Strange Tales #180
Strange Tales #180 is the debut of Gamora — the green-skinned assassin raised by Thanos who would eventually become a founding member of the modern Guardians of the Galaxy and a major figure in Marvel's cinematic universe. The issue also advances Jim Starlin's sprawling Magus saga by confirming to Warlock that his enemy is his own corrupted future self, a piece of cosmic mythology that seeded everything from the Infinity Gauntlet forward. As the third chapter of Starlin's nearly uninterrupted run as sole writer-artist-colorist on the revived Strange Tales Warlock feature, it demonstrated how completely a single creator could stamp a corporate-owned anthology with a personal, philosophically ambitious voice. Together with the surrounding issues, it established Marvel's Bronze Age cosmic landscape in ways that storytellers are still drawing on today.
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Jim Starlin wrote, penciled, inked, and colored the 19-page story titled 'The Judgment!' — his third consecutive issue functioning as the complete creative unit on the Warlock feature — with Len Wein editing and Tom Orzechowski lettering. Starlin's friend and colleague Alan Weiss stepped in to embellish a handful of pages, and in a characteristically playful move Starlin disguised his own writing, inking, and coloring credits under three different anagrams of his name. The issue shipped on June 10, 1975, carrying a 25-cent cover price as part of the anthology series whose indicia at the time read 'Strange Tales Featuring Warlock.'
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Gamora (unnamed in this issue; identified by name in Strange Tales #181), created by writer-artist Jim Starlin.
- Gamora was designed as Thanos's adopted daughter and secret weapon, raised to assassinate the Magus — who is revealed in this same issue to be Adam Warlock's own evil future self.
- Second appearance of Pip the Troll (his debut was Strange Tales #179) and third appearance of the Magus (who appears only in recap/flashback here, not in person).
- First and only appearance of Kray-Tor, Grand Inquisitor of the Universal Church of Truth, who presides over the kangaroo trial of Adam Warlock and dies in the same issue when Warlock uses the Soul Gem against him.
- This issue introduces Adam Warlock's redesigned costume — a high-collared cape replacing the lightning-bolt chest symbol — with an in-story caption attributing the change to a need for 'anonymity.'
- Starlin humorously credited his writing, inking, and coloring roles under three separate anagrams of his own name (Sam Jiltirn, J. L. Minirats, Ms. Natjiril).
- The story has been reprinted numerous times, including in Warlock Special Edition #1–2 (1982–83), Warlock by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection (2014), Gamora: Guardian of the Galaxy (2016), and the Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic Omnibus (2015), among others.
- Gamora, introduced here as a background figure sizing up Warlock's chances against the Magus, went on to be portrayed by Zoe Saldaña across multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe films beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).