us of some dire impending danger.
-Warlock #5- Warlock, distraught with grief, awakens from his cacoon where he sealed himself in time to learn of a new danger. It seems military testing may cause the San Andreas faults to shift which could cause cataclysmic results. President Carpenter is informed this but he is rather uncaring and Doom is shocked at his indifference. So the testing occurs, secret US android bugs are accidentally released, and Doom and Warlock team up to stop them. Hot on the heels of this save is the president saying that Warlock is now a criminal and must be captured. Just like the Romans turning on Jesus.
-Warlock #6- So Warlock is wanted, he is attacked by the government but he escapes without causing them harm. We meet this version of Reed Richards who becomes a monster called The Brute and sent out by a shadowed man to fight Warlock. They battle and Warlock saves a bridge, causing the president to reluctantly recant his statements about Warlock to save face. Warlock goes to a save haven where Jason tells him his other disciples have been captured!
-Warlock #7- The mysterious man transforms Reed back into the Brute and the Brute heads out to Doom’s lair in search of power. He steals a device to send him to the center of the Earth to consume energy. Doom knows this will destroy the planet so he enlists Warlock’s help and they head to the core. They find Brute and Warlock tries to stop him, but Brute is just too powerful. So Doom makes the ultimate sacrifice, using his invention to drain Brute of his energy, but getting caught in the explosion and paying the ultimate sacrifice.
-Warlock #8- Astrella reveals she is really Rex’ sister and notes he has been acting odd lately. Warlock heads to Washington DC where pandemonium is breaking out. He fends off two demons who are causing the riots and finally comes face to face with Rex. Rex, to our surprise, is really Man-Beast. Man-Beast had been using the body of Rex and now we are in store for the final battle. Of course, this would also be the last issue of Warlock so readers then had no idea when this final battle would take place. Luckily, we don’t have to wait, its right after this in the trade.
-Incredible Hulk #176- The last issue of Warlock was dated October 1973 and this issue of Hulk was released in June 1974, so we didn’t have to wait long for the conclusion. That’s actually less time than we have to wait for Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine! Hulk is sent away on a rocket ship to another destination when something goes wrong and he crashes on a different planet. Wait, didn’t I read this in World War Hulk? So Hulk is on a strange planet (which we know is Counter-Earth) and is captured by Man-Beast after a fight. Man-Beast is confident he will take over the world since Warlock is captured and Hulk is now his. Of course, Warlock escapes at the end of this issue.
-Incredible Hulk #177- Man-Beast uses Hulk to find Warlock and then crashes the party. There is an intense battle and Warlock is captured. He is then publicly executed (on what looks like a cross) in front of America, with Warlock asking why HE has forsaken him.
-Incredible Hulk #178- Hulk is free of Man-Beast’s control and fights back, with everything coming to a head in this issue. Of course, Warlock is resurrected and is more powerful than before. He stops Man-Beast, frees everyone from his control, and the world is safe again. His followers love that he is back but Warlock says he must go, and free other worlds of the Man-Beast not yet found. Thus ends Warlock for a spell, until Starlin picked up the reigns in February 1975
-The Bottom Line- Roy Thomas writes the intro for us, and I think he writes the best introductions in these Masterworks collections. He talks about Warlock being a Christ like character, coming into a world wrought with evil and having his own followers. Thomas admits that he was influenced by Jesus Christ Superstar, the popular musical at the time, and so that is where the Messiah angle came in from. He wanted to give Warlock his own planet to play around on and that is why the High Evolutionary (H.E.) gave a world to Warlock (Him). It was a really interesting read. The collection also includes two pages of Gil Kane layouts from Marvel Premiere #2, which is cool to look at how he sketched it and how the final version looked. The story was hit and miss on a few levels. I think it was way too complex for its time, and the overt theme of Jesus and his story somewhat hurt the story. It didn’t feel like an original story, it was a rehash of the Gospel, and for me, it was too obvious. Sure, every book or movie has its “Jesus Character,” but this was almost exactly what happened with Jesus. I know Roy was influenced by Jesus Christ Superstar and seeing how someone like that would react in the current world, but I didn’t feel it added anything new to the table. The stories were interesting to see how different characters were in different worlds, something that was done very well in stories like Powerless and Bullet Points. The whole Counter-Earth aspect was interesting. High Evolutionary, the creator of the world, was noticeably absent after the second or third issue of Warlock. It’s just, for me, this isn’t essential Marvel storytelling. That being said, I hope it did well enough to collect the Starlin take on Warlock, from the Strange Tales story to the continuation of the Warlock series. I would say take a pass on this one.
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