Brighton-based 2000AD comic creator Tony Luke – creator of a slew of amazing strips for a huge range of companies – has been digging into his archives and has started turning up some interesting stuff… including these images of a 12-minute stop-motion pilot for “Nemesis the Warlock” made in 1987.
Tony reveals the show, based on the characters created by Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill for 2000AD, almost went to series. What an intriguing “Might have Been” for the day!
The models featured – Nemesis, R0-Jaws, Torquemada, Satanus and the Blitzspear – have long gone, Tony, who made stop motion films from a young age, tells us.
“They’re all long-disintegrated, I’m afraid… We couldn’t secure the finance for a full series so everything was left to rot.”
Shame! But, if anyone wants to offer Tony the money to pay for a transfer of the film then drop us a line and we’ll pass on a message!
Here’s Tony Robinson (Baldrick from Black Adder) in a clip that includes an extract of the stop-motion Nemesis The Warlock 16mm short, broadcast in 1988.
Update, 25th July 2017: Although Tony Luke found the full 16mm film for this project in 2015, and was very keen for it to get transferred to a format that would make this available to a modern audience, his illness took up all his energy and he passed away before his conversations with Rebellion about reviving this tale could reach completion. You can read his obituary here on downthetubes. Much missed.
Nemesis the Warlock © Rebellion Publishing
With thanks to “Mac MacMac” for posting imagery from 2000AD
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, Animation, British Comics, Featured News, Other Worlds
16mm or 35mm film? Negative stock or final print with a magnetic or optical soundtrack or just a spliced rough print with separate magstock soundtrack? Whatever, it wouldn’t be that expensive to make an HD telecine here in the UK.
I’d be surprised if this couldn’t be crowd funded pretty easily…those still shots look great.
If this isn’t what Kickstarter was made for, I don’t know what is!!
You know that you want to and you know that we all want you to no matter how far gone! Shame it never made it to series production!