HellBlazer #109 HELLBLAZER #109
The Wild Hunt
Writer : Paul Jenkins
Art : Sean Phillips
Cover Artist : Sean Phillips
Colors : James Sinclair
Letters : Clem Robins
Asst' Editor : Axel Alonso
Editor : Lou Stathis



Issue Synopsis : One Month Ago - in a murky field in Yorkshire, a shepherd named Phil finds that someone - or something - has caused unusual damage to his crops. Suddenly, his sheepdogs begin barking at something a few yards away. He leaps over a drystone wall to see what's there only to lose his footing and land face-first in a mutilated sheep.

Now - John's enjoying a pint with Rich the Punk when Chas rushes into the pub. He explains that his wife's uncle Wilf has been suffering a series of sheep mutilations at his farm in Yorkshire and he needs John to do a little bit of investigating. John gives the idea short shrift and takes the opportunity to nip into the toilets - only to find himself cornered by an attractive American woman. She introduces herself as Danita Wright, a reporter for tabloid rag The Weekly World Star, and begins to hassle him about an orgy he attended (in the previous issue, "The Days of Wine and Roses"). When it becomes clear that he's not talking, she drops down a business card and takes her leave. Realising that the reporter's going to be hassling him non-stop, John accepts Chas' request and heads out to the cab.

Last Week - Phil's in the middle of a rugby game, but he's certainly not on the ball, being constantly distracted by wandering sheep. A team-mate throws the ball to him, but the moment he catches it, it seems to transform into a sheep's head. Phil stares at it with mysteriously glowing eyes until his friend taps him on the shoulder. Phil looks around and sees that his team-mate is transforming into a sheep too. He freaks out, punches the man in the face and runs away.

Now - Wilf's farm in Yorkshire. As Chas and John enjoy a cup of tea, Wilf explains that he's been suffering bad strangeness for the past month - mutilated sheep, failing crops and missing dogs all conspiring to make his life a misery. There's something else, too; a change in the air as if the land itself is falling ill. And his son Phil has been slowly going a little bit crazy...

Last Night - Phil's trying to enjoy a quiet pint in the pub when the noise of sheep begins again. As the crowd around him begins to transform into a flock, he makes a break for it, managing to get outside just as his body begins to sprout fur and his face turns into an elongated muzzle filled with sharp, sharp teeth. A nearby sheep observes the change, but doesn't quite have the sense to flee.

Now - Wilf, John and Chas tand over the eviscerated carcass of a sheep left behind by Wilf. Chas notices that the air smells of tin, and John finally realises what's happening - there's a werewolf on the hunt.

Last Night - The Pack emerges out of their own time astride horses. Each wolfman senses the stange energy and hears the sound of something, a dark rhythm on the invisible horizon. A howl calls a now human Phil to his window.

Now - As John, Wilf and Chas walk back to the farm, Constantine remembers his first encounter with a werewolf. It happened years ago, back when Constantine was still trying to make it big in the magical circles. In one corner of his regular Club sat an old man. Shrouded in darkness and mystery, he would dine alone night after night. Eventually, John plucked up the courage to go over and visit him, only to find out that the man already knew his name. His face hidden by a veil of shadows, the man began to tell his tale: three thousand years ago, a strange illness manifested itself in Europe. The victims underwent a change into a strange canine form, feasting on the flesh of cattle. The humans quarantined the infected, but they were fearful, because the infected also became immortal. John interrupted to ask why it occurred and the old man leant forward with a canine face, whispering "Because of you."

Night-time at Wilf's farm. Wilf explains that he's greatful to John for coming over, but he can't accept that werewolves are the cause of his problems. He returns to his house only to be confronted with the news that Phil has vanished. Realizing what's happened, John runs off into the countryside. He slips into the Aboriginal Dream-state, hoping to find Phil that way, but the Dream of the countryside is fragmented; time, space and reality are slowly being dislocated. His examination is suddenly halted, however, when The Pack arrive through a break in the Dream and begin to circle him.

John's ready to become dogfood when Phil - now in wolfman form - steps out of the bushes and tells him that The Pack won't attack; they're as lost and confused as Constantine. Phil explains that landing in the sheep's guts infected him with the virus, turning him into one of them. He goes on to explain that England is dying, and there's a sound like a drumbeat filling the air. Something is pulling mythological creatures out of their own times and places into our world, and it's John who must set things right. John asks for more information, but Phil says that he has to go with The Pack. He tells John to lie to his parents for him and then disappears into the night.

After explaining that Phil's run off because he's contracted an STD, John heads back to London and a big bottle of booze. Drunkenly, he stumbles to the address on the business card Danita Wright left him and rings the bell. Dani opens the door and asks what the matter is, only to get a terse reply: "The end of the World".

Issue synopsis written by James Wilkinson


Discuss Hellblazer #109 on our Forum.

[ Previous Month's Issue ]            [ Next Month's Issue ]
Phil gets a face full of sheep guts.

Which causes some unusual changes...

Dani catches John in the John.

Where werewolf? Where, Wilf, where?

John confronts The Pack.

Phil delivers a dire warning.


 
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