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WARLOCK #1
"Second Coming"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Colors: F. Serrrano
Letters: Cory Petit
Editor: Cory Sedlmeier
Price: $2.99 US/$4.25 CAN |
I should start off by saying that I've never been a fan of Adam Warlock; in fact, most of the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, as mostly written by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in the '70s, just doesn't click with me. So I've got no attachment to this character going in, which is both a blessing and a curse. A curse, because really, why on Earth am I going to pick up a book about a character I don't care about, and a blessing, because this is a Silver Surfer style total revamp take on the character, one that bears little resemblance to the original character in tone but instead takes the general concept and boils it down into a new story. That new story is actually kind of interesting, a bit of conspiracy/dystopian science-fiction, but it's also a touch slow-paced, and so I'm reminded again of the Silver Surfer series, which started off as somewhat intriguing but eventually wound up going nowhere, and I fear that Warlock might be headed in the same general direction.
If Pak can avoid the tendency of some of Marvel's "high concept" books like Hulk or Silver Surfer and drive the plot a little faster, however, Warlock might turn out to be pretty intriguing. Pak's story goes back to the origin of Adam Warlock, before he was a cosmic savior and when he was sort of a '70s version of Frankenstein's Monster, a "perfect being" created by a group of self-appointed geniuses for nebulous goals. Pak's version positions these scientists (known in Marvel continuity as The Enclave, here referred to by their headquarters name The Beehive) as egomaniacal but well-meaning, creating Adam Warlock not to rob banks and make them rich but to save humanity from its own worst instincts.
This is an interesting concept, one not entirely untried in this time of Authority or Supreme Power, but approached from a different, slightly more philosophical angle. Rather than creating a being that is powerful enough to make humanity do what he wants, the scientists of the Beehive, along with a talented designer (our point of view character), have created a character who will save humanity just as much through his charisma and subliminal influence as his physical power. Given how important the notion of media spin and perception has been to the upcoming American election, as well as the use of religion to influence people throughout time, this is an interesting concept to explore with a superhero analogue.
Charlie Adlard has a pretty important and difficult (if not impossible) role in this series. He has to provide the redesign for Warlock that will have this profound impact, that is the visual representation of this genius designer's imagination. His new design for Adam Warlock is more modern than the '70s version, but it's ultimately just another superhero outfit, which drains some of the power away from the words Pak has put in the characters' mouths. This isn't really something Adlard can be faulted with, because Pak has put the artist in an impossible situation, and I can't imagine many artists who could create such a visual that the reader would buy into. In every other aspect, however, Adlard's art is very strong here, and I especially love the cavernous, technology-filled feel that he gives the Beehive or the casual air of doom that hangs on his portrayal of a near-future New York. (I have been reliably informed that Adlard did not design the new Warlock, and that it was designed when he came onboard, so he definitely can't be faulted with the only real visual failure of the series, and should instead be credited with his usual strong work instead.)
Ultimately, the problem with Warlock lies not with any fault in the creators, but in the question of concept. I'm intrigued by the ideas that Pak raises here, of a superhero who will save Earth from itself rather than punching out supervillains, and setting this outside of Marvel continuity (as this series must be) gives him free reign to explore, but at the same time, it seems to ignore one of the major strengths of Warlock's character, his place as sort of a cosmic character, meaning that the fanbase for Warlock will pretty much have to come from new fans rather than fans of the character. I also have to admit that part of my wariness comes from my experience with slow burn high concept exploration of Marvel characters like Hulk and Silver Surfer, and a sense that Warlock may be headed in the same "spinning its wheels" direction.
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