Whatever happened to Adam Warlock?

[Mike_Murdock]

I thought his impact to the story was minimal.

I don't think he was central, but I'd hardly say he was minimal. The Soul Gem was a pretty significant part and Adam Warlock's appearance inherently went with that.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Read Jim Starlin's Warlock from the seventies. Adam Is a angsty character struggling with existenzialisn and the line between sanity and insanity.

We're in 2020, if you have not noticed

[ed2962]

We're in 2020, if you have not noticed

Jim's take didn't fit neatly into an easily digestable formula. I think that's another reason Marvel has been slow to bring him back.

[CaptainMar-Vell92 of the Kree]

We're in 2020, if you have not noticed

Still doesn't stop you from reading classic comics like the Marvel Masterworks or Marvel Essentials.

[CaptainMar-Vell92 of the Kree]

Jim's take didn't fit neatly into an easily digestable formula. I think that's another reason Marvel has been slow to bring him back.

This reminds me of this part from Tegan O'Neil review of Thanos Rising.

These are the kinds of ideas which can really only exist in the fragile pages of an almost-canceled comic book starring a completely obscure character. If Marvel had known just how much money they were going to (eventually) make off Adam Warlock and Thanos, there's no way that they would have let Starlin write such densely weird stories with the characters. But then, if Starlin hadn't been given more or less free reign to produce his stories, no one would care, and Thanos - if there had been a Thanos at all - would have been yet another cosmic potentate, a Kanjar Ro, a Mongul. This is comics' paradox in the era of big money: at the heart of every successful character there lies a unique and idiosyncratic vision (sometimes multiple visions), and these visions must be effaced if the characters are to achieve their potential as lucrative entertainment properties - even if it is inescapable that these idiosyncratic visions will always remain the source of the characters' appeal. Spider-Man had already been so thoroughly pasteurized by generations of talented creators that he was an apotheosis of his own iconic potential long before he set foot on movie screens. Same with Batman, and Superman as well. Thanos, however, is a far more fragile proposition. There is a reason why every attempt at using Thanos by anyone besides Starlin has always seemed slightly off. Thanos is the product of the distinctive worldview of a highly idiosyncratic creator. You can try to synthesize what makes him unique by listing Starlin's own ingredients - a little bit of the 60s counterculture, replete with a dash of Eastern mysticism and New Age Carlos Castaneda-isms; a strict Catholic upbringing seasoned by sexual conflict and morbid fascinations; the heavy influence of military service in Vietnam and subsequent disillusionment. Kirby served in World War II so it should come as no surprise that his cosmology was essentially Manichean: he didn't glamorize war, but he presented a world where the inevitability of war was the greatest tragedy, and one in which the unbending strength of evil remains the greatest threat. Starlin fought in Vietnam, and therefore his signature villain is a nihilist, someone who will go far to avoid a fight he judges to be unproductive, but who will turn and fight to the death for no reason greater than his own personal edification and self-regard. (There's a great bit in the otherwise forgettable "Blood and Thunder" crossover where Thanos goes to Asgard and ends up in a fight with Odin not because he needs to fight Odin - rather, he needs Odin's help - but because he wants to prove he can kick Odin's ass.)

On one hand i would really like for Adam to make more appearances, getting a wider fanbase and epic feats. But on the other hand theres a big risk of Modern Marvel turning the character into a mess of diluted charactersation much like what happened with Star-Lord after Dan Abnett left.

[CaptainMar-Vell92 of the Kree]

I wish they’d do more with Adam and Ayesha.

Speaking of Ayesha, is she going to be in GOTG 3?

[kevlon]

I liked the Warlock from Annihilation Conquest. He was like a space wizard.

[Zelena]

Read Jim Starlin's Warlock from the seventies. Adam Is a angsty character struggling with existenzialisn and the line between sanity and insanity.

True… one of the rare existentialist heroes. Moody as hell, he was lucky to have down-to-earth companions to shake him and to help him to keep his feet on the ground.

[kcekada]

Still doesn't stop you from reading classic comics like the Marvel Masterworks or Marvel Essentials.

I know it can be difficult to read something for the first time that was written in a different era -- but those 70s issues are really the high point of Adam's existence. There is some good stuff after his resurrection, but I don't think anything has had the impact of his original run that was wrapped in Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual (not sure if it was 1 or 2).

[kcekada]

Still doesn't stop you from reading classic comics like the Marvel Masterworks or Marvel Essentials.

I know it can be difficult to read something for the first time that was written in a different era -- but those 70s issues are really the high point of Adam's existence. There is some good stuff after his resurrection, but I don't think anything has had the impact of his original run that was wrapped in Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual (not sure if it was 1 or 2).

[ETMike1988]

Joke response:
Warlock (& Magus) >>>>> Adam Warlock (& Magus)