Marvel 1976.06 - Warlock #13

Warlock #13

Title(s): Here dwells the Star Thief!

The Bizarre Brain of Barry Bauman

Writer: Jim Starlin

Artist: Jim Starlin

Villain: Barry Bauman

This comic is divided into two chapters. In the first chapter Warlock investigates the missing stars that he first saw blinking out of existence in the last issue. On closer investigation he finds planets that have turned into frozen wastelands with their entire populations dead. Strangely, they're still revolving in orbits around their no longer existing suns, as if the stars have only temporarily disappeared. 

Warlock uses his soul gem to probe the power that is taking the stars. It seems to be coming from Earth, but as soon as the probe is successful he's struck by a powerful blast.

On Earth Barry Bauman is lying in a hospital bed. He was born without access to any of his five senses. Normally a child born like that would have been allowed to die, but his father is chairman of the hospital board, so he's been kept in hospital for the last 24 years, totally irresponsive.

Barry doesn't have any human senses, but he can think. With his brain he's probed his surroundings. He could sense the man called Tom Vocson sitting by his bedside. Barry could also take control of him. He made Tom read books, so that Barry could advance in knowledge. Barry became ever more powerful as he grew older. He could cause car crashes and earthquakes. Then he decided to terrify humanity by removing all the stars that are visible from the Earth. He's hidden them inside his brain. When every star in the night sky has been removed he'll finally take away the Earth's Sun, killing himself and the rest of humanity.

Barry tries to kill Warlock, but he resists: Barry is fascinated, so he tells Warlock that he'll allow him to fly to Earth to face him in person.

This is a very different type of menace, one who could only be imagined by Jim Starlin.