Nemesis The Warlock: John Hicklenton takes the reins

What really persuaded me was his depiction of Nemesis as a very organic alien, taking the character somewhere new.

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 – The  First Torquemada

It was a huge and risky  step into the unknown, finding another artist for Nemesis.  I’d seen John Hicklenton’s work on a Future Shock by Neil Gaiman and I wasn’t sure about him. Then John had got in touch with me directly, bypassing his agent who was stalling him, and that certainly got my attention. But what really persuaded me was his depiction of Nemesis as a very organic alien, taking the character somewhere new. And my next story – the Two Torquemadas – would be depicting the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, the perfect vehicle for a horror artist who was the visual equivalent of Edgar Alan Poe. So I had to do it. 

In this opening episode, John’s depiction of the first Torquemada is perfect, and that holds the story together through some very jerky storytelling.