The Redeemer is a comic set in the Necromunda verse, a Warhammer 40,000 Gaiden Game. It follows the adventures of a Redemptionist cult led by Klovis of House Cawdor as he deals with a ratskin threat to Hive Primus.
This comic contains examples of:
- Affably Evil: The mutant leader is quite cheerful, announcing that the Redeemer's gang can pay the toll or fight a Duel to the Death.
- Awesome Personnel Carrier: The APC/cathedral the Redeemer's gang runs around in, called the Pulpitek. Slightly less aesome in that the guns are prone to jamming.
- Bad Boss: Even by House Cawdor standards, Klovis is uncompromising with his underlings. He casually feeds them all a potentially lethal combat drug when their fervour falters in the face of the battle ahead, and shoots his long-time attendant Malakev when he succumbs to the lingering psychic power of the Bloodmare's Eye, before hauling him back to civilisation to have him made into a Scribe-Servitor — a disfigured, lobotomised cyborg that exists only to document Klovis' deeds. He even executes one of his men for not keeping his equipment clean.Klovis: I am the most forgiving of men... but standards must be maintained!
- Beard of Evil: The Redeemer has the classic villian's goatee that matches his mask's Sinister Schnoz.
- Big Book of War: Of torture rather. The Liber Excruciatus is a list of appropriate punishments for various crimes and needs to be carried on Malakev's back.
- Braids, Beads and Buckskins: The Ratskins are 40k Native Americans wearing the skins of giant rats.
- Catchphrase: SCOURGE AND PURGE!
- Deadpan Snarker: The Redeemer has his moments:
- As the shaman busts down the door of the Redeemer's fortress:
Malakev: The Caller! He's followed us here!Klovis: Perceptive as always, Malakev.- When the captured Voor is sending a telepathic message for help:
Klovis: Why is Voor looking so smug, Malakev? I don't like it... I don't like it at all.Malakev: I have no idea, my lord...Klovis: No, of course you don't. It was a rhetorical question, I wasn't expecting an intelligent answer.- When Voor's still not talking:
Malakev: I have the answer! Why don't we use the melta gun on him?Klovis: What a genius you are, Malakev. Leaving him as a living puddle of fat and ashes. That would be most useful in finding the Caller.- After the Redemptionists have been captured and the Redeemer single-handedly defeats a giant zombie rat:
Klovis: A magnificent performance, men. Remind me to take you on my next crusade. - Evil Genius: Klovis might be a psycho, but he may have successfully invented a chemical compound that could undo the zombie plague... for the sole purpose of bringing a zombified captive back to life to be tortured for information.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Applied to the Redemptionists. The Imperium of Man as a whole champions ideals of religious intolerance, zealotry and xenophobia towards aliens and mutants, but the Redemptionists take it up to eleven, believing every single being is guilty and only through their death their sins can be cleansed. At best, their cult is tolerated as they can be still of some use to Inquisitors. At worst, they are outright banned in other worlds, with Necromunda being a planet where they have a firm grip on.
- Klovis may be a psychotically violent fanatic and a callously Manipulative Bastard to his own followers, but even he apparently found cannibalism to be abhorrent, as seen in his disgusted reaction to Stitch, the leader of the Mutant gang controlling the Pass during their duel when he boasted about it, which made Klovis swear he would most certainly cleanse him of his 'sinful existence' with his Sword of Redemption. That is still not saying much about Klovis' character, however.
- Funny Background Event: One warning on the Redeemer's fortress reads "No salesmen".
- Fun with Acronyms: Sacred Libation And Unguent which Gives Heart to the Terrified- better known as Slaught, the Imperium's combat stim of choice.
- Giant Spider: The Bloodmare, a monstrous underhive spider with psychic powers.
- Go for the Eye: The green orb that gives the ratskin shaman his powers is the bloodmare's eye, leaving a big hole for a chainsword to go into.
- Ham-to-Ham Combat: It's 40K.Klovis: Idiot mutant! You dare to insult my crown of all-cleansing fire? I am aflame with zeal for the faith!Stitch: I like your style! Last time I met a psycho like you I ate him!Klovis: Blasphemer! Cannibal! Rejoice that I cleanse you with the sword of redemption! That your sinful existence will be snuffed out!
- Happiness in Slavery: Malakev immediately suggests some punishments for himself when he fails the Redeemer.
- I Am a Humanitarian: Stitch, leader of the Mutant gang controlling the Pass which Klovis had to duel to get through with his men, boasted the last time he met a guy like Klovis he ate him. From Klovis' reaction, even he was disgusted.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He executed one of his men for the poor conditions of his weapons, but he makes a fair point about the importance of armaments maintenance to ensure they are in combat-ready conditions. Such neglect in their equipment could potentially get them killed if their weapons fail them at the worst possible moment in the middle of combat, which was what happened to the autocannons of their Pulpitek half-trak jammed when the Caller first appeared with a giant worm creature - forcing Klovis to deal with the Caller and the monstrous mount himself and drive them away - which was what prompted the post-skirmish weapons-inspection of the Redemptionist troops and subsequent execution of that follower who fell below standards in the first place.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- Klovis the Redeemer, as part of his overall Bad Boss status to his own Redemptionist followers, using a combination of terror, shaming, guilt-tripping, selective-wording and sheer charismatic zeal to keep his followers in line and die for him and the cause.
- At one point on their crusade against the Caller and his allies, one of his Redemptionist followers began to have doubts on him and confide with Malakev his intention to stage a coup and replace him with better leadership (with said doubter in charge, of course). When Klovis found out (through Malakev), he gives the would-be usurper the dubious 'honour' of going into the tunnels beneath the path they were travelling with a Heavy Stubber and clear out packs of Plague Zombies being sent by the Callers' allies to destroy the Redemptionists (with Malakev, who betrayed him out of loyalty to Klovis, as his only support). Naturally, the attempted usurper gets overrun and killed, being intended all along to be used as bait for Klovis to ambush and destroy the rest of the Plague Zombies with the other Redemptionists, capturing their summoner Voor while at it. Klovis then questioned if any other Redemptionists had any doubts on his leadership, and heard no more dissent from his awed/terrified subordinates.
- Near the end of the graphic novel, when his remaining followers' resolve was faltering before the assembled forces of the Caller about to storm Hive Primus, Klovis resolves his troops' morale problem by giving them a 'Sacred Libation And Unguent Which Gives Heart to the Terrified' which he promised would be able to make them as fearless as he is. He neglected to mention that it's actually a Combat Stimulant used by the Imperial Guard (known as 'Slaught' or 'Onslaught') which would drive them into a violent frenzy in battle at the expense of their long-term health, which Malakev lampshaded when he figured out what the acronyms meant after they had all drank it.
- Magical Native American: The ratskins, down to having a shaman, wearing animal headdresses, and calling their warriors "braves".
- More Dakka: The Redemptionists' main approach to combat (even using DAKKADAKKADAKKA as the Written Sound Effect).
- Personal Dictionary: According to the Redeemer, "decimation" involves sparing one man out of ten (leaving him in a pillory so he can spread word of the Redeemer's "forgiveness").
- The Redeemer: Ironically subverted. The titular character's idea of redemption is setting the sinners on fire.
- Sand Worm: The Ratskin shaman rides a giant purple worm/centipede thing that can burrow through the ground.
- Self-Punishment Over Failure: Malakev, having failed his master Klovis the Redeemer during a Duel to the Death on cranes (he messed up the controls, nearly killing Klovis), immediately asks to look up his appropriate punishment in the Liber Excruciatus once Klovis returns. Klovis denies him this, but promises that it is only a reprieve, and even spares Malakev when an artifact causes Klovis' men to attack him.
- Shout-Out: The singing the Redemptionist cult
gets into at one point is inspired from Battle Hymn of the Republic. - Shut Up, Hannibal!:The Caller: Repent? For trying to save my people from tyranny? I would die a thousand times to save them!Klovis Once will be sufficient!
- Sinister S Chnoz: The Redeemer's mask gives him a very long and pointed one.
- Slasher Smile: The Redeemer is a very happy man in combat.
- To the Pain: As per standard Imperial procedure, the torture is first explained to the victim before he undergoes it.
- What the Hell Are You?: Said by the Ratskin shaman to the Redeemer, after he impales and torches the shaman's pet rat on his hat.
- Revive Kills Zombie: The Redeemer decides to try this on Voor after seeing that regular torture has no effect. He doesn't get the chance to see if it works though.
- Rodent of Unusual Size: The Rat God is the size of a bus. The "normal" rats are big enough that humans can make headdresses out of them.
- Villain Protagonist: Klovis, oh so very much. Even by the Imperium standards, his methods are too extreme and might even be considered heretical in some other worlds.
- You Have Failed Me: Klovis has several of his followers killed directly or indirectly over the course of the graphic novel for failing his standards and insubordination, often for something as little as poor weapons maintenance. note When his followers succumbed to the influence of the Bloodmare Stone at the end of the story except for him, he personally slaughtered them all except for Malakev, whom he subjected to an even worse fate.
- Zombie Apocalypse: The Caller recruits Plague Zombies to help the invasion, summoned by a necromancer named Voor, emissary of a certain 'Master of Plague Zombies' named Karloth Valois. It is not mentioned if they are worshippers of Nurgle or their own independent group of necromantic cultists.
