Nemesis The Warlock: Deadlock (1)

Who would be President of Terra? What a terrible job – dealing with alien drugs (brain water) and lethal alien fruit.

I’m blown away by Nemesis the Warlock: the Definitive Edition, Vols 1 and 2. My compliments to the publishers, Rebellion, and especially their designer Gemma Sheldrake for the truly inspired front and back covers.

Volume 2 is now on sale from the 2000AD store.

Such a Definitive Edition requires a Definitive Commentary, a companion piece for when you’re looking at the beautiful art by art-creator Kevin O’Neill and the other talented artists that followed him. So it’s time for The Secret History of Nemesis the Warlock, an episode by episode revelation of what really went on behind the scenes.

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Episode 1: After Torquemada

I’m always fascinated by stories about what happens next after an empire has fallen. I’m a big fan of The Third Man and A Foreign Affair, both set in the ruins of a defeated Nazi Germany. So I was thrilled to write this adventure about what happened after Termight was defeated and Torquemada and Nemesis were no more.

Faced with chaos everywhere, President Purity Brown becomes a kind of female Torquemada and announces, ‘Torquemada’s old laws – forbidding everything – must remain in force. But only as a temporary measure, of course.’

Henry Flint sent me his sketch book and that’s where Isis, a mandrake, (half-human, half-alien) comes from. I think she’s an amazing character. Deadlock had always been closely associated with Nemesis so it made sense for him to be the protagonist of the story and what a bike he’s riding!

Episode 2: Alien threats

Who would be President of Terra? What a terrible job – dealing with alien drugs (brain water) and lethal alien fruit. As Purity struggles to keep order, we’re left with an uneasy feeling: maybe Torquemada was right?