A fill-in wouldn't have been unexpected here, but the plot rolls on.

When we last saw Count Abyss, we saw his origin (and Jim Starlin's last issue on the book!) as Warlock and the Infinity Watch prepared to invade his dimension and rescue the kidnapped Lady Maya. This issue, they meet some new allies, then catch a ton of beatdown, in today's book: from 1994, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #32, "Heart and Soul" Written by Richard Ashford, pencils by Patrick Olliffe, inks by Keith Williams.

Warlock and the Watch run into Darklore and Meer'lyn, whom Warlock had met in Warlock Chronicles #1, where I believe Darklore had made an attempt to swipe the Soul Gem. Which, perhaps not coincidentally, was what Abyss wanted now: although virtually omnipotent from selling his soul to the Zalkor, years without it left him empty and craving one. In the best comic book or horror movie tradition, the Watch split into pairs to attack Abyss's castle and demons, and Abyss wipes the floor with each and every one of them. Warlock is the last to go, as the Soul Gem seemingly cuts the juice on Adam, all the better to jump ship to Abyss...but the issue ends with a quote from John Paul Jones: "I have not yet begun to fight."

I didn't recognize Ashford's name, but a quick search indicated he had been an assistant editor for Marvel: he may have been pulled in in a hurry to serve as interim writer, and does a good enough job keeping the plot going. We'll get to the next issue later, which featured new writer John Arcudi, who would stay on the book until it concluded with #42, with the exception of #36.