Issue(s): Warlock and the Infinity Watch #8
Cover Date: Sep 92
Title: "Interlude"
Credits:
Jim Starlin - Writer
Tom Raney - Penciler
Keith Williams - Inker
John Lewandowski - Assistant Editor
Craig Anderson - Editor

Review/plot:
As the title notes, this is an interlude while the Infinity Watch take a rest as Thanos recalibrates his traveling chair after the group has located Magus' relay junction.

Drax alarms Moondragon by noting that their current surroundings remind him of the Nevada desert (where Drax, when he was Moondragon's mortal father, was killed by Thanos). Pip then comments that it's odd that Drax is willing to work alongside Thanos (Drax was created to destroy him), and Warlock suggests that he may have had something to do with that when he was holding the Infinity Gauntlet.

The group then spread out to rest. Gamora has a vision of Warlock crucified on a cross-like object, and when she cries out Pip wonders if she "got a bad batch or something". Thanos then has an interesting interaction with Moondragon.

We also check in on Magus and the Thanos doppelganger, and we get confirmation that the doppelganger has all of Thanos' ambitions and plans to betray Magus if he gets the chance. Meanwhile, we see that Gamora's vision was thanks to her Time gem.

Warlock walks off to "handle it", and Gamora and Thanos get into a fight to pass the time.

Drax tries to join in, but Gamora hits him, dislocating his jaw and telling him to butt out. Warlock returns to tell Drax that this is a family dispute. Meanwhile, Gamora hits Thanos with a nerve blow, seemingly paralyzing him, but Gamora knows that he's faking.

After that, it's all compliments.

And there are a few more conversations, but that's basically it until it's all interrupted by the arrival of Earth's heroes. I love these kinds of issues. Starlin has a good handle on (of course) his characters, and his dialogue has the right amount of humor and character. And there's some nice art from Tom Raney; he makes Gamora look pretty badass during her fight with Thanos.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: For some reason this is not tagged as an Infinity War tie-in. I suppose that's because while it clearly takes place during Infinity War, it's not directly related to that story. Still, we've had tie-ins with less connection to the core series. In any event, this takes place during Infinity War #3, basically right after Thanos' Marvel Comics Presents story. The issue ends with all of the Earth heroes showing up, same as the end of Infinity War #3.

References:

• Pip asks Adam to confirm that the Infinity Well was correct in Infinity War #2 when it said that Magus was once a part of Warlock.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Starlin also includes a scene where Pip asks Warlock how he can have no good or evil in him and Warlock replies that a man is made of many qualities other than good or evil. Which is true, but it still doesn't seem to make sense that Warlock can do good deeds without selfish motivation without actually being good himself.

It's worth noting that Gamora freezes Thanos in the same position he had when originally died in the 1970s, when he became a statue on Titan. That must've been intentional on Starlin's or Raney's part.

@Michael: I always wondered the same? Shouldn't he act more akin to someone like Galactus? Is his "good" behavior without a good side mentioned or discussed somewhere?