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"The Blind Man": The trouble with magic, the way John Constantine sees it, is that it is addictive. The more of the things that you love that are lost to the cost of magic, the more powerful and eager to continue you become. Since learning that a powerful d

Quote1 John Constantine. You are marked as the rightful target of divine vengeance! So says The Spectre. Quote2
The Spectre

Constantine #2 is an issue of the series Constantine (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 2013. It was published on April 10, 2013.

Synopsis for "The Blind Man"

The trouble with magic, the way John Constantine sees it, is that it is addictive. The more of the things that you love that are lost to the cost of magic, the more powerful and eager to continue you become. Since learning that a powerful divination tool called Croydon's Compass had been located two days ago, John had stolen one piece of it from under the nose of Sargon the Sorceress, whose own father had been one such magician who lost everything in pursuit of power. He had lost his own life to her.

As no one who knows what it is should be allowed to possess it, John fancies himself the safest bet, and has, to that end, travelled to Myanmar in search of the second piece: the dial. While in a cab there, the car is hijacked by a group of child-soldiers, who kidnap him. After waking up, John uses sleight-of-hand to ingratiate himself with the young boys until they arrive at their destination - a grass thatched hut where an older man who knows his name warns that he should not try anything before tying him to a chair inside.

Soon, a mage appears before John, and demands the needle. John recognizes the man as the cruel and insane Mister E - one of the founding members of the Cult of the Cold Flame. Though the man is blind, he is a dangerous force to be reckoned with. Smirking, John suggests that if he is untied, he will point to the needle - knowing full well that Mister E would not be able to see it, regardless. Angrily, the mage kicks the chair over and begins tearing John's soul from his body, which proves to be quite painful. In his pain, John admits that he secreted the needle into one of the cigarettes in the pack in his pocket. When the torture subsides, John begs the satisfied mage to hear a joke. Annoyed, Mister E listens as John begins that a blind man and his friend walk into a bar, and the blind man orders a drink for himself and the friend. As he tells the joke, John begins magically transporting himself away, and just before leaving, he adds that in response to the blind man's order, the bartender points out that there is nobody else there. In parallel, Mister E is left standing in an empty room, waiting for the rest of the joke.

After escaping, John encounters a red-haired man, who asks if he is John Constantine. Anticipating the annoyance, John explains that he has already given up the needle, and lost everything of value to him in the kidnap. The man attempts to calm him, explaining that he is only there to deliver a message. Unexpectedly, the man transforms into The Spectre, who announces that John has been marked as the target of divine vengeance.

The Spectre provides a vision so that John can look upon all of those innocents and altruists whose deaths he contributed to. Among them is Chris, the boy whom John allowed to be murdered by Sargon the Sorceress in the service of stealing the needle. Despite the fact that a visit from the Spectre is long overdue for John, this is also a personal matter, as Chris was a valued friend to Jim Corrigan (The Spectre's human guise). The spirit demands to know whether John has anything to say that can justify his wrongdoings, and it takes John a moment to realize that an answer is actually expected of him.

Uncomfortably, John admits that he knows he deserves judgment, but warns that he is trying to stop the Cult of the Cold Flame, whose quest for power will make them as gods who will eventually replace even the power of the Presence that commands the Spectre's vengeance. He warns that if the Spectre decides to mete this justice out now, it had better be prepared to finish off the Cold Flame in his stead. The spirit regards John for a moment before determining that he speaks the truth. He allows John to continue to fight his war, but - win or lose - he will ensure that John pays for what he has taken. After the Spectre has gone, and he recovers, John enters a Buddhist temple, and finds the dial hidden within it.

With that, John decides to go to London. As easy as it might be to just go back to New York with the dial and hide it away, thereby ensuring that Croydon's Compass would never be complete, the temptation of returning to London, and outsmarting these sorcerers, and stealing the remainder of the compass parts from himself - if only to prove that he can do it - is too great.

Elsewhere, Sargon and Mister E reconnoitre, learning of the fact that John escaped with the dial. Knowing he will seek the lens in London, they prepare to meet him there, and unleash an unspeakable horror on the city to thwart him.

Appearing in "The Blind Man"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Thien
  • Chris (As a spirit)

Locations:

Items:

  • Croydon's Compass

Vehicles:






See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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