Preview: ‘Nemesis The Warlock’ Definitive Edition Volume 2 — Be Pure, Be Vigilant, Behave, Buy, Buy, Buy!

by Richard Bruton

The second volume of the definitely definitive volumes of a 2000 AD legendary strip, Nemesis The Warlock, arrived 25 September… time for a late look through…

It’s one of 2000 AD‘s most lauded series, a searing exploration of the alien amongst us and the horrors of humanity, brought to the page by creators Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill, and featuring a veritable army of iconic artists in addition to the sort of artwork that only O’Neill could draw.

It’s also one of those series that you can simply never have enough of. Yes, I might have had, at one point or other, the Titan Books versions, the 2000 AD collections, The Complete Nemesis, and more besides, each one offering something new and different. But that’s not going to stop me from having these massive beauties on the shelf as well.

These definitive editions collect the entire series in order across five volumes, either in paperback or the rather beautiful hardbacks designed by Gemma Sheldrake and only available from the 2000 AD webshop.

Yes, I know I shouldn’t, I know I’ve got all of them many times already, but the lure of these are just too much!

Yep, both of them – art by Kevin O’Neill from Nemesis Book 3: The World of Nemesis

In this second volume, we have the complete Book 3 – The World of Nemesis, and Book 4 – The Gothic Empire, and the short Ego Trip, with Kevin O’Neill passing the artistic baton on The Gothic Empire to Bryan Talbot. This is just what I mean about the incredible quality of artists – and there’s still David Roach, John Hicklenton, and Henry Flint to come.

Inside you’re going to see more of alien freedom fighter Nemesis taking the fight to arch-fiend Torquemada, whose vile deeds and desire to extinguish all alien life expands across the stars and through to the planet of the Goths, an alien planet where the culture is based on early 20th Century Britain – yes, really. Plus, the birth of Nemesis’s son Thoth, the secret of Deadlock, the ABC Warriors, and so much more going on, and the continued madness of Torqumada.

Torquemada – mad as a badger – art by Kevin O’Neill from Nemesis Book 3: The World of Nemesis

It’s just one of the great 2000 AD sagas, full of searing commentary on humanity and packed full of some truly incredible artwork from both O’Neill and Talbot, two masters of comic art really tearing up their pages here.

It’s definitely one to explore if you’ve never seen it before (and in that case I genuinely envy you the sheer enjoyment you’re going to get) and one to buy (yet again) and love (yet again) for those of us who’ve read it before.

Bryan Talbot takes over the art for Nemesis Book 4: The Gothic Empire

Now, here’s the 2000 AD PR for this volume…

“The Definitive series of the Nemesis the Warlock saga continues as Torquemada’s crusade to destroy all alien life reaches the planet of the Goths, a species of alien which has modelled their culture on early twentieth-century Britain. Nemesis must team up with the Goth leader, the Ion Duke, to stop them being eradicated by Torquemada’s army of Terminators.

Collecting the entire series in order, with the colour centre-spread pages reproduced in their original form, the Definitive collection of Nemesis the Warlock is the ultimate way to read one of the most important sci-fi sagas published in the pages of 2000 AD.”

More incredible Bryan Talbot art, the choreography of death and the gathering of the ABC Warriors in The Gothic Empire

NEMESIS THE WARLOCK – THE DEFINITIVE EDITION, VOLUME 2 –

Writer: Pat Mills,

Artists: Kevin O’Neill, Bryan Talbot

Letterer: Steve Potter

Originally serialised as…
Book Three: The World of Nemesis – 2000 AD Progs 335-349 (1983)
Book Four: The Gothic Empire – 2000 AD Progs 387-406 (194-1985)
Ego Trip – 2000 AD Prog 430 (1985)

Published by 2000 AD on 25 September 2024