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| name= Hellblazer #271 |
| name= Hellblazer #271 |
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| image=[[image:HB271.jpg|250px]] |
| image=[[image:HB271.jpg|250px]] |
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| − | | title='Bloody |
+ | | title='Bloody Carnations, part 1: Oh Lucky Man' |
| cover=[[Simon Bisley]] |
| cover=[[Simon Bisley]] |
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| script=[[Peter Milligan]] |
| script=[[Peter Milligan]] |
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| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
| next=[[Hellblazer issue 272]] |
| next=[[Hellblazer issue 272]] |
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}} |
}} |
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| + | '''John Constantine: Hellblazer #271''' (November 2010) continues the saga of [[John Constantine|John]] and [[Epiphany Greaves|Epiphany]]. As Epiphany struggles to escape the affections of [[Shade the Changing Man]], John tries to locate her and [[Nergal]] complicates matters by sending a succubus after him. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | '''John Constantine: Hellblazer #272''' December 2010) continues the 'Red Carnations' arc. [[Epiphany Greaves|Epiphany]] tracks down a young [[John Constantine]] in 1979, while the John Constantine of 2010 finds himself targeted by the succubus [[Gloria]] at the behest of [[Nergal]]. |
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==Plot summary== |
==Plot summary== |
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| + | While John gets a reading of his future from Joe, an elderly, disgraced gentlemen's haridresser and professional oracle, Epiphany and Shade are holed up on Shade's home planet of Meta. |
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| − | In Islington, 1979, Epiphany Greaves finds her mother, Brenda, drinking in a bar. Brenda died of lung cancer when Epiphany was nine, and had suffered years of martial abuse from Epiphany's father, Terry, before that. Seizing her chance, Epiphany tries to tell Brenda what she's letting herself in for, but Brenda gets the wrong idea and thinks that she's one of Terry's mistresses. Just at that moment, he arrives back from prison in a friend's car. The resulting argument sees Terry hitting Brenda. Realising that she's made things worse, she runs off. |
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| + | Shade is supposed to be repairing the damage done to Epiphany's face, but when he peels off the bandages she realises that he's transformed her into [[Kathy George]], his lost love. Worse, they're not on Meta at all, but on 'Kathy World', a planet that the obsessed Shade has been crafted using his control of [[The Madness]]. |
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| − | Five nights later, Epiphany's tracked down the young John Constantine to a London dive bar. Trying to impress her, he takes her along to an exorcism while she explains that she's from the future. He takes it better then she expects, but even at this young age he's no stranger to the strange - as Epiphany discovers when he introduces Malcolm McLaren (nee Campbell), a failed reggae singer possessed by an African demon. John botches the exorcism and Epiphany offers to mix up an alchemical cure to help out - but after picking up the ingredients the two end up sleeping together instead. |
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| + | Epiphany demands to be returned home, but Shade is having none of it - he wants her to literally become Kathy George, and gives her a copy of the woman's diary so that she can study it and begin the transformation. He binds up her legs and slopes off, while Epiphany realises that he's as controlling and crazy as her father. |
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| − | Back in 2010, Constantine is still plummeting from his flat's window in an effort to contact Shade. He manages, briefly, but Shade only tells him that Epiphany is gone - not where - and lets John fall. |
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| + | Back in London, John muses on what Joe told him: that marriage to Epiphany might be his last chance at happiness. He picks up a pair of occult wedding rings from an associate, [[Gilbert]], then heads back home and begins painting Shade's circle symbols on the wall in an attempt to bring the madman back. |
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| − | As it turns out, [[Gloria]] the succubus is standing right where he lands. She helps him up and offers to put him to bed - with benefits - but John's not having any of it. He threatens to put a hex on Gloria to make her frigid and she agrees to tell him everything. Back at John's flat she tells him about [[Nergal]]'s threats to destroy her life if she didn't seduce John. She begs him to hide her from Hell the same way he did with another succubus, [[Ellie]], and he offers to think about it overnight. |
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| + | Elsewhere, football team Chelsea are mid-match and one of the player's wives is convincing a friend to go in for plastic surgery. The woman is, it turns out, a reformed succubus named [[Gloria]] - and is none too pleased when the demon [[Nergal]] appears next to her. |
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| − | That night, with Gloria asleep on the couch, John gets royally drunk and chalks a protective circle up around his bed - just in case. But it turns out that he hit the bottle just a little too hard and failed to complete the link - leaving himself open to attack. Gloria pleads with Nergal to leave John alone, but he refuses to relent and, regretfully, she drops her clothes, enters John's circle and straddles him... |
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| + | [[image:Hellblazer271nergalappears.jpg|thumb|left|Nergal returns]] |
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| + | It turns out that Gloria was expelled from [[Hell]] to Earth and has since gone native. But now Nergal wants her back on his team. He explains that John's marriage to Epiphany could finally mean that his soul is less tortured - something Hell cannot abide - and so he wants Gloria to seduce him in the hope that it will distract him from pursuing Epiphany. Gloria points out that Nergal's not too great at psychology and refuses, but Nergal tells her that he will destroy her life if she walks away. |
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| + | Back at his flat, Constantine realises that he needs to do something truly crazy to ping on Shade's radar. He gets a run-up and leaps through his window... |
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| + | And on Kathy World, Epiphany finally seems to have accepted her place as the new Kathy George. But it's all a ruse to trick Shade so that she can escape. Shade catches on and, irritated, teleports her back to Earth. Epiphany gets up, her face now restored, and flags down the nearest person - who turns out to be a now surprisingly young-looking oracle Joe. She asks where she is and he tells her: London, 1979! |
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| − | * The Hellblazer short story featured in [[House of Mystery Annual 2]] is set during John's conversation with Gloria. |
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| − | * Gloria says that she was thrown out of [[Hell]] for cheating on 'Lord Satan' - presumably she's talking about [[The First of the Fallen]], who goes by that name. |
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| − | * As with last issue, the characters mention John hiding Ellie from Hell's gaze, as seen in [[Hellblazer issue 61]]. |
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| − | ==Discontinuity== |
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| + | |||
| − | * The issue is set in 1979, which is in the middle of the two-year period that Constantine spent in and out of [[Ravenscar Secure Facility]] after the events of [[Hellblazer issue 11]] sent him insane. However, he doesn't act mentally troubled at all, and his appearance is more punky than other 1979 depictions have shown him to look. |
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| + | * This is [[Nergal]]'s first appearance in the main Hellblazer title since [[Hellblazer issue 212|issue 212]], although he also appeared in the [[Pandemonium]] graphic novel, which was released in the years between. |
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| + | * This is the first appearance of the succubus [[Gloria]]. |
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| + | * Gloria mentions another succubus, [[Ellie]]; she was last seen in [[Hellblazer issue 243|issue 243]]. [[Nergal]] mentions that Constantine used magic to hide her from [[Hell]]'s gaze; this was seen in [[Hellblazer issue 61]]. |
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Latest revision as of 22:52, 24 February 2011
John Constantine: Hellblazer #271 (November 2010) continues the saga of John and Epiphany. As Epiphany struggles to escape the affections of Shade the Changing Man, John tries to locate her and Nergal complicates matters by sending a succubus after him.
Plot summary
While John gets a reading of his future from Joe, an elderly, disgraced gentlemen's haridresser and professional oracle, Epiphany and Shade are holed up on Shade's home planet of Meta.
Shade is supposed to be repairing the damage done to Epiphany's face, but when he peels off the bandages she realises that he's transformed her into Kathy George, his lost love. Worse, they're not on Meta at all, but on 'Kathy World', a planet that the obsessed Shade has been crafted using his control of The Madness.
Epiphany demands to be returned home, but Shade is having none of it - he wants her to literally become Kathy George, and gives her a copy of the woman's diary so that she can study it and begin the transformation. He binds up her legs and slopes off, while Epiphany realises that he's as controlling and crazy as her father.
Back in London, John muses on what Joe told him: that marriage to Epiphany might be his last chance at happiness. He picks up a pair of occult wedding rings from an associate, Gilbert, then heads back home and begins painting Shade's circle symbols on the wall in an attempt to bring the madman back.
Elsewhere, football team Chelsea are mid-match and one of the player's wives is convincing a friend to go in for plastic surgery. The woman is, it turns out, a reformed succubus named Gloria - and is none too pleased when the demon Nergal appears next to her.
Nergal returns
It turns out that Gloria was expelled from Hell to Earth and has since gone native. But now Nergal wants her back on his team. He explains that John's marriage to Epiphany could finally mean that his soul is less tortured - something Hell cannot abide - and so he wants Gloria to seduce him in the hope that it will distract him from pursuing Epiphany. Gloria points out that Nergal's not too great at psychology and refuses, but Nergal tells her that he will destroy her life if she walks away.
Back at his flat, Constantine realises that he needs to do something truly crazy to ping on Shade's radar. He gets a run-up and leaps through his window...
And on Kathy World, Epiphany finally seems to have accepted her place as the new Kathy George. But it's all a ruse to trick Shade so that she can escape. Shade catches on and, irritated, teleports her back to Earth. Epiphany gets up, her face now restored, and flags down the nearest person - who turns out to be a now surprisingly young-looking oracle Joe. She asks where she is and he tells her: London, 1979!
Continued in Hellblazer issue 272.
Continuity
- This is Nergal's first appearance in the main Hellblazer title since issue 212, although he also appeared in the Pandemonium graphic novel, which was released in the years between.
- This is the first appearance of the succubus Gloria.
- Gloria mentions another succubus, Ellie; she was last seen in issue 243. Nergal mentions that Constantine used magic to hide her from Hell's gaze; this was seen in Hellblazer issue 61.