HELLBLAZER #190
Staring At The Wall, Part 2 Of 5
Writer : Mike Carey
Art : Marcelo Frusin
Cover Artist : Tim Bradstreet
Colors : Lee Loughridge
Letters : Clem Robins
Editor : Will Dennis
Assistant Editor : Zachary Rau
Solicitation Text : With one of his reluctant allies dead before the battle is joined, the omens
are bad for John's face-off with the Shadow Dog. In the end, victory may be the one luxury he can't afford.
Issue Synopsis : With Jason's warning still ringing in their ears, and one of their number already dead, the surviving
magicians decide to work together against the looming threat of the Shadow Dog. Map, fearing for the
safety of his city, devises a plan that sees him taking to the streets of London at the break of dawn. John
Constantine makes use of what little time he has to question the newly arrived Jason about their plight.
Deep in the bowels of the hotel, Arcane and Clarice are looking for a room suitable for the plan Map has
put into action. Nat finds a room that saw a brutal rape committed in it some fifty years ago and is
convinced that it will serve their needs quite nicely.
Elsewhere in the hotel, John Constantine turns repairman, using a stick of chalk to draw a power cord from
the ruined remains of an old television set to the nearest electrical socket. John tells a bemused Angie that
they'll be able to keep track of the shitstorm that follows in the wake of Map's plan through this 'Voodoo
Television'. Spatchcock, worried about the part her brother has to play in the upcoming ritual, notes that
Jason is nowhere to be found.
Angie gets her detective grove on and finds Jason sitting in the basement, next to the covered remains of
Chalice. Jason's starting to get second thoughts about Constantine's ability to defeat the Shadow Dog and
the fact that John's also sleeping with his sister (no, not Cheryl, Angie!) hasn't exactly endeared him to her brother.
Leaving the basement with Jason, Angie fails to notice that something appears to have been gnawing on Chalice's decomposing body.
On a secluded section of the London Underground, Map talks to the city above him, calling its power to his
fingertips.
Back at the hotel, Angie, Arcane, Clarice and Jason sit around the now functioning television. Powered by
Constantine's magic, it broadcasts stories of the madness that continues to spread around the globe. Jason
is somewhat heartened by the nature of the stories as they all concentrate on cases of individuals being
possessed. He goes on to reveal what he learned whilst possessed by the Celtic spirits - passing through
the first door let the Shadow Dog into the world, the second let it possess individual hosts whilst breaking
through the third would let it enter the collective unconscious of humanity. Given that only individuals
have been possessed so far, he assumes that the third door still stands shut.
On his way back to the hotel, Map is attacked by a knife-wielding prostitute. Obviously possessed, the young
woman is laid low by Map's magic.
Angie finds a brooding Constantine alone on one of the few remaining balconies left in the hotel. Angry at
his part in Chalice's death, and his failure to spot the growing threat of the Shadow Dog till it was nearly
far too late, John finds his efforts at self-pity rebuffed by Spatchcock. The pair are about to share a kiss
when Clarice interrupts, informing them that the others are ready to put the plan into action.
Aracane's been a busy boy, having painted the floor and bed of the room he discovered earlier with mystic
symbols. The psychic feedback from the terror felt by the unfortunate rape victim is strong enough to hide
the magicians from the searching Shadow Dog. Alba, woken by Map, has calmed down considerably and
is ready to participate in the ritual. Constantine tells the others that she's the equivalent of a magical
battery and that they'll be able to draw on her strength over the coming ordeal. John himself is going to act
as a totem, something through which they can use their magic to strike at the Shadow Dog - he's able to
assume this role courtesy of the lock of his hair Angie buried in Eden for him.
With John lying on the floor between the circle of magicians, Arcane starts the ritual. After establishing a
connection with the Dog through Constantine, they lash out at it with the combined force of their magic but
something goes wrong and the creature follows the attack back to its source, appearing in the room before
them as a huge dog like creature that walks on its hind legs. Jason distracts the Shadow Dog, screaming at
it till it snatches him up in its maw, razor sharp teeth tearing into his body. Alba starts screaming, shouting
that she's lost her power but Jason, still trapped in the creature's mouth, tells her that he's taken it before
unleashing an arc of bright blue light at the Dog.
When the light subsides, the Dog is gone and Jason lies bloodied and dying on the floor. Angie rushes to
her brother's side, but when he speaks it's in a voice that isn't his own. He taunts John, making it clear that
he's made a terrible mistake, goading him with the fact that he was fooled with "a hint from a dead man and
one from a demon". Ranting and raving, the possessed Jason gloats about he impending doom of mankind as he dies before the surviving magicians.
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Arcane sets the scene.
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Someone had the munchies.
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Map calls on London
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The Shadow Dog gets playful with Jason.
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Fuck.
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