Sunday 19 February 2017

Nemesis The Warlock #1 - Eagle Comics

NEMESIS THE WARLOCK No. 1, September 1984
The second of “Eagle Comics” thirty-two page Baxter titles, Issue One of “Nemesis The Warlock” not only colourfully delivers the extra-terrestrial freedom fighter’s prologue adventure entitled “The Terror Tune”, but also follows the rise of the “fire-breathing demonic alien” as he momentarily defeats the then Chief of the Tube Police, Torquemada, in the two-parter, “Killer Watt”. These bizarre tales, based upon Pat Mills’ premise that Mighty Terra’s teleport system utilises telephone lines and phenomenally drawn by Kevin O’Neill, really help bring the leader of “the underground resistance organisation sworn to destroy the tyranny of Termight” to life, and additionally provide plenty of opportunities for the “primary antagonist of the series” to show just how evil he is.

Indeed, in many ways the Ipswich-born writer’s early storylines seem to provide the “haughty tyrant” with far more ‘screen time’ than the “fiend from Hell”, and arguably delights in depicting the “fascist human supremacist” both consigning a young mother and her doting infant to being eaten alive by a Concord-like living machine, as well as later ordering “thousands of innocent travellers” to be fatally electrocuted on “a mere technicality!” Such chilling insights into the character's zeal for victory are disconcertingly enthralling, and strongly show just why "the godfather of British comics" would go on to develop a regular series of adventures featuring “The Grand Master Of The Terminators”, after his initial plans for some “one-offs inspired by popular music called Comic Rock” never got going. 

Ultimately however, this publication’s content does eventually steer away from the exploits of Torquemada, and the likes of Brother Behell’s murderous inquisition on the planet Thrum, by fully focusing upon Nemesis bravely battling against the forces of Termight singlehandedly. In fact, by the time this first in “a seven-issue Necro-series” concludes, and the cloven hooved creature has caused a butcher to chop his own hand off, had a robotsmith strangled by “the most dangerous snakes on this planet", and ensured an elderly widow has been smothered by flies, it is abundantly clear just why the horn-headed sorcerer would go on to be “one of England’s most popular and certainly weirdest science-fiction” comic book characters.
Script: Pat Mills, Artist: Kev O'Neill, and Colors: Kev O'Neill

12 comments:

  1. WOW! What a blast from the past! I never expected to see this appear in your "Brown Bag" blog, Simon. Thank you so much for sharing it and reminding us what a great series this was. Whilst I don't have this comic you're reviewing here, I still have the original 2000AD comics it appeared in as well as the first Nemesis TPB. Mind you, I have never seen these stories in colour before. The colouring seems okay from what I can see. I wouldn't say it's better than the black and white versions, merely different.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks ever so much Bryan. I'll be running through the entire Necro-series over the coming weeks, so hopefully they'll be a few more blasts from the past for you to enjoy. It really is a shame these publications by "Eagle Comics" didn't take off, as there are so many classic "2000 A.D." series which would have benefited from colouring imho.

      Delete
    2. Do you think the colouring enhanced the story, Simon? I'm so used to seeing these old classics in black and white. However, if the colouring was really good, then I can see that being a positive enhancement.

      Delete
    3. Certainly I think for #1 (I've not yet read #2), the colour works really well. It isn't terribly complicated colouring, just lots of flat reds, yellows etc. But it adds enormously to the experience imho. The above scans I spotted on the web and are from the "Deviant Edition", which is available digitally from "Rebellion" here: https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/GRN477

      Delete
    4. I am not a fan of digital comics in general but that is a very tempting offer! Hmm, decisions, decisions. I'm leaning more towards buying it, mainly to satisfy my curiosity. :-)

      Delete
    5. "That is a very tempting offer" - Well let me know what you think when you get it ;-)

      Delete
    6. Purchased, downloaded and very impressed! Many thanks, Simon. But for you I would never have known about the colour version.

      Delete
    7. No worries Bryan. That's the entire point of this blog, to wade through my collection and tempt people's wallets ;-)

      Delete
  2. Nice review Simon, now to look at some of your other posts as I just noticed a very familiar shark

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Dave. I'm afraid "Hook Jaw" will probably disappoint...

      Delete
    2. Indeed, I was hoping for a reprint of the original with then follow on stories but by the sounds of it just a way of raking in money off a nostalgic title !

      Delete
    3. "Hook Jaw" is not a terribly good comic I'm afraid, Dave, imho.

      Delete