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The Complete Nemesis The Warlock #1
The Complete Nemesis The Warlock, Volume 1
Termight, a world at the heart of a cruel galactic empire. A world devastated by nuclear warfare. Deep below ground its inhabitants try to eke out a mere existence, continually threatened by the Terminators, lead by the diabolically evil Torquemada. There is a resistance though, and a new kind of hero. Meet Nemesis the Warlock, champion of the coming rebellion!
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
36 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Pat Mills
848 books230 followersPat Mills, born in 1949 and nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since.
His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.
His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 4, 2022
Anytime O'Neill has a strip in this book it becomes absolutely stellar. His art is an orgasm of sharp flesh, grotesque bodies, and deadly landscapes. He is THE definitive Nemesis artist, which unfortunately means the rest of the book doesn't quite reach those heights. While Redondo's style doesn't do that much for me, Talbot does give it his all for the Gothic Empire storyline. He even gets close to capturing the terror that O'Neill infused Torquemada's phantom with, so there's a very solid level of quality between artists. But giving credit it where it's due, despite a shift in artists Mills' writing shines through. Its clear he used this comic as a chance to throw thousands of fun ideas out of his head and into the world. There's some crazy shit in here that I won't spoil, it so fun to read each chapter. Nemesis and Torquemada are also two great characters. Nemesis so righteous that he never hesitates to kill a human, Torquemada so cruel and evil that he never hesitates to go for a low blow.
This is a great series, I'm not too knowledgeable on 2000AD but I'm going to say that I like this more than Judge Dredd. Absolute scorcher.
This is a great series, I'm not too knowledgeable on 2000AD but I'm going to say that I like this more than Judge Dredd. Absolute scorcher.
January 21, 2011
One of my favourite characters, and who couldn't love a comic where the aliens and monsters are the good guys and the humans - with the exception of a courageous few who resist the prejudiced and genocidal majority - are all evil? Led by none other than Torquemada with the slogal "Be pure, be vigilant, behave!" there is not a moment of dullness here, though the characters may not be really deep. Kevin O'Neill's art is utter genius, the kind you can lose yourself in as you unpick the intricacies and details of it. And I love the Victorian glory and stupidity of the gothic empire, from before steam punk went twee.
April 1, 2015
I've been a fan of 2000AD for nearly ten years, but this was the first time that I checked out this popular character. I can see why he's remembered so fondly. While the opening prologue chapters were ok, allowing for a little bit of science fiction, satire and of course, thrills, it really kicks off with book 1. The considerably longer page count allowed not only for both character and world exploration, but also, despite still being set in the future, there's a slight but noticeable shift in genre from science fiction to epic fantasy. This allows for a lot of gorgeous and highly imaginative artwork from both Kevin O'Neill and Bryan Talbot. Book 4: The Gothic Empire is especially great at showing off exactly what kind of story Nemesis the Warlock can be at times, merging fantasy, science fiction and steampunk all in one.
I'm also really enjoying Pat Mills's growing ambition with his story telling, aiming for one, long epic that connects to other key storylines, particularly ABC Warriors, with book 4 feeling like not just a crossover but also a direct sequel to the earliest ABC stories. These characters are arguably given more depth since their original stories, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them, both in Nemesis and in their own series.
If there's one thing I'm not quite so keen on, it's the number of times Torquemada is defeated in a big way, despite the fact that we know the story will continue and that he will, once again, come back. It gets just a little bit repetitive after a while. However, this is only a slight peeve, as overall, the writing is great at convincingly telling one long epic that has a beginning, middle and ending rather than an ongoing series of "adventure of the week" type stories, and Torquemada's many defeats is one of the only things that almost breaks that kind of storytelling.
Overall, I've really, really enjoyed reading this initial volume, and so far it's enough to make Nemesis one of my favourite comic book characters (like many 2000AD characters, really). It's bold, epic, satirical, dark, subversive, not to mention gloriously 80s, this is a classic example of why I enjoy reading 2000AD.
I'm also really enjoying Pat Mills's growing ambition with his story telling, aiming for one, long epic that connects to other key storylines, particularly ABC Warriors, with book 4 feeling like not just a crossover but also a direct sequel to the earliest ABC stories. These characters are arguably given more depth since their original stories, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them, both in Nemesis and in their own series.
If there's one thing I'm not quite so keen on, it's the number of times Torquemada is defeated in a big way, despite the fact that we know the story will continue and that he will, once again, come back. It gets just a little bit repetitive after a while. However, this is only a slight peeve, as overall, the writing is great at convincingly telling one long epic that has a beginning, middle and ending rather than an ongoing series of "adventure of the week" type stories, and Torquemada's many defeats is one of the only things that almost breaks that kind of storytelling.
Overall, I've really, really enjoyed reading this initial volume, and so far it's enough to make Nemesis one of my favourite comic book characters (like many 2000AD characters, really). It's bold, epic, satirical, dark, subversive, not to mention gloriously 80s, this is a classic example of why I enjoy reading 2000AD.
May 6, 2021
Such a fun and imaginative ride through a new galaxy
February 17, 2017
My first time reading this collected works by 2000AD, and I was very impressed by the edition's quality and printing. The story is very interesting, and most important of all, it was fun. Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill have serious twisted minds, I loved the characterization and the artwork is top-notch. All the parts are fun to read, and sometimes everything is really silly and exaggerated, and I loved it. Sometimes there are errors in continuity and things get really confusing, but it's part of the fun. I can't wait to read other stuff by 2000AD. 4,5 stars.
July 9, 2012
Classic twisted cyberpunk violent space opera from 2000AD. Anyone who likes their humour demented, their bad guys legendary (BE PURE, BE VIGILANT, BEHAVE!), some magic mixed in with their giant robots and their giant insects, this is for you.
July 27, 2020
Because NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Watch ye for the mark of the deviant! The tentacle and claw!
The scaley skin, the bug eyes! The cloven hoof and paw!
With sword and axe and mace, we cleanse and purify!
We never show any mercy, all aliens must...
Die! DIE! DIE!
In the grim darkness of the future, there is always, it seems to be, war. As far as 2000AD comics go, that is. This time we're "thousands of years" into the future. The mighty human Termight empire rules half of the galaxy and is governed by a fanatic purist group of inquisitors called Terminators. At the top of it, all is the worst one, Torquemada and he is bent on cleansing the universe of alien scum. Nemesis (that's a character name) is the one heroic alien that tries to get the resistance going and convince the other galactic inhabitants to form the Cabal to oppose the empire.
This book collects the stories from 1980 to 1985 and can be split into distinctly different parts. The majority is drawn by Kevin O'Neill and while the art is fine, it's not something breathtaking. There are two exceptions and that's where the dark world of the future starts to look way more gorgeous. I'll mention it when I get to it. For now, let's start with the first two stories, Terror Tube and Killer Watt. They're pretty short and are the first tests of the characters. Pat Mills says in the introduction that the fans didn't like very much the overall zaniness but did like Torquemada himself and that probably led them to tweak the formula significantly later on. The most amusing thing I find is that the titular character is nowhere to be seen. He is always inside his living spaceship and the only word he says, periodically, is "Credo!".
In the next part, Word of Termight (numbered book one of the series), we finally see Nemesis and I find his design somewhat meh. The stories all proceed in a consistent order, Nemesis saving his fellow aliens from execution and ending with a big melee fight with Torquemada possessing the corpses of the fallen inquisitors. You see, back at the beginning he died and became a ghost able to get into the dead bodies and animate them.
Book two has a different artist, Jesus Redondo, and I find his work much more to my liking. His thicker, more curved lines are much more pleasing to my eye. The storyline this time deals with the group of Terminators that are on the arachnid prison world. The catch is that the spiders are benevolent, highly intelligent, and are trying to reform the prisoners. The war is almost over, the empire is demoralized by the apparent death of its... primary driver, I guess. It's never actually established that Torquemada is an emperor or that he rules the empire. In a devious plot, he possesses the spider leader to infiltrate the galactic meeting of the Cabal where they get to determine whether to continue the war. Highly entertaining and visually enjoyable, this one is fun to read.
Book three, The World of Nemesis, has "Brother Mills" return to the art duties. This one starts with Nemesis relaxedly playing the demon mandolin and now we get into the Warlock homeworld proper. In warlock tradition, the females (which look like centaurs) fight over the right to get the husband. Nemesis' wife is just in the middle of a duel with a contender. Later on, she births a child, and they both are immediately targeted by a team of elite empire assassins. In the meantime, the inquisitor army is suddenly possessing an array of giant battle robots from the Age of Science which they don't know how to repair. The second line of the narrative is dealing with Nemesis returning from his homeworld to continue the war with humans on a world with a giant tree while having no idea about the fate of his spouse and progeny.
Now the fourth book, Gothic Empire, is where it really shines. Most of the art is done by Bryan Talbot and it's lovely. Moreover, the story this time is about the empire of Goths, chameleon aliens that picked up the radio signals sent from Earth in the early 1900s and loved them so much, that they've built themselves an alien clone of early 20th century British Empire! If that does not sound fascinating, I don't know what is. Torquemada is, of course, scheming to undermine this Empire from within, and we're treated to a plot full of references to that period, Jack the Ripper, Frankenstein, Hellfire Club, and more, you name it. Also, the ABC Warriors are back. Turns out, Hammerstein is still alive and kicking and Nemesis even recruits him and the old team to fight on his side. This book is best of all in this volume and I highly recommend it.
There are a couple more minor stories in the end but they're nothing special. Overall, the setting is fun and distinct, with lots of stuff that you can find later on in Warhammer, for example. The fourth book is where it's at its best, perhaps due to intentionally more relatable environment but the whole book is worth a read if you want to know how it was back in the 80s apart from Judge Dredd.
Watch ye for the mark of the deviant! The tentacle and claw!
The scaley skin, the bug eyes! The cloven hoof and paw!
With sword and axe and mace, we cleanse and purify!
We never show any mercy, all aliens must...
Die! DIE! DIE!
In the grim darkness of the future, there is always, it seems to be, war. As far as 2000AD comics go, that is. This time we're "thousands of years" into the future. The mighty human Termight empire rules half of the galaxy and is governed by a fanatic purist group of inquisitors called Terminators. At the top of it, all is the worst one, Torquemada and he is bent on cleansing the universe of alien scum. Nemesis (that's a character name) is the one heroic alien that tries to get the resistance going and convince the other galactic inhabitants to form the Cabal to oppose the empire.
This book collects the stories from 1980 to 1985 and can be split into distinctly different parts. The majority is drawn by Kevin O'Neill and while the art is fine, it's not something breathtaking. There are two exceptions and that's where the dark world of the future starts to look way more gorgeous. I'll mention it when I get to it. For now, let's start with the first two stories, Terror Tube and Killer Watt. They're pretty short and are the first tests of the characters. Pat Mills says in the introduction that the fans didn't like very much the overall zaniness but did like Torquemada himself and that probably led them to tweak the formula significantly later on. The most amusing thing I find is that the titular character is nowhere to be seen. He is always inside his living spaceship and the only word he says, periodically, is "Credo!".
In the next part, Word of Termight (numbered book one of the series), we finally see Nemesis and I find his design somewhat meh. The stories all proceed in a consistent order, Nemesis saving his fellow aliens from execution and ending with a big melee fight with Torquemada possessing the corpses of the fallen inquisitors. You see, back at the beginning he died and became a ghost able to get into the dead bodies and animate them.
Book two has a different artist, Jesus Redondo, and I find his work much more to my liking. His thicker, more curved lines are much more pleasing to my eye. The storyline this time deals with the group of Terminators that are on the arachnid prison world. The catch is that the spiders are benevolent, highly intelligent, and are trying to reform the prisoners. The war is almost over, the empire is demoralized by the apparent death of its... primary driver, I guess. It's never actually established that Torquemada is an emperor or that he rules the empire. In a devious plot, he possesses the spider leader to infiltrate the galactic meeting of the Cabal where they get to determine whether to continue the war. Highly entertaining and visually enjoyable, this one is fun to read.
Book three, The World of Nemesis, has "Brother Mills" return to the art duties. This one starts with Nemesis relaxedly playing the demon mandolin and now we get into the Warlock homeworld proper. In warlock tradition, the females (which look like centaurs) fight over the right to get the husband. Nemesis' wife is just in the middle of a duel with a contender. Later on, she births a child, and they both are immediately targeted by a team of elite empire assassins. In the meantime, the inquisitor army is suddenly possessing an array of giant battle robots from the Age of Science which they don't know how to repair. The second line of the narrative is dealing with Nemesis returning from his homeworld to continue the war with humans on a world with a giant tree while having no idea about the fate of his spouse and progeny.
Now the fourth book, Gothic Empire, is where it really shines. Most of the art is done by Bryan Talbot and it's lovely. Moreover, the story this time is about the empire of Goths, chameleon aliens that picked up the radio signals sent from Earth in the early 1900s and loved them so much, that they've built themselves an alien clone of early 20th century British Empire! If that does not sound fascinating, I don't know what is. Torquemada is, of course, scheming to undermine this Empire from within, and we're treated to a plot full of references to that period, Jack the Ripper, Frankenstein, Hellfire Club, and more, you name it. Also, the ABC Warriors are back. Turns out, Hammerstein is still alive and kicking and Nemesis even recruits him and the old team to fight on his side. This book is best of all in this volume and I highly recommend it.
There are a couple more minor stories in the end but they're nothing special. Overall, the setting is fun and distinct, with lots of stuff that you can find later on in Warhammer, for example. The fourth book is where it's at its best, perhaps due to intentionally more relatable environment but the whole book is worth a read if you want to know how it was back in the 80s apart from Judge Dredd.
July 3, 2020
One of the best comics I’ve ever read. Breathtakingly weird and imaginative.
April 23, 2014
Blimey. That was a bit different. Didn't know what to expect but wasn't disappointed. Future Catholicism gone nuts in space with demons, aliens, robots...
Kevin O'Neill's artwork is extraordinary. All eye-popping, angular, intensity. Everything looks like it would do you severe damage. All humans are depicted as maniacal fanatics, which is fun.
Wasn't perfect, though. Loved having the ABC Warriors mixed in but it did feel like a re-run of The Meknificent Seven when they introduced the characters again.
But in general, a mad spillage of gnashing creativity. Good.
Kevin O'Neill's artwork is extraordinary. All eye-popping, angular, intensity. Everything looks like it would do you severe damage. All humans are depicted as maniacal fanatics, which is fun.
Wasn't perfect, though. Loved having the ABC Warriors mixed in but it did feel like a re-run of The Meknificent Seven when they introduced the characters again.
But in general, a mad spillage of gnashing creativity. Good.
July 3, 2017
The writing is fairly bland, but the artwork is really what drives the story forward. While some complain about O'Neill leaving by Book IV, I really thought Talbot's work suited the story arch well, in all its steampunk madness. All in all, it isn't as much fun as Dredd, but I would say the work is fairly fun and goofy, quite adult, and readable.
As I've been reading through 2000AD, I can definitely see the inkling of Warhammer 40k peek through these pages. Nemesis is certainly an important and influential work for the creators at Games Workshop.
As I've been reading through 2000AD, I can definitely see the inkling of Warhammer 40k peek through these pages. Nemesis is certainly an important and influential work for the creators at Games Workshop.
November 27, 2010
Another one of the 2000AD comics I borrowed from R. I ended up liking this more than I initially thought I would - there is so much going on in this book, so many ideas. It took me a while to get into it, but after the first book I was definitely hooked and couldn't wait to see what other alien races and weird stuff they'd come up with.
May 3, 2011
Genuinely brilliant. As an eleven or twelve year old, my recollection is that I skim-read the comic originals on my way to the easier reading of Dredd & Co. But on working through the book, I was floored by my almost photographic recall of some of the cells - they clearly made some sort of big subliminal impression. It's great stuff - adult, intelligent, witty and wise.
December 26, 2015
Nemesis the warlock is a classic example of 2000AD ingenuity. Wildly original, witty, full of great designs and concepts it is a work of art. The main arc evolves around the conflict between Nemesis and Torquemada the high inquisitor. Both characters complete the hero Villain duet perfectly and the rivalry is deep and engaging. Great original read.
June 21, 2018
My personal favourite of the 2000AD comics. The artwork differs depending on the artist but its often incredibly detailed, with several different takes on Catholic inspired Gothic architecture and punkish character designs.
The themes about racism, bigotry and violence have sadly remained relevant since its first publication.
The themes about racism, bigotry and violence have sadly remained relevant since its first publication.
March 27, 2022
The legend that is the number one British science fiction comic 2000AD is most famous for bringing the world the iconic figure of Judge Dredd, the grim, merciless lawman of a dystopian mega city. And he continues to be a firm favourite with readers... But, looking back, Dredd was not the character who stirred my imagination the most. That honour goes to an even more exotic champion...
Writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neil's Nemesis The Warlock first appeared in 2000AD in 1980, and even amongst all the other fantastic series there it immediately stood out.
This is the story of a very dark future thousands of years from now in which Earth (now called Termight) is the hub of a sprawling galactic empire which is dedicated to one burning goal: the eradication of all deviants. What is a deviant? Any form of alien life.
The soldiers of this empire, the Terminators, are led by the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada. The resistance to this xenocidal campaign of terror is the organisation Credo, led by the alien hero Nemesis, who battles the oppressors in his dynamic fighter ship the Blitzspear.
The role reversal - alien hero versus evil humans - is a fascinating angle which has not often been explored in most science fiction. Here it is exploited in full; the Terminators are dehumanised monsters who wear hideous metal masks (Torquemada keeps his on even in bed with his poor wife). Modelled on the witch-hunters and Spanish Inquisition of Earth's past, they are engaged in a perpetual crusade throughout space which they fulfil with brutal savagery and ideological fervour.
The Terminators' xenophobia is a compulsory religion. All human citizens are exhorted to "Be pure. Be vigilant. Behave!" should any notion of pity for aliens enter their thoughts. Cruelty to their own kind is just as common, with anyone suspected of blasphemous treachey subjected to medieval torture.
Torquemada is killed by Nemesis, but his spirit survives and animates host bodies as and when required, or sometimes just floating around as a ghastly spectre, becoming progressively less human and more demonic as the story unfolds.
Nemesis himself, despite sporting horns and cloven hooves, is most definitely the good guy. His adventures take him to many different planets where the humans threaten to exterminate the natives, often clashing with Torquemada himself.
It is a blend of the futuristic with the archaic, including many historical and occult references. The tone is also a mixture; gleeful gore and dark humour. The artwork is explosive; the fantastic designs of the warriors, the surreal, nightmarish architecture of Termight, the bizarre aliens and the epic battles all leap off the page. O'Neil contrasts sleek and shiny weapons and ships with the grotty, grungy peasant-like humans: primitive barbarians of the far future. In comparison, many of the aliens are very attractive, not least of them the consort of Nemesis who is a beautiful warrior centaur.
This is a fun-loving joyride that does not take itself at all seriously, yet nevertheless delivers serious messages about hatred and xenophobia. When Nemisis delivers captured Terminators to a prison planet run by intelligent spiders, the soldiers are stripped of their masks. This reveals what they have been hiding behind those masks all along: fear.
In contrast, children born on the idyllic prison planet have no horror of their kind captors and often pet the giant spiders. Fear and hatred of those different to us are learned responses, not natural instincts. Ideologies that paint outsiders as being unclean and unworthy are the root of much conflict and misery.
This is what makes Nemesis The Warlock a cut above, it delivers on all fronts, combining good old-fashioned 2000AD Thrillpower with heartening philosophical and ethical perspectives. The power of the story and artwork and the humour of the delivery balances these sober elements perfectly. War may be eternal, but overcoming the fear that drives the hate is also possible, if you can just believe...
Credo!
Writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neil's Nemesis The Warlock first appeared in 2000AD in 1980, and even amongst all the other fantastic series there it immediately stood out.
This is the story of a very dark future thousands of years from now in which Earth (now called Termight) is the hub of a sprawling galactic empire which is dedicated to one burning goal: the eradication of all deviants. What is a deviant? Any form of alien life.
The soldiers of this empire, the Terminators, are led by the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada. The resistance to this xenocidal campaign of terror is the organisation Credo, led by the alien hero Nemesis, who battles the oppressors in his dynamic fighter ship the Blitzspear.
The role reversal - alien hero versus evil humans - is a fascinating angle which has not often been explored in most science fiction. Here it is exploited in full; the Terminators are dehumanised monsters who wear hideous metal masks (Torquemada keeps his on even in bed with his poor wife). Modelled on the witch-hunters and Spanish Inquisition of Earth's past, they are engaged in a perpetual crusade throughout space which they fulfil with brutal savagery and ideological fervour.
The Terminators' xenophobia is a compulsory religion. All human citizens are exhorted to "Be pure. Be vigilant. Behave!" should any notion of pity for aliens enter their thoughts. Cruelty to their own kind is just as common, with anyone suspected of blasphemous treachey subjected to medieval torture.
Torquemada is killed by Nemesis, but his spirit survives and animates host bodies as and when required, or sometimes just floating around as a ghastly spectre, becoming progressively less human and more demonic as the story unfolds.
Nemesis himself, despite sporting horns and cloven hooves, is most definitely the good guy. His adventures take him to many different planets where the humans threaten to exterminate the natives, often clashing with Torquemada himself.
It is a blend of the futuristic with the archaic, including many historical and occult references. The tone is also a mixture; gleeful gore and dark humour. The artwork is explosive; the fantastic designs of the warriors, the surreal, nightmarish architecture of Termight, the bizarre aliens and the epic battles all leap off the page. O'Neil contrasts sleek and shiny weapons and ships with the grotty, grungy peasant-like humans: primitive barbarians of the far future. In comparison, many of the aliens are very attractive, not least of them the consort of Nemesis who is a beautiful warrior centaur.
This is a fun-loving joyride that does not take itself at all seriously, yet nevertheless delivers serious messages about hatred and xenophobia. When Nemisis delivers captured Terminators to a prison planet run by intelligent spiders, the soldiers are stripped of their masks. This reveals what they have been hiding behind those masks all along: fear.
In contrast, children born on the idyllic prison planet have no horror of their kind captors and often pet the giant spiders. Fear and hatred of those different to us are learned responses, not natural instincts. Ideologies that paint outsiders as being unclean and unworthy are the root of much conflict and misery.
This is what makes Nemesis The Warlock a cut above, it delivers on all fronts, combining good old-fashioned 2000AD Thrillpower with heartening philosophical and ethical perspectives. The power of the story and artwork and the humour of the delivery balances these sober elements perfectly. War may be eternal, but overcoming the fear that drives the hate is also possible, if you can just believe...
Credo!
July 24, 2020
The first collection of 2000AD's Nemesis the Warlock stories, this one lays the foundations of what would a bizarre but exciting conflict between the alien Nemesis and outlandishly evil Tomás de Torquemada.
The stories are set in the future where humanity now lives in huge underground cities on Termight (the former Earth) and ruled over by the tyrannical Torquemada, and his Terminators, who wants to keep humanity 'safe' from the evils of extraterrestrial aliens by exterminating all aliens and exhorts humanity to always to "Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave!" Opposing him is Credo, an organisation consisting of humans and aliens and lead by the alien Nemesis.
Featured in this book are stories involving the great Alien Prison Jailbreak and the Termight's attack on the Gothic Empire (featuring an alien species called the Goths, who have shapeshifted to look like humans and based their empire off Victorian England). It also features an attack on Nemesis's mate, Chira, and their son, Thoth, which would have major repercussions for the following stories in the series.
Accompanying the stories are amazing artwork of a future earth where religion has run riot and taken over the lives of the people of Termight, in an age where science itself has been forgotten and rituals are used to maintain the technology that surrounds them.
The stories are set in the future where humanity now lives in huge underground cities on Termight (the former Earth) and ruled over by the tyrannical Torquemada, and his Terminators, who wants to keep humanity 'safe' from the evils of extraterrestrial aliens by exterminating all aliens and exhorts humanity to always to "Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave!" Opposing him is Credo, an organisation consisting of humans and aliens and lead by the alien Nemesis.
Featured in this book are stories involving the great Alien Prison Jailbreak and the Termight's attack on the Gothic Empire (featuring an alien species called the Goths, who have shapeshifted to look like humans and based their empire off Victorian England). It also features an attack on Nemesis's mate, Chira, and their son, Thoth, which would have major repercussions for the following stories in the series.
Accompanying the stories are amazing artwork of a future earth where religion has run riot and taken over the lives of the people of Termight, in an age where science itself has been forgotten and rituals are used to maintain the technology that surrounds them.
November 14, 2023
Many thanks to the Goodreads app for crashing after writing my long and thoughtful review. Really appreciated losing all that. Anyway, the thrust was that it’s good to remember a focused and nuanced Pat Mills (as opposed to the nonsense he mostly wrote from the nineties onwards) as much as it is to see the sheer wealth of ideas being thrown at the page here. For a man who ends up mostly writing stuff that sounds like being harangued in a Hebden Bridge pub by some sort of anarcho-pagan hippy in his last years for 2000AD, there’s a nice amount of shades of grey here. Torquemada is obviously a colossal shit, but Nemesis is also well on the way to being a more sinister presence that his initial heroic form. And the art is spectacular. Kevin O’Neill is probably the greatest talent of the early era of the Prog, and manages to throw out more ideas here than even Mills does. Every page is full of absolute treasures. Talbot and Redondo are pretty good follow ups, especially Talbot enjoying Ro-Jaws (who consistently has been great even when everything around him isn’t) as a truly anarchic presence on every page. Glorious stuff
September 18, 2019
Compilación en tres tomos de las aventuras de Némesis The Warlock aparecidas en 2000 AD a principios de los 80. Este es el primer volumen de la misma, y siendo una edición no demasiado lujosa en blanco y negro, merece hasta el último céntimo. El dibujo de Kevin O’Neill destaca por su nivel de detalle y el carácter oscuro, satánico y jevimetalero (sin olvidar el toque humorístico) que imprime al personaje.
August 27, 2020
Oh man this was very tedious. The story is very predictable, constantly repeats itself and just overall I didn’t enjoy this very much and was just glad to be finished it. One star for all the amazing aliens and characters (although they’re not very fleshed out) and another for the artwork as at times it was stunning but overall the art I found very busy and hard to look at or make out what was happening.
December 1, 2020
Overall, I've really, really enjoyed reading this initial volume, and so far it's enough to make Nemesis one of my favourite comic book characters (like many 2000AD characters, really). It's bold, epic, satirical, dark, subversive, not to mention gloriously 80s, this is a classic example of why I enjoy reading 2000AD.
September 14, 2021
Spanish Inquisition, Latin words, humanity trapped in never-ending intergalactic war, alien xenophobia, an empire ruled by a figure who's phisically dead. Sound like Warhammer 40,000, but this is Nemesis The Warlock and it alse predates Warhammer by a lot of years. Weird, right?
August 3, 2022
Nemesis the Warlock was one of the more memorable 2000 AD strips, and this collection sums up the series' gonzo early years. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...
January 16, 2021
Be pure.
Be vigilant.
Behave.
Be vigilant.
Behave.
December 30, 2025
4.5 rounded down.
August 16, 2022
One of the series that got me into comics outside the big 2 and British comics in particular.
Started when I discovered Judge Dredd and then started to see what else was out there.
Our hero is a monster, the humans are the bad guys and the art is like something out of Heavy metal.
Started when I discovered Judge Dredd and then started to see what else was out there.
Our hero is a monster, the humans are the bad guys and the art is like something out of Heavy metal.
June 25, 2020
This Rebellion volume contains The Complete Nemesis the Warlock Book 01, the first Book of Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill’s superb Nemesis the Warlock. Mills and O’Neill had previously worked together in the British weekly comic 2000 AD on Ro-Busters and ABC Warriors, and Nemesis began in 1980 in the same publication, with a couple of tales intended as one-offs. ‘Terror Tube’ and ‘Killer Watt’ (both included here) were spun out of the sort of ideas found in the earlier series (and the central idea of ‘Terror Tube’ would later be recycled in the Doctor Who episode ‘Gridlock’). These first entries in the Nemesis canon weren’t intended particularly seriously. This can be seen in the differences in tone and art style from what followed, these stories being lighter and more cartoony.
Mills has frequently and joyfully referred to the difficulty of seeing the concept through editorial opposition, and the stories’ immediate acclaim by readers, who demanded more strips about the mysterious Nemesis and his fight against Termight, Earth thousands of years into the future. They soon got what they wanted. A short Michael Moorcock pastiche, ‘The Sword Sinister’, appeared in 1981, the first story to show what Nemesis actually looked like. Nemesis Book One, subsequently named ‘The World of Termight’, duly appeared later that same year. In the developed comic, the concept was significantly reworked, and Nemesis became a parable of racial intolerance and genocide, drawing heavily upon the medieval Crusades, and introducing a strong sword and sorcery element. The result was an instant hit, and eight more books followed in 2000 AD between 1981 and 1989, with a tenth in 1999.
It has been argued, with some considerable justification, that Nemesis lost its way towards the end of its run, but here both creators are firing on all cylinders. Some of Mills’ dialogue, especially his captions, are a bit florid in retrospect, but that was the 2000 AD style in those days. There’s a rollicking adventure story, but Mills never forgets the humour that was always part of 2000 AD, including moments in the script that are laugh-out-loud funny.
Torquemada is one of the great comics villains, but Mills makes it clear that Nemesis, whilst fighting on the side of ‘right’, is in many ways just as bad. O’Neill’s art is like nothing seen before in 2000 AD, and worried IPC’s censors, who thought it too violent and disturbing for the early teen audience at whom the comics was then targeted. But it’s brilliant. He provides a gallery of grotesque aliens, their appearance often hiding their more pleasant inner nature, and equally grotesque uniforms for Torquemada’s Terminators, underlining the twisted hatred at their centre, all along lightening the disturbing nature with little humorous touches. This might not be as technically accomplished as O’Neill’s work two decades later on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but he has rarely displayed more imagination, or created more iconic panels (see sample image).
Mills has frequently and joyfully referred to the difficulty of seeing the concept through editorial opposition, and the stories’ immediate acclaim by readers, who demanded more strips about the mysterious Nemesis and his fight against Termight, Earth thousands of years into the future. They soon got what they wanted. A short Michael Moorcock pastiche, ‘The Sword Sinister’, appeared in 1981, the first story to show what Nemesis actually looked like. Nemesis Book One, subsequently named ‘The World of Termight’, duly appeared later that same year. In the developed comic, the concept was significantly reworked, and Nemesis became a parable of racial intolerance and genocide, drawing heavily upon the medieval Crusades, and introducing a strong sword and sorcery element. The result was an instant hit, and eight more books followed in 2000 AD between 1981 and 1989, with a tenth in 1999.
It has been argued, with some considerable justification, that Nemesis lost its way towards the end of its run, but here both creators are firing on all cylinders. Some of Mills’ dialogue, especially his captions, are a bit florid in retrospect, but that was the 2000 AD style in those days. There’s a rollicking adventure story, but Mills never forgets the humour that was always part of 2000 AD, including moments in the script that are laugh-out-loud funny.
Torquemada is one of the great comics villains, but Mills makes it clear that Nemesis, whilst fighting on the side of ‘right’, is in many ways just as bad. O’Neill’s art is like nothing seen before in 2000 AD, and worried IPC’s censors, who thought it too violent and disturbing for the early teen audience at whom the comics was then targeted. But it’s brilliant. He provides a gallery of grotesque aliens, their appearance often hiding their more pleasant inner nature, and equally grotesque uniforms for Torquemada’s Terminators, underlining the twisted hatred at their centre, all along lightening the disturbing nature with little humorous touches. This might not be as technically accomplished as O’Neill’s work two decades later on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but he has rarely displayed more imagination, or created more iconic panels (see sample image).
July 19, 2018
"BE PURE! BE VIGILANT! BEHAVE!"
Nemesis the Warlock is very over the top with the ultraevil baddies, the humans (or Termites of the Empire or Termight, Mighty Terra) while the good guys are everyone else, the aliens. The Terminators want to cleanse galaxy of the vile filth of aliens, their mortal crime being: being alien.
The black and white art is full of details and cleverly (imo) hidden sillinesses. At some point the artist changes, I never stopped to pay enough attention to the effect it made. To me, none, I liked the artwork all around. Those first two stories (Terror Tube and Killer Watt) are somewhat off the rest of the storyline, but I'd unknowingly blame it on these people making stuff up as they went.
Awesome fun, unless you take all this seriously, which would only be your own fault.
Nemesis the Warlock is very over the top with the ultraevil baddies, the humans (or Termites of the Empire or Termight, Mighty Terra) while the good guys are everyone else, the aliens. The Terminators want to cleanse galaxy of the vile filth of aliens, their mortal crime being: being alien.
The black and white art is full of details and cleverly (imo) hidden sillinesses. At some point the artist changes, I never stopped to pay enough attention to the effect it made. To me, none, I liked the artwork all around. Those first two stories (Terror Tube and Killer Watt) are somewhat off the rest of the storyline, but I'd unknowingly blame it on these people making stuff up as they went.
Awesome fun, unless you take all this seriously, which would only be your own fault.
January 26, 2016
The first few stories are a little patchy and the art work has so much going on it takes a bit of getting used to but once it finds its feet it's a very enjoyable world to explore. Plucky alien grotesques rebelling against a genocidal future Spanish Inquisition? Very difficult for something with that description not to be at least ok. The writing style is a bit overly formal bug it suits the material for the most part. There is a bit of repetition and an over abundance of recapping but that's to be expected of something that was originally published in short bursts. Even the formality of the language grew on me eventually, and the characterisation is deceptively good. I found myself quite invested in what could at times be very broad characters. Definitely worth a read, I think it's something that rewards those that actually give it the proper attention.
May 30, 2009
I have a soft spot for Nemesis, not because I grew up with him in 2000AD. It wasn't until later that I saw him there, and then it was for the last few volumes of his adventures. I played the old c64 game, and not until now got to read the adventures of one of my favourite 2000AD characters.
There's some good stuff here. A great lesson in serial storytelling, that in Book 2 and 3 at least of this large tome whips along at a great pace. It's almost rather fun to see how the killed-yet-again Torquemada will rise this time around.
Didn't dig the 4th book too much. Thought I would like the ABC Warriors better, but never the less, still cool.
There's some good stuff here. A great lesson in serial storytelling, that in Book 2 and 3 at least of this large tome whips along at a great pace. It's almost rather fun to see how the killed-yet-again Torquemada will rise this time around.
Didn't dig the 4th book too much. Thought I would like the ABC Warriors better, but never the less, still cool.
September 29, 2014
Collection covering Books 1 to 4, contained in Progs 167-406, the 1981 Summer Special, and the 1983 Annual.
The artwork of Kevin O'Neill in Nemesis is what makes it so memorable, so having the droid Bryan Talbot do most of Book 4 is a disappointment. I particularly liked the story about the Blitzspears, but there is much to enjoy elsewhere. Nemesis is one of the reasons why 2000AD became such a popular comic as it is a story that would never be found in Marvel or DC in a million years. It is also a clever look at bigotry and intolerance making the reader learn not to judge a character by their appearance.
The artwork of Kevin O'Neill in Nemesis is what makes it so memorable, so having the droid Bryan Talbot do most of Book 4 is a disappointment. I particularly liked the story about the Blitzspears, but there is much to enjoy elsewhere. Nemesis is one of the reasons why 2000AD became such a popular comic as it is a story that would never be found in Marvel or DC in a million years. It is also a clever look at bigotry and intolerance making the reader learn not to judge a character by their appearance.
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