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Hellblazer

Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. Its central character is the streetwise magician John Constantine. It has been published continuously since January 1988.

Origins

After favourable reader reaction to John Constantine's appearances in the comic book series Swamp Thing, where he had been introduced by Alan Moore during his authorship of the title, the character was given his own comic book series in 1988. The series was intended to bear the title Hellraiser, but this title was revised before publication due to the contemporaneous release of Clive Barker's unrelated film of the same name.

The initial creative team was writer Jamie Delano and artist John Ridgway, with Dave McKean supplying distinctive painted and collage covers. Delano introduced a political aspect to the character: "...generally I was interested in commenting on 1980s Britain. That was where I was living, it was shit, and I wanted to tell everybody."

Other creators

Others who have worked on the series include writers Garth Ennis, Paul Jenkins, Warren Ellis, Darko Macan, Brian Azzarello, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Eddie Campbell, John Smith, Mike Carey, Denise Mina, and Andy Diggle; and artists Mark Buckingham, Tim Bradstreet, Steve Dillon, Marcelo Frusin, Leonardo Manco and Sean Phillips. Peter Hogan also wrote two Hellblazer spinoff stories, entitled Love Street and Marquee Moon. In 2006 popular crime novelist Ian Rankin announced that he was working on a six-issue pitch for Hellblazer that may eventually become a graphic novel.

Setting and protagonist

Hellblazer is set in a contemporary world, albeit a world of magic and supernatural conflict behind the scenes. Although issue 14 made a passing reference to superheroes, the series has since developed its own pocket universe in which the supernatural or paranormal does not play a large role in the lives of most ordinary people, and in earth threatening circumstances no superhero interventions are shown or hinted at, suggesting that superheroes no longer exist there. However, some DC Comics characters—most notably the fringe supernatural characters such as Zatanna, The Phantom Stranger and Swamp Thing have made appearances. This could be because they have the ability to move between universes.

Hellblazer's main character is portrayed as a kind of confidence man, doing morally questionable things, sometimes for the greater good. Constantine usually triumphs in his conflicts through guile, deceit and misdirection, but often makes more enemies in the process than he defeats. Indeed, it is a common theme in the book that Constantine is unable to effect any lasting change or enjoy unequivocal victories. While sometimes striving for the good of mankind, Constantine is often manipulative and a dangerous person to have as a friend, as the lives and souls of those around him become perilously involved in his misadventures. He takes pains to protect himself from direct attacks, but his friends and relatives are often endangered in order to strike at him. The spirits of deceased friends haunt him, individually or as an entourage of ghosts.

Constantine has made appearances in other comic book titles, such as The Sandman, Lucifer and Shade, the Changing Man. He was a recurring supporting character in both Swamp Thing and The Books of Magic throughout their numerous incarnations.

Publications

Collected editions

Hellblazer has been incompletely collected as a number of trade paperbacks by DC Vertigo. In chronological order, they are:

Title	Issues collected	Writer(s)	ISBN	Issues and/or story arcs reprinted
Original Sins	1–9	Jamie Delano	ISBN 1-56389-052-6	"Hunger", "A Feast of Friends", "Going for It", "Waiting for the Man", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", "Extreme Prejudice", "Ghosts in the Machine", "Intensive Care", "Shot to Hell"
The Devil You Know	10–13, plus The Hellblazer Annual and The Horrorist 1-2	Jamie Delano	ISBN 1-40121-269-7	"Sex and Death", "Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come", "The Devil You Know...", "On The Beach", "The Bloody Saint", "Venus of the Hardsell", "Antarctica"
The Fear Machine	14–22	Jamie Delano	ISBN 1-40121-810-5	"The Fear Machine"
The Family Man	23-24, 28-33	Jamie Delano, Dick Foreman	ISBN 1-40121-964-0 (October 2008)	"Larger Than Life", "The Family Man", "Thicker Than Water", "Sick At Heart", "Fatality", "Mourning Of The Magician"
Rare Cuts	11, 25–26, 35, 56, 84	Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-40120-240-3	"Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come", "Early Warning", "How I Learned to Love the Bomb", "This is the Diary of Danny Drake", "Another Part of Hell"
Dangerous Habits	41–46	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-56389-150-6	"Dangerous Habits"
Bloodlines	47–50, 52–55, 59–61	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-40121-514-9	"The Pub Where I Was Born", "Love Kills", "The Lord of the Dance", "Remarkable Lives", "Royal Blood", "Guys and Dolls"
Fear and Loathing	62–67	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-56389-202-2	"End of the Line", "Forty", "Fear and Loathing", "Dear John"
Tainted Love	68–71 plus Hellblazer Special and short story from Vertigo Jam	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-56389-456-4	"Tainted Love", "Down All the Days", "Rough Trade", "Heartland", "Finest Hour", "Confessional"
Damnation's Flame	72–77	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-56389-508-0	"Damnation's Flame", "Act of Union", "Confessions of an Irish Rebel", "And the Crowd Goes Wild"
Rake at the Gates of Hell	78–83 plus the Heartland one-shot	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-40120-002-8	"Rake at the Gates of Hell", "Heartland"
Son of Man	129–133	Garth Ennis	ISBN 1-40120-202-0	"Son of Man"
Haunted	134–139	Warren Ellis	ISBN 1-56389-813-6	"Haunted"
Setting Sun	140–143	Warren Ellis	ISBN 1-40120-245-4	"Locked", "The Crib", "Setting Sun", "One Last Love Song", "Telling Tales"
Hard Time	146–150	Brian Azzarello	ISBN 1-56389-696-6	"Hard Time"
Good Intentions	151–156	Brian Azzarello	ISBN 1-56389-856-X	"Good Intentions"
Freezes Over	157–163	Brian Azzarello	ISBN 1-56389-971-X	"...And Buried?", "Freezes Over", "Lapdogs and Englishmen"
Highwater	164–174	Brian Azzarello	ISBN 1-40120-223-3	"Highwater", "A Fresh Coat of Red Paint", "Chasing Demons", "Ashes and Dust in the City of Angels"
Red Sepulchre	175–180	Mike Carey	ISBN 1-40120-485-6	"High on Life", "Red Sepulchre"
Black Flowers	181–186	Mike Carey	ISBN 1-40120-499-6	"The Game of Cat and Mouse", "Black Flowers", "Third Worlds"
Staring at the Wall	187–193	Mike Carey	ISBN 1-40120-929-7	"Bred in the Bone", "Staring at the Wall"
Stations of the Cross	194–200	Mike Carey	ISBN 1-40121-002-3	"Ward 24", "Out of Season", "Stations of the Cross", "Happy Families"
Reasons to be Cheerful	201–206	Mike Carey	ISBN 1-84576-450-1 ISBN 1-40121-251-4	"Event Horizon", "Reasons to be Cheerful", "Cross Purpose"
The Gift	207–215	Mike Carey	ISBN 1-40121-453-3	"Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go", "The Gift", "R.S.V.P."
Empathy is the Enemy	216–222	Denise Mina	ISBN 1-40121-066-X	"Empathy is the Enemy"
The Red Right Hand	223–228	Denise Mina	ISBN 1-40121-342-1	"The Season of the Zealot", "The Red Right Hand"
Joyride	230–237	Andy Diggle	ISBN 1-40121-651-X	"In at the Deep End", "Wheels of Chance, Systems of Control", "Joyride"
The Laughing Magician	238–242	Andy Diggle	ISBN 1-40121-853-9	"The Smoke", "The Passage", "The Laughing Magician", "The Mortification of the Flesh"

Other collections include:

Constantine: The Hellblazer Collection is a movie tie-in which collects the official film adaptation as well as Hellblazer numbers 1, 27 (written by Neil Gaiman), and 41. All of these issues are available in other collections: #1 in Original Sins, #41 in Dangerous Habits, and #27 in Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days, a collection of Gaiman-penned stories.

Hellblazer: Papa Midnite, collects the five-issue spin-off mini-series written by Mat Johnson. It is set during the early part of the "Staring at the Wall" story arc.

Hellblazer: Lady Constantine collects Andy Diggle's four-issue spin-off miniseries.

Graphic novels

There have also been a couple of original graphic novels:

All His Engines by Mike Carey involves Constantine trying to solve the mystery of a strange sickness sweeping the globe. It also includes a character summary and history of the series taken from Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer.

Hellblazer: Pandemonium by Jamie Delano and Jock, is scheduled for release in 2008, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the series.

Writers

Main Series

1–24: Jamie Delano
25–26: Grant Morrison
27: Neil Gaiman
28–31: Delano
32: Dick Foreman
33–40: Delano
41–50: Garth Ennis
51: John Smith
52–83: Ennis
84: Delano
85–88: Eddie Campbell
89–128: Paul Jenkins
129–133: Ennis
134–143: Warren Ellis
144–145: Darko Macan
146–174: Brian Azzarello
175–215: Mike Carey
216–228: Denise Mina
229: Carey
230-244: Andy Diggle
245-246: Jason Aaron
247-249: Diggle
250 onwards: Simon Oliver

Specials and spin-offs

Mike Carey (All His Engines graphic novel)
Jamie Delano (Bad Blood miniseries, Hellblazer Annual, The Horrorist mini-series and Pandemonium graphic novel)
Andy Diggle (Lady Constantine mini-series)
Garth Ennis (Heartland and Hellblazer Special one-shots)
Peter Hogan (Love Street miniseries and Marquee Moon one-shot; both technically The Sandman spin-offs, but feature Constantine)
Paul Jenkins and John Ney Rieber (Hellblazer/Books of Magic mini-series)
Mat Johnson (Papa Midnite mini-series)
John Ney Rieber (The Trenchcoat Brigade mini-series)
Simon Oliver (Chas: The Knowledge mini-series)
John Shirley (Hellblazer novels Subterrenian and Warlord)

Short stories

Brian Azzarello ("The Origin of Vice" in Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer)
Mike Carey ("Exposed" in 9/11 Volume 2)
Jamie Delano ("Prodigal Son" in Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer)
Garth Ennis ("Tainted Love" in Vertigo Jam and "All Those Little Girls and Boys" in Winter's Edge 2)
Dave Gibbons ("Another Bloody Christmas" in Winter's Edge 3)
Paul Jenkins ("Tell Me" in Winter's Edge 1)

Cover artists

Main series

Dave McKean (1–19, 27, 40)
Kent Williams (20–24, 28–39)
David Lloyd (25–26)
Tom Canty (41–50)
Sean Phillips (51, 85–128)
Glenn Fabry (52–83, 129–133, 144–145, 239–242)
John Eder (84)
Tim Bradstreet (134–143, 146–215)
Greg Lauren (216–217, 219)
Lee Bermejo (218, 221–238, 243 onwards)
Leonardo Manco (220)

Note that Tim Bradstreet also supplied cover art for an unpublished version of issue 141. The story that would have appeared in this issue, "Shoot" by writer Warren Ellis and artist Phil Jimenez, was deemed unsuitable for publication after the Columbine shootings, as it focused on an FBI agent investigating school shootings.

Additionally, there were two covers commissioned for issue 218: the solicited one by Greg Lauren showing John Constantine being crucified, and the published one by Lee Bermejo showing Constantine lighting a cigarette in the wind. The reasons for the change of cover remain unknown.

Other Hellblazer covers have also been commissioned but not used, and are available for viewing here

Specials and spin-offs

Tim Bradstreet (Hellblazer novels Subterrenian and Warlord)
Steve Dillon (Heartland)
Glenn Fabry (Hellblazer Special and The Trenchcoat Brigade 1–4)
David Lloyd (The Horrorist 1–2)
Leonardo Manco (All His Engines OGN)
Phil Noto (Lady Constantine 1–4)
Sean Phillips (Bad Blood 1–4 and Hellblazer/Books of Magic 1–2)
Kent Williams (Hellblazer Annual)
Ronald Wimberly (Papa Midnite 1–5)

Main interior artists

Main series

John Ridgway (1–9)
Richard Piers Rayner (10–16)
Mike Hoffman (13, 17, 48)
Mark Buckingham (18–22)
Ron Tiner (23–24, 28–30)
David Lloyd (25–26, 56)
Dave McKean (27, 40)
Sean Phillips (31, 34–36, 51, 84–100, 102–107, 109–114)
Steve Pugh (32–33, 37–39)
Will Simpson (41–47, 50, 52–55, 59–61, 75)
Steve Dillon (49, 57–58, 62–76, 78–83, 157, 175–176, 200)
Peter Snejbjerg (77)
Al Davison (101)
Charles Adlard (108)
Warren Pleece (115–128)
John Higgins (129–139)
Frank Teran (140)
Tim Bradstreet (141)
Javier Pulido (142)
James Romberger (142)
Marcelo Frusin (143, 151–156, 158–161, 164–167, 170–174, 177–180, 184–186, 189–193, 197–200)
Gary Erskine (144–145)
Richard Corben (146–150)
Guy Davis (162–163)
Giuseppe Camuncoli (168–169, 206, 243-244)
Jock (181)
Lee Bermejo (182–183)
Doug Alexander Gregory (187–188)
Leonardo Manco (194–195, 200–205, 207–212, 214–222, 224–228, 230-242, 247 onwards)
Chris Brunner (196)
Frazer Irving (213)
Cristiano Cucina (223)
John Paul Leon (229)
Daniel Zezelj (238)
Sean Murphy (245-246)

Note that Hellblazer #75 and #142 each contained two stories by two different artists. Issue 75 contained "Damnation's Flame part 4: Hail to the Chief" with art by Steve Dillon and "Act of Union" with art by William Simpson. Issue 142 contained "Setting Sun" with art by Javier Pulido and "One Last Love Song" illustrated by James Romberger.

Phil Jimenez supplied art for "Shoot", a Warren Ellis-penned tale focusing on high-school shootings that would have been the original issue 141. It was removed from the publishing schedule after the Columbine shootings occurred.

Specials and spin-offs

Tony Akins (Papa Midnite 1–5)
Philip Bond (Bad Blood 1–4)
Steve Dillon (Heartland and Hellblazer Special)
Jock (Pandemonium OGN)
Paul Lee (Hellblazer/Books of Magic 1–2)
David Lloyd (The Horrorist 1–2)
Leonardo Manco (All His Engines OGN)
Dean Motter (Hellblazer Annual story: "Venus of the Hard Sell")
Goran Sudžuka (Lady Constantine 1–4)
Bryan Talbot (Hellblazer Annual story: "The Bloody Saint")
John Ridgway (The Trenchcoat Brigade 1–4)

Short stories

Tim Bradstreet ("Prodigal Son" in Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer)
Steve Dillon ("Tainted Love" in Vertigo Jam)
Glyn Dillon ("All Those Little Girls and Boys" in Winter's Edge 2)
Marcelo Frusin ("Exposed" in 9/11 Volume 2)
Dave Gibbons ("Another Bloody Christmas" in Winter's Edge 3)
Paul Pope ("Tell Me" in Winter's Edge 1)
Dave Taylor ("The Origin of Vice" in Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer)

Other media

Novels

Author John Shirley has written three Hellblazer-related novels: an adaptation of the film Constantine, released in 2005, and War Lord and Subterranean, a pair of original novels based around the Constantine seen in the comics, both of which were released in 2006.

Film

The first adaptation of Hellblazer ever filmed for the screen is one of the scenes in the documentary feature film The Mindscape of Alan Moore and was shot in early 2002. The dramatization consists of the John Constantine character wandering through London and in the film ending experiencing a mystical epiphany of sorts.

In 2005 Constantine was released, a feature film that did not use the same title as the comic book, although the protagonists were of the same name, and the main plot was loosely based on several specific issues.

References

External links

DC Comics - Complete Hellblazer issue #1 in PDF format
The Ultimate Hellblazer Index - Index of Hellblazer comic and John Constantine's appearances elsewhere
Hellblazer Trades - Timeline of John Constantine appearances in collected editions of DC and Vertigo comics
Straight To Hell - Fan site with issue summaries and discussion forum
The Sting connection - Interview with Alan Moore discussing the creation of John Constantine
Fresh - designs showing the evolution of the latest Hellblazer logo
Roots of the Swamp Thing - An exhaustively detailed timeline of the events of Vertigo's Swamp Thing and Hellblazer comic series.