[REVIEW] WARLOCK: REBIRTH #1

Ahead of his cinematic debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Adam meets his Biblical counterpart in Warlock: Rebirth #1.

A spiritual successor to last year’s Silver Surfer Rebirth by Ron Marz and Ron Lim, which sent readers back in time to their fan-favorite 90s run with the character, Warlock: Rebirth #1 gives a similar treatment to the titular Adam Warlock shortly following the events of that series. When Quasar —AKA Genis-Vell, son of the late Mar-Vell— crash lands on a strange planet seeking answers about his father’s legacy, he meets Gamora and Pip the Troll, two members of the so-called “Infinity Watch” tasked with ensuring the Infinity Gems remain separated and out of Thanos’s grasp. They soon catch up with the aforementioned Adam, also on this planet, but things get complicated when they’re faced with the revelation of an Eve Warlock, a distaff counterpart of Adam’s with one key purpose: to replace Adam himself. 

As is the case with these “throwback” stories set in established settings from Marvel past, Warlock: Rebirth #1 runs the risk of feeling like it doesn’t “matter” as much as something more contemporary. Marketing for this series heavily touts the debut of Eve Warlock, but if she’s never come up before until this very moment, could she really be that crucial of a figure in Adam’s past? Sometimes this forgotten lore angle is exploited in the story itself (see: The Sentry’s whole deal) but when mishandled, it could feel like a wasted effort. I’m curious to see how Eve’s role in this series progresses and what implications it could possibly have for Adam that we’ve never considered before, but it’s a tall order for sure.

At the very least, Marz and Lim turn in some quality work here, with a script that moves briskly and art that feels retro enough without coming across as dated. Having Lim on art duties particularly helps the story feel as though it was actually published in the era it’s set in, which is sometimes the risk of doing any sort of throwback project amid more modern sensibilities. (See: the most recent Alien films looking incredibly slick and high-tech despite them taking place before the original film.) I don’t know if Warlock: Rebirth #1 will turn any new readers into superfans of the character, but it’s not a bad place to start.

Warlock: Rebirth #1

3.99

6.5

Premise

6.0/10

Execution

7.0/10

Script

6.0/10

Ar

7.0/10

Credits

• Writer: Ron Marz
• Artists: Ron Lim (pencils), Don Ho (inks)
• Color Artist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
• Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
• Cover Artists: Ron Lim, Don Ho, Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Credits (cont)

• Editor: Darren Shan
• Publisher: Marvel Entertainment