Synopsis
Infinity Abyss (2002 series) #1 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
This issue opens with a alien (who we will later learn is named Atlez) contemplating the end of everything.
And a bleeding Adam Warlock is with Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell), Dr Strange, Gamora and Spider-Man facing impending doom. His companions still try to fight the void but he numbly welcomes it. He thinks that Thanos would understand but the Mad Titan was the 1st victim 12 hours ago. He was lured to a distant star system by a transmission that promised a prize he had long been searching for. Warlock will continue to give voiceover intros to each of the main players as we see some events from those 12 hours.
Give that special marvelite a timely gift
Adam gives us a potted history of Thanos:- His love for Death led him to seek power and menace the universe several times, culminating in his combining the Infinity Gems into the Infinity Gauntlet (in the mini-series/event of that name). But since then he has also save the universe several times. And lately he is rumoured to have retired to do research, actually a quest for something.
We see Thanos' space-ark Sanctuary approaching the above-mentioned star system as he realises there's nothing there for him. But something is teleported in and he recognises it as something he himself designed. He realises he's in a trap set by someone who knows him very well. And the device explodes into a miniature black hole which shreds his spaceship and collapses to nothing.
We also see the owner of a small supermarket suddenly sprout tentacles and then get enclosed in a white cube of nothingness. Dr Strange's astral form investigates and then returns to his Sanctum where he turns down Wong's offer of tea in order to fathom that and 2 other such incidents that he fears threaten reality.
Warlock tells us that the Master Of The Mystic Arts is dedicated to unravelling occult mysteries. He also founded the Defenders, and he and Adam have stood together several times.
Adam also relates how he himself got drawn into the situation by Pip The Troll, a self-declared scoundrel and rogue who would cheat anyone but would also go to any length to aid a friend. He tells us that Pip used to possess the Space Gem and its radiation has left him with the ability to teleport anywhere.
We see him arrive on the planet Degaitor in the Herculean Spire claiming to be psychiatrist Dr DeTroll and asking to see a patient of Dr Nilrats. 2 years ago he was brought in disorientated, uncommunicative and violent. He's was confined to a padded cell where he gave cryptic answers to questions including claiming to be fathered by 3 maniacs and that his mother was perverted science. He is of course Adam Warlock. Pip correctly guesses that he retreated into a cocoon and confirms that he was created by mad scientists. He's had an interesting life:- A martyred redeemer who later overthrew a galactic church and even later temporarily became 'god'. He's died several times and uses his cocoon to heal and re-emerge. Nilrats is starting to doubt Pip's own sanity but he shows him the cocoon ...
... and Pip teleports with it to a spacecraft lightyears away. The Troll starts to boast about how he had to fight through security guards to get the job done but the person he's talking to just grabs the lit cigar out of his mouth and crumbles it in a mighty fist. The fist's owner is (or appears to be) Thanos (but it's not his Sanctuary ship) who detects a severe psychic trauma within Warlock and says they need to contact someone to deal with that.
But meanwhile we get Adam describing the current Captain Marvel who like his father Mar-Vell has Nega-Bands which give him power and spaceflight. Also like his father he's paired with human Rick Jones. 1 inhabits Earth and the other the Microverse, but they can use the Bands to swap places.
And we see that now CM is in the real universe while Rick keeps mental contact with him from the Microverse. Genis-Vell's cosmic senses are guiding him to a spot in the asteroid belt where he finds another of the big white cubes of nothingness.
Warlock also tells us about Gamora, known as the most dangerous woman in the universe. She grew up as an orphaned ward of Thanos but when she was old enough she left him to become a galactic mercenary. Later she joined him and Pip in the Infinity Watch (after other adventures with them). She and Adam had a bond but he blew it.
So we now see her in the Baligiest spaceport looking for fun or employment. But she overhears that Thanos will be speaking to the Nihilist Sect at the Nietzsche Arena. She finds this intriguing for 2 reasons:- She thought he'd abandoned that Death-worshipping Sect that he founded. And she'd heard that he got killed battling Thor recently (Thor (1998) #25). So she decides to attend the rally. She sees an overly-armoured version of the Titan with even his face covered. Thanos makes a speech about ending all life to get rid of the chaos in the universe. But then he spots her and orders his followers to kill her. Gamora fights her way though the crowd until Thanos taps into the stadium's power grid to get energy which he fires at her. She barely makes it out of the place alive. Back in her spaceship she realises that this Thanos presents a threat to the universe. She needs to find out what's going on and she knows just where to go. (Next issue we'll learn that's Thanos' planetary homebase.)
But we return to New York where Spider-Man foils a fur robbery. Adam tells us Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and given the proportional abilities of a spider plus a spider-sense to warn him of danger. For some reason Warlock deems this unbelievable but he knows it's true because he's teamed up with the guy. Then the spider-sense tells Spidey something big's happening up north (next issue in upstate New York).
Warlock's next subject is Moondragon. Orphaned Earth-girl Heather Douglas was raised on Titan, moon of Saturn, where she developed telepathic and telekinetic abilities along with an annoying arrogance. She's been a member of the Avengers, the Defenders and the Infinity Watch.
Currently she's called on the Avengers to deal with an AIM base she's discovered. So we see her fighting alongside Captain America, Goliath, Jack Of Hearts, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Triathlon, Vision, Warbird, Wasp and Wonder Man. But a portal opens behind her and takes her away ...
... to the spaceship with Pip and Thanos. She dismisses the Troll as irrelevant but also thought Thanos dead. She also asks if this is about Quoi (son of Mantis in the Av: Celestial Quest limited series which strangely MD *wasn't* involved in), but it's the Titan's turn to dismiss an irrelevancy. He directs her to Adam's cocoon which he's been in for 2 years. He wants her to heal his trauma and resurrect him. She warns him this might not be a good idea, but Thanos insists that Warlock is somehow necessary to prevent a universal disaster. MD comments that he used to be all for universal destruction but he replies that he considers this reality belongs to *him* and he does what's necessary to protect his property. He shows her a gobbledygook scientific diagram and offers to let her examine his thoughts, but she declines that dangerous offer. He counters that a revived Warlock would make it less dangerous. Thanos leaves to attend to other matters. Moondragon and Pip discuss whether to trust Thanos who's purposes and allegiance are very variable. But the Troll persuades MD that having Adam on their side would be a good idea.
Thanos was listening and congratulates himself on involving Pip. Then he goes to another part of the ship and greets his 'brothers' as he shapeshifts down to a smaller version with a *very* large brain (think the Leader dressed as Thanos, but not green). He tells them their plan is proceeding. An ape-like Thanos refers to him as X and says Omega will be pleased but says he'll kill Moondragon if she causes a problem. X calls him Warrior and promises he'll get to kill someone soon. Then he asks Mystic if he can yet predict what the new Adam Warlock will be like. This Thanos sitting in lotus position has been studying Adam's previous iterations but his magic can't work anything out. The Thanos that Gamora saw, who they call Armour, appears on a screen to warn them about her. Warrior wants to hunt her down and kill her but X tells him to trust the plan and they'll achieve the oblivion of Doomsday.
We end with Atlez from the beginning commenting that if he has failed then the universe will pay dearly.
Give that special marvelite a timely gift
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Triathlon (
Delroy Garrett Jr.), Warbird (
Carol Danvers).