Issue Description

Since coming to the Resurrection Crusade's castle in Glastonbury, Zed has been mentally manipulated and re-educated until she is no longer sure that her time with John Constantine ever happened. They have renamed her Mary, and they intend her to be key to their plan to call God to them. They complete their mental indoctrination of her, leaving only surgical alterations to do.

John is tortured by memories of his time in Ravenscar Secure Hospital being taunted and tested by Doctor Roger Huntoon. John had tried to explain that what happened at Newcastle wasn't his fault, but Huntoon was unconvinced, and he had administered shock treatment. Finally, John wakes in the hospital. His body is in poor condition, having broken many of his bones after leaping out of a moving train. Finally recalling how he got to be there, and how the Swamp Thing had saved his life, John feels embarrassment.

Gauging the extent of his injuries, John realizes that he is not in good shape at all. Looking over, he sees that there is a police officer posted outside his door, and decides to pretend to be unconscious when the doctor approaches. He fails to notice that the policeman is dead. Keeping his eyes closed, John is forced to cough at the stink of something strange in the room. He tries to remain still as he feels something wet touching his face. When the thing touches his lips and forces its way into his mouth, John opens his eyes and is horrified to see that he has been probed by the demon Nergal's tongue.

Nergal introduces himself as the one behind the Damnation Army, and his invitation to join them is still open. Naturally, John refuses, but Nergal responds that there is no choice in the matter. His cooperation is requested, but not required. John laughs that there isn't much the demon can do to him to coerce him, given that his arms and legs are already broken. Nergal suggests that John might have wanted to join him out of revenge for the death of Ray Monde at the Resurrection Crusaders' hands. Meanwhile, they have also taken back Zed. Even still, John refuses to join Nergal's army. So, the demon comments that he may be unable to restrain himself from feasting on the innocent souls of the children in the maternity ward if John doesn't cooperate. Finally, John agrees to listen.

Nergal admits that times are changing . An era is passing. Good and evil had always battled in a cyclical fashion, with neither ever really gaining ground against the other. John had been involved in the events which led to great changes in Hell, when the Brujeria called on the Great Darkness and caused civil war between demons. The Resurrection Crusaders are the net that Heaven has cast to catch souls and place them on God's table. The Tongues of Fire are their gutting knife.

Nergal explains that there has been a prophecy: a child will be born between nature and super-nature. Like in the past, at the winter solstice, a god will be born of a woman, and in this case he believes that that woman will be Zed. John interfered in Nergal's plans to kill her, and the demon thinks that John should now use his relationship with Zed to break the prophecy, otherwise, he will start eating babies out of spite. John agrees, but with some terms: he must have time to take care of business, and he must be healed. Nergal agrees, filling John's IV with his own blood and warning that fast remedies are extreme. The demon's blood burns in John's body, but it does it's work, and he is healed. The demon states that when the deed is done, they will meet again.

With the demon's blood flowing in his veins, John heads back to London, and a discount travel agency with intent to go to the United States of America.

-Source

Hellblazer (1988)

Publisher

Vertigo

Volume Description

House Ad (art by Dave McKean)

Spinning out of the pages of Swamp Thing, popular supporting character John Constantine (created by Alan Moore) was given his own ongoing series first written by British writer Jamie Delano, who was handpicked by Moore and impressed editors with his long term plans for the character. The title was originally to be named "Hellraiser" but was changed to Hellblazer to avoid conflicting with Clive Barker's Hellraiser film released the previous year.

Delano set the tone for the series, which featured heavy social commentary of 80's England and grounded the magical and occult themes within the gritty streets of London. He also fleshed out John's origins first hinted at by Moore in Swamp Thing, which would be continued by later writers.

Many popular writers, most of them British, have had tenures on the title such as Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Peter Milligan and Paul Jenkins to name a few. Famous writers Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison were also guest writers early on. The series' cover art was also acclaimed, many popular artists such as Dave McKean, Glenn Fabry, Tim Bradstreet, Lee Bermejo and Simon Bisley all provided memorable cover art work.

Despite its DC Universe origins, the series largely ignored the wider DC and Vertigo Universes but for a few occasions and guest-appearances. The series itself aged in real time, as did John, who would age to his sixties by the time the series had ended.

Perhaps best known as being Vertigo's longest-running comic book series because of the fact that it began before Vertigo was a publisher, five years before in fact and that it was also the Vertigo launch title which stayed in print the longest.

Unlike most Vertigo volumes, due to its extreme length, this one has had various writers (many of whom are better known for other Vertigo contributions), and oftentimes the series is judged within these writer's runs rather then as a whole since the series has changed through the decades.

On November 8th 2012 it was announced that Hellblazer will end at issue #300. John Constantine however will star in a new New 52 ongoing of his own called Constantine in March 2013. Before the cancellation, Hellblazer was the longest ongoing continuing monthly series without renumbering or cancellations/rebirths from either of "the Big Two" due to DC's New 52 and Marvel's reboot of Uncanny X-Men.

Hellblazer Annuals, Specials and Spin-Offs

Hellblazer Annual #1 (1989)The Horrorist #1-2Hellblazer Special #1Hellblazer Annual #1 (2012)Hellblazer: All His EnginesHellblazer: PandemoniumDark EntriesVertigo Secret Files: HellblazerHellblazer: Bad Blood #1-4Hellblazer/The Books of Magic #1-2Hellblazer: City of Demons #1-5Hellblazer Special: Lady Constantine #1-4.Hellblazer Special: Papa Midnite #1-5Hellblazer Special: Chas (The Knowledge) #1-5Collected Editions

New Editions

In 2011 DC/Vertigo began releasing new edition trades. These new volumes were larger, numbered numerically and contained every issue in chronological order which the previous editions skipped or had collected separately. Many of the new editions contain different issues from the originals.

Vol. 1: Original Sins (#1-9, Swamp Thing #76-77)Vol. 2: The Devil You Know (#10-13, Hellblazer: Annual and Horrorist #1-2)Vol. 3: The Fear Machine (#14-22)Vol. 4: The Family Man (#23-33)Vol. 5: Dangerous Habits (#34-46)Vol. 6: Bloodlines (#47-61)Vol. 7: Tainted Love (#62–71, Hellblazer: Special and a story from Vertigo Jam)Vol. 8: Rake at the Gates of Hell (#72-83, Heartland and pin-ups from Hellblazer Special)Vol. 9: Critical Mass (#84-96)Vol. 10: In the Line of Fire (#97-107)Vol. 11: Last Man Standing (#108-120)Vol. 12: How To Play With Fire (#121-133)

Original Editions

Hellblazer: Original Sins (#1-9)Hellblazer: The Devil You Know (#10-13, Hellblazer: Annual, Horrorist #1-2)Hellblazer: The Fear Machine (#14-22)Hellblazer: The Family Man (##23-24, #28-33)Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits (#41-46)Hellblazer: Bloodlines (#47-50, #52-55 and #59-61)Hellblazer: Fear and Loathing (#62-67)Hellblazer: Tainted Love (#68–71, Hellblazer: Special and a story from Vertigo Jam)Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame (#72-77)Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell (#78-83, Heartland)Hellblazer: Son of Man (#129-133)Hellblazer: Haunted (#134-139)Hellblazer: Setting Sun (#140-143)Hellblazer: Shoot (#144, 145, 245, 246 & 250)Hellblazer: Hard Time (#146-150)Hellblazer: Good Intentions (#151-156)Hellblazer: Freezes Over... (#157-163)Hellblazer: Highwater (#164-174)Hellblazer: Red Sepulchre (#175-180)Hellblazer: Black Flowers (#181-186)Hellblazer: Staring at the Wall (#187-193)Hellblazer: Stations of the Cross (#194-200)Hellblazer: Reasons to be Cheerful (#201-206)Hellblazer: The Gift (#207-215)Hellblazer: Empathy is the Enemy (#216-222)Hellblazer: The Red Right Hand (#223-228)Hellblazer: Joyride (#230-237)Hellblazer: The Laughing Magician (#238-242)Hellblazer: Roots of Coincidence (#243-244, #247-249)Hellblazer: Scab (#251-255 and a short story from 250)Hellblazer: Hooked (#256-260)Hellblazer: India (#261-266)Hellblazer: Bloody Carnations (#267-275)Hellblazer: Phantom Pains (#276-282)Hellblazer: The Devil's Trench Coat (#283-291)Hellblazer: Death and Cigarettes (#292-300 and Hellblazer Annual #1)

Other Collected Editions

Hellblazer: Rare Cuts (#11, #25–26, #35, #56, #84)Constantine: The Hellblazer Collection (Constantine: The Official Movie Adaptation, Hellblazer #1, #27 and #410.Vertigo Resurrected: Shoot (Contains the original #141, the censored story: "Shoot")Vertigo Resurrected: Hellblazer (#57-58, #245-246)Other Related MaterialHouse of Mystery Halloween Annual short stories set in the DCU/Vertigo universe.The Trenchcoat BrigadeThe Books of MagicVertigo EncyclopaediaVertigo Secret Files: Swamp ThingWinter's Edge #1-3. The Three Winter's Edge stories would be collected in Vertigo Resurrected: Winter's Edge.9-11 Vol.2

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