Home Columns Classic Comic Compendium Classic Comic Compendium: STRANGE TALES #178-181 setup years of Marvel cosmic stories

Classic Comic Compendium: STRANGE TALES #178-181 setup years of Marvel cosmic stories

The foundation for the Infinity Gems saga starts here.

d. emerson eddy

01/05/2026 11:00 am

Jim Starlin is one of my favourite comics creators.

My first exposure to his work was probably Dreadstar (and buying back issues of Epic Illustrated when I finally had a dedicated comics shop), but I’d quickly gravitate towards his writing for Batman and Cosmic Odyssey, and then really became attached to his work as he continued to weave his ongoing tapestry across Marvel’s cosmic characters in Silver Surfer up to the The Infinity Gauntlet.

Only at the time of The Infinity Gauntlet, I didn’t know that he’d actually started that tale almost two decades earlier. Not even counting Thanos’ first appearance in Iron Man #55, but with Captain Marvel and then with Warlock. It was reprints of the latter in the early ’90s after The Infinity Gauntlet that made me realize the even broader scope of Starlin’s story. And reinforced one of the interesting storytelling quirks of ongoing serialized fiction in a shared universe; that a huge story can be told through tiny pieces over decades.

“Yes, I’ll speak! I’ll speak of hell!”

Strange Tales #178-181 by Starlin, Alan Weiss, Al Milgrom, Glynis Oliver Wein, Anette Kawecki, and Tom Orzechowski is the beginning of the second main prequel phase to what would eventually be the Infinity Gauntlet saga. Although calling it a prequel kind of feels like it doesn’t do justice to the story itself. One of Adam Warlock’s self-discovery, the foundation of a major new antagonist, and the introduction of a number of characters that have become fan-favourites over the decades.

The story is exposition heavy. Not only diving in to all of Warlock’s backstory before his appearances in Strange Tales, but also recapping the previous segments of those issues for the new readers every (other) month. Yet, this is one of the things that I love about Starlin’s storytelling. He works that exposition in to the new segments in interesting ways (like an outright visible narrator) and he takes some captivating approaches to his layouts in doing so. From the presentation of the grids to more unique burst layouts. There’s always a feel of deliberate pacing in how he designs his pages.

Plus the characters, their designs, Warlock’s arc, and the introduction of new folks like the Magus, Gamora, and the Matriarch. Each chapter largely unfolding its own self-contained story, filling in a progression towards the ultimate revelation of the Magus. Very fun sci-fi stuff more than usual superheroics.

With the overall production further fleshed out with Alan Weiss and Al Milgrom stepping in to ink on the last two chapters leading into the resurrection of the Warlock book. Glynis Oliver Wein taking on colours for an issue, while most of the arc was done by Starlin himself. The colours too doing some heavy lifting differentiating between time periods, types of narration, and a trippy sequence that was kind of in Warlock’s own head. And a whole lot of narration boxes, dialogue, and unique balloons from the lettering first from Annette Kawecki for the first issue and then Tom Orzechowski for the rest.

“…and I am Adam Warlock–a seeker of light–an enemy of darkness, but chiefly…a destroyer of false gods…”

Strange Tales #178-181 by Starlin, Weiss, Milgrom, Oliver Wein, Kawecki, and Orzechowski fed back in to a revival of the Warlock series, picking up again with #9. As the anthology series introduced the Magus, Pip the Troll & Gamora, and set up Adam Warlock’s battle with the Soul Gem, it began to incorporate more from Starlin’s Captain Marvel run, bringing in Thanos, and setting up the foundation for what would eventually be the Infinity Gems story. Bringing all of those pieces together, little by little, over the course of years is still incredible to see. Especially when you think of what it would then become.