From: jordan@castor (USENET's Chuck)
Subject: Re: new HELLBLAZER reader...needs background...
Summary: I got it!  I got it!
Organization: University of Georgia
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 23:56:30 GMT

In article <rlcarr.06q4@animato.network23.com> rlcarr@animato.network23.com (Rich Carreiro) writes:
> After hearing all the praise about it, I've decided to have my shop add
>HELLBLAZER to be subscription list.  Now, as I'm sure that I'll be joining
>the story {/em in medias res}, I was wondering if you netters would be so
>kind as to help me with the following...

Brilliant choice.  I have to put myself forward as THE biggest Hellblazer
fan on the net, and so of course most qualified for the task at hand...
(insert multiple smileys here for the irony impaired)

>(1) What is the framework that Hellblazer is embedded in?  What are the
>    characters names, origins, abilities, etc., etc?  Basically, some sort
>    of pseudo-FAQ for Hellblazer.

John Constantine, the Hellblazer, is a character that first appeared in
Swamp Thing issue 37, by Alan Moore.  He is a pseudo-con artist and former
punk rock musician from Liverpool, England, who now spends his time getting
involved in supernatural occurences, one way or another.  He is extremely
well-versed in the occult, knowing many different spells for calling and
binding demons, hypnotizing people, etc.  However, his real strength lies in
his connections, his luck, his personality, and his ability to get himself
out of jams -- he's not a superhero or a magician in the traditional comic
book sense, although many would say he's just as powerful.  He typically
sends demons back to Hell, exorcises people, foils big-business or big-
government conspiracies, solves mysteries involving ghosts or demons, has
run-ins with Satan, that sort of thing.
	John himself is pretty much the only constant character in the book,
since most of his friends have died.  (They usually die indirectly as a
result of one of John's ideas/spells/mistakes/etc, and John is carrying a
lot of emotional baggage because of that one.)  The only character that has
remained alive since the beginning is Chas, Constantine's cab driver friend,
I believe.  (Chas is an asset because John can't drive.)
	Other characters currently active are:

	Kit - a woman from Ireland who is the ex-wife of one of
	John's dead friends.  They are currently dating, but John is feel-
	ing guilty about getting her involved with all his occult business.
	She usually has to come in and help John with the fisticuffs because
	John doesn't fight very well.

	Ellie - a demon.  (She's actually a succubus or incubus or something
	like that.)  We're learning more about her from the current storyline.
	She's on John's side, pretty much, because of a debt she owes him.

	The First of the Fallen - the Devil, in at least some way, shape, or
	form.  He has it in for John Constantine because JC tricked him into
	drinking holy water a few issues back, and then further tricked him
	by selling his soul to each member of Hell's Triumvirate, setting
	up a situation where none of them could claim it, and they must keep
	John Constantine alive for fear of bringing about the Apocalypse.

	John also has met/might meet again: his sister and niece, the Swamp
Thing (there've been at least 3 Swamp Thing/Hellblazer crossovers, including
the first storyline that started in ST#37), Morpheus (JC appeared in Sandman
number 3, I believe), the King of Vampires, "the Snob" (I believe it's the
angel Gabriel (?)), and others who might pop up in later stories.  Someone
else in r.a.c.m. (sorry I've forgotten your name) is compiling a list of
everyone John has met in all his appearances.                 

	The books I know of that JC has appeared in are: Hellblazer, Swamp
Thing, The Books of Magic, the Sandman, and Doom Patrol (a single issue
parody-type story.)

>(2) Given that, can you give me an idea of that the current storyline is,
>    and what's going on, etc., etc.

	In the current storyline, the First of the Fallen has finally 
decided to do something about Constantine, because he's so enraged at him.
(The storyline that explains the whole deal is in Hellblazer 41-46, I
believe.)  So, John's friend Ellie "escapes" from Hell to warn John about
it.  So far, I believe that's all we've gotten.  The last issue was a flashback
that explained why Ellie owed John a favor.
	(Also, the Nergal character mentioned in one of the issues was a demon
who caused JC considerable trouble in the first 20 or so issues of Hellblazer.)

Hellblazer is a great comic and it'd be worth your trouble to get all of the
issues (they're still pretty cheap), because they all contribute to making
John Constantine one of the most three-dimensional characters in comics.  If
not that, you can start with issue 41, which is when new writer Garth Ennis
took over.  The quality of the stories has been a little inconsistent, but
I much prefer Ennis' work to the first 40 issues, especially his interpretation
of John Constantine's character.  (Plus, he's a Pogues fan, so he's got to
have good taste!)

USENET's Chuck

-- 
                  Chuck Jordan | jordan@castor.cs.uga.edu
         "Is that gravy?  I thought the dog had gotten sick ..."
	           -- Mystery Science Theater 3000