For many comic book characters, their first appearance is pretty cut-and-dry. Adam Warlock isn’t one of them, with at least three different issues that can reasonably claim to be the “first appearance of Adam Warlock.” It’s inarguable that Amazing Fantasy#15 or Fantastic Four#1 is the debut of Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four: they’re featured prominently on the cover, the story within provides providing their name, origin, and a clear look at them. Sometimes, as with Wolverine, there is the dreaded “cameo appearance,” wherein a character appears on the last page or panel of one comic, then makes their first “full appearance” in a subsequent issue. These have been subject to a raging, decades-long debate, with fans and collectors digging their heels in ardently on either side. At least that usually limits you to twopotential options. In other cases, a creative team might elect to tease out a character’s introduction across several issues, building mystery or anticipation around their reveal. Such is the case with Adam Warlock.
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Fantastic Four#67 is the culmination of a two-issue arc introducing “Him,” an artificially created being incubating within a cocoon. The issue’s cover advertises that “at last you will learn what lives … within the cocoon!” In its final third, obscured by blinding light and energy, “Him” emerges. But you don’t get a good look at “Him” until his next appearance, Thor#165. And “Him” goes unnamed (and a crime against good grammar) until three years later, when he becomes “Warlock” in Marvel Premiere#1, and “Adam Warlock” the following issue. Ahead of the character’s long-anticipated MCU debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, collectors and speculators were left genuinely unsure which issue to value as Adam Warlock’s truefirst appearance. Fantastic Four#67 eventually emerged as the winner, despite only technically being rated as a “cameo” first appearance by the CGC (Certified Guarantee Company), who had become the defacto authority in the wake of a comic speculation and grading boom. Now, a CGC-graded 9.8 near-mint copy of the issue is on auction through Heritage, and has already attracted bids in excess of $1.5k.
How Four Different Issues Can Lay Claim to Adam Warlock’s First Appearance
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Fantastic Four#66 introduces the Enclave, a fascist group of scientists obsessed with artificially creating the perfect man. They succeeded, but their rebellious creation seals itself in the depths of their secret base “the Beehive,” blinding all who approach with waves of light energy. The Fantastic Four become involve after the Enclave abduct Alicia Masters to discover their creation’s appearance by touch, and sculpt a model of him so that they can know whether they’ve successfully created a perfect artificial being. Known only as “Him,” the being seals itself in a cocoon, emerging as a golden-skinned, blonde-haired humanoid. He condemns his creators to death, destroying the Beehive and exiling himself to deep space. Two years later, “Him” returns from his self-imposed exile, desiring to find a mate. He chooses Lady Sif, paramour of the Mighty Thor, drawing him into conflict with the Asgardian. Their battle last for two full issues, with the first of these (Thor#165) upheld by the CGC as the “first full appearance” of Him.
The technically-nameless Him became one of many characters to benefit from the explosion of new Marvel Comics titles in the early seventies, including “try-out” anthologies designed to test the waters and gage reader interest. “Him” was given his own feature in the inaugural issue of one of these anthologies, Marvel Premiere, along with a catchier name: “Warlock.” In the pages of Marvel Premiere#1, Him’s cocoon encounters the orbital satellite of the High Evolutionary, absorbed in the task of finishing his grand experiment of constructing “Counter-Earth,” an artificial, carefully-controlled world free of evil. The High Evolutionary re-christens Him “Warlock” and sends him to Counter-Earth in pursuit of his creation Man-Beast, who corrupts Counter-Earth with original sin. In the following issue, a denizen of Counter-Earth gives Warlock the name “Adam,” and Adam Warlock at last has a recognizable name and appearance more than five years after his first appearance.
Adam Warlock remained on Counter-Earth for nearly half a decade, spanning the first eight issues of his solo title, Warlock. The Counter-Earth saga concluded in a three-part Incredible Hulkstoryline. Alluded to by the whole “sent down to the planet by its creator to redeem it from sin” plot, the Hulkissues reallymade the Adam Warlock-Jesus allegory explicit, featuring a “Last Supper” as well as Warlock’s crucifixion. Warlock’s “death” at the end of Hulk#178 was a temporary setback, and the hero returned six months later in a new series by Jim Starlin in Strange Tales. Starlin’s Warlock is arguably the definitive take on the character, moving him from Counter-Earth out into deeper, weirder space, facing him off against his wicked future self, the Magus. The Starlin run also gave Warlock his true nemesis, the mad titan Thanos, introduced as an ally to Warlock in his battle against the Magus before becoming his most bitter enemy. Strange Tales#180 gave Warlock another ally in Thanos’ daughter, Gamora, the “deadliest woman in the galaxy,” in the words of Pip the Troll, Warlock’s confidante and hanger-on.
The Warlocktitle was revived under Starlin with #9, lasting this time until #15. After its second cancellation, Starlin wrapped up the conflict between Warlock and Thanos in Avengers Annual#7 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual#2, culminating in the demise of both. The side-effect of Marvel’s constant launch of new titles was that they were cancelled just as frequently, often leaving dangling plot threads to be resolved in other characters’ titles. Marvel Two-in-One and Marvel Team-Upin particular became a graveyard of unresolved storylines, providing closure for legions of Skull the Slayer, Woodgod, and Scarecrow readers. Unusually for the Marvel Universe, Warlock would also stay dead for more than a decade, though he lived on through reprints and through the Enclave’s second creation, “Her,” whose quest for Adam Warlock was alsothe subject of a multi-issue Marvel Two-in-Onearc.
How Adam Warlock Became the Center of Marvel’s Biggest Crossover
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
In 1990, Warlock finally returned from the dead. Jim Starlin was bringing back Thanos for the company-spanning crossover Infinity Gauntlet,and Adam Warlock was the only being powerful enough to stand in Thanos’ way. Showcasing Adam Warlock literally saving the universe from destruction at Thanos’ hands, Infinity Gauntletraised his esteem considerably with comic books fans, and turned the character from “Bronze Age footnote” to fan favorite. Warlock remained central to Infinity Gauntlet‘s two sequel storylines, Infinity Warand Infinity Crusade, and received another series of his own, Warlock and the Infinity Watchfrom 1992-1995. Infinity Watchreteamed Warlock with Gamora, as well as perennial ally Pip the Troll and future Guardians of the Galaxy Moondragon and Drax the Destroyer. After its cancellation, Warlock faded into the background of the Marvel Universe again, returning to prominence with the Annihilationand Annihilation Conqueststorylines.
The aftermath of Annihilation Conquestmade Warlock into a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, today his greatest claim to fame. Though the hero missed out on the chance to battle Thanos in the MCU’s adaptation of Infinity Gauntlet,he joined the Guardians in their third big screen outing, contributing to a massive spike in demand for his first appearance. For several years around Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Thor#165 usurped Fantastic Four#67 as Warlock’s accepted first appearance, largely owing to its status as his first “full” appearance. At the time of the film’s release, Thor#165 was the higher-priced and more in-demand of the two comics, and even Marvel Premiere#1 attracted more attention (in part due to also serving as Counter-Earth’s unequivocal debut). This has adjusted recently, and Fantastic Four#67 has regained its status as thefirst appearance of Adam Warlock. Mint condition copies like the one at Heritage are an incredible rarity, with just fifteen on the CGC’s census. Though unlikely to reach the $22.5k record attained by a 2021 sale of the issue, this auction’s finish may be in the five figure range, and will serve as a precedent-setting indication of the issue’s value for years to come.
What’s your favorite Adam Warlock storyline? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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