Warlock and the Infinity Watch #22: Review

Nov 1993

Jim Starlin, Angel Medina

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Story Name:

Siege

Review & Comments

Rating:

Warlock and the Infinity Watch #22 Review by Rob Johnson (March 4, 2023)

This is the last Infinity Crusade tie-in for this series. It parallels IC#5 following on from Warlock Chronicle #5.

We still don't know that Senator Munsen is actually Adam Warlock's persistent foe Man-Beast.

I detect an inconsistency here. Warlock gave his Soul Gem to Thanos so that in IC#4 he could transport Adam's soul into Soul World. Thanos has continued to have the Soul Gem while he watches over Adam's body, and use the Gem in other parts of their plan including transporting Adam from Soul World to Goddess' mind in WC#5. So how come Adam has the Soul Gem himself now in Goddess' mind?

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Warlock and the Infinity Watch #22 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

US Marine Captain Sylvester Hammer currently seconded to the UN is leading his troops in a 2nd attempt to take control of Monster Island. The 1st time (#14) they were routed by Gamora. This time they've got bigger firepower from SHIELD. They report back to Senator Munson that they've landed and met no opposition. Munson seems to have a personal beef with Adam Warlock. The President appointed him as Special Liaison to the UN in this matter, but now he seems to have the UN Security Council under a hypnotic spell so they allow him to do whatever he wants. And he's expecting it to lead to an escalating conflict between the UN and the Infinity Watch which is bound to end with Adam's destruction.

But Warlock and the Watch members are all away variously involved in the Infinity Crusade, so it's up to Mole Man and his minions to defend his island. And he's well prepared in his castle (that he allows the Watch to use as their base). Adam himself is currently within the mind of Goddess, his female aspect that he shed along with his evil side Magus, who is the main antagonist in the Crusade. He has reached the inner core of her psyche which he now enters.

Mole Man approaches the soldiers as if to parley. Hammer attempts to have him arrested. But the troops have predictably landed at the same beach they did last time. And when he saw them on the horizon he got 1 of his really big monsters to hide under the beach. Which now emerges like an earthquake shattering the soldiers and their equipment. They fire a big gun at it which was designed to deal with Gamora. It propels what appears to be an electrified net which only manages to cover 2 of the behemoth's fingers. The unharmed monster looks at it in puzzlement.

As his troops try to run away Hammer confronts Mole Man mano-a-mano. But the troops are overwhelmed by a horde of Moloids armed only with clubs. Hammer attempts to shoot little Mole Man but he ducks and upends the Captain with his quarterstaff and knocks the gun out of his hand. Hammer essays a judo chop but Moley gets in a strategically low kick. Hammer pulls a knife but Harvey Elder blocks the strike getting the point embedded in his pole. A blow with the staff ends the fight.

Warlock locates the Goddess' desire which appears as a closed box, cold to the touch. He knows that she intends to purge the universe of life, to abolish sin by eliminating all sinners. She has the power of multiple Cosmic Containment Units (aka Cosmic Cubes) to help her achieve her goal. Now he dives into the box of desires.

The sailors on the ship that brought the troops to the island see all the amphibious craft returning, seemingly with the whole force on board. And they can't disguise their laughter when they see them only in their underwear. On the island Mole Man and the Moloids are rejoicing in captured uniforms and brandishing captured weapons.

Adam is picking his way through the tangled darkness of Goddess' desires. He learned (in Warlock Chronicle #5) that her passion is the result of many lifetimes of his feminine side being suppressed. But his guilt in that doesn't mean he can allow her to destroy all life. He reaches her black crystalline heart (metaphorically) and tries to take control of it via his Soul Gem. It is a battle of wills which unfortunately she uses the Cosmic Cubes' power to win ...

... and Mole Man and the Moloids see the Sun go nova (as seen at the end of IC#5) and it kills them all.

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