#rawbonereads

Turns out it was Jorge behind the mask, whom we saw kill Angel and the little boy last time. Whether this was a simulated vision or reality or a flashback to his past is unclear but the result is the same, unable to bear the guilt, he takes his own life. John hears the gunshot from his room as he's shaving, causing him to nick himself.

Finally they meet. Angel reaches John's room, and he looks terrified. For as much as he seems to have known what was coming and sought for it, it's safe to say the reality of her, after staring so long at her photo, catches him off guard.

John puts on the bravado, trying to get one step ahead. Before she can start the horror show, he tries to assure her: he's seen it all before. That kind of thing don't scare him, sweetie (he says while dropping the matches)

Angel calla his bluff though, he's not scared of the evil of the world, he's scared of himself, and how numb he's grown to it. He's cut himself off from humanity and he hates himself for it. He hates her for being the same.

But Angel doesn't herself as above or outside humanity, to her, spreading these horrors is her role in the world, it's for the sake of the people within it. She tells John he needs to return the world as well, to reconnect with humanity. But it hurts, says John, and we're back to the lie he tried to sell her in the first place, his cowardice that made him numb to begin with. He asks her finally to show him the horror she carries, but she'll do him one better, she'll make him feel it.

Thrust into a warzone, John is wounded, already bleeding, as she is. She feeds him her blood and he submits before they shed their skin and entwine into a writhing mass of blood and empathy, raw to horrors that follow

People should shove their fingers in John's mouth more often, Its a good look for him.

In rapid succession, John is a rapist militant, a starving infant, a child of a drug addicted mother, Angel inthe roles of both victim and mother

The scenes grow even darker, John is the torturer, Angel the prisoner. Then it's John who is tortured, then thrown into a pit of suffering where all agony converges, indistinguishable from one pain, one person, to another, a mass of human agony. John dies, then lives again, animated by her passion.

As quickly as it began, the vision ends. John wakes in the bombed out hotel room, to find Angel dead beside him, drained at last of horrors she carried. He thanks her, the hell they shared enough to burn away his numbness, leaving him able to feel as a human again. The street outside has not been spared by the bombs they summoned, but John appears in good spirits among the carnage.

The mother from the train finds him, asking for his help finding Arty. I'm not sure they'll have much luck with that, but John agrees readily. Meanwhile, a map of blood stains is all that remains where Angel had lain, a pair of bloody footprints suggesting the horrorist walks on.

and that was The Horrorist!

Would you believe the first time I'd read this, I missed the empty bed at the last panel and thought he'd killed her permanently? What a nice surprise this time! I love Angel, I hope she never stops wandering around traumatizing people. She's like a human LiveLeaks.

For as much as the focus is on her though, I think John remained the heart of the story, it's his emotional redemption that ties together the disparate threads of Angel's journey. John has always had a tendency to waiver between painful empathy and feigned apathy, its part of his character to care too much while pretending he doesn't, it's an act so good he sometimes even fools himself.

I was impressed by how many issues they were able to bring into this short series, while still keeping the scale on a very personal level. Hellblazer has always shined at making the political personal, I think the addition of the Angel character just expanded the scope. That said, either the rape and sex trafficking was handled a little too sympathetically, or I'm too personally invested in those causes to view them accurately in the context of the story. Perhaps it works for readers more distant, as I'm admittedly distant from veterans' issues and i thought those topics were well handled.

I guess that's all I have to say, I just want to say thank you if you've stayed with me this long, and I hope you got something out of it. Feel free to share your analysis or suggestions for what I should do next in the notes, or to message me if you prefer.

And with that, John is back on the path toward Angel, and she toward him, though not on purpose yet. We catch up with her hitchhiking in the cab of a semi truck, her constant tormenting awareness of the ills of the world a sharp contrast to the carefree family man she's riding with. Joe reminds me of a lot of people I know, actually.

Even confronted with the reality of people being shipped away in freight trains, Joe is determined to rationalize, minimize. Well the government wouldn't hurt "good' people right? Not Joe's people. But Angel already knows what's going on. I feel for him, I don't think Joe is a bad person, he was helping Angel and he loves his family, but it's clear he'd have stood aside from any atrocities his government committed if it didn't affect him. Now it's too late.

That is not average for a town of Fenton's size, there are 500 people in Fenton, I'm not even sure they should have their own newspaper, let alone their own arsonist. The incident on the playground has made the front page, leading John to the mailman and the "bad side of town." Again can there be a bad side of town if there is barely a town? I don't think the writers know how small Fenton is.

It's the return of the big blue eyes, but mailman Clarence's wife is a little more wise to John's tricks, and keeps the chain locked. Just as well as it's Clarence he's looking for, and as the memories Angel inflicted on him have taken their toll, he hasn't got much time.

Yeah but he has time to prank that guy about "keeping his car" what was that about John? Just a cheap way to lose five dollars?

Self immolation is a horrible way to go. John is perhaps beginning to understand the level of threat he's up against. We've seem two good men (no, i will NOT count Mr. Jorgensen) destroyed by the reality Angel brings to light now. But I still can't cast her as the villain, isn't the villain more like humanity? The page on the right is the cover of part two, we're halfway through now and I just remembered I forgot to add the trigger warnings. I'll scroll back up.

Eugh, it's the "asking for it" line that really squicks me. I know it's rhetorical, but still. Angel is picked up by a police officer, who is immediately creepy toward her. Where the last two encounters were Angel bringing the world's evil with her or acting as an observer, here it's enacted upon her. And not even for the first time.

ACAB!!

Maybe a more nuanced commentator would address the cop's guilt here, murdering a child after it's heavily implied he assaulted her, I'm not going to do that. I'm not gonna say "he was under the influence of Angel's powers, bringing out his darkest hidden impulses" because that would be akin to saying she was "asking for it" and even if that was Delano's intent, I won't engage with it.

Yeah I don't give a shit, man. He's probably just upset there's the tiniest chance the precinct will hold him responsible for that outright atrocity.

John's thoughts aren't overly charitable either right now, annoyed by his fellow passengers. A heavy set woman and her son, Arty. A wrecked train seen being dismantled outside reminds them all it could be a lot worse. John takes this disaster as a sign he's getting closer.

I actually forgot the sheriff does that. I could go back and make my previous comments look more knowledgable but I'll leave them, I kind of prefer live blogging it. I really really want to know; what do you make of him and his many many crimes now? At the very least, really not someone who should be in law enforcement.

Jorge my man, my good dude, I like him, honest working class people are my jam, its why I read Hellblazer. Not that John is especially honest himself.

ok so Jorge wasn't honest either about the quiet room but I still like him. John settles in for the night with his impending date with destiny heavy on his mind. We're threatened with a scene of him jorkin' it until a train passes outside distracting him, the same train that wakes Angel where she is resurrected from the snow.

And- scene. We'll pick up with her next time. I'm eager to hear your comments on this one, so much has happened!

Joe, Clarence, the sheriff, soon to be John, all of these people with their lives irreversibly changed by their encounter with Angel, why do you think their experiences are so different? and is she truly responsible for what occurs, or is it the men themselves?

Ok! if you're here it means you want to read my babbling, so I hope you don't mind a little more intro. I saw a number of people mentioning this mini series on Tumblr recently, and it's one of my favorite storylines so I was eager to talk about it. I've always felt this story captures the best aspects of Hellblazer, despite not being part of the main series.

The original run was a two issue comic published in 1995/96, bringing back Jamie Delano, who was the first writer for Hellblazer and the one who established most of John's character as we love him. So although the main series was nearing 100 issues at this time, this two shot serves as a good intro to the character, at least in my opinion.

The copy I'm using is the archive.org scan of "The Devil You Know" trade paperback. Please support them if you're able! (And the official release blah blah blah)

You probably noticed already, but these issues have absolutely gorgeous art, courtesy of David Lloyd, who is best known for illustrating V for Vendetta. He only does a few other Hellblazer issues in it's run so we have to treasure him while we have him. Alongside Delano's intricate prose, it really gives this comic a dreamlike quality, kind of like an arthouse film or a fever dream.

We're out of the UK for this one, and in Fenton, Illinois. No relation to Danny Fenton as far as I know, but don't let the DC x DP fans know about it.

We meet our deuteragonist first, in a sort of trance as she observes a group of young boys playing American football despite the snow. Her strange appearance draws their immediate mockery, the weather is not the only thing that's a cold welcome in Fenton. But a passing mailman seems more compassionate, even trying to make conversation with her, despite her ominous statement. No good deed, as they say...

The boys have moved onto a snow war, seemingly triggering something in the woman, who hears the sound of screaming. Her haunted eyes are shown transposed over the scene, implying she is seeing something else than this casual game. Probably not helped by the pretty brutal things the boys are yelling at one another. As her reaction intensifies, the mailman, who really is a stand up guy, we don't get much of those in this series, tries to help her.

Hell- or should I say, Horror breaks loose, one of the boys killed by an actual landmine as the game turns all too real. The woman's visions become reality, a reality our mailman friend has in fact seen before, as he is beset by his own visions, reliving his time in the military. He tries, too late, to warn the boys but another one is blown away, leaving him to mourn over a shattered leg: "this can't happen here"

Not to be distasteful but I love how Lloyd paints fire. The no outlines style really shines here.

"it happens everywhere" is our girl's response, putting out comforting(?) hand. She asks "can't you hear the screaming?" and I dare say he now can.

SO WHAT AN INTRO, HUH?

I hesitate to call this woman the "villain" of the story, for a number of reasons, but she definitely can inflict suffering- that is, the suffering other people are already experiencing elsewhere in the world, and which she is unlucky enough to have to be aware of at all times, that she can share with people here in the more privileged world.

We'll come back to all that in a big way, but for now keep in mind the symbolism of the cold and snow fallen over Fenton, and how it represents a hardening people's hearts and numbing of empathy. It's something our man Constantine is about to fall prey to as well, despite the warm cozy appearance of that bar scene on the right. (And wow do i love that bar page, if i ever have a man cave im printing it out big and framing it on the wall next to my martini babe poster)

John's quiet night at the pub is interrupted by a cantankerous billiards player who takes issue with another patron ruining his focus. He goes for a double combo by throwing out slurs against both disabled and gay people, but fortunately is stopped in his tracks by some light sexual harassment from John. This apparently impresses the lady at the table enough that she offers Johnny a 60% discount.

Isn't it so romantic to light someone's cigarette off yours? Anyway this moment is interrupted by, again, the cranky guy, who really hauls off against the disabled man and gets justifiably glassed for it. For watching a guy bleed to death, even such an asshole, everyone is pretty cavalier, we get another dig at the gay community with the AIDS comment, fortunately John's too worried about keeping his coat clean to hear it. Not even emergency services seems to care anymore, putting the bartender on hold.

Out into the winter night, John's new lady friend is maybe a little too eager to bring him home, as amid the banter, it's clear John's getting cold feet, no pun intended.

(is it just me or did he really check out when she said "no romance"? our boy's a romantic)

In what's a pretty interesting dynamic, both John and the lady seem to be locked into the cold malaise in different ways. John is numb, closed off from feeling anything for people, including the woman in front of him. While the lady seems to see John as a desirable object rather than a person, like the many statues that decorate her home, she's picked him out to fulfill a purpose, and doesn't much care how he feels about it. At least until he snaps at her.

The two part ways, the woman making a last request that he stay. If she couldn't beat feeling into John though, it seems she can't beg it either because he walks out, back to the snowy street and into a dramatic wake up that you'll have to wait until next time to see fully.

But let me know what you thought of this part, I'm new to analysis, I feel like I say too much and too little. Do you agree with my assessment of the dynamic between John and the dominatrix? Are you a fan of David Lloyd's watercolors or do you think it distracts from the story? And how much do you think the themes of this story can be applied to the situation we find ourselves in today?

Ok this section will be a little dull visually but bear with me, it sets up Angel's backstory, it just does it in a really tell-don't-show way (this comic is great but not perfect). I'm getting ahead of myself.

Bracing himself, John rounds the street corner where the two dogs are fighting under the hollow gaze of a strange poster; its the girl from the prologue. Stopped in his tracks, John appears lovestruck (and even the dogs start humping. Classy, Mr. Lloyd) As he's drawn toward her, he's also drawn into the horror her gaze projects.

John sees himself, frozen, immovable in a barren world, as cold and hard as the ice storm that surrounds him, a storm stirred by the screams of the girl before him. He longs to yield, to be laid bare and vulnerable, to feel the storm rend his flesh and to feel the flesh of another. With a pang of empathy, the ice around him is shattered, and the girl and the storm disappear. He can move again, in this dream, and he now has a purpose.

In the real world, John awakes surrounded some concerned police officers, who mistake the whip marks from the dominatrix for a dog attack. John makes a well timed Monty Python reference and hightails it home. The girls' eyes follow him, leading him to strange grotesque dreams which he welcomes. Though his body sleeps, his soul is awakened.

And isnt he so handsome in those purple panels? A lot of artists seem determined to make John look weird, at least every now and then, but Lloyd is quite generous to him.

Now a man obsessed, John follows the trail to a photographer named Phil, catching him just before he departs on another world trip. Phil keeps a drunken detachment from the suffering he documents, his photos are for his own fame, or profit. But he remembers the girl John is asking about.

Her face has haunted Phil throughout the intervening years, sticking him with memories he'd rather forget. He does have one useful memory though; the girl is alive, and in America. He leads John to the address of the missionary family who adopted her, and they seem to part as friends. Not bad for having introduced himself as a psychopath rapist. Sometimes John's powers of charisma defy belief.

The thrill of the hunt passes for a moment, leaving John sickened with a sort of hangover as he assesses what he's about to do. He's seeing her face everywhere, just as the photographer does. Now awakened, he cannot go back to that frozen unfeeling state, and so there's nothing left to do but buy a new coat, and book a flight to America

Onboard, John's dreams return to the snowy expanse, finding himself following a path of bloody footprints which melt away in his hands. That reminds me! Someone more talented than me ought to make a music video of this comic set to Hozier's "Blood Upon The Snow" It really fits! https://youtu.be/-32-6FqGW2E?si=BS2R8aPOQlieESCv

Mrs Jorgensen's kind of pretty. Don't argue with me, I tried to date Pam in Stardew Valley I know what I like. Anyway, John charms his way inside for the second time that day, which is less unbelievable this time as he, too, is drawn really handsomely throughout this comic. Look at those big blue eyes. Who could call the police on a mug like that?

So they named her "Angel" and I wish we'd gotten a few more panels dedicated to her life with the Jorgensens. The relationship between her and her adoptive sister Kathy in particular, it sounds impossibly difficult to be taken from your home the way Angel was, and it sounds like Kathy was struggling with something as well. I'm not even going to speculate on the details about Mr Jorgensen and them. Just a troubling situation all around, which gets unfairly pinned on Angel.

Well, John at least has heard enough, and takes matters into his own hands with a ritual intended to lead him to Angel's current location. Will it work? Find out next time!

I swear I'm not trying to make cliffhangers, its just tumblr's ten image limit. As before, let me know your thoughts!

Do you think Angel really was responsible for the decline in her adoptive family? Did she have her powers then? (after all, the photo of her as a child is what's possessed John) Or did they form after death?

And why does John refer to her as a "kill or cure" case?

So the piece of shit sheriff's name was Ron, and now we're about to meet his piece of shit friend. This liveblog has been the documentation of the slow death of my media literacy and nuance. Maybe put less sex crimes in your book if you want me to read them subjectively. The doctor hasn't done anything quite yet, but he does almost hit Angel with his car. Yes, she shouldn't have been standing in the road, but give her a break, she was distracted by her sense of foreboding as she nears Constantine.

Only a brief interaction with Angel, but it's enough, her questions unnerve him. Are his children happy? Does he love them? Instead of answering he speeds off, asking instead the ghost of his dead wife. He says his daughter looks like her, though I think she's a dead ringer for Lady Amalthea from The Last Unicorn.

right????

The refrigerator is empty, the house cold and eaten by poverty, the very subject of Angel's questions. The only question remains; does he love his children? No. At least not Amalthea- sorry, Kelly, because he sells her to a brothel. I told you he was a piece of shit. Delano, were these supposed to be complex moral quandaries, or just showing the absolute worst of humanity? These people are getting worse and worse, the mailman was just a PTSD scarred veteran, now we have fathers selling their children into sex slavery?

Angel witnesses this, she looks at the boy still in the car, and I wonder if he'll go bad too. We don't find out but instead Angel pays a visit to my man Jorge.

He gives her a job at the hotel, sympathetic to a fellow immigrant, unintentionally putting her on a crash course with Constantine, who senses her presence. I should have mentioned this earlier but I like how this story makes use of his whole "surfing the vibes of synchronicity" thing. He doesn't need to stumble into things or logic them out he just knows. John can have a little superpower, as a treat.

It turns out Phil the photographer gouged his eyes out shortly after their meeting, finally tired of seeing Angel's eyes everywhere perhaps? This leaves John all the more determined to face her. Meanwhile, Angel has her first encounter with a woman victim. Its the lady from the train, the one whom John called a wall of flesh, and her somewhat whiney son, Arty. It seems like the worst sin Delano can imagine a woman committing is being overweight and eating a lot.

I do like the bull sign behind Angel giving her horns. Is she the devil? Is she the sacrificial cow? It's good ambiguity!

We're given some really intense imagery representing world hunger in response to the woman eating two steaks. In text I understand Angel is aware of the real and constant suffering of people in food insecurity, and experienced it herself. BUT. Come on, its two steaks. This one rings a bit silly to me, the lady isn't even like a billionaire or someone with real power over aid to third world countries, she's literally just eating two steaks.

The starving people morph into a slaughterhouse of corpses and both I and the mother are left in shock. Is Jamie Delano a vegan? Over two steaks. Maybe this is meant to show Angel's pettiness, that she punishes people without real reason. But I still don't think that tracks with the previous two..

Arty goes with Angel, and the scene quickly morphs into one of them fleeing an unknown pursuer, trapped in the open streets

They're grabbed up by a group of masked men and killed- and I don't know what this represents. I'm not the expert!!! It's scary, that's for sure. And I think Arty actually died so that's actually horrific. I don't know what this scene was though. Let me know if you know?

Ah! That's our ten image limit!

One entry left to go. Sorry I'm all over the place on this one. I swear I really do like this story, but that doesn't mean I can't criticize it, or that I know and understand everything about it. Maybe I'll wrap up with a more cohesive conclusion on all of the themes and events and how they tie together when I'm done. It's been a while since I read this and some of it's taken me by surprise.

Anyway- let me know what you think. Are the people Angel encounters getting worse (selling your daughter...) with each new person? And if so what does that say about John being the "final boss"

Or is she attacking randomly, and that's why that mom had to see a bunch of headless corpses getting flayed for her porterhouse medium rare?