Hellblazer #12

Hellblazer (Single Issues)

by Jamie Delano, Richard Piers Rayner (Illustrator), Mark Buckingham (Illustrator)

Dabbling in the arcane arts can get you killed--but for John Constantine, macabre experimentation led to some far, far worse! Uncover the worst event of Constantine's life in part 2 of the 2-part tale that unearths the Newcastle incident.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Urban Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels

23 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Jamie Delano aka A. William James began writing comics professionally in the early 1980s. Latterly he has been writing prose fiction with "BOOK THIRTEEN" published by his own LEPUS BOOKS imprint (http://www.lepusbooks.co.uk) in 2012, "Leepus | DIZZY" in April 2014, and "Leepus | THE RIVER" in 2017.

Jamie lives in semi-rural Northamptonshire with his partner, Sue. They have three adult children and a considerable distraction of grandchildren.

Reviews

[Tawfek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am writing today, so I won't read as much as yesterday which was a great day honestly, I didn't even update the cultivation novel because the light went out at dawn while I was reading.

So yeah here we are, a really great story that i could follow the great writing of Jamie Delano, I think there needs to be balance between the prose and the story, too heavy prose will ruin the story, maybe each once in a while just show off your writing abilities, but if you are writing on the same high level all the time, it takes a while for the reader to get used to your style, unless they reread the issue a few times to get used to you faster.
It's specially hard for me, because this isn't my main language, there was a few big words in this issue that I didn't know prior.
Constantine beats his demon and he asks us to face ours and beat them, end of story, we don't need to write 290+ more stories right?

While I didn't like the fact that they beat the demon inside the computer world, I still appreciate how good overall this story was, and still look forward to what's next, because it feels for the longest time that Nergal was the main adversary of this comic series, but now we can move on and see what else does Jamie Delano have in store for us.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For the first time since Newcastle, when I poisoned myself with a stupid lust for power, I'm conscious of standing on the brink of the future--rather than the tail of the past. We have to turn inwards. Enter the siege perilous-- and wrestle. It's not those grotesque, tired institutions of heaven and hell that are the problem-- it's the devils we know."

The Devil You Know, this issue's namesake, comes from a phrase that had always amused me, and I often apply it in my own personal life when it comes to decisions that have, well, ambiguous contexts. To expound on that cheery note, I think I should admit by now that I just realized why I enjoy reading John Constantine's tales the way I have (even if they are about his less admirable moments). I suppose I do recognize my faults in nature whenever I contextualize my  experiences with his own. And that is the real draw for me.

Over the course of the thirteen issues I have finished reading so far, I've also learned to put myself in his shoes and knew--uncomfortably so--that I would have chosen the same things (even if my motivations differ strongly from his). Could it be because we're both Taurus natives? (We find out about his birthday in the ninth issue which was on May 10. I was born on April 24. Since this Hellblazer leans on mysticism, I felt the need to bring up zodiac signs here). Whatever the logic behind my connection with this character is my own shit to deal with, I guess. So let's move on to the review.

This issue is the conclusion to the Newcastle case from the previous one. I'm quite happy that Delano and co. don't drag the stories for long and they usually come in two issues while others are standalone ones. It is arguable, however, when it comes to Newscastle since this plotline has been mentioned since the very first issue but was only finally discussed by the eleventh and twelfth issues. Newcastle is a significant game-changer event in Hellblazer because it showed us a past where John is arrogant and impulsive and it ended up costing the life of a little girl and, to a lesser extent, his friends who were involved in the botched ritual. This mistake has haunted him since we met him when Hellblazer started and it's only in this issue that John Constantine can finally put his demon (literal and metaphorical) to rest. It's cathartic too.

I've already been very indulgent with spoilers from the last issue so I think it's only appropriate that I don't talk about the events of this issue in detail anymore because I really encourage anyone who might be following my Hellblazer reviews to read the issues themselves if they can find the time and copies online. But overall, this has been a fantastic way to end the storyline of Newcastle. You can actually feel John Constantine himself feeling invigorated about life and living in general. Sure, there was another loss along the way but he can contend himself with the reality that all the scars he had collected since should be worn with pride and dignity this time.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10


DO READ MORE OF MY HELLBLAZER REVIEWS

[Claudio Junior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nesquik 🤣

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could I forget about Ritchie’s situation?! Last issue I made these statements about all of Constantine’s old crew being dead, and in part that is true. But I completely forgot that technically Ritchie didn’t die. His body was fried, but his soul remained alive inside the computer system he was able to transfer his consciousness into and almost achieve a connection with heaven. We spent all of last issue learning the truth of Newcastle, as it turns out Nergal is the demon that Constantine fought all the way back them, and now that he knows his name he intends to conquer this demon. But Nergal also wants him, he is proving to be an embarrassment in hell with how Constantine has eluded and played them thus far, and with Nergal’s blood still rolling through his body he has attempted to draw Constantine out by causing sickness to course through Constantine’s body. Causing boils to pop up all over his face. Anyone he knows who could help is either dead or isn’t picking up their phone and he can’t really go out in this state. But that’s when he notices the letter he snagged from his apartment, a really expensive gas bill with a note attached to it. Seems that Ritchie, in his tech based form, has gotten into their systems and left Constantine a note to call him at a specific number. Constantine was able to call it and instantly be connected, and even though Ritchie is in a strange place he has not slowed down. He has been making moves and setting up plans and now he just needs Constantine’s help to receive the equipment he can be transferred into, now with Constantine’s location known it’s already on the way. Constantine also had to be the one to deliver the news that his body was destroyed last time we dealt with this.

But here’s the funny thing about this situation. Sure Constantine gets the equipment in and is able to setup a connection to talk to Ritchie and ask for his help in defeating Nergal in exchange for helping him get a new body…but Constantine doesn’t have to do that at all. Nergal is desperate and hell is embarrassed and as it turns out the time for Nergal to claim Constantine’s soul has already passed. Nergal failed and following the rules of three, the side of Justice has won and Constantine is free to go and all while Nergal will be tortured by the demons agony and ecstasy.

Literally all Constantine has to do is sit back, but then right when Nergal is about to be ripped away…Constantine summons him for a challenge. The demons let him go, seeing the sport in this, and permit Nergal this final challenge. As Nergal takes on his more humanoid demon form outside of the monster he appears inside of hell, he teleports to Constantine’s location and finds his body…but Ritchie piloting it. Constantine and Ritchie swapped placed and Nergal can’t get to Constantine without going inside the computer system. Nergal, like a hungry addict for agony, cannot help himself but force Ritchie to allow him inside so he may chase after Constantine. But when it comes to eternal demons, the computer was literally just created yesterday. So Nergal is just as out of place as Constantine is, and with Ritchie at the helm changing the world around them all Constantine has to do is run and follow the path set out for him as they lead Nergal right to the gates of heaven, a place where no demon should ever go. It was a total mistake on its part and it fell right into Constantine’s trap. Upon coming to the crossover to heaven the angels came out and ripped Nergal apart, killing its very being.

“I don’t know where anyone ever got the idea angels were beatific—they scare the crap out of me.”

Whelp, Constantine did it and now it’s time to pop back into his body…except Ritchie doesn’t like that idea. He disconnected Nergal’s body and now that he is back in a physical body, even if it’s Johns, he isn’t willing to give it up. And he can’t have Constantine running around and chasing problems in Nergal’s body. But there is one glaring problem with that, Constantine’s body is sick and riddled with disease. The only reason he pulled a crazy stunt like this is because he only had a few days anyway. That’s not what Ritchie wanted to hear, but he is also now able to listen to compromise and he decided to move forward with transferring his consciousness into Nergal’s body and John back into his own. With the transfer completed, John woke back up to find Ritchie teeing in this new body that feels huge and dark like the ocean’s deepest trenches. He doesn’t have control over it but he may be able to learn and reshape it into his own body, and he learns quickly. At the moment it’s very uncertain if he will be a good or bad guy, but at least he has the decency to use this new power to light Constantine’s cigarette. But as Ritchie is unlocking a bunch of new power, a flash of light casts them aside and the smell of brimstone fills the air as the demons agony and ecstasy appear before them. Hell is a sore loser after all, but they are there to tell him that he is free and victorious. But of course hell is eternal and he will make his way there one day or another. But they are also here for a completely different reason…did Ritchie really think he could just grab a demon body and walk the world. As they chain him up and drag him back with them, they promise that he must start on the lowest levels of hell and earn the right to rise through the ranks. And that starts with at least ten thousand years in torment. All of Constantine’s old group are truly dead now. But even with it all Constantine can’t help but feel a sense of relief, like he can breathe again and that he is standing on the brink of the future rather than the tail of the past.

“I sought out my demon and conquered him. Now, if this species is going to have any chance of survival, we all have to face the demons inside of us. We have to turn inwards. Enter the siege perilous— and wrestle. It’s not those grotesque, tired institutions of heaven and hell that are the problem—it’s the Devils we know.”

[Devin Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clive Barker's Tron. How did this series narrowcast to me before I was even born?

I just love it so much. The art has so much imagination, energy, and 80s sci-fi aesthetics (which I adore).

And I think that these first twelve issues have brought John Constantine into focus as one of the most strangely sympathetic characters I've encountered in comics. Is he an anti-hero? Because he's definitely not always a paragon of virtue; nobody would confuse him with Wonder Woman or Superman (and not just because of his blonde hair).

But Delano has done such a great job of making it easy to feel for him. He's just surrounded by loss and he's literally up against Hell itself, so... you can actually only ask so much of him, and when he seems to only be capable of partial victories and somewhat selfish choices, I'm just sitting here like "gosh, John, you're doing your best and I'm rooting for ya, buddy".

[Eddie B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

After closing that circle I will put Jamie Delano's run to rest and try the first issues from Garth Ennis.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised to see Nesquik.

[Pritesh Patil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice. Finally.

[irene ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si esta especie quiere tener posibilidades de supervivencia, todos deberíamos enfrentarnos a nuestros demonios interiores.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

We finally learn about Newcastle and those Constantine has sacrificed.