Slugfest!

Mike Carey's superb run on Hellblazer comes to an end with issue # 215 in part 2 of the story R.S.V.P. And we are treated to one last cover of Constantine by Tim Bradstreet before the new writer and cover artist come aboard. Bradstreet uses a story motif of shattered glass with each shard depicting images used on the covers throughout Carey's run, which began with issue # 175; so forty issues in all, like Jaime Delano's original run! What follows is a complete review of issues #214 and #215.

In the wake of the death of his sister, Cheryl Masters, John has returned to London to bury the dead; back to his old haunts and old habits; in short, he's up to no good. While drinking alone at a local pub, an illusory zombie delivers an invitation to a black tie affair at the Tate Club, to mark its 200th anniversary, to be held on the soltice, natch.

John exits the bar and unsuccessfully tries to contact Chas, when he is approached by a guy by the name of Etheridge, who constructed the illusion. He explains that he is with Tate's event committee and is hoping to secure a verbal R.S.V.P. from John to speak at the event. Constantine is unimpressed and chastises him for his little ruse, and tells him to stuff his invite.



Next, he hails a cab and heads to Brixton in search of Chas, but when he finds he isn't home, he continues the cab ride to Streatham to Chas' cousin Norma's flat. Norma is not happy to see John and attempts to turn him away, but Chas approaches the door and reluctantly invites in John. Chas proceeds to tell about all the problems he's experienced as of late: he's out of work, and his wife Renee has left him with his daughter. John tries to empathize, but at the heart of it, Chas blames John for all his hard luck and a fight ensues. Norma calls the police and Constantine ends up in jail.

Alone with his thoughts, John tries to reconcile Chas' accusation: John become addicted to magic. He's brought before a judge who quickly realizes just how slippery Constantine can be when he notes that his records with American penal system have been lost and his psychiatric profile from Ravenscar seems to be "air-brushed from history." He corrects the judge by telling him, "It was a blowtorch. I just burn my past every few years. Get rid of the rubbish."

Clarice Sackville winds up bailing him out and paying his fine, all to the tune of 1000 pounds. Then she gives him a warning, "You're swimming with good, strong strokes--straight downwards. There isn't any bottom." Of course, like all advice John gets, it falls on deaf ears.

With Chas' words still ringing in his ears, he heads to his lock-up, a storage space with a sorts of stuff he's accumulated, and mulls over the odds and ends of his life. In a somewhat impulsive decision, he set everything ablaze; a blowtorch to his possessions that further obscures his past and his identity.

As he contemplates the results of his handiwork, Map Ondaatje shows up and John sends him off with a message to Clarice: He'll attend and speak at The Tate anniversary after all.
The following day, John finds himself in a nihilistic mood. He walks over to the botanical gardens and begins speaking to a tree and minutes later Swamp Thing's visage appears in the wood. John tells him about his sister's burial and ask that he "drop a couple of flowers on her grave for me." Meanwhile, over at the funeral Angie Spatchcock and Gemma, John's neice, listen to the parson's words and witness the results of John's request.

Over at the Tate Club, the guests begin arriving. Clarice shows up unescorted and the host are left wondering whether or not Constantine will show up. Everyone is seated, and when it seems that John will be a no-show, like a bad penny, he turns up. And so with everyone thinking it'll be a couple of jokes, an inspirational message, and a toast to the club, John begins.The message is much like the one he delivered to Etheridge, but not quite as succinct: The universe is unwinding down. Things fall apart. Once things fall apart--they do not put themselves back together again. And if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned.

Then he pulls a hair from his head and sets it to the flame of a candle. As it burns, it summons the angel of death and the perceptions of reality for each guest explode like glass into a million fragments with the revelation of their mortality.

Clarice is appalled by the turn of events and tells Constantine, "They'll never forgive you." But John shrugs it off and reminds her there is no point in kidding yourself.

Constantine makes a quick exit out the back only to find the prescence of all the ghosts of his past. Some innocents, some not so innocent. They clear a path for him, and as the sky opens up, the rain runs down his face leaving us to wonder if those are really tears.

So a little something for everyone, as longtime reader's will catch references from Delano's run (issue # 24:Family Man) and Ennis' run (issue #64:Fear and Loathing), among others. Or spot characters in the panel above like Judith, Frank North, Sister Annie-Marie, Benjamin Cox, and Gary Lester. But of course, all the back story aside, this story is completely accessible to new readers and even works as a good jump-on point prior to the beginning of Denise Mina's run. But Mike Carey will be a tough act to follow.