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Warlock and the Infinity Watch #11

Dec 1992
Jim Starlin, Steve Carr

Warlock and the Infinity Watch #11 cover

Story Name:

The appeal


Synopsis

Warlock and the Infinity Watch #11 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4 stars
After the end of the Infinity War event Eternity has an audience with the Living Tribunal. After the Infinity Gauntlet event the Tribunal (in our #1) ordered Adam Warlock to give up all of the Infinity Gems except his Soul Gem. Eternity now tells LT that Warlock has chosen unsuitable recipients for the other 5 Gems and he suggests that they should be taken from the Infinity Watch and given to himself (just as the Tribunal expected). But the LT asks for evidence of this unsuitability. So Eternity relates the members' life stories.

Gamora has the Time Gem. She was of the Zen Whoberi race who were slaughtered by the Badoon. Only the little girl survived, saved by Thanos. He had her trained in martial arts and her body augmented (as we learned in #9) into the 'most dangerous woman in the universe'. Eternity complains that apart from her warrior abilities she has no scientific or mystical skills, and doesn't even know how to *use* the Time Gem. LT points out she no longer serves Thanos and she has the skills necessary to *protect* the Gem. And the Gem is safer with someone who can't use it.

LT tells Et to move on to the next protector. Pip has the Space Gem. He's equally lacking in knowledge and doesn't have *any* fighting ability. He used to be Prince Gofern of Laxidazia whose only talent was painting black and white starscapes. 1 day he went carousing with some decadent Trolls and learned to his cost that doing that turns you into a Troll. (This was related in Warlock #12.) Pip The Troll somehow became an ally of Warlock and Gamora against the Magus (starting from Strange Tales #179). Later he annoyed Thanos who turned him into a mindless husk (Avengers Annual #7). But Adam saved his soul and the trio lived for years in Soul World within the Soul Gem. Thanos also died (Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2) but was later returned to life by Death (Silver Surfer #34), and then Warlock resurrected the trio to oppose him (Infinity Gauntlet #1). Eternity has to admit that Pip can only use the Space Gem for simple teleportation, but the Tribunal says that's enough for him to keep the Gem out of more dangerous hands.

Eternity now tells the story of Drax (Power Gem) and Moondragon (Mind Gem) combined. Arthur and Yvette Douglas and their young daughter Heather were driving home from a Las Vegas vacation through the Mojave Desert when Thanos' spacecraft blasted their car in case they witnessed anything. Heather was the only survivor but Mentor, father of Thanos, took her to Titan where she was trained in telepathy by Kaluba monks. As she matured she surpassed her masters and gained a superiority complex. As Moondragon she returned to Earth where she initially fought Iron Man (in his #54), but soon joined Captain Marvel and the Avengers in opposing Thanos (in the Thanos War epic).

Kronos, the god of Titan, took Arthur Douglas' soul to animate a being he created from earth. Drax The Destroyer's only purpose in life was to kill Thanos. He too met IM and joined in the CM/Av battle against Thanos who had used the Cosmic Cube to become a god (in the Thanos War). But it was Adam Warlock in a later conflict who ended Thanos' life (MTIO An#2).

Moondragon became an Avenger (#133-151) but her pride led her to leave them and journey to the stars. She mentally enslaved the alien Ba-Bani for their own good, but Drax and the Avengers tried to stop her and it ended when Heather mentally killed her own father (Av#219-220). After a term of imprisonment (in Asgard) she joined the Defenders (#123-152). When Thanos was 'reborn' Kronos reanimated Drax, but because of the way Moondragon killed him he's now mentally impaired.

The Living Tribunal still maintains that the pair are clever or strong enough to guard their Gems. Eternity counters that all 4 got captured by the Man-Beast (#3-6), but LT points out they were rescued by Warlock. Eternity falls back on claiming that the guardian of the Reality Gem (whose identity we still don't know) is the worst choice of all, and here the Tribunal is forced to agree. However Warlock was omnipotent when he made the choices so they deserve respect. And none can deny that he can keep it secure from almost anyone. But Eternity asks if he can be trusted, and senses victory when LT replies that he doesn't know if *any* of the Watch can be.

However the Tribunal then questions Eternity's motives. When the Infinity Gems were combined in the Infinity Gauntlet, wielded by Thanos and then by Warlock, Eternity's supreme status was challenged. But when LT decreed that they must not be held by a single being that threat faded. So the Tribunal now suspects that Eternity desires the Gems himself, and Et admits it. So LT rules against him.

The hearing concludes with some advice from the Tribunal. Eternity was used to omnipotence and omniscience, but now the 6 Gem bearers are outside his control and knowledge and are a source of unpredictability. This is a spice that he should learn to savour.


 

Review / Commentaries


Warlock and the Infinity Watch #11 Review by (January 29, 2022)
Deryl Skelton helped Steve Carr with the pencilling. They also pencilled the cover as Kirkowood Studios.

In Gamora's origin in Warlock #10 we were told that the Zen Whoberis were originally killed by Magus' Universal Church Of Truth. But when Magus and the Church were wiped from the timeline in W#11 history was rewritten so that it was the Badoon wot dun it, as revealed in our #9.

The origin of Drax and Moondragon was revealed piecemeal by Jim Starlin. Kronos creating Drax was described in Thanos' 1st app in Iron Man #55. Moondragon's (slightly different) origin was laid out in Daredevil #105. Drax's previous life as Arthur Douglas was explained in Captain Marvel #32. Here Drax learned that Moondragon was his daughter, but she didn't know. I'm not sure when Moondragon learned the truth. But the reborn Drax has forgotten it.

The Titanian monks are here referred to as the Kaluba sect, a name which I don't think is used anywhere else. In DD#105 they were called Shao-Lom monks. It was later a major plot-point of the Celestial Madonna saga (which Starlin had nothing to do with) in Avengers that the monks were a branch of the Kree Priests Of Pama.

Moondragon 1st appeared as a villain Madame MacEvil in IM#54, the issue before Starlin introduced his Thanos mythos. She continued with that name in DD#103 until Starlin wrote her origin section of #105. Starlin realigns those early apps here by saying that her clash with Iron Man caused her to be mistakenly labelled a villain (rather as happened to Hawkeye in *his* 1st app). And in DD#105 he said that the name Madame MacEvil was given her by her computer!

This issue follows immediately after Infinity War (#6 for most, #5 for Living Tribunal). LT now wanders off for apps in Quasar staring with #50. Eternity will be back here for #14. The Watch will make several apps before next issue:-

Pip will have his own backup tale in Silver Surfer Annual #5 where he uses the Space Gem to impress a female by taking her to see some of SS's recent foes, but the last 1 Thanos grabs him.
Thanos cameos in Quasar #42 sending Blue Marvel to stop Eon resurrecting Q (after being wiped out by the Ultimate Nullifier in the IW event).
In a tale in Marvel Holiday 1992 Thanos is reopening his old bases and remembers a Christmas with young Gamora. It ends of course with him effectively saying "Bah! Humbug!".
Pip has another solo tale in Marvel Comics Presents #112 where he defends his picnic from a Monster Island monster. Gamora cameos too.
Drax, Moondragon and Warlock go straight to next issue. Thanos won't be back until Warlock Chronicles #2 and our #19, both within Infinity Crusade.



> Warlock and the Infinity Watch comic book info and issue index

Elektra

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(The Boy Wonder)

Steve Carr
Bob Almond
Ian Laughlin
Steve Carr (Cover Penciler)
Bob Almond (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Ken Lopez.
Editor: Craig Anderson. Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Drax
Drax

(Arthur Sampson Douglas)
Moondragon
Moondragon

(Heather Douglas)

Plus: Living Tribunal.

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