Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Adam Warlock Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: Pieces of the main narrative are interesting. The entire comic is backed up by a number of imaginative concepts that are fun to see play out, especially from a historical standpoint. Some of the artwork looks great.

Cons: The main narrative is undermined in a number of places and its anti-violence message is weakened by the book’s heavy reliance on violence. Sometimes character’s actions don’t make much sense. There are plot holes at various points. The artwork is inconsistent.

Overall: This is a pretty mediocre volume from start to finish. It contains a storyline filled with problems, a troubled allegory, and a moral message that is contradicted by the actions taking place. Concepts powering this story are compelling and their historical importance cannot be denied but these positive aspects are outweighed by the negative ones. This volume may be worthwhile for readers with an interest in comic history, not readers simply looking for a good story.

Story

Adam Warlock first outing as a lead character is fraught with more than a few problems. Marvel Masterworks: Adam Warlock Vol. 1 centers around an intense Biblical allegory that fails to deliver a truly meaningful message. The rest of the narrative is also troubled, as inconsistencies and plot holes continue to damage it. It makes for a mediocre reading experience that never feels as entertaining as other comics from this era. What is undeniable is that this volume features a lot of creativity and builds the foundation for concepts that have a huge role in later Marvel comics. In this way, the volume may appeal to those who are interested in the origins behind Counter-Earth, Adam Warlock, and the Infinity Gems.

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At its core, Adam Warlock Vol. 1 is a thinly-veiled allegory of the New Testament that proclaims an anti-war/anti-violence message. Seeing the Bible references play out is moderately entertaining and the comic’s message is positive.

However, the entire ordeal is undermined at nearly every turn. The Biblical allegory is neat to see but does not actually accomplish anything. Successful allegory should be used to accomplish some sort of purpose, yet the only purpose here seems to be to retell portions of the Bible. In addition, the book’s anti-violence message is almost completely overwhelmed by the amount of violence seen throughout this book and the number of times conflict is relied upon as the solution to various problems. In the end, the underlying themes powering this book are heavy-handed and ineffectual.

In addition, there are other general problems found throughout the narrative. Adam Warlock’s indignation over his disciple’s betrayal and his insistence on their unwavering trust comes about before he actually accomplishes anything positive for the world or exhibits any truly benevolent behavior. It makes his disappointment in them feel completely out of place and weakens this entire portion of the narrative. Besides this, there are plot holes regarding the Man Beast’s connection to the President and Warlock’s entire motivation. These problems make the book feel even messier than it needs to and, thus, make it harder to enjoy.

So, with a lackluster story, the majority of the positives in Adam Warlock Vol. 1 come from the imaginative concepts introduced throughout the entire volume. Roy Thomas kicks things off by having a character create an entirely new world. The world is an excellent new setting where heroes are nonexistent and the area is primed for a battle between powerful cosmic forces. Then, Ron Goulart and Mike Friedrich use this new world to cleverly shift classic characters, turning Reed Richards into a reluctant villain and Victor von Doom into a genuine hero. Adam Warlock and his soul gem’s presence throughout all of these stories also feels like an atypical representation of superheroes and superpowers. Though these imaginative concepts do not make up for the book’s poor approach to storytelling, they may make the book worthwhile to those with an interest in comic book history and witnessing how comics have evolved over time.

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Art

The quality of the artwork in Adam Warlock Vol. 1 ends up being very similar to the story, positive in some places but negative in others. Gil Kane’s work in the collection’s opening chapters looks great and is one of the better aspects of this collection. Kane’s ability to depict fun battles and creative cosmic scenes makes these chapters more enjoyable to read. Plus, his work on Warlock as a character looks great on every page.

However, as the collection enters its second half, other artists take over and provide work that varies more significantly. Both Bob Brown and Herb Trimpe are able to produce some impressive layouts and structures but their work on the actual characters feels a bit wanting. In addition, the variations introduced by the artist shifts makes the reading experience less cohesive. The overall appeal of the artwork is still solid but not quite as positive as one would hope.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Adam Warlock Vol. 1 is the first volume in Adam Warlock’s first series. However, Adam Warlock’s adventures here occur directly after his adventures in Thor #163-166 collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Adam Warlock Vol. 2 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The High-Evolutionary’s role in Thor #134-135 is mentioned at the beginning of this volume. These issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 5 (Review). 
• The High-Evolutionary’s interactions with Hulk are told in Tales to Astonish #94-96, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 3. 
• Adam Warlock’s origin and its relation to the Fantastic Four is detailed in Fantastic Four #66-67, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 7 (Review). 
• Adam Warlock’s recent fight against Thor is detailed in Thor #163-166 collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 (Review).
• Hulk’s trip to Counter-Earth is mentioned a few times. This trip took place in Incredible Hulk #158, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 9. 
• The Recorder was last seen in Thor #162, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 7 (Review).
• Incredible Hulk #176, immediately follows the events of Incredible Hulk #175, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 10. 
• Some people think that the Hulk is dead due to events that took place in Hulk #174, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 10. 
• People also think Glenn Talbot is dead due to events that took place in Hulk #166, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 9.