#korrek

In any case, our story begins in Cleveland. Howard complains about the prevalence of legalized gambling and of other vices. Beverly, Paul and Winda all call him out on his hypocrisy. Howard hates the glamorization of vices in society, yet he's still a consummate smoker. So Howard ends up entering a bet with his friends: if he can go a whole month without smoking, they'll listen to his long rant on society's ills.

So Howard quits smoking. But the entire month, he sees ads and signs that almost seem designed to appeal to him. He keeps running into smokers, finding ads for cigars, etc. It's eerie, but Howard fights it and manages to go almost a whole month without smoking. But then fate seems to take a hand. On the last day of the month, a giant walking cigar begins menacing Cleveland. And before you can ask what on earth's going on, Howard's summoned across dimensions again. Jennifer Kale summoned Korrek, Howard and Man-Thing. Dakimh's spirit warned her of dire tidings. The Celestial Propagandist is waking.

Howard is, naturally, angry and confused. The Celestial what!? Thankfully, Jen recaps what Dakimh told her: The Celestial Propagandist is a god far beyond mortal understanding. An ancient, primordial being, the Celestial Propagandist is in charge of all the vices and negative impulses of humanity. Whenever people exhibit cruelty to each other, whenever they give in to their temptations, whenever they gamble or drink or smoke, they give the celestial propagandist power. And after millenia of accidental worship, he's now waking.

And when the celestial propagandist wakes…well, he'll be able to reshape the cosmos in his image. The multiverse will become his own private casino, a home for all the world's negative impulses. Impulses like materialism, nymphomania, prejudice and hatred. And in order to stop him…we must awaken the ascetic one. Who is he? Nobody knows. He dwells on the farthest reaches of the cosmos, but he is the only one capable of saving the multiverse with his wisdom.

Bro didn’t even try. He just dropped to his knees and started praying 😭

“Battle for the Palace of the Gods!” Man-Thing (Vol. 1/1974), #1.