I think it’s time to look at something a little different
especially since Easter’s coming up. It isn’t every day that you read a
comic about a golden-skinned Messiah wanna-be. Seriously, if you thought Superman has Christ
overtones, here’s a Marvel character who sort of lived the life. Originally
named as “Him” (great job, Stan and Jack), Adam Warlock first appeared in
Fantastic Four #66 as a genetically engineered being who left Earth. Later on, he appeared in a couple of issues of Thor looking
like Rocky from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Afterwards, Roy Thomas and Gil Kane
reintroduced the character in Marvel Premiere #1. He then got spun off into his
own series, Warlock.
Thomas was a fan of the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, and
essentially wanted to tell that story in the modern day using a lesser-known
character. I knew of Adam Warlock from the event, Infinity Gauntlet, but I
didn’t know about his origins nor his former Messiah-like life. I’ve heard more about him from a few podcasts especially one called Resurrections:
An Adam Warlock and Thanos Podcast. I got curious about the character, so I
tried to look for his early adventures. It took a while (this isn’t a
well-known character), but I did find his Marvel Masterworks online. The first
volume includes Marvel Premiere #1-2, Warlock #1-8, and Incredible
Hulk #176-178.
Marvel Masterworks: Warlock Volume 1
Writers: Roy Thomas, Mike Friedrich, Gerry Conway, Rob
Goulart, and Tony Isabella
Pencils: Gil Kane, John Buscema, Tom Sutton, Bob Brown, and
Herb Trimpe
Inks: Dan Adkins, Tom Sutton, and Jack Abel
Editors: Stan Lee and Roy Thomas