The Brewer Report: Pip The Troll

What the Hela?

Pip returns in an X-book?!

By Byron Brewer

Wolverine meets Snow White: that is how one letter writer to a Marvel letters page once described the incredible Jim Starlin creation, Pip the Troll. I always thought a little Howard the Duck was thrown in too!

Now we understand Warlock’s best bud has been serving as jester, as it were, for the Norse Goddess of Guile, Hela herself. Catching up with the purple Pip was a blast this week in X-Factor, and more seems to be on the way from the great Peter David. I cannot wait!

For the uninitiated among the X-crowd who may also have just climbed aboard the Marvel Cosmic bandwagon: Pip was once Prince Gofern of the planet Laxidazia, in the Dolenz System of our own Milky Way Galaxy. He originally just enjoyed painting pictures of the night sky. Pip became physically and psychologically mutated into a morally degenerate, stunted, satyr-like form known as a "troll" during a bout of drunkenness brought on by a mutagenic hallucinogenic ale. Like all Laxidazian trolls, Pip has four digits (including opposable thumb) on each hand, hooflike feet and large pointed ears; apparently normal Laxidazians are nearly identical to Earth humans. After his transformation, his people, also sick of his lewd, lecherous and hedonistic behavior, strip him of his office and rank. He stows away on a spaceship and continues his life of debauchery. Pip began his habit of dressing in a pair of maroon, ripped pants and nothing else.

Missionaries from the Universal Church of Truth visit Pip's home planet and discover the trolls are resistant to the church's conversion process. As a result, all trolls are ordered to be killed. Pip himself is caught after making trouble on dozens of planets, many controlled by the church. He ends up on a ship full of men and women who were to be executed. There he meets Adam Warlock, whose alternate future self the Magus would become the leader of the Church of Truth. Pip teamed up with Warlock to escape and go on adventures. Pip then meets the green-skinned Gamora. Pip meets Thanos, and alongside Warlock, Gamora and the mad Titan, he battles the Magus and the Universal Church. Pip revealed how he was transformed into a troll and encounters Starfox and Heater Delight, and battles Pro-Boscis the Procurer. Eventually the threat of the Magus was neutralized and Pip parted company with Adam on the world of Sirus X.

After getting into much more trouble, Pip decided to look for Adam again. Pip explored one of Thanos’ old hideouts and discovered not Adam but Thanos himself. Thanos destroyed Pip's mind, but Adam was able to absorb Pip's soul into the Soul Gem (killing his mindless body but restoring full mental function to his soul), reuniting him with the spirits of Gamora and eventually Adam himself in Soulworld.

Pip resided in Soulworld for some time. While there, he accompanied the Silver Surfer and Captain Autolycus in search of Warlock. He witnessed a battle between Warlock and Drax.

Pip, Gamora and Warlock return to the corporeal world during the Infinity Gauntlet incident by taking over bodies of three crash victims. Pip, in possession of the body of Ralph Bunker, and Gamora were both shown to have significantly increased physical strength in their new bodies. However, soon after returning to life, Gamora disappeared. Alongside Warlock, Pip conferred with Dr. Strange, Rintrah, Dr. Doom and the Surfer regarding Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. Alongside Strange, Clea and Rintrah, Pip battled Silver Dagger. Alongside Rintrah, Pip time-traveled to Earth's Jurassic era to rescue Firelord and Drax the Destroyer. Alongside Warlock and a returned Gamora, Pip visited Thanos after his defeat. With Gamora, Pip summoned Strange to deal with the seemingly power-mad Warlock, but was later reconciled with Warlock.

Afterwards, Pip was given the Space Gem by Warlock, keeping it between his toes for safekeeping. Pip joined Warlock's Infinity Watch. With the Watch, Pip was captured by the Man-Beast but rescued by Warlock. Pip and his friends end up setting up shop on Monster Island. Pip takes too much as usual and abusing the hospitality of Mole Man. In a dispute over the sovereignty of the island, forces of the United Nations invade. Pip and the others hang back as Gamora cleans house, killing no one. The group makes bets on the fight.

Pip became deeply involved in the Infinity Crusade. He manages to be a capable “leader” of the remnants of the Infinity Watch when various events took most of them away. Moondragon, for example, is brainwashed and taken by the Goddess, the “good” side of Adam Warlock. She is using a Cosmic Egg, the merging of several Cosmic Cubes, to implement her plans, which involve brainwashing dozens of superheroes. Left on Monster Island with Maxam and Drax, the three argue over who should lead. Pip decides to go outside the group for help and kidnaps Reed Richards. The leader of the Fantastic Four soon realizes what is going on and pitches in to help. This, and the kidnapping of other superheroes, brings everyone together, Pip included, at Avengers Mansion and actually spurs on the heroic efforts of the rest of the super-powered community. Pip is spurred to create a new “super-heroic” costume, but he fails to wash himself while changing. His body odor is so offensive the Hulk forcibly bathes him.

Although Pip has been seen rarely since the Infinity Watch disbanded, he appears in Marvel: The End #5-6 and She-Hulk #12-13 (2005 series). Pip also assisted Thanos in his first quest after his experience in Marvel: The End in Thanos #1-6.

Now Pip shows up in X-Factor (#207)! It seems Pip stole a Norse hammer pendant from Hela that she wants back. Hela paid for the assistance of the X-Factor Detective Agency to find the missing pendant. When Siryn and Multiple Man take it off the neck of a drunken red-haired bar patron, he reverts to Pip and announces that Hela, of all beings, is going to come after him now!

I thought after Warlock returned in Annihilation: Conquest, Pip would be aboard Knowhere in Knowtime … er, no time. Not so, but at least his furry little feet are running around somewhere!

X-Factor may be an X-book, but it definitely marches to a different drummer.