Marvel Premiere #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Premiere #2 is the issue in which the character formerly known only as 'Him' — rechristened 'Warlock' in the preceding issue — receives the first name 'Adam' from a teenage girl named Ellie Roberts upon his arrival on Counter-Earth, completing the identity that would define one of Marvel's most philosophically ambitious Bronze Age heroes. That naming moment, coupled with his first planet-side confrontation with Man-Beast's forces, anchors the messianic allegory Roy Thomas was consciously building, influenced by the 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The two-issue tryout arc in Marvel Premiere proved commercially viable enough to launch Adam Warlock into his own ongoing series immediately afterward, establishing the character's cosmic-savior template that Jim Starlin would later expand into the Infinity Gauntlet saga. As the concluding chapter of that tryout, this issue is the essential second half of Adam Warlock's origin as a named, mission-driven hero.
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The issue was written by Roy Thomas and penciled by Gil Kane (sometimes credited under his pen name Eli Katz), with interior inks by Dan Adkins and cover inks by Joe Sinnott; Stan Lee served as editor. It was released on newsstands February 29, 1972, carrying a May 1972 cover date, and was part of Marvel Premiere, a tryout anthology Stan Lee had proposed after moving from editor-in-chief to publisher, designed to gauge reader interest in characters before committing to a full series. Thomas has stated publicly that his inspiration for Warlock's messianic arc came from his admiration for the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar, and he consciously structured the Counter-Earth storyline as a superhero retelling of a Christ-like redemption narrative. The back pages of the issue carry a four-page Kirby reprint from Yellow Claw #2 (1956), updated by retouching the FBI agent's superior to become Nick Fury and replacing FBI references with S.H.I.E.L.D., tying the filler material into the contemporary Marvel universe.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title of main story: 'The Hounds of Helios!' — written by Roy Thomas, penciled by Gil Kane (also credited as Eli Katz), inked by Dan Adkins, lettered by Herb Cooper; cover penciled by Gil Kane with inks by Joe Sinnott.
- First appearance of Adam Warlock under that full name: the first name 'Adam' is bestowed by teenager Ellie Roberts after Warlock lands amnesiac on Counter-Earth — his previous appearance in Marvel Premiere #1 established only the surname 'Warlock.'
- First full appearances of supporting cast members David Carter, Jason Grey, and Ellie Roberts — the group of teenage runaways who become Warlock's earthly 'disciples' on Counter-Earth.
- First appearances of villain Rhodan (an evolved rat aligned with Man-Beast) and the Hounds of Helios, both of whom are defeated in this issue.
- Counter-Earth versions of Bruce Banner, Reed Richards, and Victor Von Doom are indexed as appearing in the issue, establishing that the High Evolutionary's created planet has analogs of major Marvel characters.
- Four-page backup story is a reprint of a Jack Kirby-drawn tale from Yellow Claw #2 (1956), retrofitted to feature S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo and Nick Fury in place of the original FBI framing.
- The main story continues directly into Warlock #1 (August 1972), confirming that the two-issue Marvel Premiere tryout successfully launched Adam Warlock's own ongoing bimonthly title.
- The issue's main story has been reprinted in Essential Warlock Vol. 1 (2007), and the Adam Warlock Omnibus (2022), as well as in various international editions including Marvel UK's Future Tense (1980) and Panini's Spanish and French collections.
Cast · 6 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Yellow Claw #2 (1956)
Reprinted in Etranges Aventures #36 (1974), Planet of the Apes #31 (1975), Planet of the Apes #32 (1975), Future Tense #6 (1980), Future Tense #7 (1980), Future Tense #8 (1980), Essential Warlock #1 (2012), Marvel Gold. Warlock: La Saga de la Contratierra #[nn] (2012), Marvel Classic #11 (2013), Marvel Masterworks: Warlock #1 (2014), Adam Warlock Omnibus #[nn] (2022), Adam Warlock Omnibus #[nn] (2023)
Key issues in Marvel Premiere
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