LAXIDAZIAN race
Classification: Extraterrestrial humanoids
Location/Base of Operations: Laxidazia, fourth planet from the sun in the Dolenz star system of the Milky Way Galaxy
Habitat: Mountainous, 66% covered in water
Gravity: 120% that of Earth
Atmosphere: 71% nitrogen, 22% oxygen
Known Members: (humans) None named (including two
palace guards);
(Laxidazian trolls) Pip the Troll (formerly Prince Gofern), Glib Arkanian,
Skunge,
band of roving trolls
Estimated population: 2.6 billion (percentages of humans and trolls have not been revealed)
Affiliations: None;
(pre-timequake) The Universal Church
of Truth
Enemies: None
First Appearance: (Trolls) Strange Tales I#179 (April, 1975);
(humans) Warlock I#12 (April, 1976)
Powers/Abilities: Some Laxidazians have an extremely high tolerance for various mood-altering substances.
Some Laxidazian trolls claim to possess notable carnal prowess.
Cultural Traits: The majority of Laxidazians follow a strict moral code but a minority pursue decadent hedonism.
Type: Humanoid
Eyes: Two
Fingers: Four (plus opposable thumb)
Toes: Five
Skin color: Pink
Hair color: Brown or Red
Average height: 4' 5" (see comments)
Note: Laxidazian trolls differ from normal, non-mutated Laxidazians in that they have large pointed ears, three fingers (plus an opposable thumb) on each hand, and hairy feet which each have only two toes.(see comments)
Type of government: Worldwide monarchy with an enormous royal family
Level of technology: Medieval, without interstellar travel
History:
(Warlock I#12 (fb) - BTS/The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#6: Laxidazians entry) - The Laxidazians are
a race of humanoids who look identical to pale-skinned humans from Earth but who apparently evolved on Laxidazia,
the fourth planet from the sun in the Dolenz star system within the Milky Way Galaxy.
(Warlock I#12 (fb) - BTS/The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#6: Laxidazians entry) - At some point, the Laxidazians discovered/invented an alcoholic beverage that turned out to have certain mutagenic properties. Any Laxidazian who drank enough of this liquor would pass out and wake up to discover that they had been permanently transformed into beings that came to be known as "trolls."
(The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - The "human" Laxidazians considered the trolls to be a degenerate sub-species of their race.
(The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - The trolls organized themselves into tribes.
(The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#6: Laxidazians entry / The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - Since the level of technology on Laxidazia is medieval, they are incapable of interstellar travel on their own. However, it is known that Laxidazia has sometimes been visited by alien merchant starships, and that some of the more adventurous of their population have stowed away on such starships in order to leave the planet. It is presumed that this is how various Laxidazian trolls have managed to make their way to other planets (and begin lives of wandering and debauchery).
(Warlock I#12 (fb) - BTS/Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 (fb) - BTS) - Years ago, Prince Gofern was a "human" who born to the aristocratic class of the planet Laxidazia and was two-hundred-sixtieth in line for the throne of his world. As "a superior product of selective inbreeding," the prince's only marketable skill was painting monotone starscapes so he decided to occupy his life in this "noble calling."
(Warlock I#12 (fb)/Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 (fb)/The Official Handbook of the Marvel
Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - Prince Gofern was seemingly content with his life until one night, while on one of
his painting odysseys, he stumbled upon an encampment of trolls on the outskirts of the human realm. The prince
immediately felt that they were "the answer to a lifelong search for intellect on the same level and wavelength as
(his) own" (i.e. friends) and he accepted their invitation to gorge with them that night. Finding their dark stew to be
a gourmet delight, Prince Gofern ate their stew, drank their special ale with gusto and joined the trolls in dancing
with abandon until he finally passed out. Due to his state of intense inebriation, the prince had not noticed that his
ears had already become large and pointed.
The next morning, Prince Gofern awoke with a hangover and wearing only his pants (with the
feet torn away). More significantly, the prince discovered that he had mysteriously transformed into a troll himself.
His ears were now large and pointed, he only had three fingers and an opposable thumb on each of his hands, and
his feet were now covered with hair.
(Warlock I#12 (fb)/The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - Prince Gofern returned to the royal court but discovered that his lust for pleasure had grown profoundly. Although the prince half-heartedly tried to hide his condition, his lewd behaviour could not be stifled and a week after his transformation he was stripped of his rank and exiled from the Laxidazian court for decadence.
(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 (fb) - BTS) - After his transformation, Prince Gofern was (re)born as Pip the Troll, a decadent, lecherous debaucher of the lowest order.(see comments)
(Warlock I#12 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Pip learned that "If you run with trolls long enough, you're destined to become one yourself!"(see comments)
(Warlock I#12 (fb)/The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - After being kicked out of the Laxidazian court, Pip stowed away aboard a merchant starship and began a life of wandering and debauchery.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14: Pip the Troll entry) - In Reality-7528, at some point after Pip left Laxidazia, missionaries from the Universal Church of Truth arrived and began to convert the natives. The agents of the UCT found the tribes of trolls and soon learned that they were resistant to any conversion process. The Church ordered them exterminated, and the Grand Inquisitors zealously obliged. It is not known if they succeeded in destroying all of the trolls on Laxidazia, but the word went out throughout the religious empire that all trolls were to be executed.
(Warlock I#11 / Warlock I#12 (fb) - BTS) - After Adam Warlock retroactively altered the past 5,000 years of history, the resulting "explosive reshuffling of time" supposedly destroyed the Marvel Universe so that it could be reborn again as a timeline in which neither the Magus nor his Universal Church of Truth had ever existed. Being at the eye of this timequake kept Adam Warlock, Pip the Troll, Thanos and Gamora from being affected by it, allowing them to retain their memories of the pre-existing reality. While Thanos and Gamora found themselves in the damaged starship Sanctuary I that was adrift in space, Adam Warlock and Pip appeared on the surface of Sirus X, the planet formerly known as "Homeworld." Warlock told Pip that they were in a universe that had never known a Magus or a Universal Church of Truth. Warlock then stated that, as he had suspected, it would appear that if a false god that men worshipped were to be destroyed, it would not be long before they would find another to bow to, and he directed Pip's attention to a nearby building with an odd symbol on its roof that was (presumably) a church. Although slightly disheartened, Pip then invited Warlock to accompany him to Mama Alpha's for some drinks.
(Warlock I#12) - Four days later, after leaving Mama Alpha's Cabaret following a massive barroom brawl (that he had avoided by hiding behind the bar), Pip was invited into an anti-gravity pleasure cruiser parked outside and met the lovely Heater Delight. When she inquired if all trolls were born as powerful as he, Pip replied that trolls weren't born, they were made, and proceeded to tell her his origin story, "A Trollish Tale!"
(Avengers I#255 (fb) - BTS) - A male Laxidazian troll named Skunge joined Nebula's mercenary force, the Freebooters.
(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11) - During his attempt to convince the Living Tribunal that Adam Warlock and his Infinity Watch were not suitable protectors of the Infinity Gems, Eternity recapped the story of how Prince Gofern of Laxidazia became Pip the Troll.
(Captain Marvel III#1 (fb) - BTS) - A male Laxidazian troll who called himself Glib Arkanian arrived on Calculex, a small, used-up shipping-port planet. In the small but affluent city of HalvaCenter, Arkanian opened a bar and grill called "Glib's Grog and Grub." Arkanian also became friends with Genis-Vell.
Comments: Pip the Troll created by Jim Starlin.
Laxidazians created by Jim Starlin and Steve Leialoha.
Although Skunge has only appeared in a few comics, his hands have not been depicted consistently, having three fingers plus an opposable thumb in Avengers I#255 but four fingers and an opposable thumb in Avengers I#260. It seems likely that such an art error could have occurred during some of Pip's much more numerous appearances.
Aside from how little information about the history of Laxidazia has ever been revealed, there's also the fact that the planet was under the influence of the Universal Church of Truth and thus its history may have been changed by the timequake which altered the timeline into one in which neither the Magus or the UCT had ever existed. Of course, since the first contact between the Laxidazians and the UCT seems to have taken place fairly recently (i.e., after Pip left the planet), it may be that the only major change in Laxidazian history was that there was no longer a UCT-led campaign to exterminate all of the trolls on Laxidazia. On the other hand, in the absence of the UCT, other alien races may have had a much greater influence on Laxidazian culture than in the original timeline. This is something that could apply to ALL of the alien races introduced during Jim Starlin's Magus Saga but which, as far as I know, has never been addressed in any story.
The name of the Laxidazian race was presumably inspired by the adjective "lackadaisical" which means "lacking life, spirit, or zest." Writer/creator Jim Starlin presumably chose this word for Prince Gofern's planet as a way to emphasize what an "empty existence" the prince's life had been before he became Pip the Troll.
In his origin story, Pip the Troll stated that he used to be a human, suggesting that that was the term which the people of the planet Laxidazia used when referring to themselves. However, since he and Heater were (presumably) not speaking English when they talked, the usage of the word "human" in this situation should be considered to just be a translation of whatever alien word Pip actually used.
Since Pip the Troll first appeared in 1975, no more than ten (or perhaps eleven) characters in the Marvel Universe have been identified as being members of the Laxidazian species. Counting Gofern/Pip twice, there have been only three normal Laxidazians and eight confirmed Laxidazian trolls. It seems somewhat odd that none of these characters have been female.
Since previous profiles of the Laxidazian species have only included images of Laxidazian trolls, I decided that this profile would remedy that situation by presenting a phenotype image (i.e., the image of a typical member wearing nothing but skimpy black swimming briefs/bikini bottoms) of a normal Laxidazian "human" side-by-side with that of a Laxidazian troll. Unfortunately, there is a definite scarcity of suitable images. Two of the three normal Laxidazians are the fully-clothed guards who only appear in background shots and the third is Prince Gofern whose short stature may very well mean that he is an atypical member of his race. Accordingly, I've just included a note about the lack of good images for a typical Laxidazian human. Just imagine a pale-skinned human in its place.
Although their entries in the first two volumes of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe claimed that a normal Laxidazian was identical to an Earth human, their race was not among the 14 species listed in the Humanoid Aliens entry in OHotMU I#5 who were described as having basic appearances that were so strikingly similar that it would take a biopsy to determine the differences. It is unclear if this omission is significant.
In X-Factor I#248, after being shot in (and through) his head and not dying, Pip the Troll claimed that his appendix was in his head and that, like all Laxidazians, his brain was in his chest, conjoined with his heart. Pip also claimed that Laxidazians don't go to war because, unlike humans, their brains and hearts work together so that they love partying, creativity and each other. I strongly dislike this idea. As I understand it, there are several good reasons why all life on Earth (that is larger that microscopic size) have their brains located in their heads and it seems likely that those reasons would be equally valid on other planets. I would greatly prefer it if this "fact" was proven to be inaccurate and I strongly suspect (or wish) that it was just a case of Pip messing with X-Factor but I'm mentioning it here because I don't know for sure that it's not canon.
As with any of my profiles that deal with alien beings whose outward physical appearances are virtually identical to those of pale-skinned human beings from Earth, this would be the point where I would suggest that this race might actually be one of a number of "races" descended from a single ancestor species. This is a theory that was first presented in the entry for Humanoid Aliens that appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#5 but, so far, nobody has chosen to make it canon by incorporating it into any published story. In any event, if the idea that the brains of Laxidazians are located in their chest cavities is confirmed to be true, then this physiological difference would be enough to establish that the Laxidazian "humans" were definitely not related to any of the other exceedingly-human humanoid races. Of course, it's also possible that: A) Pip was just lying in order to hide exactly how he survived the gunshot to his head; or that B) the brains of the Laxidazians were originally in their heads but were relocated to their chests generations ago via some sort of species-wide program of genetic engineering, perhaps as part of some experiment conducted in the dim past by some more advanced alien species. The Progenitors, that bizarre species who experimented on the ancient Kree, would seem to be a good candidate for these hypothetical experimenters. However, this last suggestion is only wild speculation on my part, motivated by how much I dislike the whole "Brains are in their chests" idea.
Aside from the five unidentified trolls who appeared in Pip's origin story, the only three beings confirmed to be Laxidazian trolls who have appeared in stories set in the "mainstream" Marvel Universe are Pip, Skunge and Glib. However, a fourth character who might have been intended to be a Laxidazian troll does appear Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet#1. When the Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra Neramani ordered her aide Avios to "select a neutral party to prepare a full report" on whether humanity was a menace to the other races of the universe, the individual who prepared and delivered the report looked like a light-skinned human being with pointed ears. As such, he resembled a Laxidazian troll and some online sources have stated that Laxidazians were present at that meeting of the Intergalactic Council. However, here are the three reasons why I believe that this idea is implausible:
• First, although the image to the right shows that this alien had large pointed ears like a troll, it also shows that he, unlike a troll, had four fingers and a thumb on his right hand. Yes, it could just have been an art error but maybe it wasn't.
• Second, according to the Official Handbooks, all Laxidazian trolls originate as members of the minority of Laxidazian society who pursue decadent hedonism and the special ale that transforms them also vastly increases their lust for pleasure. I find it hard to believe that anyone like this would be considered to be responsible enough to handle such an important task. On the other hand, considering how little has been revealed about trolls, maybe not all of them are devoted to living irresponsible lives of wandering and debauchery.
• Third, since being a star-faring race seems to have been a requirement for membership in the Intergalactic Council, it seems unlikely that the Laxidazians, with their medieval level of technology and lack of interstellar travel, could have participated in any way in the Council's operations. It would be like the United Nations asking someone from an isolated and remote island to study the histories of the wider world beyond their island and compile a comprehensive report on what they had read about how people from another isolated and remote island had been making trouble in many parts of the world.
So, is this character actually a Laxidazian troll or not? I really don't know and it's not my place to make that decision. However, I would say that, if the writer of some future story does choose to confirm that he is/was a Laxidazian troll, then I would hope that that story would provide a good explanation as to why my three reasons for doubting his trollness were not valid.
As a long-time science fiction fan, I really like the concept of intelligent alien races. Unfortunately, the amount of information provided about these alien races varies greatly depending upon the media in which their fictional continuities are presented. While science fiction novels often provide a great deal of detailed information about the aliens who appear in them, science fiction television series often provide far less data, especially if the aliens in question only appeared in single episodes as the "alien of the week." One would hope that comic books might be more like books in how much information they provide but this is often not the case. The vast majority of the alien races who have appeared in the pages of various Marvel comics over the past 60 years have had only the bare minimum revealed about them and in many cases most of that data was invented by Handbook writers solely to fill out quarter-page entries in various Official Handbooks. As a result, readers are left with the impression that not a lot of thought was put into the creation of this data.
Sadly, the Laxidazian race is one of those alien species whose information is severely limited since the only sources are: the nine panels of Pip's origin story from Warlock I#12, the quarter-page entries in the first and second volumes of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and the six profiles on Pip the Troll that have been presented in various Handbook-style publications. It doesn't help that some of this data is either wrong or contradictory, resulting in numerous areas that would benefit from clarification.
Unanswered questions:
1. What is Pip's real name? According to the Official Handbooks, Pip's
name has always been Prince Pip Gofern but he started calling himself just "Pip the Troll" after his transformation.
However, in the two stories about his origin that were written by his creator Jim Starlin, Pip and Eternity only refer to
Pip's original human self as "Prince Gofern" and Eternity further states that Pip the Troll was "born" after the prince
had partied with trolls and become one. Personally, my interpretation of these stories has always been that Pip's
original name was simply "Gofern" and that "Pip" was a new name that he chose for himself to symbolize his new life
as a troll. I will continue to believe this until some in-story source reveals that "Pip Gofern"
is/was his full name.
2. How do normal "human" Laxidazians become trolls? The two stories written by Jim Starlin are rather vague about this, with the first simply saying that "If you run with trolls long enough...you're destined to become one yourself" and the second being just a variation that says that "If you party with trolls, you soon become one." Since neither of these accounts mentioned a more specific cause for Prince Gofern's transformation into Pip the Troll, the Official Handbooks came up with the idea that it was Gofern's drinking a vast quantity of an "illegal alcoholic and mutagenic beverage" (also known as the "special ale" that the trolls had allowed him to drink) that had permanently transformed him. In this case, I don't actually disagree with this theory but I would like so see it supported in a published story. Also, since some online sources claim that the ale's ability to transform normal Laxidazians into trolls was because it was enchanted in nature, I would really like to see this claim confirmed or disproven. An origin story for the ale would be a good way to confirm what transforms Laxidazians and how it works.
3. Do all Laxidazian trolls look alike? Pip the Troll is the most well-known Laxidazian troll and the only two other named trolls, Skunge and Glib Arkanian, were obviously modelled on him. However, Skunge was clearly depicted as having hooved feet, something that Pip did not have (except in certain inaccurate Handbook illustrations). Also, the five trolls who helped transform Gofern seemed to have feet just like Pip's, suggesting that they also did not have hooves. Most of those five trolls were also considerably larger than the human Prince Gofern, suggesting that Pip's small stature is not necessarily typical among Laxidazian trolls.
4. Do Laxidazian trolls have hooflike feet or not? As mentioned
above, Skunge was definitely depicted as having hooflike feet but that was presumably due to the fact that several
Official Handbook entries had clearly stated and shown that Pip had hooflike feet. However, while working on this
profile, I reviewed some more recent OHotMU profiles on Pip (like in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
A to Z: Update#2) and found that it was now claimed that Pip's transformation had given him "hairy feet" and that
"The hair around his feet hardens after growing to full length, giving his feet a cloven hoof-like appearance." This
made me curious so I reviewed my reprints of the original Starlin stories and was surprised to see that, although his
feet were never shown with toes, neither were they shown as being hooflike. If anything, the way that Jim Starlin drew
Pip just made it look like he was always wearing a pair of red slippers (or form-fitting boots) that covered his feet. Also,
more recent Starlin-drawn issues (like Infinity War#4) clearly showed that Pip had two large toes on each of his feet,
as did the image for his profile in the Master Edition of the OHotMU. Of course, those images that clearly show Pip
as having two large toes on each foot are from after his soul was reincarnated into a human corpse that was then
mutated by Adam Warlock into what was allegedly an "exact duplicate" of his original body, so it remains possible
that Pip's current body is not as exact a duplicate of his original as was thought. However, I favor the idea that the
mutagenic effect of the special ale could very possibly affect different Laxidazians in different ways, with some trolls
having two hooflike toes while others received to two large, hairy toes instead.
It should be noted that those first two OHotMU quarter-page entries did specifically state that,
while normal Laxidazians and trolls had different numbers of digits on their hands, both groups had the same number
of toes on their feet as they had fingers on their hands. This would suggest that, despite what later illustrations
showed, the writers of those entries thought that trolls had four toes on each foot.
5. Did becoming a troll cause Pip to shrink? Some online sources claim that Pip's "stunted" nature is due to his transformation into a troll. Personally, I've always thought that Pip was just as tall (or as short) as Prince Gofern was but I don't recall ever seeing this definitively established anywhere, so maybe there's some truth in it?
6. How do the four fingers on the hands of a normal Laxidazian become the three fingers on the hands of a Laxidazian troll? According to several Handbook profiles on Pip, Prince Gofern's "fourth and fifth fingers" grew together (merged) during his transformation. Aside from the fact that most people refer to those digits as the ring and little fingers, when Pip's soul was reincarnated in the corpse of Ralph Bunker in Infinity Gauntlet#1, it was his middle and ring fingers that were shown to be in the process of merging into single fingers. Of course, as mentioned above, this may be atypical since this transformation was caused by Adam Warlock instead of the mutagenic ale.
7. Can Laxidazian trolls procreate with each other? Pip the Troll once told Heater Delight that trolls weren't born, they were made. If it's true that none of the Laxidazian trolls were born, then that would seem to imply that either: A) sterility is a side-effect of the trollish transformation; B) all interactions between any Laxidazian trolls are somehow incapable of producing viable offspring; or C) there have never been any FEMALE Laxidazian trolls. The last possibility is the most interesting since it could mean that no Laxidazian woman has ever drunk the mutagenic ale or that the ale just doesn't work on Laxidazian women...or that it does work but transforms female Laxidazian humans into MALE Laxidazian trolls! This is one question that I would very much like to see answered in some future story.
8. What is the average height of the Laxidazian race? According to their quarter-page entries in the first two volumes of the OHotMU, their average height is 4' 5" which is just one inch taller than the height for Pip the Troll (as listed in the OHotMU). However, I can't help wondering about the accuracy of this data. Out of all of the Laxidazians who have ever appeared in Marvel comics, only three of them have been Pip's height (or shorter) while six were considerably taller and at least half of those six were over 6' in height. Of course, since only ten Laxidazians (eight trolls and the two guards) have ever been seen, out of a population of 2.6 billion, that means that the sample size is too small to be considered a reliable indictor of the average height, but it does allow for the possibility that the average height might be closer to that of the human race, something that would be consistent with the "official" claim that normal Laxidazians were identical to Earth humans.
9. Why do the trolls in Pip's origin story have light green skin? Although Pip, Skunge and Glib Arkanian have always been depicted with having pinkish-white skin, the five trolls in the flashbacks to Pip's origin have always been shown with light green skin. Also, while the human Prince Gofern was depicted with pinkish-white skin, the next-to-last panel in that first origin story showed Gofern, whose ears had already transformed, with a green face while his only visible hand remained pink, and the last panel showed the fully-transformed Pip's skin was partially yellow and partially pale green. Is/was this coloring choice significant?
10. How would the mutagenic ale affect those Laxidazian humans who follow their society's
strict moral code? According to the Official Handbooks, only a minority of Laxidazians
pursue decadent hedonism and many (but not all) of them imbibe the illegal alcoholic and mutagenic beverage that
permanently transforms them into trolls. This would suggest that the special ale only amplifies the decadent and
lustful urges that already existed within the hedonistic Laxidazians. This could mean that moral Laxidazians who were
affected by the ale might transform into trolls physically but not mentally, thereby retaining their original personalities
and moral codes.
On the other hand, Prince Gofern seemed like a rather plain and boring (and, according to
Eternity, idiotic) individual who did not appear to have any hedonistic tendencies. And yet, after drinking the special
ale, he was transformed into Pip the Troll, described by Eternity as "a decadent, lecherous debaucher of the lowest
order." So, either the ale can make moral Laxidazians into decadent trolls or Pip always had a streak of hedonism
within him that he just kept hidden until the ale amplified it so much that he couldn't totally suppress it any
longer.
11. Why did that roving band of trolls decide to turn Prince Gofern into one of them?
One thing we know about Pip's origin is that Prince Gofern was not told what drinking
that special ale would do to him. Essentially, the prince was roofied and the fact that Pip seems quite happy with
his life as a troll does not diminish the fact that the transformation was something that was done to him without
his consent. Viewed in this light, the trolls were predators who, like the monsters from fairy tales, lurked in the
wilderness waiting for unwary travelers whom they could victimize. Sort of like vampires, they made their victims
into creatures like themselves.
On the other hand, it's possible that knowledge of the effects of drinking that special ale was
widespread among the population of Laxidazia and the trolls may have simply assumed that Prince Gofern must
have known what was going happen to him if he drank "vast quantities" of their special ale. After getting to know
Gofern, the trolls may have realized that he was someone who was hiding his own innately trollish nature even from
himself and decided to help him. The trolls may have assumed that only an idiot would not know that their invitation
to gorge with them was their way of offering to transform him into a troll. Viewed in this light, their actions may have
been more of an intervention done to help a kindred spirit become his own true self.
Of course, it’s also possible that the trolls had no deliberate motives beyond partying with
anyone who was willing to join them and the idea of warning Prince Gofern about the consequences simply never
occurred to them.
I wonder which of these three options Jim Starlin had in mind when he
wrote Pip's origin.
12. How hairy are the feet of trolls? In the original stories, Pip's feet (and those of the trolls who transformed him) were only hairy below his/their ankles but some later stories do depict Pip as being much hairier, with hair on his legs that extends almost up to his knees. In contrast, Skunge's feet were depicted as being hairless hooves and the only hair visible on his legs were the tufts that were at his ankles. However, the fact that those tufts were sticking out from under the bottom of his pants legs could indicate that his legs were meant to have far more hair on them then was shown.
The images from Pip's origin story in Warlock I#12 were actually scanned from the third issue of the 1992 Warlock reprint series [Warlock III#3 (July, 1992)].
The list of appearances is vastly incomplete since I have chosen to not include most of the comics in which Pip was the only troll to appear. Instead, this list includes only the first comics in which all known/confirmed Laxidazians appeared, plus the Official Handbook issues which feature entries on the Laxidazian race or profiles on Pip the Troll.
I would think the Dolenz system name is an homage to Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees.--Snood
Refurbed main images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Donald Campbell.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Laxidazians have no known connections to
A group of five trolls who changed Prince Gofern's life. None of their names have ever been revealed and nothing about their lives is known except for what they did on one night.
One night, decades ago, these five trolls were camped in the mountains on the outskirts of the human realm. As a fire burned nearby, four of them sat around a large rectangular table eating while the fifth danced on it. After they were spotted by Prince Gofern, who was out in the wilderness on one of his painting odysseys, the trolls welcomed him as a friend and invited him to gorge with them that night. They shared their dark stew with him and their special ale, and all six of them danced with abandon, at least until the prince passed out from all that he had drunk. By this time, his ears had already grown large and pointed, something that he was too inebriated to notice.
The next morning, when Prince Gofern awoke with a hangover and found that he had mysteriously transformed into a troll, the five trolls were gone, having apparently left him there alone while he was unconscious.
All five of these trolls had the typical trollish features of hairy (and/or two-toed) feet, large and pointed ears, and only four digits on each hand. However, there was considerable variety in some of their other physical characteristics:
First, there were their heights. Although the shortest troll was only about two-thirds as tall as Prince Gofern, three (or all) of the others were taller, being over 6 feet in height, with the tallest of them possibly being about 6' 6" tall.
Second, there were their hairstyles. The shortest troll was the only one with a full head of hair that completely covered his ears. Of the others, one was bald, another had what looked like stubble on his scalp (suggesting that he shaved his head), and the other two both only had thin strips of hair along the midlines of their skulls, starting at the crowns of their heads and extending down the backs of their heads. None of them had any facial hair (except, possibly, for eyebrows).
Third, there were their noses. The largest troll had a large hawk nose but the others had noses that barely protruded at all. The one with the stubbly scalp seemed to only have two nostrils instead of a proper nose.
One of the taller trolls wore a black eyepatch over his right eye, suggesting that he may have been blind in that eye.
Although all five trolls wore loincloths and no footwear, the largest one also wore what looked like a bone (or claw?) necklace around his neck. He also had a potbelly and may have carried a small club in his right hand. These could have been indications that he was the chief of this band of trolls. Or not.
--Warlock I#12 (fb) / Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 (fb)
Members of the normal (non-mutated) Laxidazian race, these two guards were stationed in the palace where Prince Gofern lived. Whenever he (and, presumably, other members of the royal family) would pass them as they stood guard in the halls, they would extend one of their arms to salute them.
Aside from Prince Gofern, these two guards are the only normal Laxidazians who have ever appeared in any story set in the Marvel Universe. Neither of their names have ever been revealed.
Based solely on these two images, both guards appear to have been male. The fact that at least one of them seems to be the same height as Prince Gofern even though he was several feet behind the prince suggests that the guard was somewhat taller than the prince. This could indicate that the average height of the Laxidazian race could actually be perhaps a foot taller than the 4' 5" listed in Official Handbook entries.
The uniforms worn by the guards are consistent with Laxidazia's medieval culture, and seem to have consisted of form-fitting leggings (stockings or hose?), tunics that were belted at the waist, helmets that covered the heads, and triangular shields. The guards appeared to be wearing metal gauntlets on their hands which could mean that they were wearing armor covering their torsos, under their tunics.
Some helmets were plain but others had tops that seemed to be modified, perhaps with adornments (like plumes).
Some guards wore capes (or are they cloaks?) as part of their uniforms. These guards presumably had a higher status than their capeless colleagues.
Although neither of these guards appears to be armed with any medieval weapons (like swords), the caped one might be wearing a holster attached to his belt which could mean that he was armed with a handgun. If so, this would indicate that Laxidazian weaponry was not as medieval as the rest of their technology.
The triangular shields carried by the guards were often plain but some were adorned with symbols favored by the royalty the guards served. The guard in the image to the right has a smiley face on his shield, similar to the one visible on Prince Gofern's tunic.
--Warlock I#12 (fb) / Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 (fb)
Note: I initially assumed that the guard in the recap in Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 was the same person as the guard from the earlier flashback in Warlock I#12. However, after I decided to add this sub-profile, I took a closer look at the two images and noticed three differences between them: the first guard is wearing a cape, his shield is plain and he is saluting Prince Gofern with his left arm while the second guard has no cape, his shield is adorned and he is saluting the prince with his right arm. Of course, these differences alone do not actually prove that "they" are not a single guard who happens to be ambidextrous and has some variety in his uniforms and equipment, but I see no reason to perpetuate my original assumption.
images: (without ads)
Main image disclaimer
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#16, page 31, panel 2 (main image - Laxidazian troll)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15, page 47, panel 1 (main image - short Laxidazian troll)
Warlock I#12, page 6, panel 7 (Prince Gofern spotting the troll encampment)
page 7, panel 2 (Prince Gofern dancing with the trolls)
page 7, panel 4 (Prince Gofern waking up as a troll)
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet#1, page 18, panel 1 (possible Laxidazian troll with the Intergalactic Council)
Warlock I#12, page 6, panel 8 (Prince Gofern being welcomed by the trolls)
page 6, panel 9 (Prince Gofern gorging with the trolls)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11, page 5, panel 8 (another interpretation of the trolls with Prince Gofern)
Warlock I#12, page 6, panel 5 (guard saluting Prince Gofern with his left arm)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11, page 5, panel 6 (guard saluting with his left arm)
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#179 (April, 1975) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist, colorist), Len Wein (editor)
Warlock I#12 (April, 1976) - Jim Starlin (layouts and story), Steve Leialoha (finished art & coloring), Marv
Wolfman (editing)
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#6 (June, 1983) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/head writer/designer),
Paty (penciler/inker for the Alien Races)
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14 (March, 1984) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/designer); Peter Sanderson,
Robert Harras, Mark Lerer, Steven Grant, David A. Lofvers, Mark Gruenwald (writers/researchers); Mike Zeck (penciler
on Pip the Troll); Josef Rubinstein (inker/embellisher)
Avengers I#255 (May, 1985) - Roger Stern (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Mark Guenwald
(editor)
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15 (March, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/producer), Peter
Sanderson (writer/researcher), Kyle Baker (artist for the Alien Races Appendix)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#11 (December, 1992) - Jim Starlin (writer/creator), Steve Carr & Deryl Skelton
(pencilers), Bob Almond (inker), Craig Anderson (editor)
Captain Marvel III#1 (December, 1995) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Edward Benes (penciler), Mike Sellers (inker), Mark
Gruenwald (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update#2 (2007) - Jeff Christiansen [who's he?] (head
writer/coordinator)
First Posted: 11/13/2022
Last updated: 11/13/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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