Aging Along With John: 20 Years of Hellblazer, Part 2
By David DelGrosso
In the single-issue stories that follow "Haunted," such as "The Crib" (H. #141) and "Telling Tales" (H. #143), Ellis explores that area in-between magic and madness, and plays with the idea that, if magic only exists if you believe in it, then is it real at all? Or is magic just a powerful kind of deceit? Is getting someone to believe something to the point that it affects them an act of magic? As John remarks to Chas in “Telling Tales,” after he pulls a terrifying trick on a nosy reporter, "I tell you, mate. There's nothing like telling tales. That's all this game is, mate. That's why it works on people. Magic and a little bit of bullshit in the night, and they all fall in love with it."
This era also adds significant figures to John's supporting cast. Ellis creates Clarice and Albert, who run The Tate Club, an exclusive social circle for upper-class magicians, and Map, a wizard who draws his power from the London Underground.
Ellis makes a strong start, and establishes themes that could have been explored for years to come. But "Telling Tales" would be Ellis’ last published story for Hellblazer. His next story is scripted, and fully illustrated by artist Phil Jimenez, but never sees print. In the story, titled "Shoot," Constantine comes to the aid of a psychologist tracking a wave of premeditated school-shootings across America. The strangely prescient story is written just before the killings at Columbine High School in April 1999 take place. Though Hellblazer has a history of incorporating current events, executives at DC will not publish the story in its original form.
Ellis states at the time that he does not feel he can make the changes to the story that are being asked of him, and chooses instead to resign from the title. What was expected to be a four-year era lasts only ten issues, and with Ellis' sudden departure, Hellblazer is left needing a new writer much sooner than expected.
Brian Azzarello: The Long Con (H. #146-174, 2000-2002)
Ellis' run is immediately followed by a two-part fill-in written by Croatian writer Darko Macan, whose American comics work to that time includes issues of Grendel and Star Wars for Dark Horse. "Ashes & Honey" (H. #144-145), with art by Gary Erskine, is about refugees, perhaps from Croatia, though their country of origin is never named, who have brought a dangerous bit of magic with them to their new home.
During this fill-in, editor Axel Alonso searches for a writer to get Hellblazer out of its tailspin and back on track. He hires the first American ever to write the series, Brian Azzarello. Alonso is already working with Azzarello on his own Vertigo series, 100 Bullets, which is in its first year. Azzarello recalls, "When Axel called me, I was shocked, because he and I had discussed how he believed that John was one character that had to be written by a Brit. I had bought into that, too. I enjoyed what the other writers were doing with the character and they all happened to be British, so, it was like, ‘Yeah, okay, that makes sense.’ But he called me and said that Warren had quit and wanted to know if I wanted the job.
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