Nemesis The Warlock: Ep. 2 The Return of Ro-Jaws
‘Normally I clean out the cludgies.’
I’m blown away by Nemesis the Warlock: the Definitive Edition. My compliments to the publishers, Rebellion, and especially their designer Gemma Sheldrake for the truly inspired front and back covers.
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.
Episode Two – The Return of Ro-Jaws
At this time I was not only still thinking about why Torquemada and his Terminators were so evil, and the exact nature of their evil, but what Nemesis actually looked like. Nemesis then appeared for the first time to the readers in Book One, Episode 3, which properly explained the world of Nemesis and Torquemada. Originally, Nemesis was to make his first appearance in the Gothic Empire story, but then I held the whole story back – because of its complexity – as Book Four.
Seeing Nemesis here is fascinating because it gives you an idea of our humorous approach and the crazy conversations Kevin and I had over the phone, bouncing ideas back and forth.
I felt his Blitzspear was so amazing, the only way to top it was for Nemesis to have a face like the Blitzspear, too. It works very well, especially with an Edwardian greatcoat. The extra details were largely down to Kevin – in particular the Warlock wearing a nosebag in an upper class restaurant. Our ultimate sign of disrespect for the British Empire and its snobbery and elitism. Actually, not quite the ultimate, because we added to it with the return of Ro-Jaws.
We were both so fond of the character and this was a brilliant way to get him back in as the Warlock’s valet, on account of other servants being away fighting in the war. ‘Normally I clean out the cludgies.’ By now I’d also made sense of the little alien who featured in Episode One and Two. I decided to call him Grobbendonk, who speaks gibberish, a Fringe World dialect, and make him the Warlock’s familiar.
Once again, Kevin’s steampunk inventions steal the show: steam propelled-roller skates and hush zeppies and a robot grandfather clock!
And so we both looked forward to a long and hilarious story set on Britannia, the home planet of the Goths. I still feel a pang when I think of what might have been and what else Kevin would have dreamed up.
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