Issue(s): Warlock and the Infinity Watch #2
Cover Date: Mar 92
Title: "Gathering the Watch!"
Credits:
Jim Starlin - Writer
Angel Medina - Penciler
Terry Austin - Inker
Craig Anderson - Editor

Review/plot:
As i noted in last issue's entry, last issue was as much an epilogue to Infinity Gauntlet as the start of a new series. That's why we have the slightly unorthodox situation of the 'gathering of the team' story happening in the second issue instead of the first.

Warlock starts with Moondragon, who is floating in space after an encounter with the Badoon.

I kind of think of Moondragon as a Starlin character, even though she wasn't created by him and had more appearances written by others even while Starlin was at Marvel in the 70s. Moondragon, unsurprisingly, gets the Mind Gem, and Warlock keeps the Soul Gem for himself. The rest of the characters that get Infinity Gems are all Starlin creations.

Pip the Troll gets the Space Gem (Moondragon says Warlock is "Crazy like a fox" for giving Pip the gem because he's not smart enough to use it for anything dangerous).

Drax the Destroyer gets the Power Gem.

(The question of where Pip keeps his gem will be a running gag in the series.)

Gamora gets the Time Gem.

As for the final Gem, the Reality Gem, Warlock won't say who he gave it to. Dr. Strange is one guess (but it's not him; it's ok to spoil the Reality Gem holder in the comments if it comes up, but i won't do it here yet).

And that's basically the issue, with Warlock immediately departing from the group because, he says, he's in dire need of solitude. So, so far at least, this isn't your typical super-hero team. It's a group of, as it's said at one time, "foul-ups", and it's kind of fitting that their leader kind of strands them on a planet at the end of the issue (we'll see Gamora having to bum a ride from Moondragon at the start of next issue).

This is a good build up for the series. And there's a lot of acknowledgement of character's histories and characterization mixed in with some humor. This is, effectively, another issue of people standing around talking, but as with last issue it's still compelling.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - formation of the Infinity Watch

Chronological Placement Considerations: Really more of an FYI than a consideration: Starfox is seen when Drax is recruited by Warlock on Titan.

References:

• Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon's father, is brain damaged because Moondragon killed him with a mental blast in Avengers #219-220 (no footnote).

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The more this series tied in with the Infinity crossovers, the more I loved it. It was just a fun, kooky series. It reminded me of the post Legends JLA.

You'd think that a character being being confronted with her father, who has braindamage because of her, would be played in the grimmest, angstiest way possible, rather than as a funny moment.

I remember the question of "who had the Reality Gem" being the subject of many a playground argument at my school. I don't think any of us guessed who it was.

The only memory I have of this series is that it was expensive. I think it was on nicer paper stock than normal or something?

It was a direct market only $1.75 book, equivalent to Deathlok and Punisher War Journal and Alpha Flight and several others, but more expensive than the regular newstand books that were $1.25. I think it is slightly thicket paper, but at this point the direct market books were not much different than the regular books (in the beginning the direct market books had extra features, like pin-ups and inside covers).

About "whether Moondragon belongs to Starlin"...well, I probably would say "sort of". I think its weird that she literally showed up in the comic before he starts his Thanos run (she was in IM 54, the first Thanos arc started in 55) and somehow he just had ideas and ran with them...if not then she'd be stuck as "Madame MacEvil" forever.

Wikipedia says Moondragon was created by Bill Everett, Mike Friedrich, George Tuska, and Jim Starlin. I seem to recall reading somewhere that her origin story in Daredevil was written and drawn before her appearance in Iron Man, even if it was published later. So I've always considered her a Starlin character.

To be fair, Arthur Douglas was dead long before Moondragon killed Drax. I believe it's Captain Marvel (v.1) #28 where we see the flashback of Thanos killing Mom and Pop Douglas simply because they witnessed his landing on Earth. And then Mentor/A'Lars finds little Heather stumbling out of the wreck and takes her to Titan, and later creates Drax out of the soil (no organs, so he can't be killed again) and gives him something of Arthur's soul, albeit we never really see Drax in much more than "Crush Thanos!" mode, that I recall.

The brain damage is entirely on Heather's tab, it's true, though.

If I may quote commenter AF quoting Steve Engleheart from the entry of Moon Dragon's first appearance (http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/iron_man_54.shtml)

Hey, just thought I'd dump this here, Englehart on the creation of Moondragon (from Marvel Classic Figurine Collection #157):

"I'm pretty sure Moondragon was Starlin's character. She may have been introduced by Mike Friedrich but I believe that was Friedrich working with Starlin [they worked together on the following issue]. I'm pretty sure that anytime Moondragon showed up Starlin was kind of a driving force, I always think of Moondragon as being Starlin's character. I know that her name was Jim's idea; he was dating a girl called Heather at the time."