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Marvel Masterworks: Warlock #2
Marvel Masterworks: Warlock, Vol. 2
Collects Strange Tales #178-181, Warlock #9-15, Marvel Team-Up #55, Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2.
Taking the legacy laid out by Lee, Kirby, Thomas and Kane, Jim Starlin evolved Warlock to the next level, imbuing the character with the furies and inner demons of a man-god on the brink of insanity. Forced to confront the Magus, an evil version of himself, and the nihilistic menace, Thanos, Warlock's conflicts weren't just knuckle-grinding throw-downs, they were epic, existential struggles for the very soul. Culminating in the first-ever assembling of the Infinity Gems, and featuring the first appearances of such cosmic Marvel mainstays as Gamorra and Pip the Troll-not to mention an all-out struggle to save the universe joined by the Avengers, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man-this MASTERWORKs edition is definitive Marvel.
Taking the legacy laid out by Lee, Kirby, Thomas and Kane, Jim Starlin evolved Warlock to the next level, imbuing the character with the furies and inner demons of a man-god on the brink of insanity. Forced to confront the Magus, an evil version of himself, and the nihilistic menace, Thanos, Warlock's conflicts weren't just knuckle-grinding throw-downs, they were epic, existential struggles for the very soul. Culminating in the first-ever assembling of the Infinity Gems, and featuring the first appearances of such cosmic Marvel mainstays as Gamorra and Pip the Troll-not to mention an all-out struggle to save the universe joined by the Avengers, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man-this MASTERWORKs edition is definitive Marvel.
296 pages, Hardcover
Published July 8, 2009
18 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Jim Starlin
1,336 books444 followersJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Death and suicide are recurring themes in Starlin's work: Personifications of Death appeared in his Captain Marvel series and in a fill-in story for Ghost Rider; Warlock commits suicide by killing his future self; and suicide is a theme in a story he plotted and drew for The Rampaging Hulk magazine.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 21, 2021
As part of my ongoing mission (thirty eight years and counting) to read everything Marvel have ever published I occasionally have to read stuff I know is going to be a bit of a slog, mainly because it’s by creators whose work I don’t care for.
Anything drawn by Rob Liefeld is bound to make me want to gouge my one working eye out, for example. I know he has hordes of fans but I’m afraid that, for me, Jim Starlin is the writer equivalent of Liefeld. I just can’t bear his brand of terrible cod-psychology and godawfully over-written purple prose.
Oh, and his characters? Anything with bloody Thanos or, even worse, Adam Warlock in it makes me want to projectile vomit like that girl from The Exorcist.
So, anyway, this being said, you can probably guess what I thought of the story in this book. The only issue that was semi-bearable was the issue where Pip the Troll took the spotlight and had a solo adventure. I quite like Pip; he might be the only Starlin character I do like.
The book gets 3 stars (and it only got that many due to my rounding up rather than down) for the artwork, which was actually not half bad, especially for the time.
Now you’ll have to excuse me; I need to go and rinse my brain off under a scalding hot shower for a couple of hours…
My next book: The Brown Fox Mystery
Anything drawn by Rob Liefeld is bound to make me want to gouge my one working eye out, for example. I know he has hordes of fans but I’m afraid that, for me, Jim Starlin is the writer equivalent of Liefeld. I just can’t bear his brand of terrible cod-psychology and godawfully over-written purple prose.
Oh, and his characters? Anything with bloody Thanos or, even worse, Adam Warlock in it makes me want to projectile vomit like that girl from The Exorcist.
So, anyway, this being said, you can probably guess what I thought of the story in this book. The only issue that was semi-bearable was the issue where Pip the Troll took the spotlight and had a solo adventure. I quite like Pip; he might be the only Starlin character I do like.
The book gets 3 stars (and it only got that many due to my rounding up rather than down) for the artwork, which was actually not half bad, especially for the time.
Now you’ll have to excuse me; I need to go and rinse my brain off under a scalding hot shower for a couple of hours…
My next book: The Brown Fox Mystery
May 7, 2019
The Character of Adam Warlock was always a very different type of comic story to me. Before the Infinity Gems took over his story line and he became a more mainstream superhero type, he was a very sad and tragic character. I know all the early Marvel heroes (think of Spider-Man and Hulk here) had their ups and downs and sometimes tragic moments but Adam Warlock seemed to live a life of nothing but tragic moments. Even in triumph he seemed to lose something of himself to the victory. This 2nd book finishes the tale of the early Warlock. Exceptional art and story. The final 2 issues reprinted here are among my favorite comic reads of all time and lead directly to the rise of Thanos as a MAJOR Marvel villain. Very recommended read
July 26, 2016
This is my favorite comic storyline of all time. When I was a teenager, it blew my mind. I just recently learned that it was created under the influence of LSD. Much of it seems overly melodramatic now, and Adam Warlock was quite a whiner, but he, Thanos, Gamora and Pip are my favorite comic characters.
I loved the way Jim Starlin wrote epic stories before there were annual blockbuster events, and I loved the way he drew his characters and broke the rules of page layout.
I would recommend this to anyone.
I loved the way Jim Starlin wrote epic stories before there were annual blockbuster events, and I loved the way he drew his characters and broke the rules of page layout.
I would recommend this to anyone.
August 1, 2009
The brief highlights of Warlock's early existence, including his battle against both the Magus and then Thanos. I have to admit I've got a soft spot for the over the top cosmic adventures. The one thing that does take a little away is that it's very much a 70's comic book--the characters narrate both their thoughts and their actions in a method that feels both dated and awkward.
February 6, 2013
Great cosmic weirdness. You have to imagine Grant Morrison read the hell out of this as a kid.
October 26, 2012
Epiquérrimo. Cuesta un poco entrar porque te cuentan toda la vida de Warlock y de Thanos, pero por lo demás es una obra llena de giros con un gran dibujo y un buen guión.
August 30, 2025
Questo volume racchiude essenzialmente due lunghe storie, entrambe opera di Jim Starlin (non solo in veste di autore, ma anche di disegnatore):
La prima è la cosiddetta "Saga del Magus", dove ritroviamo Adam Warlock che, lasciata la Contro-Terra, vaga nel cosmo per prestare soccorso ai bisognosi: dopo aver fallito nel difendere una donna, assassinata da fanatici seguaci della "Chiesa Universale della Verità", Adam giura di fermare il leader di questo scellerato culto interplanetario, il Magus... Il quale è però una versione maligna dello stesso Warlock!
Sulla seconda storia si può dire ben poco senza "spoilerare" la prima, ma direi che il titolo del volume è più che eloquente, no?
La saga del Magus è in assoluto uno dei miei lavori di Starlin preferiti, che non a torto ha portato questo autore a venire identificato con il personaggio di Adam Warlock (sebbene non ne sia il creatore originale, né tantomeno il primo a "ripescarlo"): se Roy Thomas aveva reso Warlock una figura Messianica in salsa supereroistica, Starlin perverte quell'allegoria, rendendo Adam Messia e Anticristo al tempo stesso, che da eroe integerrimo e saldo nei suoi principi si trasforma gradualmente in un personaggio profondamente malinconico, se non addirittura suicidario, costantemente tormentato da dubbi e sensi di colpa che, però, non gli impediscono di prodigarsi per fare la cosa giusta. Il mito di Adam e di moltissimi altri personaggi destinati a diventare colonne portanti del lato cosmico (e non solo) della Marvel comincia qui.
La prima è la cosiddetta "Saga del Magus", dove ritroviamo Adam Warlock che, lasciata la Contro-Terra, vaga nel cosmo per prestare soccorso ai bisognosi: dopo aver fallito nel difendere una donna, assassinata da fanatici seguaci della "Chiesa Universale della Verità", Adam giura di fermare il leader di questo scellerato culto interplanetario, il Magus... Il quale è però una versione maligna dello stesso Warlock!
Sulla seconda storia si può dire ben poco senza "spoilerare" la prima, ma direi che il titolo del volume è più che eloquente, no?
La saga del Magus è in assoluto uno dei miei lavori di Starlin preferiti, che non a torto ha portato questo autore a venire identificato con il personaggio di Adam Warlock (sebbene non ne sia il creatore originale, né tantomeno il primo a "ripescarlo"): se Roy Thomas aveva reso Warlock una figura Messianica in salsa supereroistica, Starlin perverte quell'allegoria, rendendo Adam Messia e Anticristo al tempo stesso, che da eroe integerrimo e saldo nei suoi principi si trasforma gradualmente in un personaggio profondamente malinconico, se non addirittura suicidario, costantemente tormentato da dubbi e sensi di colpa che, però, non gli impediscono di prodigarsi per fare la cosa giusta. Il mito di Adam e di moltissimi altri personaggi destinati a diventare colonne portanti del lato cosmico (e non solo) della Marvel comincia qui.
July 19, 2020
The first set of Warlock stories are weird and not superoheroish. They feel like an attempt to do story mostly in metaphor. And the vampiric soul gem and the becoming evil and all sorts of things. Here, Magus might actually be a good guy? Relatively speaking?
And I love the early, goofy, skinny Thanos. Now he's like 8 feet tall and five-hundred pounds of muscle. In his early incarnation, he's maybe 5'10" a buck, forty, but he's wearing THE SAME CLOTHS IN THE SAME SIZE. So he's got this giant helmet, just dwarfing him.
Unfortunately, by the end Warlock gets subsumed into the whole Infinity forever stuff. Am I wrong, but at that point, he really stops being a character and just becomes a foil or a thorn to Thanos forever?
Anyway, I'm glad I saw where Kray-Tor comes from. he's always hanging around in Soul World looking like a giant Teletubby or whatever. I thought the idea was that there were some native denizens of Soul World who did not look like humanoids. Because all the Marvel aliens are humanoids.
And I love the early, goofy, skinny Thanos. Now he's like 8 feet tall and five-hundred pounds of muscle. In his early incarnation, he's maybe 5'10" a buck, forty, but he's wearing THE SAME CLOTHS IN THE SAME SIZE. So he's got this giant helmet, just dwarfing him.
Unfortunately, by the end Warlock gets subsumed into the whole Infinity forever stuff. Am I wrong, but at that point, he really stops being a character and just becomes a foil or a thorn to Thanos forever?
Anyway, I'm glad I saw where Kray-Tor comes from. he's always hanging around in Soul World looking like a giant Teletubby or whatever. I thought the idea was that there were some native denizens of Soul World who did not look like humanoids. Because all the Marvel aliens are humanoids.
January 20, 2024
The final volume of the story of Warlock, this time facing his own future self and then Thanos. Maybe it's just me, but I find Warlock to be an incredibly irritating character, filled with self-importance and egotism, and with no redeeming fun whatsoever. These stories try to inject some humor into him by adding Pip the Troll, but that's too little, too late.
February 24, 2018
The most cosmic of comics.
November 12, 2020
Warlock battles his evil side and Thanos
September 26, 2021
While it lacks the heart of my favorite funny book stories there's no denying the awesome presence of Jim Starlin here.
April 26, 2018
As Jon B. Cooke notes in his introduction to this volume, there is a slight double meaning in the text when the character Sphinxor in Strange Tales #178 tells us that Adam Warlock had four fathers. Within the fiction itself, it is true since Him was created by four scientist from the Enclave in the pages of Fantastic Four #66–67. But it is also true on another, more external level. Him was the creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (in the aforementioned pages), but he did not become Adam Warlock until another creative pair got their hands on Him. What Roy Thomas and Gil Kane set up in Marvel Premiere #1–2 and continued in the pages of Warlock was just as much an act of giving birth to this character (see the preceding Masterworks volume).
However, in a rare act of cosmic accomplishment, it was Jim Starlin who truly made Adam Warlock his own. Collecting Starlin's complete cosmic saga from the 70s, i.e. Strange Tales #178–181, the revived Warlock #9–15, Marvel Team-Up #55 (notably not by Starlin, but by Bill Mantlo and John Byrne), The Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (as well as the pencil pages from the lost issue #16), this volume certainly shows why.
Coming off his run on Captain Marvel, another title where Starlin flexed his cosmic muscles and showcased his extraordinary imagination, Starlin saw the hidden opportunities to continue building upon what he had already set up there, folding Thanos of Titan into the story of Adam Warlock alongside the sinister threat of the Magus, while creating a supporting cast in Pip the Troll and Gamora, the most dangerous woman in the universe.
There are those who say that Starlin's cosmic 70s material is derivative, and this is certainly true on many levels. Starlin willingly admits being inspired by Kirby's Fourth World material, and the visual resemblances between Thanos and Kirby's Darkseid are of course striking. And yet, Thanos with his nihilistic and literal love for death quickly evolves into a strong character in its own right (one that actually speaks to me much more than Darkseid).
There is also the clear influence of Michael Moorcock's character Elric with his soul-devouring blade Stormbringer in how Starlin re-conceptualises the soul gem attached to Warlock's forehead, a gift from the High Evolutionary, which the character used as a source of power in his previous adventures (although clearly without understanding the gem's true power). But then again, Moorcock himself owes, and admits as much, Poul Anderson a debt for that rune blade, the ancestor of which can be found in the latter's eminent novel The Broken Sword. So, what does this prove? Well, good storytellers have always stolen and borrowed, and at the end of the day it is all about what they do with that material.
In Starlin's case, the result is a piece of awesome comics history and the coming into shape of one of my all time favourite comics heroes.
However, in a rare act of cosmic accomplishment, it was Jim Starlin who truly made Adam Warlock his own. Collecting Starlin's complete cosmic saga from the 70s, i.e. Strange Tales #178–181, the revived Warlock #9–15, Marvel Team-Up #55 (notably not by Starlin, but by Bill Mantlo and John Byrne), The Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (as well as the pencil pages from the lost issue #16), this volume certainly shows why.
Coming off his run on Captain Marvel, another title where Starlin flexed his cosmic muscles and showcased his extraordinary imagination, Starlin saw the hidden opportunities to continue building upon what he had already set up there, folding Thanos of Titan into the story of Adam Warlock alongside the sinister threat of the Magus, while creating a supporting cast in Pip the Troll and Gamora, the most dangerous woman in the universe.
There are those who say that Starlin's cosmic 70s material is derivative, and this is certainly true on many levels. Starlin willingly admits being inspired by Kirby's Fourth World material, and the visual resemblances between Thanos and Kirby's Darkseid are of course striking. And yet, Thanos with his nihilistic and literal love for death quickly evolves into a strong character in its own right (one that actually speaks to me much more than Darkseid).
There is also the clear influence of Michael Moorcock's character Elric with his soul-devouring blade Stormbringer in how Starlin re-conceptualises the soul gem attached to Warlock's forehead, a gift from the High Evolutionary, which the character used as a source of power in his previous adventures (although clearly without understanding the gem's true power). But then again, Moorcock himself owes, and admits as much, Poul Anderson a debt for that rune blade, the ancestor of which can be found in the latter's eminent novel The Broken Sword. So, what does this prove? Well, good storytellers have always stolen and borrowed, and at the end of the day it is all about what they do with that material.
In Starlin's case, the result is a piece of awesome comics history and the coming into shape of one of my all time favourite comics heroes.
December 14, 2022
Created by Kirby & Lee and reinvented by Thomas & Kane, yes, Warlock has has had quite an array of comic book legends have their hands in on his genesis. But Jim Starlin would take the character to unimaginable heights. Beginning in the pages of Strange Tales #178-181, Starlin would reinvent the character from the ground up, and give the comics world yet another cosmic powerhouse without rival. But not only is Adam Warlock re-envisioned, the priceless artifact that the High Evolutionary gifted him is finally acknowledged and revealed: the Soul Gem (but even this isn’t really fully developed until the end of series). In any case there is groundwork for a truly Visionary take on the character and lots of elements that Starlin would use again and again in his own creator-owned work like Dreadstar Omnibus, Vol. 1(5/5).
Warlock #9-15 - Starlin finishes off the narrative arc he’d begin in the pages of Strange Tales and then moves into some new and interesting territory. Unfortunately, just as the Soul Gem mystery begins to come right to the forefront, the comic gets canceled right out from under him (5/5).
Marvel Team-Up #55 - John Byrne & Bill Mantlo delivery a fun and entertaining story featuring Spider-Man on the moon, with Warlock, the Gardener and the Stranger. Wild wacky and, quite honestly, I think Byrne is the only artist who could have pulled this one off so effectively (5/5).
Avengers Annual #7 - An absolute masterwork that wraps up the Adam Warlock epic odyssey very well (5/5).
Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 - The threat of Thanos is ended, at least for now, and the destiny that was presented for Adam Warlock is fulfilled. Another masterwork (5/5).
Starlin's take on the character is nothing short of inspired and brilliant. Visionary. This volume is also a great primer for the anyone interested in getting to know more about the Avengers' villain Thanos. You can also get the Starlin stories in this collection, printed in color, in Warlock by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection (which I definitely Rickommend).
Warlock #9-15 - Starlin finishes off the narrative arc he’d begin in the pages of Strange Tales and then moves into some new and interesting territory. Unfortunately, just as the Soul Gem mystery begins to come right to the forefront, the comic gets canceled right out from under him (5/5).
Marvel Team-Up #55 - John Byrne & Bill Mantlo delivery a fun and entertaining story featuring Spider-Man on the moon, with Warlock, the Gardener and the Stranger. Wild wacky and, quite honestly, I think Byrne is the only artist who could have pulled this one off so effectively (5/5).
Avengers Annual #7 - An absolute masterwork that wraps up the Adam Warlock epic odyssey very well (5/5).
Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 - The threat of Thanos is ended, at least for now, and the destiny that was presented for Adam Warlock is fulfilled. Another masterwork (5/5).
Starlin's take on the character is nothing short of inspired and brilliant. Visionary. This volume is also a great primer for the anyone interested in getting to know more about the Avengers' villain Thanos. You can also get the Starlin stories in this collection, printed in color, in Warlock by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection (which I definitely Rickommend).
November 7, 2022
Storie confuse a dir poco, a volte non si capisce da dove saltano fuori i personaggi. I personaggi cosmici sono mal gestiti. La storia de "Il ladro di stelle" è la peggiore e più insulsa che abbia mai letto (e di fumetti ne ho letti tanti, ma tanti tanti...).
Una stella in più perché si tratta di storie anni '70 e forse peccano troppo di ingenuità...
Una stella in più perché si tratta di storie anni '70 e forse peccano troppo di ingenuità...
July 15, 2024
Collects Strange Tales #178-181, Warlock #9-15, Marvel Team-Up #55, Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2.
I knew I would like this based on how much I liked Adam Warlock in "Infinity Gauntlet," but I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this collection. I haven't read Volume 1 yet, but this volume fills you in on what proceeded. The story in this collection documents Jim Starlin's legendary era of Warlock writing, so we get appearances by other Starlin characters such as Thanos and Drax. Plus, Gamora and Pip the Troll both debut in this collection. This was great, and I plan to read a lot more Starlin, and a lot more Marvel Cosmic.
I knew I would like this based on how much I liked Adam Warlock in "Infinity Gauntlet," but I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this collection. I haven't read Volume 1 yet, but this volume fills you in on what proceeded. The story in this collection documents Jim Starlin's legendary era of Warlock writing, so we get appearances by other Starlin characters such as Thanos and Drax. Plus, Gamora and Pip the Troll both debut in this collection. This was great, and I plan to read a lot more Starlin, and a lot more Marvel Cosmic.
June 17, 2010
The Sturm und Drang of teenage alienation (over)writ large on a cosmic scale. A lot of its bite & music (O! the throes of post-60s nihilism and post-Ditko Marvel!) has been diluted as a result of its influence. So much, that I think I prefer reading the things people say about these comics, more than the comics themselves.
June 20, 2014
Lisergiche fantasie anni 70 di Jim Starlin alle prese forse con il suo personaggio preferito e più peculiare.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews