|
|
Post by codystarbuck on May 29, 2018 15:46:36 GMT -5
Warlock #10 Creative Team: A WolfmanStarlinLeialohaOrzecowski Production. Notice who gets top billing; I see that egos are in full vigor. Synopsis: The Magus has sent 25, 000 Black Knights to kill those in the room where we last saw Warlock, Gamora, Pip and Thanos...  Thanos starts blasting them and entices the unstable Warlock into helping. Sheer numbers eventually threaten them, though, and Warlock and the others beat a hasty retreat, via underground catacombs, while Thanos is left to hold back the tide. We get yet another recap of things, thoug Starlin goes into illuminated manuscript mode, for part of it...  Down below, the encounter the dying Matriarch, whose soul is taken by Warlock's Soul Gem. They meet up again with Thanos. Captain Marvel makes a cameo to remind us who Thanos is...  ...as Starlin recaps the Captain Marvel storyline that introduced Thanos. Then, back to the present...  Thanos has taken them to his ship, Sanctuary (which looks like the Robinson ship, from Gold Key's Space Family Robinson...)   Thanos whines about losing control of Titan and how he was going to take it back; but, needed the Soul Gem. he also needs to get rid of the Magus. He then details Gamora's origin...  Gamora was saved by Thanos to become his weapon against the Magus, until Warlock became a fly in the ointment. Meanwhile, the Magus learns of Thanos' involvement and loses his defecation, calling his assassins to attack Thanos' ship, before his time probe can undo things. He also looks at bringing the In-Betweener into play to turn Warlock. It all goes to show just how evil a male perm can be...  Thoughts: So, Thanos survived, discovered the threat of the Magus, saved Gamora, turned her into his assassin, then got thrown off track by Warlock. Now, they must work together to stop Warlock from becoming the Magus, so Thanos can take the Soul Gem to realize his dreams of conquest. Talk about a complicated "Enemy of my enemy..." scenario! Those rarely work out well (as the Soviets and the Mujahadeen). Tons of exposition here, which is probably part of why Starlin's storyline never quite brought mainstream success. There are great concepts at play; but, it gets so complicated that he spends pages catching people up on the story. This really would have played better as a graphic novel or mini-series, as we would see in later years. The standard publishing method meant far too much time was spent on recapping things. Starlin at least tries to be creative, as Warlock's past looks almost like a stained-glass window history, while having Captain Marvel break the 4th wall to detail that story presages Todd McFarlane's use of a similar technique to frame panels in Infinity Inc (where it was merely decorative, rather than a storytelling technique.) For those who only know of Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War, we see how the basic framework is there, but altered for film. In Starlin's world, it is the Universal Church that destroyed Gamora's people, rather than Thanos and Thanos is her savior, though for his own purposes. Hollywood tries to make her more sympathetic by making her more of a puppet of Thanos, a product of abuse. Just as Thanos no longer is trying to destroy the Earth as a gift to Death, Gamora is no longer a weapon to use against the Magus. In the films, Thanos seeks to cull the heards to free up resources, much as humans do to deal with overpopulation in hunting grounds. Gamora belonged to a people visited by him and is adopted to become his weapon, because he felt affection for her and her spirit. Starlin's Thanos is a schemer and has layers in his plans; the MCU Thanos has plans to save the universe from itself and bring order and has layers to his motivations. In this case, I would almost say the MCU improved upon Starlin's work, though much of their inspiration came from Starlin's return to Thanos, later. So, the MCU is improving by taking direction from Starlin's own improvements. Pip is pretty much just comic relief and we see that he annoys everyone, from Warlock to the Magus to Thanos. That's a sure sign he will do something important. Meanwhile, you'd have to be insane to want to have the Magus' afro. This is not a look to inspire fear...  David Jolliffe, who played Bernie, on Room 222
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on May 29, 2018 15:54:18 GMT -5
Just imagine if Starlin had created the Magus later: a punk mohawk or, shudder, a jheri curl...................
|
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on May 29, 2018 16:01:43 GMT -5
What you mean an Afro doesn't inspire fear?
Fear the AFRO THAT WALKS LIKE A MAN!
Whatever knows FEAR burns at the AFRO-THINGS touch!
Gaze into the eyes of Afro Rider's Penance Stare and be condemned!
When the moon is full at night beware the Werewolf by AFRO!
Afrozilla!
Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form into.......AFRO-RA the ever living evil!
Skeletor would so Rock the evil Afro!
Afro-Samurai!
Afro, Afro Man, I want to be an Afro Man! Run as fast as you can from the YMCAfro of the People of the Village!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Rob Allen on May 31, 2018 15:56:34 GMT -5
I've been away from the internet, so this comment comes two weeks after the original post... The being who would become Adam Warlock first appeared in Fantastic four #66-67, from Stan & Jack (probably with more of Kirby's plot input, given the subject matter). A group of scientists, known as the Enclave, have kidnapped Alicia Masters and taken her to their complex, the Beehive. They have created an artificial being, known as Him. He emerges from a cocoon; but, radiates too much energy to be seen. So, these mad scientists kidnap a blind artist to describe what he looks like. The biblical parallels are why I say this is probably more Kirby's plot, as he was the real driving force for the use of myth and biblical allegories in comics. The tale shows what happens to those who try to "play god," as the scientist create the perfect being, who is beyond their control and sees them for who they are, putting an end to their plans. Here, he is less a messianic figure, though that was the intent of the Enclave. The genesis of this story is pretty well documented in an article from the Jack Kirby Collector: twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/24compare.htmlThe gist is that Jack was commenting on objectivism. In his story, the scientists try to create a perfect objectivist being, only to find that they themselves don't meet his standards. Stan changed it to make the scientists evil/mad and bent on world domination. As the Kirby Collector article says, "The story that Jack wanted: 'Create a superior human and he just might find you inferior enough to get rid of,' became through Lee another 'bad guys try to take over world and get their comeuppance' story." This was when Jack's frustration with Marvel reached a tipping point. After this story, Jack didn't create any more major characters for Marvel in the rest of the 60s. |
|
|
|
Post by chaykinstevens on May 31, 2018 17:06:44 GMT -5
Meanwhile, we get our first glimpse of Gamora, though she has not yet revealed her name. At this point, she is an homage to Star Trek's sexy green chicks, in a fishnet bodysuit. Gamora was plagiarised from a character drawn by Esteban Maroto in Eerie #38. link |
|
|
|
Post by chaykinstevens on May 31, 2018 17:13:13 GMT -5
ps The Matriarch's design is based on Marlene Dietrich. Dietrich would also inspire the look of the character Juliette, the lover of Shen Kuei, aka the Cat, and an MI-6 agent, in Master of kung Fu. Gulacy used several notable actors as models for characters, such as Sean Connery, for Clive Reston (with a hint of Basil Rathbone), Bruce Lee fo Shang Chi, Christopher Lee for Fu Manchu, Marlon Brando for an ex-MI-6 agent, and David Niven for another MI-6 officer. He also had Groucho Marx in a few stories (in the Giant Size issues) and Brynocki was based on the Big Boy restaurant mascot. I think the Groucho lookalike, Rufus T Hackstabber, only apeared in GSMOKF #4 and MOKF #52, both of which were drawn by Keith Pollard. |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on May 31, 2018 23:27:32 GMT -5
ps The Matriarch's design is based on Marlene Dietrich. Dietrich would also inspire the look of the character Juliette, the lover of Shen Kuei, aka the Cat, and an MI-6 agent, in Master of kung Fu. Gulacy used several notable actors as models for characters, such as Sean Connery, for Clive Reston (with a hint of Basil Rathbone), Bruce Lee fo Shang Chi, Christopher Lee for Fu Manchu, Marlon Brando for an ex-MI-6 agent, and David Niven for another MI-6 officer. He also had Groucho Marx in a few stories (in the Giant Size issues) and Brynocki was based on the Big Boy restaurant mascot. I think the Groucho lookalike, Rufus T Hackstabber, only apeared in GSMOKF #4 and MOKF #52, both of which were drawn by Keith Pollard. Entirely possible; I was going from memory. It seemed like he was in at least one Gulacy story; maybe not. That one was probably Moench's idea; never heard about whose idea any of the others were, other than Clive Reston was deliberate, based on his backstory (illegitimate son of Bond, grand-nephew of Sherlock Holmes, drawn to look like Sean Connery, with a bit of Rathbone's nose and other features, in some panels). |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on May 31, 2018 23:31:40 GMT -5
Meanwhile, we get our first glimpse of Gamora, though she has not yet revealed her name. At this point, she is an homage to Star Trek's sexy green chicks, in a fishnet bodysuit. Gamora was plagiarised from a character drawn by Esteban Maroto in Eerie #38. linkFair enough. Given that Eerie was in B&W, I'd bet the skin color was probably still Star Trek-inspired, unless there is text in the story to indicate that character is green. Esteban Maroto is ridiculously overlooked in this country. I wish someone (Hey, Fantagraphics? IDW?) would buy the English reprint rights for Cinco Por Infinito, so we can have the real story and art, not Neal Adams' butchery of it (Zero Patrol). |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Jun 6, 2018 14:38:39 GMT -5
Warlock #11 Creative Team: Starlin, Leialoha, Orzechowski, Wolfman Synopsis: Sweet Lou Dunbar...   ...is leading his Death Squad against Warlock and Thanos (and Pip & Gamora). Thanos tells Warlock he must use his Soul Gem to defeat the Death Squad, before the In-Betweener can arrive and whisk Adam away to an alternate dimension, where the forces of Order and Chaos will drive him insane, leading to his evolution into the Magus. Warlock refuses to use the gem, which will suck out the souls of all. Thanos berates him that he will be consigning millions and billions to death and torture atthe hands of the Magus and the Universal Church, until Warlock finally loses it and unleashes the Soul Gem...  Thanos blasts the Magus, while he urges Warlock into the Time Portal, to go to the birth of the Magus and Pip falls along behind him. Magus fights back against Thanos and asks why he aids Warlock. Thanos explains that the Magus is an agent of both Chaos and Order; and, thus, life. Thanos worships Death and the destruction of the Magus will bring about Death. Pip and Warlock find themselves in the realm of the In-Betweener, the point where Warlock will be driven mad and become the Magus...  The In-Betweener tells Warlock that he (Warlock) is the reason for the In-Betweener's existence, that he is to create a Champion of Life to face the Advocate of Death, Thanos. The Magus is to be that Champion and Warlock is shown the reality of it. We see Thanos and the Magus battle, as it is revealed that Thanos manipulated Warlock, to destroy him before he becomes the Magus and a threat to Thanos. Thanos hits the Magus hard...  Gamora hot-foots it away, while Warlock and Pip face the inevitable. Warlock rejects the In-Betweener, seeing 5 paths to his future. He cleanses and destroys the one that leads to the Magus and chooses the shortest of all. The path leads two years into the future, where Warlock confronts himself and takes his own soul, thus preventing the Magus from being born. Thanos and Gamora sense the change, yet retain their memories. Thanos has succeeded and will now begin to implement his plan for the ultimate cosmic genocide. Pip and Warlock re-emerge on Homeworld, a place where the Universal Church never arose. Warlock and Pip find that another religion takes its place and he comments that even if you destroy a false god, men will worship another. he and Pip go to get a drink and they pass the Matriarch, now just the brothel worker she was before. Thoughts: So, we learn Thanos' intentions, to destroy Warlock, to prevent the Magus from coming into being and stopping him from creating the ultimate genocide. However, Warlock rejects the path and sees an alternate, where he will make the ultimate sacrifice, thus leading to his shortest life. It's all very metaphysical and not exactly the most dynamic. Starlin keeps everyone moving around; but, he drowns the pages in text, with narration and word balloons. There's a lot to absorb. To defeat the agent of Death, Warlock had to become the Magus, regardless of the cost to others, as there was a higher purpose involved. Dictators justify the deaths of thousands and millions for the sake of the greater good. It is the ultimate philosophical debate, about whether it is nobler to lay down one life for many, if it is millions of lives for a few more million. Where is the line drawn? Who decides which lives are worthy to survive and which must be sacrificed? Starlin also finishes his thesis of religion, with the end noting that if one religion falls, another rises to replace it and man continues onward. Well, that would seem to be the case, based on historical detail, as one religions surplants another, as cultures come into contact with others (and conflict) and their belief systems evolve. When Buddhism spread in Asia, it mixed with the native beliefs, combining both. When Christianity spread across pagan Europe, the pagan traditions were absorbed and transformed into new celebrations, with the original meanings suppressed (Christmas/Winter Solstice/Saturnalia/Yule; Halloween/Samhain, etc, etc...). Islam overwhelmed Zorastrianism, etc, etc..... History shows that mankind will adapt to new circumstances and carry on with life as they had before, or the best they can. Now, where to from here? You would think that Warlock would turn his eyes to Thanos; but, Starlin is going to leave that 'til later. For now, we will learn a bit more about Pip the Troll.
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Jun 6, 2018 18:18:45 GMT -5
Warlock #12 Creative Team: The usual bunch Synopsis: Adam and Pip and someone named Mama Alpha (with probable connections to ladies of negotiable affection) are drinking in a bar, celebrating peace. However, Adam is a miserable drunk and is crying in his beer...  Warlock flies off to play tortured soul (you met a lot of his sort in the art colleges, on most university campuses; poets & philosophy students, too), leaving Pip with the bar tab. And Mama Alpha. Pip wants to beat feet; but, mama Alpha is about to beat him with his own feet, for a lot of empty promises. He knocks him into some other pleasure seeker and a brawl ensues, while Pip takes cover behind the bar (and while he's there, has a drink or two). Outside, a veiled private vehicle waits, looking for someone in particular, as we see people ejected from the bar and Pip emerging on his feet...  A voice entices Pip inside, where he meets a beautiful blue-skinned woman (with a tail!), who has a job for him. He regales her with the story of how he was a prince of Laxadazia, when he partied down with some trolls, passed out, and woke up transformed into one. he was on the outs back at court; so, he went out on a life of adventure. Our blue lady, Heater Delight offers him the job: to cut a wire holding her prisoner in the covered craft. Our story is broken up by Warlock moaning on and on, sitting on an asteroid, until the stars start disappearing...  ...but, who cares about that? Back to Pip. Heater tells him she is a slave of Pro-Boscis. She offers untold pleasure if Pip frees her. he stops at an electronics store to steal wire cutters (putting the proprietor in a literal hot seat) and cuts the wires, setting off the alarm,which Heater forgot to mention. Pro-Boscis the Procurer shows up, looking every bit what his title suggests...  Iceberg Slim picks up Pip and pimp-slaps him, and Pip throws mud in his eye and makes like the road runner. Wile E Pro-Boscis follows and Pip climbs a cliff and tries to dump a section of it on the Acme spokesman. Pro-Boscis is buried under a pile of ruble and Heater comes to thank Pip. He's looking forward to his reward when he is ........um, rooster-blocked by none other than Eros, who apparently has a thing for Heater. She gives Pip her little coach and she flies of with Eros (never did like him). Pip is left with the covered wagon, when a hand emerges from the pile of boulders. Pip beats a hasty retreat and then starts to explore what is contained within a nearby hookah.  Thoughts: apart from Warlock's "Woe is me" schtick, this is a pretty fun issue; a nice change of pace from the dire previous issues. Starlin proves pretty adept at a humorous tale, even if he swiped most of it from multiple sources (then again, Warlock and his Soul gem couldn't be any more Elric than if he had a pointy hat, albino skin, and a pet dragon). Unfortunately, we will be back to the moaning one next issue, as we learn what happened to the stars.
|
|
|
|
Post by mikelmidnight on Jun 7, 2018 11:31:26 GMT -5
It was fun to see Eros again in a less melodramatic context, although unfortunately for Heater Delight she appeared to be a short-term fling as she was never heard from again. Although this scene added further irritation to me later on when (I think) Doug Moench wrote a sequence where someone attempts to kill Menthor and Eros by draining the air from a room they're in ...
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Jun 7, 2018 13:31:59 GMT -5
It was fun to see Eros again in a less melodramatic context, although unfortunately for Heater Delight she appeared to be a short-term fling as she was never heard from again. Although this scene added further irritation to me later on when (I think) Doug Moench wrote a sequence where someone attempts to kill Menthor and Eros by draining the air from a room they're in ... Yeah, that's from the revived Marvel Spotlight issues, with Moench and Pat Broderick finishing up their Captain Marvel storyline, after that book was canceled. It features Titan, ISAAC, and the legacy of Thanos, after his ultimate defeat. I'll be getting to those comics, later. |
|
|
|
Post by mikelmidnight on Jun 8, 2018 11:36:20 GMT -5
I always liked Eros because, again as I stated earlier, these characters originally had ties to the Greek gods and I assumed he was the actual mythological Eros. I had no issues with his not being the son of Aphrodite and Ares.
|
|
|
|
Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 8, 2018 18:48:52 GMT -5
Ah, the traditional Jim Starlin infodump. Starlin treats the idea of "show don't tell" like it was physically painful. Like the concept killed his dog and he has dedicated his life to never, ever even acknowledging that it exists. I'm still not sure if that's his limitations as a writer or just Starlin trying to work around the format of '70s Marvel comics where you get 17-18 pages of story that HAS to include a fight scene. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2018 18:55:06 GMT -5
Great Reviews Cody!
|
|
