Random Happenstance

I do enjoy how the quarter bin can still surprise me: even though we've seen other issues from this series, I hadn't seen this one! Even the cover didn't ring any bells. From 1995, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #37, "Body..." Written by John Arcudi, pencils by Patrick Olliffe, inks by Keith Williams.

On a distant alien planet, Harkort, a young boy with an unfortunate name (that's fun to yell!) is scolded by his mother, for goofing off with an unusual staff he had found...found next to a body; that of Firelord! Who looks appropriately sad, with his fire out. Meanwhile, back on earth, it had been, what, four issues now since Warlock defeated Count Abyss but lost his potion-caused love Maya, and Warlock was still moping? He had enough willpower, to keep from torturing himself by using the Orb of Eternity to see what Maya was up to; but then at first doubts he's really seeing the appearance of Firelord's soul, who had followed his murderer to earth.

The rest of the Watch is not particularly sensitive or supportive of Warlock in his troubled time--Maxam accuses Gamora of still being hung up on him, but Adam doesn't appear to return her attention, as he has Pip teleport them all--to Pittsburgh? (Having a weird Mandela effect/flash of senility here, because I think I usually spell it wrong, with no 'h' at the end!) In a tough bar, an out-of-place looking man is buying the beer, and acts like he has no idea when Warlock accuses him of murder. The toughs, to their credit, ask if the guy murdered a woman or a kid or something; Warlock, completely missing the point, says no, he killed a brave and mighty warrior. Which clears the way for a brawl...a remarkably ill-advised brawl. Gamora could easily beat up everyone in the building, up to and including her teammates; but both Drax and Maxam were Hulk-sized characters and nobody should be in a rush to punch it up with them.

A subplot continues, as within the Soul Gem, Kray-Tor had been traumatized back in the Count Abyss storyline, and may have been plotting to leave the peaceful world within the Gem. On the alien planet, the locals had decided Firelord must have been some kind of king, and begin preparing his funeral as such. (I'm betting cremation, to re-ignite him!) And the bad guy reveals himself, after trying to befriend and beguile Drax: it's Zakaius! Who announces himself like his name should mean something to us, but this was his first appearance! It's a traditional mystic-style look, very un-90's: no pouches or straps or anything. The fight, and the issue, end as a gas tanker explodes: the driver had the sense to hightail it when he saw the fight headed towards him. 

Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting Firelord to be dead (or, 'dead') right out of the gate here. It took a long time for this to occur to me, but did Firelord even know Warlock? Have we ever seen them together? Because that makes it weird that Firelord would go to him all "Avenge me to Warlock. Unless it wasn't personal, and Firelord just came to him based on the Infinity Gems and/or Warlock's general rep of cosmic busybody.