Beginning...a look back at Marvel's Greatest Covers by Gil Kane! Let's start with my one of my favorite cosmic characters, Adam Warlock.
Marvel Premiere #1 (1972) was the first solo outing for Warlock--not only that, but it was the first time he had an actual name! Created by Kirby and Lee in Fantastic Four #66, Warlock was previous known as Him. Since The Power of HIM didn't seem like a good title for a comic, Roy Thomas re-christened the character as Adam Warlock. Tomorrow's Hero--Today!
The cover to Marvel Premiere #1 was irresistible, Warlock's new costume is really nifty and you get all tingly looking at the energy swarming around him. Plus, he's got a suntan that makes George Hamilton envious! Hulk and Thor on the cover made this a must have issue. Too bad they only appeared in flashbacks--and those were recaps of stories previously published!
The cover to Marvel Premiere was pretty cool as well. I always admired how Kane depicted super-humans in flight. The character named "Rhodan" has to be a Thomas nod to the series of novels featuring Perry Rhodan.
Power of Warlock #2 was actually the first comic I bought featuring the character. The word balloons indicate Warlock has killed hordes of humans--how could any well adjusted kid resist that?
Thomas and Kane collaborated on Marvel Premiere #1-2, which led into the Power of Warlock series. Thomas left POW #3, but Kane continued on as artist for a few issues. Kane would produce most of the covers for the short life (eight issues) of this series. Nuff said.
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