SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!








Just one correction to Alan's synopsis; Warlock wasn't sent into space in his cocoon at the end of INCREDIBLE HULK #178. He was "crucified" by the Man-Beast at the end of HULK #177/beginning of #178, at which point a cocoon formed around his body. The Hulk made off with the cocoon, and he and Adam's followers took the cocoon to a cave to mourn him. Warlock later emerged from the cocoon to defeat the Man-Beast, and his job on Counter-Earth finished, he left his followers behind to wander the stars. The entire initial series of WARLOCK to this point had been a pretty thinly disguised parallel to the story of Jesus Christ, complete with crucifiction and resurrection.

Jim Starlin then re-launched a solo WARLOCK series 6 months later, in STRANGE TALES #178. This series carried a different tone than that of the first series, focusing on Adam's battle with an alternate future-self, the Magus, and detailing his struggles to contain the vampiric qualities of his soul gem. As much as I liked the initial run of WARLOCK, the second phase, by Starlin, is probably my favorite comics run of all time.