Nemesis The Warlock: The Definitive Commentary

Kevin (as usual) was late on delivering the art and this was just as well because the Managing Editor Bob Bartholomew absolutely hated it.

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. And 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.

And if you have a different edition ranging from Titan Books back in the 80s, the Eagle full colour comics, or the more recent Rebellion editions, the Secret History will still reveal those stories in an often startling new light.

I’ve written about  Nemesis before, but only in isolated chapters and with broad brushstrokes, summarising often complex issues, such as the reason for changes of artist. And there is so much more to tell. 

The special place Nemesis holds in the hearts of thousands of 2000AD readers makes a Secret History a must. 

It stands alongside Sláine and Rogue Trooper as a premier rival to Judge Dredd.

The Secret History also introduces this science fiction classic to new generations of readers who will also see its vast potential. Kevin and I were always mystified why it was never picked up as a movie or a computer game, although doubtless it has influenced both. But perhaps that demonstrates how naïve we both were in believing that the conservative forces that control the world and often crush creativity and freedom of expression can be finally overcome.

I certainly know better now.

And perhaps there is no better example of such forces of oppression than the story where it all began. With the Travel Tube.

PROLOGUE: THE TRAVEL TUBE

The Travel Tube was a Ro-Busters story demonstrating the most bizarre form of travel imaginable: where vehicles travelled on the roof and sides of tunnels as well as the ground. Kevin and I had talked it through for literally hours on end and we finally found a home for it in Ro-Busters.

The Ro-Busters have escaped and make their way through the lethal travel tube system in a super-cool vehicle called Satan’s Dart – a precursor to the Blitzspear, the Warlock’s personal vehicle. We had police speed traps where cop vehicles – shark cars – emerge from the floor of the tube, and there are cafes built into the sides of the tube so diners can enjoy watching the traffic as they eat. All the tubes converge on a final complex system called Carousel where they can change tubes and directions.

These concepts talked though on the phone with Kevin were brilliantly executed by him and would later form the basis for the world of Termight in Nemesis. 

Kevin (as usual) was late on delivering the art and this was just as well because the Managing Editor, Bob Bartholomew, absolutely hated it. 

He didn’t understand it and said he would have insisted on it being redrawn had there been more time.

The readers of course loved it. The whole purpose of science fiction is to take us to strange new worlds of the imagination and they were delighted to come along for the ride.  

I was furious at Bartholomew’s response and I was determined to prove him wrong by devoting a whole story to the travel tube. Kevin agreed. In the meantime, we were working on ABC Warriors, but finally we came back to this concept that we were convinced would be a winner. We had no idea what a huge hit it would be. 

It’s worth saying at this juncture that any 2000AD story of any stature needs at least six weeks to develop before producing episode one. This is not something its publishers – then and now – dare acknowledge or approve. This is because we sell all rights to our creations and therefore the publisher is expecting us to work six weeks for nothing on a story they will own! 

I’ve raised the subject in recent years and nothing has changed. Six weeks development time is hardly a fortune. For example, I’d said I’d need that time to reboot Sláine. Maybe £5K to relaunch a character that has made an absolute fortune for 2000AD. It’s a doable figure, but they turned me down flat without any discussion. And so I left Sláine – bringing a great character to a premature conclusion. As you can see, nothing has changed from the days of the appalling Bob Bartholomew.

Therefore, faced with this eternal problem, creators either piss work off, nick stories from other mediums, ‘reimagine’ (also nick) classic stories produced by other creators or put in six week’s unpaid development time. 

Kevin and I chose the latter, working it out as we went along, because neither of us could possibly take six week’s off. We both had mortgages and we needed to eat! Working out the Travel Tube took us each around two weeks of the necessary six.

Then, by doing ‘one shot’ stories that followed, we spread the cost and the pain of development in bite-sized and manageable sections.

And this explains the financial logic behind the very first Nemesis story: Terror Tube.

Next week: you guessed it - the Terror Tube!