Issue(s): Warlock Chronicles #2
Cover Date: Aug 93
Title:
Credits:
Jim Starlin - Writer
Tom Raney - Penciler
Keith Williams - Inker
Craig Anderson - Editor

Review/plot:
Warlock has been floating through ruptured reality since the end of last issue. He's observed by Master Order and Lord Chaos, who comment on his special nature of being outside of the dictates of fate.

While floating around, Warlock thinks about the judgement made against him by the Living Tribunal, and we see a flashback to just after that period, when Eternity approached Warlock. Eternity was concerned about who Warlock intended to give the Reality Gem to. With Reality now torn up, Warlock worries that he made the wrong choice after all (although not necessarily for the reasons Eternity was concerned). And then Warlock enters the main area of disruption.

But Warlock makes it through, restoring reality in the process.

And then he is met by the guardian of the Reality Gem, who turns out to be Thanos.

Warlock admits that the being that attacked Thanos is his "feminine, supposedly good side". They agree that she's as dangerous as the Magus and that they'll team-up to deal with her. Thanos has some armaments and intelligence to gather, and Warlock wants to gather the rest of the Infinity Watch, so they temporarily part ways. But when Warlock returns to Monster Island he finds that everyone is gone.

It's still not really clear to me what the Goddess' purpose was in attacking Thanos. I'm still assuming that she didn't take the Reality Gem, since no one says otherwise. I guess Thanos wasn't able to use the Gem to restore reality, although Warlock seems to have been able to do so. I'm assuming that it's the Reality Gem that we see him grabbing at the end of his trip there. Does he give it back to Thanos? Is the Goddess at all thwarted by the restoration of reality?

I said at the start of this crossover that the Warlock tie-ins are more "core" to the story than the others, and the revelation that Thanos is the guardian of the Reality Gem is a pretty important reveal. But a lot of this issue is just a bunch of trippy splash panels, and i, at least, could have used more clarity on what exactly was going on with this aspect of the story. I also think it's funny that the cover of this issue touts that it is "featuring" Lord Chaos and Master Order like they're Wolverine and the Punisher. Especially since they're not even the focus of the issue; they're just observers. For that matter, would Lord Chaos be all that upset about the crumbling of reality? I don't know; there are times when i could use a bit more of Mark Gruenwald's literalism when it comes to these cosmic concepts.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - revelation that Thanos holds the Reality Gem

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place after Infinity Crusade #2 (which showed Warlock flying through Reality, as he is at the beginning of this issue). The Mole Man and the heroes listed below only appear on Thanos' monitor screens. Mole Man will approach Warlock at Monster Island in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #19, so that follows from this more or less directly.

References:

• Master Order and Lord Chaos reference Adam Warlock acting as their champion "years ago", a reference to the events circa Warlock #9.
  
• The Living Tribunal determined that Adam Warlock had to give up the Infinity Gauntlet in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1.

Crossover: Infinity Crusade

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A