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The Complete Nemesis The Warlock #2
The Complete Nemesis The Warlock, Volume 2
Continuing the collection of classic Nemesis stories. Written by 2000AD creator Pat Mills, this volume includes art by Bryan Talbot and Kevin O'Neill, plus cover gallery and intro by Bryan Talbot. One of the all-time great 2000 AD stories.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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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 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 24, 2021
Bit of a downgrade from the first volume. The stories got more incomprehensible, more warped, and the artwork significantly worse. Nemesis became a dick pretty much out of nowhere (I recall him being genuinely nice in the first volume), while Torquemada's plot armor stretches suspension of disbelief.
At least there's only one more to go through. Here's hoping it will end on a high note.
At least there's only one more to go through. Here's hoping it will end on a high note.
July 27, 2020
This volume of Nemesis the Warlock stories deals mainly with Nemesis's hunt for his son, Thoth, on Termight. Thoth, blaming both Nemesis and Torquemada for a tragedy that happened in the first volume, plans to destroy the Earth and, in the process, wipe out much of alien life in the sector.
Nemesis thus has to join forces with a reluctant Torquemada, for only Torquemada knows how to navigate through the time wastes, a part of Earth distorted by the effects of the white and black holes that form the transport hub that is Terminus.
As the pair bicker and fight, and finally split and go their separate way, Torquemada discovers that his own spirit is in danger from Thoth's desire for revenge against him. And in the final confrontation between Thoth, Nemesis and Torquemada, reconciliation, revenge and regret will occur within moments of each other.
As with the first book, the artwork is equally fantastic and up to showing the horrors of racism and hatred as we journey back in time during the search for Thoth featured in the volume.
Nemesis thus has to join forces with a reluctant Torquemada, for only Torquemada knows how to navigate through the time wastes, a part of Earth distorted by the effects of the white and black holes that form the transport hub that is Terminus.
As the pair bicker and fight, and finally split and go their separate way, Torquemada discovers that his own spirit is in danger from Thoth's desire for revenge against him. And in the final confrontation between Thoth, Nemesis and Torquemada, reconciliation, revenge and regret will occur within moments of each other.
As with the first book, the artwork is equally fantastic and up to showing the horrors of racism and hatred as we journey back in time during the search for Thoth featured in the volume.
September 5, 2020
Weirder than the first volume somehow. More political too, and featuring a detour to talk smack about John Chivington, historical monster.
January 25, 2015
Totally mental, which is pleasing. But fails to leave an emotional bond. Volume 1 was similar in that regard but Kevin O'Neill's artwork was so angular, eye-popping and extraordinary that it more than filled that gap. Some of the best you'll see. Bryan Talbot takes over in volume 2 and, although the standard is very high, it just doesn't feel as good. And the plots aren't great either. The ABC warriors feel forced in and the dialogue too. I was hoping it would solidify what had gone before but it watered it down and blurred if further for me. O'Neill comes back for parts later on. And there are some photo strips, which are curious. Probably the end of me reading Nemesis. It feels very much like the core character designs and concept were never realised to a meaningful whole. Maybe it's just too far-out for me.
July 14, 2007
Takes me right back to the mid-eighties, when 2000AD was at its most weird and best.
September 13, 2020
In some respects, things are getting bad for Nemesis The Warlock in these ‘Complete Volumes’. Ten years down the line, he is slightly enchanted and engaged to Magna, unaware of her involvement in his wife’s death. I think this fact, unless a story was omitted, is as surprise to the reader as well and I suspect we’ll have to wait to discover how. Meanwhile, Nemesis’ son, Thoth, seeking revenge for his mother’s death, has plucked Torquemada from earlier in his time-line and sent him back to the time when he was be burnt at the stake in a continual time-loop. As no one believes Torquemada when he says he’s the real one he is forever burning. Couldn’t happen to a nastier man!
Thing is, Nemesis believes Thoth is out of control and to find him, he needs to free Torquemada to get his attention. To do this, he is aided by Purity and the ABC Warriors.
Into this mix is the opportunity to see Torquemada without his mask on and meet his wife. If you though he was bad, Candida is far, far worse and dislikes Nemesis as well. Oh and if you thought Torquemada was bad, then meet Nostradamus, the brother or is it his grandfather he thought killed and survived his injuries. This really is bad bloodline.
The second book here or number six if you’re keeping count focuses a lot more on Torquemada and his various incarnations across the generations and how much of a real bastard he really was/is, depending where you are in the time-line. Writer Pat Mills points out in the introduction that he pulled no punches with the violence in this series nor the fact that Nemesis himself is also sidelined in his own strip by the villainous Torquemada. This series isn’t about liking Torquemada but hating him as much as he would hate us heretics.
Probably the best gag is the opening double splash page of this sixth book where artist Bryan Talbot shows the merchandising of Torquemada which is laugh out loud hilarious. It does make me wonder if there is ever any merchandising from this series, if any of it would be done for real. Well and truly, I would probably go for a decent model of Nemesis himself but even so, you would really have to be crazy to want something based off Torquemada.
To the story itself. Candida gets the full insanity treatment here and ultimately Torquemada has to divorce her because he needs a wife who will bear him a child and doesn’t stop him arranging Sturn’s husband’s death to get here. If you thought Candida was mad, then Sister Sturn is even more so.
The seventh book focuses on Torquemada meeting the original Torquemada and hot pokers at no paces. It’s hardly surprising that Nemesis tracking down his son Thoth becomes something of an anti-climax, although the twist on this is spoiler. When it comes to family matters, neither Nemesis nor Torquemada have much luck.
The switch between artists during this story includes Kevin O’Neill and John Hicklenton. The later is especially dark which doesn’t particular help when he’s trying to find different poses for showing off Nemesis’ snout.
There is some material after the main books. A rather bizarre pair of games where you jump across panels playing Torquemada for ‘Diceman’ magazine. Better is a story illustrated/photographed by Tony Luke where Nemesis and Purity have an adventure on Earth present. You’ll never look at a comic book shop the same way again.
It goes without saying that this is a dark book but as writer Pat Mills and artist Bryan Talbot point out, ‘Nemesis The Warlock’ is very much anti-racist and by showing it at its most extreme and ridiculing it in such a way was a bold move when it was first released, let alone now. In Earth present, we’ve ridiculed previous evil dictators, from Napoleon to Hitler, mostly because it reduces the power they had over people. In some respects, it does make me wonder why we’ve stopped doing it with modern dictators, even before their fall, but I guess it puts their nation’s people at risk. Although I wouldn’t advocate the series for the very young, mostly because I don’t think they would get it and of the extreme violence, anyone from teens up will certainly get it and if anything, wish Nemesis would do more to stop Torquemada.
Thing is, Nemesis believes Thoth is out of control and to find him, he needs to free Torquemada to get his attention. To do this, he is aided by Purity and the ABC Warriors.
Into this mix is the opportunity to see Torquemada without his mask on and meet his wife. If you though he was bad, Candida is far, far worse and dislikes Nemesis as well. Oh and if you thought Torquemada was bad, then meet Nostradamus, the brother or is it his grandfather he thought killed and survived his injuries. This really is bad bloodline.
The second book here or number six if you’re keeping count focuses a lot more on Torquemada and his various incarnations across the generations and how much of a real bastard he really was/is, depending where you are in the time-line. Writer Pat Mills points out in the introduction that he pulled no punches with the violence in this series nor the fact that Nemesis himself is also sidelined in his own strip by the villainous Torquemada. This series isn’t about liking Torquemada but hating him as much as he would hate us heretics.
Probably the best gag is the opening double splash page of this sixth book where artist Bryan Talbot shows the merchandising of Torquemada which is laugh out loud hilarious. It does make me wonder if there is ever any merchandising from this series, if any of it would be done for real. Well and truly, I would probably go for a decent model of Nemesis himself but even so, you would really have to be crazy to want something based off Torquemada.
To the story itself. Candida gets the full insanity treatment here and ultimately Torquemada has to divorce her because he needs a wife who will bear him a child and doesn’t stop him arranging Sturn’s husband’s death to get here. If you thought Candida was mad, then Sister Sturn is even more so.
The seventh book focuses on Torquemada meeting the original Torquemada and hot pokers at no paces. It’s hardly surprising that Nemesis tracking down his son Thoth becomes something of an anti-climax, although the twist on this is spoiler. When it comes to family matters, neither Nemesis nor Torquemada have much luck.
The switch between artists during this story includes Kevin O’Neill and John Hicklenton. The later is especially dark which doesn’t particular help when he’s trying to find different poses for showing off Nemesis’ snout.
There is some material after the main books. A rather bizarre pair of games where you jump across panels playing Torquemada for ‘Diceman’ magazine. Better is a story illustrated/photographed by Tony Luke where Nemesis and Purity have an adventure on Earth present. You’ll never look at a comic book shop the same way again.
It goes without saying that this is a dark book but as writer Pat Mills and artist Bryan Talbot point out, ‘Nemesis The Warlock’ is very much anti-racist and by showing it at its most extreme and ridiculing it in such a way was a bold move when it was first released, let alone now. In Earth present, we’ve ridiculed previous evil dictators, from Napoleon to Hitler, mostly because it reduces the power they had over people. In some respects, it does make me wonder why we’ve stopped doing it with modern dictators, even before their fall, but I guess it puts their nation’s people at risk. Although I wouldn’t advocate the series for the very young, mostly because I don’t think they would get it and of the extreme violence, anyone from teens up will certainly get it and if anything, wish Nemesis would do more to stop Torquemada.
November 15, 2023
And you can almost completely spot the moment where Mills goes from madly inventive writer to the long road to boring zealot. The South African character is funny, but Mills decides we may not get the joke about his accent (although it is clearly very obvious) so underlines it a couple more times and in doing so begins to overplay his hand. Yes, Nemesis becomes a more and more alien character here but nuance is going out the window as Mills decides to go through Torquemada’s historic precedents. What saves it is, as ever, the art. Talbot and O’Neill are as wonderful as ever, but it’s John Hicklenton who blows everything up in his debut. At the time I was baffled/ terrified by this weird, unpleasant and viscerally offputting art but now it’s revelatory. Mills has obviously been reading Savoy comics stuff, and is very au fait with the Lord Horror stuff which is coming through as a slight undertone, but Hicklenton’s art is literally unlike anything else the prog had been doing. It’s messy and ugly but also extraordinarily right for the not very subtle melodrama going on. It’s just stunning, and almost makes you forgive whatever the hell those photo stories were going for. Just because Shriekback made a Nemesis mask for a video doesn’t mean you should use it
July 30, 2017
This book is not as good as the first one. The plot is a bit confusing and pointless- I mean, Nemesis has all the chances to just kill Torquemada, but of course he can't, because he is the only villain- so everything is very predictable. Brian Talbot's art is highly detailed and beautiful, and I was pleased to read his older materials. My main problem was with the artist John Hicklenton. I sometimes liked his distortions and anatomy explorations, but it was often very hard to understand what was happening on each page, it is over saturated. On the other hand, it presents a punk attitude and a wonderful ink work, with textured renderings and shadows. It may work as pin ups or posters, but for comics it is too much.
About the plot, the ABC Warriors seemed totally lost there, and well as Purity- she could have been a much greater character. Thoth is perhaps the ugliest fucked up thing that I've ever seen in my life, and the appearance of Satanus- with its pre Jurassic Park T-Rex anatomy- is quite ridiculous. However, the idea of going back in time to kill Torquemada's incarnations was very interesting. Overall I liked this issue but not thaaaat much. I'll try the third one.
About the plot, the ABC Warriors seemed totally lost there, and well as Purity- she could have been a much greater character. Thoth is perhaps the ugliest fucked up thing that I've ever seen in my life, and the appearance of Satanus- with its pre Jurassic Park T-Rex anatomy- is quite ridiculous. However, the idea of going back in time to kill Torquemada's incarnations was very interesting. Overall I liked this issue but not thaaaat much. I'll try the third one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2020
A number of excellent artists visualise Nemesis and Torquemada in their own styles, including two photo stories. Pat Mills' scripts become steadily more polemical: sadly, 30+ years later, they could have been drawn from the current political climate...
July 23, 2018
In a way weirder than Volume 1, the main story proceeds to strangenesses. Thoth slowly grows up while he seeks ways to hurt Torquemada through history itself.
I really enjoyed Bryan Talbot's art in Books V and VI, but John Hickleton's artwork in VII didn't really appeal to me. Torquemadas with their tongues out all the time, the oddly organic look of Nemesis instead of the usual angular look... All too messy in my opinion. I got used to it, but... meh, not the same. Still, the story was damn interesting.
In addition to the three Books there were some extras such as the two Choose Your Adventure -style games. In the first one you played as Torquemada and in the second one as Nemesis. I tried them both just for the fun of it a couple of times but didn't conquer either.
I really enjoyed Bryan Talbot's art in Books V and VI, but John Hickleton's artwork in VII didn't really appeal to me. Torquemadas with their tongues out all the time, the oddly organic look of Nemesis instead of the usual angular look... All too messy in my opinion. I got used to it, but... meh, not the same. Still, the story was damn interesting.
In addition to the three Books there were some extras such as the two Choose Your Adventure -style games. In the first one you played as Torquemada and in the second one as Nemesis. I tried them both just for the fun of it a couple of times but didn't conquer either.
March 17, 2014
Good stuff, more great art and quite mad storylines.
May 31, 2016
In the second volume of Nemesis the warlock, Torquemada the Villain strives to get back into power as Nemesis tries to find his son. Amazing art and originality make this volume an engaging read.
November 22, 2007
Of course, back then it wasn't (the best of), but individual comics.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews