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"Hunger"

Cover for Hellblazer (Collections) #1

"Feast of Friends"

"Going for It"

"Waiting for the Man"

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home"

"Extreme Prejudice"

"Ghost in the Machine"

"Intensive Care"

"Shot to Hell"


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—

Quote1 My heart twitches like a dying beast crawled into the rank burrow of my chest to breathe its last. I'm cold, chilled to the marrow. I daren't even shut my eyes for fear of sleep and dreams. Quote2
-- John Constantine



Contents

Appearing in "Hunger"

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Synopsis for "Hunger"

A demon of hunger known as Mnemoth has been released in New York City and begins infecting various people. Those infected by Mnemoth's influence become ravenously hungry. But the more they eat, the hungrier they become. Henry Wambach starves to death despite the fact that he eats copious amounts of food.

In London, John Constantine returns to his flat to find one of his old band mates from Mucous Membrane, Gary Lester in his apartment. Gary is sitting in his bathtub covered in bugs. John sprays him down with aerosol and tries to calm Gary down. Gary tells John, that he had tried to contain the essence of Mnemoth after a botched exorcism upon a young Sudanese boy. He mailed the bottled demon to the address of one of John's old girlfriends in New York (believing that John was still staying there).

First, John travels to the Sudan to consult with a medicine man as to the nature of Mnemoth. He then takes Gary and travels to New York to make contact with the Voodoo crime lord, Papa Midnite. He tells Midnite that it would be in his best interest to help him against Mnemoth. He asks Midnite to watch over Gary Lester.

John then goes to the apartment of his old girlfriend, Emma. The demon bottle is not there. He finds Emma's ghost who walks and chats with him for a while. John realizes that Mnemoth has been released and he follows trails of swarming insects to an old church. He faces off with Mnemoth in his full fury. John races out of the church, unable to stop Mnemoth.

Appearing in "Feast of Friends"

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  • Priest (Unnamed) (Single appearance)

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  • None

Synopsis for "Feast of Friends"

John Constantine returns to the Midnight Club. Papa Midnite brings him down to the arena where he witnesses a sporting event pitting two of Midnite's zombie servants against one another in a fighting tournament. As blood sprays across the room, the two discuss their plans concerning the threat of Mnemoth. Midnite has Gary Lester contained in a cell. He is to be the bait with which they will contain the demon, but first they must intensify the pangs of Gary's drug withdrawal. John tries to comfort Gary, promising that he will take good care of him, but he knows that this situation can only end badly for both of them. Midnite tells them they will be ready to fight the demon at dawn.

Constantine returns to his hotel room where he finds the spirits of several of his old friends watching over him. These spirits represent former members of the Newcastle Crew, who recently lost their lives to an entity known as the Invunche. Eyes of judgment bear upon him, and the guilt he feels over their deaths intensifies. He knows that Gary will soon join them.

Meanwhile, Mnemoth's plague of hunger continues to infect the citizens of New York. One victim begins devouring a pile of comic books, while another man satisfies his undying hunger by chewing off his own arm. Another man breaks into a jewelry store and begins voraciously shoving gemstones into his mouth. The city is in chaos.

The following morning, John returns to the Midnight Club for his final battle with Mnemoth. Papa Midnite and he bring Gary Lester to the roof of the building where they strap him down to an old electric chair that Midnite acquired from Sing Sing prison. Using Gary's drug withdrawal as a beacon, they lure Mnemoth to the top of the penthouse. Midnite conducts a series of rituals as the spirit bonds with Gary Lester, feeding off of his pain. John jumps on top of him and carves the Power Patterns of Binding into his face. Mnemoth is trapped in his body, but Gary dies from the experience soon after.

Papa Midnite brings the body down into the cellar of his club where he has him sealed behind a brick wall. As Constantine leaves the club, he sees Gary Lester’s spirit join with those of his former comrades.

Appearing in "Going for It"

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Synopsis for "Going for It"

A man named Roger Randall jogs through the Spitalfields neighborhood of London. He quickly finds himself outflanked by two young yuppies, both of whom represent Roger's interests at Mammon Investments. Mammon Investments is actually run by a demon known as Blathoxi. Blathoxi's demonic yuppies, Bella Donna and Rodney Bubosganglia remind Roger that he has failed to pay his commission and kill him.

On Election Day, John Constantine goes to visit the Serendipity junk shop operated by his friend, Ray Monde. Ray tells John about the recent rash of strange deaths taking place in Spitalfields, including a headline, which reads, "Jogger Dead in Melted Running Shoes!" John decides to look into the matter and begins snooping around the neighborhood. He is more curious about the idea of yuppies living in Spitalfields than anything else.

Bella Donna and Rodney meanwhile return to their own flat where they assume their natural demonic guises. After listening to horrifying music and freshening their breath with infant adrenal tincture, they decide to live it up at a trendy night spot known as the Pits. After watching them outside their apartment window, John decides to follow them to the club.

He learns immediately that the Pits is run by demons, most of whom represent Mammon Investments. He nearly exposes himself after shouting “Jesus Christ!” (an unfavorable name in an establishment such as this) upon sipping from a glass of goat's blood. Fortunately for John, another partier begins to draw attention to herself. Highly inebriated, the blonde-haired woman begs Rodney Bubosganglia to give her more time to pay her commission, but there is little tolerance for lateness here. Failure to pay your fees results in the loss of your soul. Rodney violently tears the woman's soul from her body, and her head catches on fire.

Disgusted by the display, John decides its time to leave as quickly as possible. He dives out of a window, knowing that the demons will pursue him. He seeks to stave them off, by running inside of a church. Once things settle down, he returns to his apartment.

John creates a mystic circle and begins an incantation to summon Blathoxi, the Lord of Flatulance. One of Blathoxi's discharges arrives, and escorts John to Hell for an audience with the arch-demon. John offers to sell Blathoxi his soul, and indicates that he is in a rush. Blathoxi thinks John may have inside information on the UK soul-market, and refuses to deal with him. It matters little however. The fact that John even extended the offer has captured the attention of many of Blathoxi's charges. Sending him back to Earth, Blathoxi's agents begin investing in political ventures that support England's Labour party.

When John returns to Earth, he is back inside the Pits suspended upside down from the ceiling. Many of the demons are holding an election party celebrating Margaret Thatcher’s resounding victory as Prime Minister. Suddenly, Blathoxi appears, furious over the fact that John's influence panicked the soul market, causing it to crash. The infernal dollar is now worthless. Gathering his demon yuppie horde, Blathoxi returns to Hell. John is the only one left inside the club. He chuckles to himself, even as he hangs helplessly upside down, shouting "I won – and I bloody feel good about it!" Then he looks at the television screen, flashing images of the conservative Margaret Thatcher and his smile quickly fades as he remarks, "Like I said, there’s more than one road to Hell".

Appearing in "Waiting for the Man"

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Synopsis for "Waiting for the Man"

Ten-year-old Gemma Masters runs away from her home in Liverpool. She is distraught because her parents, Cheryl and Tony have recently become involved in a cult known as the Resurrection Crusaders.

Back in London, John Constantine and Chas Chandler play billiards at the pub. John wins a substantial amount of money, though Chas is not quite so fortunate. Leaving the establishment, John sees several skinheads spray-painting the words "British Boys Kill Pakis" on the side of a wall. John yanks the paint can from one youth's fingers and sprays him in the face with it until he falls to the ground.

Walking home, he turns down an alleyway, where he sees a strange young woman named Zed sitting by herself. The two strike up a conversation, and they dine at an Indian restaurant.

Back in Liverpool, Gemma is playing on a swing set when three girls, slightly older than she, approach her. Despite their age, they claim that they are all wives to their "Boss". They convince Gemma to come back to their home to meet their husband. They lead her to a house in the woods, but the place is a mess. They all gather in one bed to go to sleep and the girls tell Gemma that she will meet "The Man" later. Gemma notices that each of them has noose scars encircling their necks. The girls tell her that their scars represent their wedding rings.

Later, John takes Zed back to her apartment. She shows him her artwork, which includes sketches of various Londoners, including one of John himself. Before John can inquire about it, he hears a radio broadcast, which tells of four missing girls – one of which is Gemma. John grows frantic and tells Zed that he has to go. Gemma is John’s niece.

In Liverpool, Gemma's parents consult with their spiritual leader Elder Martin. Martin promises to help them and begins to pray. Cheryl is not satisfied with mere prayer and slaps Elder Martin across the face.

At the house in the woods, the older girls dress Gemma up in a wedding gown, and bring her down to a secret chapel. Brainwashed, Gemma agrees to become The Man's most recent bride.

John and Zed arrive at the Masters' house, and John uses one of Gemma’s toy crocodiles as a divining rod to determine her location. Zed demonstrates her own unique talents, and sketches an image of the house where Gemma is located.

At the house, the Man appears and conducts a bizarre ceremony at a makeshift altar in his basement. He takes a length of cord and wraps it around Gemma's neck. John and Zed burst into the room before the ceremony concludes. The man flings a copper dish at John and strikes him in the temple. Zed attacks him with a bottle then begins violently bashing away at him until he falls over unconscious. The man's shirt tears open and the words "Damnation Army" are etched across his chest. Tony and Cheryl Masters and members of the Resurrection Crusaders appear at the house to collect Gemma.

Appearing in "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"

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  • The Citizens of Liberty

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Synopsis for "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"

August 10th, 1968, Vietnam
Lt. Frank Ross and his childhood friend Craig Anders comb through the thick forest on the lookout for North Vietnamese soldiers. The scene explodes in bullets as they walk into an ambush.

August 10th, 1987, Liberty, Iowa
Old Willy Anders hangs a sign across the road that reads "Liberty Welcomes Home Her Boys". The Resurrection Crusaders have come to Liberty and the townsfolk are convinced that their Pyramid of Prayers will bring their lost sons back to them. After hanging up the sign, Willy turns around and sees an image of his young son standing in the middle of a war-torn Vietnamese village. The boy opens fire, but is convinced that it is an old Vietnamese man that he has killed.

Later, John Constantine arrives in Liberty. He originally came to the United States to check up on the Swamp Thing, but when he heard that the Resurrection Crusaders were in Iowa, he felt compelled to investigate further. Stopping at a gas station, he finds Frank Ross. Ross is a Vietnam vet, and one of the few soldiers that actually returned to Liberty – a fact that has earned him the enmity of many of the local townsfolk. Drunk and delusional, Frank draws a gun on Constantine and takes a shot at him. Frank's wife Nancy rushes in and calms her husband down. Nancy is the daughter of old Willy Anders and the sister of Craig who died in Vietnam exactly nineteen years ago. Nancy gives comfort to the shaken John Constantine and tells him that the people of Liberty are convinced that the Resurrection Crusade's Pyramid of Prayer will bring their sons home. Nancy however, is skeptical.

That night, John follows Nancy to her house where he watches her arguing with her mother about the Crusaders' promises. The old woman is convinced that her son Craig will return home. Mrs. Anders and several other townsfolk gather together to watch a Crusader evangelist promise them false hope on a closed-circuit television broadcast.

Meanwhile, Frank Ross continues to have flashbacks of Vietnam. He remembers suffering a psychotic break in the jungle and raping a young Vietnamese girl. Worse, his misjudgment led his men into the middle of an LZ where American planes were dropping Napalm down on innocent villagers. The truth about what took place in the jungles is Frank's secret. Even his wife doesn’t know what truly took place.

That night, after the Resurrection Crusaders conclude their pyramid of prayer, the ghosts of all Liberty men who died in Vietnam begin to rise from the grave and walk the streets of Liberty. They begin rounding up the townsfolk as if they were prisoners of war.

Frank meanwhile falls deeper into his delusion and runs out into the middle of a cornfield armed with an AK-47. Nancy chases after him, but he mistakes her for a Vietnamese woman. He attacks Nancy, but the woman fends him off by shooting Frank in the leg with his service revolver. Constantine is present, but is unable to do anything but play witness to the tableau before him.

Finally, limps out into the middle of the road with his carbine. He sees the light of an oncoming gas truck and mistakes it for the enemy. He opens fire, and the truck caroms into a pair of gas station tanks causing both to explode in a ball of fire.

John Constantine leaves the town of Liberty with a greater appreciation of what life during the Vietnam war may have actually been like.

Appearing in "Extreme Prejudice"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Villains:

  • Col
  • Keef
  • Kenny
  • Wayne

Other Characters:

  • Tony (Behind the scenes)

Locations:

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  • None

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Synopsis for "Extreme Prejudice"

The Neo-Nazi youths known as the British Boys light a Molotov cocktail and hurl it at Ali's newsstand. As they walk off into the night, they spy a man whom they believe is a homosexual and follow him into an alley. The man turns out to be the demon Nergal. Nergal traps them in a small room and begins to tear them limb from limb. He drags their bloody pieces down into the sewers with him. John Constantine comes upon the blood-soaked room and recognizes the sign of the Damnation Army painted across the wall in blood.

John leaves and makes a telephone call to one of his journalist contacts, Tony. He asks him about any information regarding the Damnation Army. He learns that they have been linked to open cases of mass murder and suicide pacts. England's Special Branch are currently investigating the matter. John wants nothing to do with Special Branch, so he begins walking towards Zed's place. When he arrives, he finds three members of the Resurrection Crusade hassling her. He scares them off and spends the night with Zed.

Deep below the city, Nergal brings the torn pieces of the British Boys before his Damnation Army. He conducts an elaborate ritual that fuses the many body parts into one composite being. This new creature – the stitched together heads and limbs of the four Neo-Nazis, is now known as Ironfist the Avenger. Nergal sends the monster out to find Constantine.

Ironfist stalks the streets of Camden and walks past the car containing the three Resurrection Crusaders that had antagonized Zed. They look on in horror, but do nothing. The creature reaches Zed's apartment and bursts through the window attacking John. John is repulsed at first, until he recognizes the four faces of the monster, at which point he begins laughing uncontrollably. He also notices that one of the arms sports an "Arsenal" tattoo – an English football team. Another arm has a "Chelsea" tattoo. John reminds Ironfist that half of its body supports one football team, while the other half supports a rival team. As the British Boys were rabid football fans, their natural competiveness takes over and the Ironfist begins fighting itself, ultimately tearing itself to pieces. John and Zed run out of the apartment.

Constantine contacts Chas Chandler, who drives him over to Ray Monde's place. Ray tells him that he is dying of AIDS. The telephone rings, but the call is actually for John. Nergal's voice comes over the line. He warns John against aiding his enemies and tells him that he would be better suited by joining the Damnation Army.

Appearing in "Ghost in the Machine"

  • Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "Ghost in the Machine"

John Constantine visits his friend Ritchie Simpson, a former member of the Newcastle Crew and current computer hacker. He asks him about the Resurrection Crusade and Ritchie agrees to find out what he can about them. Ritchie has developed a means to insert his consciousness into computer programs whereby he can search through all of cyber-space. Ritchie attaches two cables into his head and then downloads his consciousness into the computer.

Meanwhile, Ray Monde entertains Zed back at his home. He tells her that he is dying from AIDS and that he has already lost his life partner Bill. Bill was a soldier who perished in the Falklands War. Suddenly, Elder Martin and three members of the Resurrection Crusade break into Ray's home and accost him. While the three men beat up on Monde, Elder Martin grabs hold of his daughter Zed.

Back at Richie's place, John lets his friend do his work while he in turn steps out to get a cup of coffee. After feuding with a stubborn coffee machine, John returns and hears Ritchie broadcasting to him about a splinter group called the Tongues of Fire Network. Something goes wrong however, and Ritchie's machines begin to overload. Ritchie tries to retrieve his consciousness back inside his body, but he is too late. His corporeal form bursts into flame right before John's eyes. Constantine is powerless to help him. Ritchie's brain waves are still broadcasting from inside his computer, and he doesn't realize yet what has happened. John knows that Ritchie's mind is trapped inside the computer and that he can never return to true life. As a mercy killing, John unplugs the machine. Guilt overwhelms him, and the ghosts of the other members of the late Newcastle Crew appear before his eyes.

Elsewhere, Elder Martin and the Resurrection Crusaders bring Zed to a darkened medical facility. The Crusaders would have preferred a virginal subject, but so long as her mental state is sound, she will prove to be an apt candidate for intensive re-education.

Appearing in "Intensive Care"

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Synopsis for "Intensive Care"

In Glastonbury, members of the Resurrection Crusade brainwash Zed and address her by her given name Mary. They recondition her to the point that she is barely a shell of the woman she once was. The Resurrection Crusade conducts a service, declaring that it is their holy mission to rid the world of Satan's influence, and that Mary (like the Biblical Mary) will become a key figure in bringing about salvation. As the service concludes, Mary is handed over to the Crusaders' shock troops, the Tongues of Fire. They bring her body down into a dank cellar where they begin conducting "surgical adjustments".

Meanwhile, John awakens inside of a hospital room. His body is bruised and broken as a result of leaping off of a moving train after being tormented by the ghosts of his dead colleagues. Even in the hospital, John is haunted by nightmares from his past; particularly the two years that he spent as a patient at Ravenscar under the care of Doctor Roger "Piggy" Huntoon.

Shaking away the memories, he sees the demon Nergal standing at the foot of his bed. Nergal is cleansing John's body with his tongue, and reminds him about their recent telephone conversation. Nergal wants John to act as his instrument against the Resurrection Crusade. John tells him that he doesn't work for Hell or Heaven. Nergal plays upon John's guilt and tells him that the Tongues of Flame have captured Zed and murdered Ray Monde. He further informs him that the Resurrection Crusaders are going to use Zed as the means to give birth to a supernatural Christ figure that will usher in a new age. As Hell is already in the midst of a civil war, Nergal does not want such a marriage between the natural and the supernatural confounding matters even further. He assures Constantine that the birth of such a being is destined to take place and has been prophecied in stone even in Hell. John asks why he doesn't just kill Mary himself, and Nergal explains that he is not powerful enough to breach the wards erected by the Crusaders' arcane science. John refuses to assist the demon, but Nergal convinces John otherwise when he threatens to start eating babies from the hospital's maternity ward. John relents, but tells him that if he is going to work for Nergal, he will need to be healed first. Nergal infuses John Constantine was a concentrated dose of his own demon blood. John convulses in his bed in sheer agony, but the demon blood does its job, and John is healed from his injuries. Nergal vanishes, and John leaves the hospital. He despises the notion of being manipulated into serving a demon.

Appearing in "Shot to Hell"

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Synopsis for "Shot to Hell"

John Constantine is walking the back streets of Gotham City. Tired and unkempt, he passes by an apartment complex in the process of being demolished and sees a man attacking a woman. He stops inside of a bar and orders a drink. He sees a local copy of the Gotham Gazette and realizes that today is his birthday. John is thirty-five years old. The ghosts of people he's known begin appearing before him including Emma, Ray Monde, Benjamin Cox, Sister Anne-Marie, Ritchie Simpson and Frank North. Feeling guilt-ridden over their deaths, John begins yelling at them. The bartender doesn't see the spirits and tosses John out on his ear. Ray's ghost is the only spirit that follows after him, but John tells him to leave him alone. Ray tells John that the infusion of blood he received from Nergal has given him a sort of "psychic poisoning". John yells at Ray and takes off.

Alone again, John rents a room and contemplates his misery. A pile of dirty clothes begin moving by themselves and pantomiming the movements of a human being. The spirit inhabiting this "clothes-man" begins chasing John and he runs out into the night. He finally stops at the demolition site he had seen earlier and sits down to rest. He doesn't seem to care that the building is still in the process of being destroyed by a wrecking ball. Suddenly, black tar from the walls begin stretching forward as if to attack him. John flashes his cigarette lighter at the goo, then begins running again.

The mysterious spirit that is now plaguing him takes the form of an ambulating pile of newspaper and chases him further down the street. It later causes dollar bills to spring from a cash register that swirls all about him.

John eventually returns to the partially demolished building and sits on an old sofa. The spirit appears before him, but now assumes a form that John recognizes. It is him. The spirit is actually John's subconscious mind trying to deal with all of his recent pain and guilt. The spirit admonishes Constantine for feeling sorry for himself and tells him that it's time to get his act together. The "tough love" approach appears to work, and John cleans himself up. He scores a few dollars from a back alley craps game and books a flight back to England.

He goes to Glastonbury where he finds Zed wandering alone in a field. He beckons her inside the bole of a large tree and the two make love. John feels that if he taints Zed with his demonic stain, then the Resurrection Crusaders will no longer desire her. Afterwards, Zed lies down to rest and John leaves.

He returns to his apartment where he finds the Swamp Thing manifesting from the tobacco of his cigarettes. John pinches a wad off the Swamp Thing's body and begins rolling it into a cigarette. Swamp Thing criticizes John for his behavior and tells him that the lives of an entire species are at stake. As the Swamp Thing lifts John into the air, Constantine tells him to calm down, and that he has a plan.

Notes

  • This issue reprints the following issues of Hellblazer
  • Although the trade paperback is published under the Vertigo imprint, the original issues were published prior to the creation of the Vertigo concept.
  • The cover to this trade paperback is reproduced from the cover to Hellblazer #1.
  • This trade paperback is 238 pages long.
  • This trade paperback is ISBN# 1563890526.


Trivia

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