Issue(s): Warlock and the Infinity Watch #19
Cover Date: Aug 93
Title: "True believers"
Credits:
Jim Starlin - Writer
Tom Grindberg - Penciler
Keith Williams - Inker
Lynaire Brust - Assistant Editor
Craig Anderson - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue stars with some clowning around, with heroes trying to wash Pip and his costume.

It's fun, but it does add to the impression that the tie-ins for Infintiy Crusade are pretty inconsequential. We have a major end-of-the-universe type threat, but pages are being spent with silly stuff like this. On the other hand, if not for the end-of-the-universe threat, all these heroes wouldn't be gathered for Pip to interact with.

We also continue to see Maxam remembering random things, and eventually the heroes start to wonder if he might be an android. But they test him and confirm otherwise.

When Maxam first appeared i noted some superficial similarities between his and Thanos' costumes, but Thanos, observing the heroes, says that he thinks Maxam deserves later consideration, which would seem to quash any idea of connecting them.

For now, Thanos is busy trying to figure out why the Goddess would take the Cosmic Containment Units after the Magus chose not to use them directly. He then beams up into a giant spaceship.

We get a quick glimpse of Galactus telling Morg that he senses something is wrong in the universe, and we also see some Celestials aware of something "unsettling" that eludes them (per narration panels, since Celestials don't talk). The one entity that does seem to guess the Goddess' plan is Death, and she likes it.

We also check in with the Goddess' recruits. We see that Moondragon brain-blasts anyone that starts to doubt the Goddess' benevolence (Gamora in this case), which puts them back in their worshipful state. And the Silver Surfer learns that the Goddess' effect extends at least as far as Titan, where Mentor and Starfox are catatonic. But the Surfer is under the Goddess' thrall (so far), so nothing comes of that.

Also in this issue we see the Mole Man lodging a complaint that Mr. Fantastic was recently on his Monster Island.

Overall, not a lot going on. But the issue does allow for more of a deeper dive on the character interactions that are sorely missing from the main series, mostly for the sake of humor. So i enjoy it on that level, but i'd rather have this stuff integrated into the core series.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Continues more or less directly from Warlock Chronicles #2 for Adam Warlock and the Mole Man.

References:

• Mole Man also complains about the holes left in the walls by the attack of the shadow creatures from Warlock and the Infinity Watch #16.
  
• It's said that when the Vision first appeared in Avengers #57, he had memory gaps. That's why the heroes think Maxam might be an android.
  
• The Goddess took the Cosmic Containment Units in Infinity War #6.

Crossover: Infinity Crusade

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A