Titus Defoe is a comics character in an

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous story published in the British science fiction anthology '' 2000 AD''. He was created by writer

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English 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. He has been called "the godfather o ...

and artist

Leigh Gallagher Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

and first appeared in prog 1540, cover date 6 June 2007. Defoe is a

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

hunter in an alternative 17th Century London overrun by plagues of zombies after a comet struck England in 1666. Defoe and his companions keep the undead plagues at bay using weapons devised by the likes of

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the great ...

and

Robert Hooke Robert Hooke FRS (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath active as a scientist, natural philosopher and architect, who is credited to be one of two scientists to discover microorganisms in 1665 using a compound microscope that ...

Characters

The King's Men

*Titus Defoe – Zombie Hunter General *Fear-The-Lord Jones – An earnest young reporter who befriended Defoe. *

*If-Christ-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Wouldst-Be-Damned Jones – Brother of Fear-The-Lord, and a British espionage agent. * Sir Joseph Williamson – 'Provost', Damned's

spymaster A spymaster is the person that leads a spy ring, or a secret service (such as an intelligence agency). Historical spymasters See also *List of American spies *List of British spies * List of German spies *List of fictional spymasters This is ...

and head of the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

*Gabriel Grubb – Isaac Newton's dogsbody and former chief warden of Bedlam *

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...

– Poet, writer, British espionage agent and sometime lover of Damned Jones *The Vizards – A group of young men and women with aetheric powers of flight and strength, their identities a secret – but believed to include

Judge Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as ...

and

Nell Gwynn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...

. Mortal enemies of the Diabolonians

The Dirty Dozenne

The Crown's zombie slayers: *Mister Bodie – Aether marine, veteran of

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

and

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...

and former

pressgang Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of ...

er *Martha Hopkins – Witchfinder, widow of

Matthew Hopkins Matthew Hopkins ( 1620 – 12 August 1647) was an English witch-hunter whose career flourished during the English Civil War. He claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General, although that title was never bestowed by Parliament, a ...

and second in command of the Brethren *Nathaniel Strange – A Winged Hussar, formerly a road knight *Frenchy – Henri Sanson, Monsieur the Connoisseur, a French

cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

*She-Napper - A former

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

madam *Captain Queernabs -

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

veteran *Blueskin Blake *Russia Bob Former members – *Mungo Gallowgrass – Anatomist and

necrophilia Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction towards or a sexual act involving Cadaver, corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

c *The Spiriter – Silas Scrimgeour, child-catcher – see ''The Undead'' * The Tomb Rat – Ezreel Tonge,

ranter The Ranters were one of a number of dissenting groups that emerged around the time of the English Commonwealth (1649–1660). They were largely common people and the movement was widespread throughout England, though they were not organised and ...

, lives in a tomb and frequently speaks in tongues. *Solomon Eagle – A

phlogiston The phlogiston theory is a superseded scientific theory that postulated the existence of a fire-like element called phlogiston () contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion. The name comes from the Ancient Greek (''burni ...

weapon specialist and

veteran. *The Butcher – Josiah Creely, the 'Butcher of Soho' *

Jack Ketch John Ketch (died November 1686), generally known as Jack Ketch, was an infamous English executioner employed by King Charles II. He became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentio ...

– The infamous hangman *The Bishop – The Reverend Theophilus Forrest, former Bishop of the Cells at

Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, t ...

*Tomazine Scarlet – 'The Sea Wolf'. Irish

Pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, lover of

Charles Vane Charles Vane (c. 1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Vane was likely born in the Kingdom of England around 1680. One of his first pirate ventures was under the l ...

, spared the gallows after pleading her belly

The Undead

*Mene Tekel, later revealed as infamous occultist Johann Faust – The power behind the undead hordes *

La Voisin Catherine Monvoisin, or Montvoisin, née ''Deshayes'', known as "La Voisin" (c. 1640 – 22 February 1680), was a French fortune teller, commissioned poisoner, and professional provider of alleged sorcery. She was the head of a network of fo ...

– Countess Madalena Von Konigsberg, also known as 'Prussian Blue'. Mene Tekel's second in command, a powerful sorceress, and self-styled 'Queen of the zombies' *

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

– Returned from the dead and leagued with the zombies to revenge himself on the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

*Baroque – La Voisin's part-clockwork bodyguard, veteran of the Battle of Magdeburg *Jack O'Bite – Once Titus' best friend, now a Lieutenant of the zombie hordes *The Diabolonians – Twelve highly intelligent 'super zombies', mortal enemies of the Vizards. *The Spiriter – Silas Scrimgeour, formerly of the Brethren of the Night, killed by the Diabolonians and resurrected by La Voisin. *Tom Cox - A hanged highwayman.

Plot

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Titus Defoe fought as a

Roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

for the Parliamentary forces, seeing action at the

battle of Naseby The Battle of Naseby took place on 14 June 1645 during the First English Civil War, near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire. The Parliamentarian New Model Army, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, destroyed the main ...

, where his friend Jack received horrific face wounds. A committed

Leveller The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its popul ...

, Defoe and his friends were betrayed by Cromwell's Republic after the war and executed or exiled. Disillusioned by Cromwell's actions, Defoe retired from military life and worked a

sedan chair The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the e ...

around the streets of London with Jack until he had saved enough money to buy a cottage in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

with his young wife, where they soon had several children. This idyll was shattered in 1666 when a meteor passed over the Southeast of the country, starting the Great Fire and raising the dead from the ashes. The great and good of society had begun receiving visits in their dreams from beings who claimed to be angels for some years before the disaster, and had been forewarned of the imminent catastrophe. The poor were not so lucky, and were left to their fate. Defoe's wife and children lost their lives to the zombie hordes. Defoe joined the employ of the lately restored King as a zombie hunter, dedicated to ending the undead scourge and bringing order back to the streets of London.

1666

Called to what seemed a routine zombie outbreak, Defoe first re-encountered his former friend Jack, now Jack O' Bite, an undead ghoul and zombie lieutenant. Shadowed, somewhat to his chagrin, by intrepid young reporter Fear-the-Lord Jones, Defoe repelled a zombie outbreak at the ruin of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

in concert with fellow zombie hunter

, former hangman, where the trio were saved by the timely arrival of a flying machine. The machine was manned by

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

and

who, along with

Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

and other

Natural Philosophers Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancient wor ...

of the

Invisible College Invisible College is the term used for a small community of interacting scholars who often met face-to-face, exchanged ideas and encouraged each other. One group that has been described as a precursor group to the Royal Society of London consis ...

, were spearheading the fight against the zombies with new weapons and new technologies – part of the ongoing angelically inspired Renaissance. Defoe informed Newton of his encounter with Jack O' Bite, which seemed to suggest that some marshalling intelligence was controlling the undead hordes. This intelligence was soon revealed; the severed head of

. Cromwell's head led an attack on the King, but was eventually frustrated by Defoe and Newton, who drove back the zombie hordes. A gloating Jack O' Bite revealed to Titus that it was he who was responsible for the death of his wife and child, but the swirl of battle forced the two apart before an enraged Defoe could slay his former friend. Defoe slew Cromwell for a second time, thus laying to rest at least some of the ghosts of his past, and Newton decreed Defoe England's new Zombie Hunter General.

Brethren of the Night

Now head of an elite team of specialist zombie hunters known as the Dirty Dozenne, or Brethren of the Night, Defoe was leading a pro-active campaign of eradication of zombie nests as part of the ongoing reclamation of those parts of London destroyed by the 1666 comet. It was at the ruins of the former Royal Exchange that they encountered Gonoph Bendigo, a dung collector and former bare-knuckle fighter who had tasked his two young apprentices to loot the tunnels below the ruins of any forgotten valuables. The boys woke the sleeping evil in the tunnels and released a horde of fire zombies, who slew both the boys and Bendigo. Fear-the-Lord Jones, meanwhile, had tracked

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

and learnt her true identity, only to be confronted and shot by her. Embarking on a frantic ride back to London, a mortally wounded Fear staggered to

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

to find his brother If-Christ-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Wouldst-Be-Damned Jones, an agent in the

British Secret Service The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

. Managing to impart his information before he died, Damned swore to avenge his brother and track down La Voisin. Unaware of Fear's fate, Defoe was meanwhile making inquiries among the linkboys and

mudlark A mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value, a term used especially to describe those who scavenged this way in London during the late 18th and 19th centuries. The practice of searching the banks of rivers for items cont ...

s as to 'Mister Quick', their nickname for a mysterious masked figure who stole away young boys that later turned up dead, as hosts to zombie eggs implanted by the self-styled 'Queen of the zombies', La Voisin, the second in command of Mene Tekel. Managing to narrow down Mister Quick's last known attack to a particular

coffee house A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non- ...

, Defoe realised that one of the patrons who were there that night had to be Mene Tekel himself – the six members of the King's own

Cabal A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. Th ...

, Damned, and his spymaster Provost. Later, in the process of closing down an illegal zombie pit fight, he encountered an enigmatic foreign diplomat, Countess Madalena von Konigsberg, or 'Prussian Blue', who seemed to have some measure of control over the undead. She managed to get away, but Defoe was not slow to realise that this was almost certainly La Voisin herself. This was confirmed when he met Damned for the first time shortly afterward, who informed him of Fear's information, namely that La Voisin was operating out of Ipswich with the aid of ten highly intelligent super-zombies, the Diabolonians. The two swore to track down the fiends responsible for Fear's death together.

Queen of the Zombies

Defoe and the Brethren of the Night tracked La Vosion to Ipswich and encountered the Diabolonians in their coffins, slaying all ten super-zombies – but not without the loss of one of their own number, the Spiriter, whose heart was torn from his chest. La Voison fled unharmed, but the Brethren were able to track her back to London and thus learn her true identity, Defoe realising that she was indeed the same woman he had met some months earlier. Back in London, Defoe and Damned made their move at a party held in

Nonsuch House Nonsuch House was a four-storey house on London Bridge, completed in 1579. It is the earliest documented prefabricated building. Originally constructed in the Netherlands, it was taken apart and shipped to London in pieces in 1578, where it was r ...

– attended, among others, by La Voisin, Robert Hooke,

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

, and the members of the King's Cabal, one of whom was almost certainly Mene Tekel him(or her) self – William Bedloe, Colonel Thomas Blood,

, Doctor Richard Busby,

Thomas Dangerfield Thomas Dangerfield (c. 165022 June 1685) was an English conspirator, who became one of the principal informers in the Popish Plot. His violent death at the hands of the barrister Robert Francis was clearly a homicide, although whether th ...

and Bevil Skelton. Unbeknownst to any of them, however, the Spiriter – lately risen from the dead – had also returned to London in the meantime, and proceeded to release the hordes of undead kept caged at

Wapping Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...

, awaiting exportation to the colonies and plantations as cheap manual labour. While Robert Hooke demonstrated to the guests at the party his 'clockpunks', clockwork automatons with zombie brain matter, Damned and Defoe made their move against La Voisin. She outwitted them both and used her sorcery to take command of the clockpunks before fleeing. Defoe chased La Voisin back through a ballroom become a slaughterhouse, as clockpunks ran rampant, murdering guests with impunity. He succeeded in chasing her down and beheading her, earning vengeance for Fear. When Damned and Aphra Benn managed to escape the burning building, they revealed to Titus the shocking truth – not only was Colonel Blood Mene Tekel, but this was only one of several faces that he had worn in his time – his true identity was Johann Faust.

A Murder of Angels

Led by the zombie Spiriter, the undead from Wapping besieged the

Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

and Isaac Newton's

Mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

, their intent surely to disrupt the alchemical production of gold that kept Britannia the world's principal power, forcing the Brethren to the defence. Ezreel Tonge died in the assault, and only an intervention by the Tower's

Ravenmaster The Yeomen Warders of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. ...

and

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

Morvran helped repel an attack by airborne zombies. With the hordes temporarily rebuffed, Defoe was free to attend to the matter of the imminent public execution of the Tower's most dangerous prisoner – Terra Moto, a misshapen monstrosity believed to be an angel trapped halfway when trying to shape shift into a human. While the Brethren entertained Thomas Brandon, the executioner (son of

Richard Brandon Richard Brandon (died 20 June 1649) was the common executioner of London from 1639 to 1649, who inherited his role from his father Gregory Brandon and was sometimes known as Young Gregory. Richard Brandon is often named as the executioner of ...

), Morvran slipped away, only to be surprised by a large, pale fish-like monstrosity known as The Pale Rider, who barbarically slew the druid. With Morvran dead and his protective powers no longer in force around the Tower, it was rendered open to angelic interference. On consultation with John Milton, Defoe and Damned realised that The Pale Rider was himself an angel, a

seraph A seraph (, "burning one"; plural seraphim ) is a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Chr ...

of the first sphere, who had come to prevent Terra Moto revealing the secrets of the angels. They raced to prevent the execution, having realised that Brandon was himself the Seraph. Revealed for what he was, the Seraph discarded Brandon's form and called the undead still waiting outside to his aid. Solomon Eagle died at their hands as the crowd that had gathered to watch the execution fled to safety, leaving Defoe to stand against the Seraph. After a fight in which Terra Moto died, Ketch managed to behead the angel, but the undead were too great a force. As the zombies broke into the Martin Tower and pillaged the Crown Jewels, the survivors fled into the White Tower to make their final stand, as an aggrieved Faust looked on and plotted from afar...

The Damned

Faust appeared to Tomazine Scarlet in a dream, reminding her of her time in prison, when she prayed for the angels to take her unborn baby. He revealed it was delivered into his care and has since grown up with him. Using the boy as leverage, he forced her into agreeing to leave an oubliette in the White Tower open for the undead forces to break in. The Zombie hunters fended off the subsequent incursion, but Tomazine's betrayal came out. Defoe concocted a plan; rather than wait for the army to relieve the siege, he'll strike directly at Faust, the zombie's controlling influence. He, Damned and Tomazine disguised themselves as zombies to slip through the crowd outside, destroying the Spiriter before they make their getaway. Back at Nonsuch House there is a confrontation with Faust, who also has Jack O' Bite with him. He gives Tomazine back her son as proof of his good will and offers Defoe a bargain – the killer of his family for a way into the Tower. When Titus agrees to the offer, Damned attacks him as a traitor and Defoe knocks him unconscious. Faust lowered his protective aura to let Jack out, whom Defoe beheads – and he then goes on to give Faust the necessary tactics for victory. The battle for the Tower begins to go against the zombie hunters, but it has all been a ruse – Defoe attacks Faust, who flees Nonsuch House, taking Tomazine and her son with him as hostages. A pursuit and chase ended with the final death of Faust, and robbed of their controlling influence the zombies hordes disperse. With uncomfortable memories of his murdered family dredged up, Defoe quit his position as Zombie Hunter General to be true to his leveller roots.

The London Hanged

1671. Defoe was living a quiet life of domestic bliss with Tomazine and her son Sean in the hamlet of

Tyburn Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern Ox ...

, when the cottage was surrounded and attacked by reeks. Their leader was a New Pretender, a hanged

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footp ...

called Tom Cox, who invited Defoe out to parley. Cox told him that the hanged criminal dead of Tyburn have risen to make war on the rich, and wanted Defoe to lead them. Titus refused, returning home to urge Tomazine and Sean to go into hiding in the liberty of

Alsatia Whitefriars is an area in the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. Until 1540, it was the site of a Carmelite monastery, from which it gets its name. History The area takes its name from the medieval Carmelite religious house, know ...

while he investigated this new reek outbreak with Damned. Having returned to his former profession as sedan chair carrier with Jack Ketch, Defoe was at work at the

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

, base of the Vizards, when he found a Vizard the worse for drink. Defoe put on his disguise to sneak into their secret meeting, where he learnt that their leader

John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's diary, or memo ...

is planning an attack on the lawless Alsatia. While Defoe rushed to protect his family, the majority of the Vizards decamped to a coffee house, which was attacked by Cox's reeks. They seemingly killed Judge George Jeffreys in the attack - only the vizard's aetheric powers save him. As only the Vizards themselves knew they would be in the coffee house at that time, Damned deduces that one of the group must be the new Resurrectionist who has raised the reeks - and asked Titus to investigate. During the Vizard attack on Alsatia, Defoe came face-to-face with one of their number, Carrion Killer, and battled him to the death. With the help of Jack Ketch, Defoe dumped the body in St James' Park while the Brethren were fighting reeks in the fog, hoping to make the death look like an attack by the undead. Ketch quit his job after this, going back to his old profession of hangman. While recruiting for his replacement, Mungo Gallowgrass of the Brethren approached Titus wanting the job. When Titus refused, Mungo made it clear that he alone was not fooled by Titus' deception and knew exactly who slew Carrion Killer. Titus reluctantly employed Gallowgrass as chair carrier, as well as assistant in his investigation of the Vizards. Between them they deduced that John Evelyn was the resurrectionist, and confronted him at his manor in Deptford. Titus killed Evelyn for his crimes and vows to make the country see the other 'heroes' as they really are.

Appearances

Defoe has so far appeared in eight serials (all written by Pat Mills), four of which have been collected into two

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

, the first with around twenty panels redrawn.Redrawing ''Defoe 1666''!
14 August 2009 * ''1666'' () collects: ** "1666" (in ''2000 AD'' #1540–1549, 2007) ** "Brethren of the Night" (#1589–1598, 2008) * ''Queen of the Zombies'' () collects: ** "Queen of the Zombies" (#1640–1649, 2009) ** "A Murder of Angels" (#1700–1709, 2010) * Uncollected: ** "The Damned" (in ''2000 AD'' #1836–1847, 2013) ** "Frankensteiner" (in ''2000 AD Winter Special 2014'') ** "The London Hanged" (in ''2000 AD'' #1950–1960, 2015) ** "Diehards" (in ''2000 AD'' #2026–2039, 2017) ** "The Divisor" (in ''2000 AD'' #2150–2161, 2019)

Historical characters referenced in Defoe

Besides the principal (mostly fictional) characters, Defoe is littered with references to a vast number of notable historical figures. Some feature prominently as characters in their own right, others warrant only a passing mention. They include the following: *''1666'' ** Charles II,

, John Ketch,

Richard Busby Richard Busby (; 22 September 1606 – 6 April 1695) was an English Anglican priest who served as head master of Westminster School for more than fifty-five years. Among the more illustrious of his pupils were Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, Robe ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, teacher, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divinatio ...

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (; ; 14 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, theologian, and occult writer. Agrippa's ''Three Books of Occult Philosophy'' published in 1533 drew ...

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He w ...

Nicolas Flamel Nicolas Flamel (; 1330 – 22 March 1418) was a French scribe and manuscript-seller. After his death, Flamel developed a reputation as an alchemist believed to have created and discovered the philosopher's stone and to have thereby achieved im ...

Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of ...

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , , ; also spelled Huyghens; la, Hugenius; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of ...

, Robert Lockier,

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of w ...

. *''Brethren of the Night'' **

, William Thompson,

Ben Caunt Ben Caunt (22 March 1815 – 10 September 1861) was a 19th-century English bare-knuckle boxer who became the heavyweight boxing champion known as the "Torkard Giant" and "Big Ben". Early life Caunt was born on 22 March 1815 in Hucknall Torkard, ...

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

John Gadbury John Gadbury (1627–1704) was an English astrologer, and a prolific writer of almanacs and on other related topics. Initially a follower or disciple, and a defender in the 1650s, of William Lilly, he eventually turned against Lilly and denounced ...

Thomas Rainsborough Thomas Rainsborough, or Rainborowe, 6 July 1610 – 29 October 1648, was an English religious and political radical who served in the Parliamentarian navy and New Model Army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. One of the few contemporaries wh ...

, Bevil Skelton,

Thomas Blood Colonel Thomas Blood (1618 – 24 August 1680) was an Anglo-Irish officer and self-styled colonel best known for his attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. Described in an American source as a "no ...

, William Bedloe,

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

. *''Queen of the Zombies'' **

Ferdinand Verbiest Father Ferdinand Verbiest (9 October 1623 – 28 January 1688) was a Flemish Jesuit missionary in China during the Qing dynasty. He was born in Pittem near Tielt in the County of Flanders (now part of Belgium). He is known as Nan Huairen () in Chi ...

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

, Johann Faust. *''A Murder of Angels'' ** Nell Gwyn,

Dom Perignon Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an ethn ...

, Talbot Edwards. *''The Damned'' **Forthcoming *'The London Hanged' **

, Sir Richard Ford,

Notes

References

*
Defoe
at Barney {{Refend

External links

Leigh Gallagher's blog
2000 AD Review, 21 August 2009

2000 AD Review, 18 October 2009

Hypergeek, 25 August 2009 Comics by Pat Mills Comics set in the 17th century 2007 comics debuts Zombies in comics England in fiction 2000 AD characters