132-395: John Constantine, Hellblazer is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is the streetwise English sorcerer and con man John Constantine , who was created by Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissette , and first appeared as
264-495: A CINE Golden Eagle and President of Japan Cultural Society trophy in 1968 for his short film Neverwhere . While working for the Warren anthologies, he received numerous Warren Awards: 1973 Best Artist/Writer and Special Award for "Excellence", 1976 Best Art for "Within You, Without You" ( Eerie #77) and Best Cover (also for Eerie #77), and 1978 Best Cover Artist. In 2009 Corben won
396-623: A mini-series adapting classic works of horror to comics. The first mini-series, published in 2006, was based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe followed by a second series in 2008 adapting works by H. P. Lovecraft . Between 2008 and 2009 he illustrated the flashback sequences in Conan of Cimmeria #1–7, collected as Conan Volume 7: Cimmeria . In 2009 he illustrated Starr the Slayer for Marvel's MAX comics imprint. Since then Corben has done more work for Marvel, DC, IDW, and most notably Dark Horse, drawing
528-541: A one-shot title for Marvel published under the MAX imprint as part of Marvel's The End series. The story tells of The Punisher 's final days on an earth ravaged by nuclear holocaust . Ever the independent, Corben would work with rocker Rob Zombie and Steve Niles in 2005 on a project for IDW Publishing called Bigfoot . In 2007, Corben did a two issue run on Marvel Comics ' surreal demon biker, Ghost Rider . At Marvel 's MAX imprint he has produced Haunt of Horror ,
660-513: A 40th birthday party where his friends Ellie, Zatanna , and the Swamp Thing attend, and use their various abilities to create a large quantity of Bushmills whiskey and marijuana . The story then takes him to his lowest point, through his dealings with the National Front , their threats towards Kit, and her leaving him to return to Ireland. Following this, John is defeated, and lives homeless on
792-428: A brief interlude by From Hell artist Eddie Campbell (issues #85-88), the series' direction was taken over by Paul Jenkins in 1995. He had been the former editor of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other Mirage Studios lines. He had pitched to several comic houses, having tired of editing, and eventually managed to gain stewardship of Hellblazer , the first largely untested writer to achieve this. Jenkins' run
924-616: A close with two storylines, "Up the Down Staircase" and "How to Play With Fire", which relate the First of the Fallen's new plan, to essentially let mankind ruin itself through television and consumerism, and Ellie's plot to leave Constantine friendless and alone. John eventually saves himself, through a literal deus ex machina , in a campfire conversation with God . However, at that time Rich and his family finally sever their friendship with John, and
1056-408: A controversial law which restricted the ability of the public to throw raves and large demonstrations. Major storylines in this run include "Critical Mass", where Constantine is forced to use magic to purge his darker side into another human body, to avoid being damned to Hell as part of a trade to save the possessed son of a friend, thus creating the antagonistic character, Demon Constantine , with
1188-546: A daughter, Beth, who is a watercolor painter and often colored her father's comics. Corben died on December 2, 2020, following heart surgery. He was 80 years old. Corben's work in comics and animation has won him recognition, including the Shazam Award for Outstanding New Talent in 1971, and a Shazam Award for Superior Achievement by an Individual in 1973. Corben won a 1973 Goethe Award for "Favorite Fan Artist". He also received
1320-535: A demon called Nergal (from whom he gains demon blood), and having to be responsible for killing an old friend, Gary Lester , and betraying another friend, called Zed , in the process. The following four issues, "The Devil You Know" finally explain John's failure to save a young girl, Astra , from a demon in Newcastle , an event that left him near insane and incarcerated in an asylum known as Ravenscar, and still haunted him to
1452-491: A demon that forced him to leave the city. Former Hellblazer characters such as Chas Chandler and Mercury made appearances in the series, and the comic was written by Simon Oliver who previously wrote the spin-off series Hellblazer Presents: Chas - The Knowledge . In July 2019, DC announced that Hellblazer would be relaunched as part of The Sandman Universe line of comics. The relaunched series, written by Simon Spurrier and illustrated by Aaron Campbell, begins after
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#17328547303911584-443: A dormant god known as Juntakillokian, and his efforts to prevent this with the help of environmentalists, including Mercury , a young psychic girl, and Marj , her mother, with whom he becomes romantically involved. The penultimate major run of Delano's tenure was " The Family Man ", which differed from the main body of the series thus far in that Constantine's nemesis is not supernatural (beyond an opening metafictional encounter with
1716-419: A fictional fence ), but a former policeman turned serial killer. John's ethical quandary as to whether murder is ever acceptable, and his coping with the murder of his father, Thomas , frames this story. During this run on the title, Grant Morrison (issues #25 & 26) and Neil Gaiman (issue #27) both filled in during a three-month break, with Morrison's story dealing with nuclear fear, and Neil Gaiman's being
1848-565: A further plot. Constantine then traps them both with considerable ease, and questions how this has been so easy. It then becomes apparent that he has been manipulated by the 'Golden Child', his twin who did not survive childbirth, and has been manipulating events for the whole of the series, including his battle with cancer and many other events. He declines his twin's offer to merge souls, suspicious that his twin has been weakening his will in past years to make him accept this offer, choosing instead to take control of his own destiny. Peter Milligan ,
1980-448: A ghost story about homelessness. Delano's run ended with " The Golden Child ", where John is reunited with Marj and Mercury, who help him discover that he murdered his more perfect twin in the womb, culminating in an extended story, in which what would have occurred had the other twin survived in his place is revealed. During his run, there was also a stand-alone issue, Hellblazer Annual #1, exploring Constantine's ancestry, and featuring
2112-716: A good and adventurous life, he happily accepts his fate rather than trying to fight it like he always does. When the last day came, Constantine was ambushed and shot in his own home right in front of a horrified Epiphany. After he died, Epiphany and Finn had an affair as a way to comfort each other. John's ghost saw them having sex in a graveyard and seemed to give his blessing, making the fates decide that John wasn't going to try to come back to life. Then, of course, he did. He contacted Epiphany and asked her to help resurrect him by making him cigarettes from his ashes, which, after he smoked them, made him corporeal again. Thinking to disappear and live happily ever after with Epiphany, they moved to
2244-451: A high degree of life," whereas horror is described as that which "freezes and nearly annihilates them." Modern scholarship on horror fiction draws upon a range of sources. In their historical studies of the gothic novel, both Devendra Varma and S. L. Varnado make reference to the theologian Rudolf Otto , whose concept of the " numinous " was originally used to describe religious experience. A recent survey reports how often horror media
2376-554: A layout compositional sketch by Neal Adams ) for the Brian De Palma film Phantom of the Paradise . In addition, he provided cover art for the VHS release of the low-budget horror film Spookies . In 2000, Corben collaborated with Brian Azzarello on five issues of Azzarello's run on Hellblazer (146–150) which was collected in a trade called Hellblazer: Hard Time . He also adapted
2508-408: A prominent part of the team. Milligan wrote eight issues of Justice League Dark , with writer Jeff Lemire taking over on issue nine. On November 8, 2012, DC announced that Hellblazer would be cancelled following its 300th issue, and would be replaced by Constantine written by Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes for issues #1-3 and Ray Fawkes alone for issues #4-23, and drawn by Renato Guedes starring
2640-452: A reader." IGN listed the title as one of the 25 Best Vertigo Books, calling John Constantine as "one of Vertigo's best characters." Horror fiction Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which are in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon , in 1984, defined
2772-430: A sense similar to the reason a person seeks out the controlled thrill of a roller coaster , readers in the modern era seek out feelings of horror and terror to feel a sense of excitement. However, Barrette adds that horror fiction is one of the few mediums where readers seek out a form of art that forces themselves to confront ideas and images they "might rather ignore to challenge preconceptions of all kinds." One can see
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#17328547303912904-528: A single issue between Denise Mina and Andy Diggle's runs on the title, and also wrote the well-received Hellblazer graphic novel All His Engines about a strange illness sweeping the globe. Denise Mina had not written for comics when she took over the title in 2006, but had three acclaimed crime novels to her name, the Garnethill trilogy, the first of which won the CWA award for best debut crime novel . Her run on
3036-408: A story intends to shock and disgust, but the best horror intends to rattle our cages and shake us out of our complacency. It makes us think, forces us to confront ideas we might rather ignore, and challenges preconceptions of all kinds. Horror reminds us that the world is not always as safe as it seems, which exercises our mental muscles and reminds us to keep a little healthy caution close at hand. In
3168-534: A story which finally brings together the racism storyline, with riots in Mile End , echoing the real-life Brixton and Broadwater Farm riots in London, the revenge attempt of the First of the Fallen, started in "Dangerous Habits", and the end of John's relationship with Kit Ryan. John's eventual Pyrrhic victory leaves this run with closure, and a relatively clean slate for a new writer to take over. Ennis briefly returned to
3300-495: A supporting character in Swamp Thing (vol. 2) #37 (June 1985), during that creative team's run on that title. Hellblazer had been published continuously since January 1988, and was Vertigo's longest-running title, the only remaining publication from the imprint's launch. In 2013, the series concluded with issue 300, and was replaced by Constantine , which returned the character to the mainstream DC Universe . The original series
3432-480: A thinly-veiled pastiche of Batman . Brian Azzarello did return for one of the five stories in issue #250. This arc attracted minor controversy for its depiction of Constantine in a same-sex relationship. Following Azzarello's run, writer Mike Carey took over the title, following his Eisner award -winning title Lucifer , set in the Sandman universe. Carey's run attempted to return John Constantine to his roots, with
3564-702: A tiny house in Ireland, courtesy of Finn, that was totally off the grid and far removed from any apparent trouble, the last place anyone would think to look for John. That didn't last long, though, as John realized he can never run from his past. So John left Epiphany in Ireland and returned to England to confront Gemma. He stole the last dart holding the concoction that killed his demon twin, but ultimately gave it back to Gemma and told her either she could kill him, and live her life without him, but be consumed with guilt for killing him or she could let him disappear from her life forever, without any guilt for murdering him. Gemma shot
3696-561: A title made popular by John Constantine's creator Alan Moore, Delano was selected to start the character's first run in his own comic by then editor Karen Berger in 1988. Delano's run was characterised by his political satire, taking on late-1980s and -90s tropes such as with city financiers being literal demons, and Constantine meeting with Freemasons from the Houses of Parliament . He also had environmentalist issues crop up, especially in "The Fear Machine" (issues #15–22), where John fell in with
3828-429: A travelling community of environmental activists. Indeed, editor Karen Berger noted on Delano's departure the irony that his final issue was handed in the week that Thatcher was forced out of office. Five main storylines were in the run. The first, collected as "Original Sins", deals with John travelling to America to exorcise a demon, Mnemoth , and investigate a strange cult known as Damnation's Army, crossing paths with
3960-480: A veteran of the Vertigo line, having written both Shade, The Changing Man and Animal Man at the publisher's inception (and another former 2000 AD writer), then took over, starting with a short story in the landmark 250th issue, and taking over full-time following this. His run implemented several major changes, including John Constantine's wedding and the loss of his thumb. In a rare change, Milligan's run on
4092-555: A year or more often. Unsurprisingly, there is a strong correlation between liking and frequency of use (r=.79, p<.0001). Achievements in horror fiction are recognized by numerous awards. The Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker , author of the seminal horror novel Dracula . The Australian Horror Writers Association presents annual Australian Shadows Awards . The International Horror Guild Award
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4224-610: Is Stephen King , known for Carrie , The Shining , It , Misery , and several dozen other novels and about 200 short stories . Beginning in the 1970s, King's stories have attracted a large audience, for which he was awarded by the U.S. National Book Foundation in 2003. Other popular horror authors of the period included Anne Rice , Shaun Hutson , Brian Lumley , Graham Masterton , James Herbert , Dean Koontz , Richard Laymon , Clive Barker , Ramsey Campbell , and Peter Straub . Best-selling book series of contemporary times exist in genres related to horror fiction, such as
4356-526: Is a werewolf story titled " Bisclavret ". The Countess Yolande commissioned a werewolf story titled " Guillaume de Palerme ". Anonymous writers penned two werewolf stories, "Biclarel" and " Melion ". Much horror fiction derives from the cruellest personages of the 15th century. Dracula can be traced to the Prince of Wallachia Vlad III , whose alleged war crimes were published in German pamphlets. A 1499 pamphlet
4488-504: Is accompanied by the spirit of JFK , who has to hold his brain in place from his infamous wound . He eventually learns how to escape, shortly before running into the First of the Fallen, in the guise of Abraham Lincoln . There then follows a small break where he meets the spirit of a dead friend in Dublin, offering some closure to his recent problems. Ennis' run ends with "Rake at the Gates of Hell",
4620-415: Is almost as old as horror fiction itself. In 1826, the gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe published an essay distinguishing two elements of horror fiction, "terror" and "horror." Whereas terror is a feeling of dread that takes place before an event happens, horror is a feeling of revulsion or disgust after an event has happened. Radcliffe describes terror as that which "expands the soul and awakens the faculties to
4752-471: Is also unique as it follows real time in its span of 20 years, with its protagonist John Constantine aging in every publication. Because of this, writers of the series often place their era's culture and social commentary in their run. When Jamie Delano first wrote the series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, his issues were heavily inspired by the era such as punk rock and the British economy. Delano would be
4884-486: Is consumed: To assess frequency of horror consumption, we asked respondents the following question: "In the past year, about how often have you used horror media (for example, horror literature, film, and video games) for entertainment?" 11.3% said "Never," 7.5% "Once," 28.9% "Several times," 14.1% "Once a month," 20.8% "Several times a month," 7.3% "Once a week," and 10.2% "Several times a week." Evidently, then, most respondents (81.3%) claimed to use horror media several times
5016-537: Is fear of the unknown." the first sentence from his seminal essay, " Supernatural Horror in Literature ". Science fiction historian Darrell Schweitzer has stated, "In the simplest sense, a horror story is one that scares us" and "the true horror story requires a sense of evil, not in necessarily in a theological sense; but the menaces must be truly menacing, life-destroying, and antithetical to happiness." In her essay "Elements of Aversion", Elizabeth Barrette articulates
5148-399: Is merely one of many interpretations of the metaphor of Dracula. Jack Halberstam postulates many of these in his essay Technologies of Monstrosity: Bram Stoker's Dracula . He writes: [The] image of dusty and unused gold, coins from many nations and old unworn jewels, immediately connects Dracula to the old money of a corrupt class, to a kind of piracy of nations and to the worst excesses of
5280-489: Is more traditionally English in its themes, with Albion , Arthurian legend , and old English battles all featuring, and even an appearance by Samuel Taylor Coleridge , and a speculative explanation of the writing of Kubla Khan , and what the interruption of the ' man from Porlock ' may have been. He also returns to Jamie Delano's coverage of anarchist lifestyles, and the effects of the Criminal Justice Act of 1994 ,
5412-401: Is tends to be inconclusive on the impact that viewing such media has. One defining trait of the horror genre is that it provokes an emotional, psychological , or physical response within readers that causes them to react with fear. One of H. P. Lovecraft's most famous quotes about the genre is that: "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear
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5544-473: Is tricked into killing the guardian that had been preventing the tragedy, freeing a beast which can control the collective unconsciousness of mankind. John Constantine cuts his own wrists, in order to free himself from consciousness, and plays a confidence trick on the beast, allowing his friends time to use the collective consciousness to rebuild the guardian that had kept the beast trapped. However, in this process, Swamp Thing has his human soul removed, setting up
5676-482: Is unknown for sure why children enjoy these movies (as it seems counter-intuitive), it is theorized that it is, in part, grotesque monsters that fascinate kids. Tangential to this, the internalized impact of horror television programs and films on children is rather under-researched, especially when compared to the research done on the similar subject of violence in TV and film's impact on the young mind. What little research there
5808-638: The Den series which was featured in the magazine's first film adaptation in 1981. He was the winner of the 2009 Spectrum Grand Master Award and the 2018 Grand Prix at Angoulême. In 2012 he was elected to the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame . Richard Corben was born on a farm in Anderson, Missouri , and went on to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute , in 1965. At
5940-487: The Columbine High School massacre , despite the fact it had been written and submitted prior to the event. The story was finally published in 2010. His brief run began with "Haunted", a London-based story in which John investigates the brutal murder of a former girlfriend, Isabel by an Aleister Crowley style magician, Josh Wright. The story introduces, or reintroduces many characters who became an important part of
6072-603: The Conservative government as a demon infestation with the punk subculture fighting against this supposed subversion and abuse. As such, much of Hellblazer's horror often comes in the crisis and controversies of its time. Being set in the UK, many famous British personalities have appeared or made cameos such as Sid Vicious , Margaret Thatcher , Aleister Crowley and Alan Moore . As stated by Warren Ellis, Hellblazer's major themes were cynicism , nihilism and " sudden violence ", with
6204-483: The Falklands War . The most controversial writer, Brian Azzarello , tackled issues such as neo-Nazism , prison rape and homosexuality . During Warren Ellis ' run, he included American school shootings in a one-shot issue which led to a major controversy. In his run, Peter Milligan managed to put punk ideology in the series, with the protagonist trying to reacquire his former punk self, while also characterizing
6336-569: The werewolf fiction urban fantasy Kitty Norville books by Carrie Vaughn (2005 onward). Horror elements continue to expand outside the genre. The alternate history of more traditional historical horror in Dan Simmons 's 2007 novel The Terror sits on bookstore shelves next to genre mash ups such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), and historical fantasy and horror comics such as Hellblazer (1993 onward) and Mike Mignola 's Hellboy (1993 onward). Horror also serves as one of
6468-648: The "Best Finite Series/Limited Series" Eisner Award for Hellboy: The Crooked Man and in 2011 he won the "Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil. Finally, in 2012 he was elected to the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame . In 2015, Corben was inducted into the Ghastly Awards Hall of Fame. His previous Ghastly Awards include Best Artist in 2013 and Best One-shot Comics for his Dark Horse Poe adaptations... Edgar Allan Poe's The Conqueror Worm in 2012, Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven & The Red Death (2013) and Edgar Allan Poe's Morella and
6600-572: The 1950s satisfied readers' quests for horror imagery that the silver screen could not provide. This imagery made these comics controversial, and as a consequence, they were frequently censored. The modern zombie tale dealing with the motif of the living dead harks back to works including H. P. Lovecraft's stories " Cool Air " (1925), "In The Vault" (1926), and " The Outsider " (1926), and Dennis Wheatley 's "Strange Conflict" (1941). Richard Matheson 's novel I Am Legend (1954) influenced an entire genre of apocalyptic zombie fiction emblematized by
6732-409: The 200th issue shows how Rosacarnis manipulates his reality, making him raise three children with her, in the guise of Kit Ryan, from Garth Ennis's time on the title, Zed, from Jamie Delano's, and Angie, from the current run, with three different artists, Steve Dillon , Marcelo Frusin and Leonardo Manco each drawing one story, as the past, present and future of the title. Carey's final run followed
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#17328547303916864-871: The Changing Man . He was a recurring supporting character in both Swamp Thing and The Books of Magic throughout their numerous incarnations. Some attempts to use the character in other superhero or family-friendly comics were altered due to editorial mandate, such as "Gregori Eilovotich Rasputin" in Firestorm and Captain Atom (who refers to Constantine as "an impertinent bumbler in England"). Grant Morrison created "Willoughby Kipling" for Doom Patrol after being refused Constantine by DC, changing his appearance to that of Richard E. Grant in Withnail and I , following which Phil Foglio
6996-530: The Eisner Award-winning Hellboy . In May 2020, Parallax Studio announced preproduction on the live-action animated film MEAD (originally titled To Meet the Faces You Meet ) based on the comic book Fever Dreams illustrated by Corben and written by Jan Strnad. The film stars Robert Picardo and Samuel Hunt and features the voices of Patton Oswalt and Patrick Warburton . MEAD
7128-457: The Hellblazer universe, including Inspector Watford (originally from Jamie Delano's run on the title), aging magician Clarice, and Map, a powerful magician who works on tube renovations in his part as custodian of London. The remainder of Ellis' brief tenure was taken up with single issue stories, collected as "Setting Sun". Following a brief interlude by Croatian writer Darko Macan , the series
7260-585: The Ripper , and lesser so, Carl Panzram , Fritz Haarman , and Albert Fish , all perpetuated this phenomenon. The trend continued in the postwar era, partly renewed after the murders committed by Ed Gein . In 1959, Robert Bloch , inspired by the murders, wrote Psycho . The crimes committed in 1969 by the Manson Family influenced the slasher theme in horror fiction of the 1970s. In 1981, Thomas Harris wrote Red Dragon , introducing Dr. Hannibal Lecter . In 1988,
7392-862: The Wanderer (1820), Washington Irving 's " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow " (1820), Jane C. Loudon 's The Mummy!: Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century (1827), Victor Hugo 's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), Thomas Peckett Prest 's Varney the Vampire (1847), the works of Edgar Allan Poe , the works of Sheridan Le Fanu , Robert Louis Stevenson 's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), Oscar Wilde 's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's " Lot No. 249 " (1892), H. G. Wells ' The Invisible Man (1897), and Bram Stoker 's Dracula (1897). Each of these works created an enduring icon of horror seen in later re-imaginings on
7524-457: The adventures of the Hellblazer are among the best Vertigo has to offer." Well-known comic book writer Warren Ellis also praised the series as his favorite, calling it as "among the very best horror works of the 1990s." Andre Borges from DNA India listed it in the "15 Must Read Graphic Novels", describing it as "one of the first of its kind", and that its "writing and art work have been praised throughout its run." Robert Tutton of Paste listed
7656-530: The afterlife, evil, the demonic, and the principle of the thing embodied in the person. These manifested in stories of beings such as demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, and ghosts. European horror-fiction became established through works of the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans . Mary Shelley 's well-known 1818 novel about Frankenstein was greatly influenced by the story of Hippolytus , whom Asclepius revives from death. Euripides wrote plays based on
7788-422: The aristocracy. Halberstram articulates a view of Dracula as manifesting the growing perception of the aristocracy as an evil and outdated notion to be defeated. The depiction of a multinational band of protagonists using the latest technologies (such as a telegraph ) to quickly share, collate, and act upon new information is what leads to the destruction of the vampire. This is one of many interpretations of
7920-538: The assistance of Aleister Crowley . The landmark hundredth issue gave more detail on John Constantine's father, and the abusive relationship that they had shared. However, it is unclear as to whether this is happening in reality, or in his mind as John convalesces in a coma. "Last Man Standing" reveals that his friend Rich is the current descendant of King Arthur, and Merlin 's attempt to discover God's secret, an act which would destroy England, using John's few remaining friends as bait. The 10th-anniversary issue breaks from
8052-409: The attempts of John's three new children attempting to kill all of his family and friends, culminating in the death of his sister, Cheryl, at the hands of her possessed husband. John then travels into Hell to try to rescue her soul, with the assistance of Rosacarnis's father, Nergal. The plan ultimately fails, and John returns broken, and intending to renounce magic. Mike Carey returned to the title for
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#17328547303918184-410: The author. There are many theories as to why people enjoy being scared. For example, "people who like horror films are more likely to score highly for openness to experience, a personality trait linked to intellect and imagination." It is a now commonly accepted view that the horror elements of Dracula 's portrayal of vampirism are metaphors for sexuality in a repressed Victorian era . But this
8316-580: The central genres in more complex modern works such as Mark Z. Danielewski 's House of Leaves (2000), a finalist for the National Book Award . There are many horror novels for children and teens, such as R. L. Stine 's Goosebumps series or The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey . Additionally, many movies for young audiences, particularly animated ones, use horror aesthetics and conventions (for example, ParaNorman ). These are what can be collectively referred to as "children's horror". Although it
8448-551: The city. The soldiers keenly listen to a World Cup match between England and Portugal on the radio. When England loses the match, it seems all is lost, but the expected psychic riot fails to materialize. The soldiers are Scottish, so England's loss is celebrated , saving the day, and proving there's no source of joy like Schadenfreude . Andy Diggle , having previously written the Hellblazer special, Lady Constantine , and Vertigo titles The Losers and Swamp Thing , took over
8580-499: The classic horror story The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson for DC's Vertigo imprint. In 2001, Azzarello and Corben teamed up to create Marvel 's Startling Stories: Banner (a four issue mini-series exploring Doc Samson 's relationship with Bruce Banner ) and Marvel MAX 's Cage (a five issue mini-series starring Luke Cage ). In June 2004, Corben joined with Garth Ennis to produce The Punisher: The End ,
8712-473: The comic and how it differs from others of the same genre. Hellblazer was first published during the early days of the Modern Age of Comics , and so its themes were as dark, edgy, and politically and morally complex as its contemporaries. The comic mixed supernatural and real life horror, akin to contemporary gothic , with noire , surrealism and occult detective fiction elements. Unlike other comic books, it
8844-430: The comic's end. He eventually discovers that the demon responsible for this was Nergal, and uses a technological scheme to trap him, and lead him back to hell. It also contains a crossover with Swamp Thing , where Constantine loses his body while the Swamp Thing uses it to procreate. This was followed by a lengthy nine-issue story arc, "The Fear Machine", revolving around a masonic plot to collect people's fears, to raise
8976-399: The confrontation of ideas that readers and characters would "rather ignore" throughout literature in famous moments such as Hamlet 's musings about the skull of Yorick , its implications of the mortality of humanity, and the gruesome end that bodies inevitably come to. In horror fiction, the confrontation with the gruesome is often a metaphor for the problems facing the current generation of
9108-502: The dart at him, but John disappeared. The final panel of Hellblazer reveals John, looking shocked and much older than we'd previously seen him, standing in a bar appropriately called "A Long Journey's End" surrounded by people, in front of a shelf full of bottles with the names of the comic's staff over the years. Guest writers were Grant Morrison (#25–26), Neil Gaiman (#27), John Smith (#51), Eddie Campbell (#85–88), Darko Macan (#144–145), and Jason Aaron (#245–246). In 2011, it
9240-411: The early 20th century made inroads in these mediums. Particularly, the venerated horror author H. P. Lovecraft , and his enduring Cthulhu Mythos transformed and popularized the genre of cosmic horror , and M. R. James is credited with redefining the ghost story in that era. The serial murderer became a recurring theme. Yellow journalism and sensationalism of various murderers, such as Jack
9372-536: The early stages of his relationship with Kit, a plot to install a demon on the British throne in the plotline "Royal Blood", and in the extended issue #50, his first meeting with the King of the Vampires . One minor story in this arc (issue #51) was written by guest writer John Smith . The next major arc, "Fear and Loathing" (issues 62–67), covers a high point of John's personal life, with his relationship with Kit going well, and
9504-699: The events of the 1990 miniseries The Books of Magic . Hellblazer began with a one-shot on Halloween 2019, before becoming a regular series in November. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the series ended after 12 issues. However, during New York Comic Con 2023 , it was revealed that the series would getting a revival miniseries called John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America, with Spurrier and Campbell returning and publication set to begin in January 2024. "[Hellblazer] retains
9636-405: The excitement of living on the edge, the tension between hunter and hunted. So we told each other stories through the long, dark nights. when the fires burned low, we did our best to scare the daylights out of each other. The rush of adrenaline feels good. Our hearts pound, our breath quickens, and we can imagine ourselves on the edge. Yet we also appreciate the insightful aspects of horror. Sometimes
9768-404: The films of George A. Romero . In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the enormous commercial success of three books - Rosemary's Baby (1967) by Ira Levin , The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty , and The Other by Thomas Tryon - encouraged publishers to begin releasing numerous other horror novels, thus creating a "horror boom". One of the best-known late-20th century horror writers
9900-509: The first run of the series' covers), Tim Bradstreet (who designed the most), Glenn Fabry , Kent Williams , David Lloyd , and Sean Phillips . Hellblazer was set in a contemporary world, albeit a world of magic and supernatural conflict behind the scenes. Although the official setting of the series was the DC Universe , well-known DC characters were rarely seen or mentioned. However, some DC Comics characters – most notably
10032-490: The first to put his political views in the series, such as his negative views of Thatcher's regime and by 2005 includes the War on Terror . This made John Constantine different from other comic book characters at that time, in that he fights the political and social injustice of Great Britain. When Garth Ennis took over writing, he included his trademark representation of racism and religious fanaticism , as well his depictions of
10164-447: The fourth run of the comic, relaunched shortly afterward . In the process John loses his memory, setting up the events leading up to the 200th issue. Leading up to the landmark issue, John has little control over events, and is led along by a psychic serial killer, who threatens to kill Chas and his family, and a demon, Rosacarnis, who offers his memories back, at the cost of 24 hours in her service. John eventually gives into this offer, and
10296-400: The franchise in America, where the magazine was called Heavy Metal . Also in 1975, a selection of his black-and-white underground comix stories was collected in hardcover as The Richard Corben Funnybook from Kansas City's Nickelodeon Press. In 1976 he adapted a short Robert E. Howard story in an early graphic novel , Bloodstar . Among the stories drawn for Heavy Metal he continued
10428-630: The fringe supernatural characters such as Zatanna , the Phantom Stranger , Shade, the Changing Man , Dream of the Endless , and the Swamp Thing – made appearances. John Constantine, the main character of Hellblazer , was portrayed as a kind of confidence man and occult detective who did morally questionable things, arguably for the greater good. He usually triumphed through guile, deceit, and misdirection, but often made more enemies in
10560-414: The genre to come. After favorable reader reaction to John Constantine's appearances in the comic-book series Swamp Thing , where he had been introduced by writer Alan Moore, the character was given his own comic-book series in 1988. The series was intended to bear the title Hellraiser , but this title was revised before publication due to the contemporaneous release of Clive Barker 's unrelated film of
10692-902: The gradual development of Romanticism and the Gothic horror genre. It drew on the written and material heritage of the Late Middle Ages, finding its form with Horace Walpole 's seminal and controversial 1764 novel, The Castle of Otranto . In fact, the first edition was published disguised as an actual medieval romance from Italy, discovered and republished by a fictitious translator. Once revealed as modern, many found it anachronistic , reactionary , or simply in poor taste, but it proved immediately popular. Otranto inspired Vathek (1786) by William Beckford , A Sicilian Romance (1790), The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), The Italian (1796) by Ann Radcliffe , and The Monk (1797) by Matthew Lewis . A significant amount of horror fiction of this era
10824-469: The hands of Julian, and traveled to India to try to find a way of saving her. Following this, he realised that he was in love with Epiphany, and married her in the 275th issue. However, the events of this wedding turned Constantine's niece Gemma against him, due to the Demon Constantine sexually assaulting her in the restroom. The strain of this traumatic incident turned her against John, and she enlisted
10956-421: The help of a coven of witches to kill him, which later came to a head when John was forced to fight off a brutal Demon summoned by them using John's iconic trenchcoat to target him. Afterwards, John's coat (which Gemma sold on eBay ) began to manipulate its various new owners into murder, suicide, or other horrific acts until coming into the hands of a man from the U.S., who tried to kill John and Epiphany. During
11088-482: The horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable length ... which shocks, or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing". Horror intends to create an eerie and frightening atmosphere for the reader. Often the central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for larger fears of a society. The horror genre has ancient origins, with roots in folklore and religious traditions focusing on death,
11220-643: The house seemed inexpensive. While writing a book on philosophy, he was visited by a ghostly figure bound in chains. The figure disappeared in the courtyard; the following day, the magistrates dug in the courtyard and found an unmarked grave. Elements of the horror genre also occur in Biblical texts, notably in the Book of Revelation . The Witch of Berkeley by William of Malmesbury has been viewed as an early horror story. Werewolf stories were popular in medieval French literature . One of Marie de France 's twelve lais
11352-533: The hunt for a mythical item, known as the Red Sepulchre. John eventually locates the item, and finds Gemma, freeing her from his old enemy Josh Wright. Following several forewarnings, Constantine then travels the world to set up a plan for a forthcoming tragedy, which will occur when "Three doors are opened", involving Swamp Thing and the Garden of Eden amongst others. John's preparations have no effect, however, as he
11484-452: The interview he gave Heavy Metal editor Brad Balfour in 1981. Corben was very dissatisfied with the interview. He felt it portrayed him as a "petty, childish, borderline psychotic oaf". He wrote a letter in retort, which was published in the September 1981 issue. Corben did the cover of Meat Loaf 's Bat Out of Hell , Jim Steinman 's Bad for Good and a movie poster (based on
11616-412: The latter ends the run alone. Warren Ellis took over the title in 1999, after his work on Transmetropolitan which had moved to the Vertigo imprint, following the closure of Helix Comics . He was meant to become a full-time writer for several years, as Delano, Ennis and Jenkins before him, but left the title early after DC refused to publish the story " Shoot ", about high school shootings, following
11748-449: The metaphor of only one central figure of the canon of horror fiction, as over a dozen possible metaphors are referenced in the analysis, from the religious to the antisemitic . Noël Carroll 's Philosophy of Horror postulates that a modern piece of horror fiction's " monster ", villain , or a more inclusive menace must exhibit the following two traits: In addition to those essays and articles shown above, scholarship on horror fiction
11880-565: The music of The Pogues and the poetry of Brendan Behan , both of these being relevant to Ennis' Irish heritage. His run started with " Dangerous Habits " (41–46), which was the basis for the 2005 film Constantine , and dealt with John Constantine contracting lung cancer , and the desperate deal he makes with the First of the Fallen, and various other lords of Hell, to save himself. In the course of trying to save himself, he visits Ireland, and later becomes reacquainted with Kit Ryan , an old friend of Irish origin. The following few issues follow
12012-560: The need by some for horror tales in a modern world: The old "fight or flight" reaction of our evolutionary heritage once played a major role in the life of every human. Our ancestors lived and died by it. Then someone invented the fascinating game of civilization, and things began to calm down. Development pushed wilderness back from settled lands. War, crime, and other forms of social violence came with civilization and humans started preying on each other, but by and large daily life calmed down. We began to feel restless, to feel something missing:
12144-412: The occult connections, but what sets it apart from the sad, played out "dark fantasies" that you'll find on the shelf next to it is its clear knowledge that real horror is perpetrated not by eye-soiling pantomime monsters, or pale things in black with stupid names. Real horror comes from people. Just people. They're the scariest things in the world." – In an introduction by Warren Ellis , he describes
12276-424: The page, stage, and screen. A proliferation of cheap periodicals around the turn of the century led to a boom in horror writing. For example, Gaston Leroux serialized his Le Fantôme de l'Opéra before it became a novel in 1910. One writer who specialized in horror fiction for mainstream pulps, such as All-Story Magazine , was Tod Robbins , whose fiction deals with themes of madness and cruelty. In Russia,
12408-804: The process than he defeated. Indeed, it was a common theme in the book that Constantine was unable to effect any lasting change or enjoy unequivocal victories. While sometimes striving for the good of mankind, Constantine was often manipulative and a dangerous person to have as a friend, as the lives and souls of those around him became perilously involved in his misadventures. He took pains to protect himself from direct attacks, but his friends and relatives were often endangered in order to strike at him. The spirits of deceased friends haunted him, individually or as an entourage of ghosts . Constantine made appearances in other comic-book titles, such as Crisis on Infinite Earths , Infinite Crisis , Green Arrow , Green Lantern , The Sandman , Lucifer , and Shade,
12540-430: The protagonist often narrating the story in dark proses with occasional breaking of the fourth wall . In many story arcs every victory Constantine makes has a negative side effect and often leads to tragedy. His friends, family, and others would be sacrificed or be caught in the crossfire, many of them are dead or have left him. John tries his best to make something good in his life, but most of it leading to failure. Over
12672-472: The reason of putting the term Hellblazer back to the character's title was to "take Constantine back to what he was at the start." On July 20, 2016, a new comic book entitled The Hellblazer: Rebirth was released as part of DC Rebirth , a major relaunch in an effort to return famous DC stories from before the New 52 into the reboot. The plot concerns John Constantine finally returning to London after being cursed by
12804-444: The saga of his most famous creation, Den , which had begun in the short film Neverwhere and a short story in the underground publication Grim Wit No. 2. The saga of Den is a fantasy series about the adventures of a young underweight nerd who travels to Neverwhere, a universe taking inspirational nods from Robert E. Howard 's Hyborian Age , Edgar Rice Burroughs 's Barsoom and H. P. Lovecraft 's horror dimensions. This story
12936-411: The same name . Initial writer Jamie Delano was, in his own words, "fairly ambivalent" about the change of title. The initial creative team was writer Jamie Delano and artist John Ridgway , with Dave McKean supplying distinctive painted and collage covers. Delano introduced a political aspect to the character, about which he stated: "...generally I was interested in commenting on 1980s Britain. That
13068-770: The same time, he trained in bodybuilding , but eventually retired from the art with few accomplishments due to a lack of time to dedicate himself to it. After working as a professional animator at Kansas City's Calvin Productions, Corben started writing and illustrating for the underground comics , including Grim Wit , Slow Death , Skull , Rowlf , Fever Dreams and his own anthology Fantagor . In 1970 he began illustrating horror and science-fiction stories for Warren Publishing . His stories appeared in Creepy , Eerie , Vampirella , 1984 and Comix International . He also colored several episodes of Will Eisner 's Spirit . All
13200-517: The sequel to that novel, The Silence of the Lambs , was published. Early cinema was inspired by many aspects of horror literature, and started a strong tradition of horror films and subgenres that continues to this day. Up until the graphic depictions of violence and gore on the screen commonly associated with 1960s and 1970s slasher films and splatter films , comic books such as those published by EC Comics (most notably Tales From The Crypt ) in
13332-597: The series at #4 in its "13 Terrifying Modern Horror Comics", stating that "Constantine’s most frightening encounters have hewn close enough to that kernel of truth to remind readers that real life can be as terrifying as any succubus or demon spawn." Jamie Delano's original run on the title is looked on fondly, with journalist Helen Braithwaite stating, "His take on the character of John Constantine has never been equalled. Delano's Original Sins graphic novel should be in every comic book fan's collection." She added that, "His writing evokes an incredible sense of dread and terror in
13464-617: The series, such as Garth Ennis and Mike Carey , who respectively had the second- and third-longest runs on the book (only behind Peter Milligan ). Other writers who wrote for the series include Paul Jenkins , Warren Ellis , Brian Azzarello , Neil Gaiman , Grant Morrison , Denise Mina , and Andy Diggle . Numerous artists worked on the series, as well, such as John Ridgway (the original series artist), Simon Bisley , Mark Buckingham , Richard Corben , Steve Dillon , Marcelo Frusin , Jock , David Lloyd , Leonardo Manco , and Sean Phillips . Cover artists included Dave McKean (who designed
13596-585: The stories and covers he did for Creepy and Eerie have been reprinted by Dark Horse Books in a single volume: Creepy Presents Richard Corben . The three stories he drew for Vampirella have been reprinted by Dynamite Entertainment in Vampirella Archives Vol. 5 . In 1975, when Moebius , Druillet , and Jean-Pierre Dionnet started publishing the magazine Métal Hurlant in France, Corben submitted some of his stories to them. He continued his work for
13728-621: The story, Hippolytos Kalyptomenos and Hippolytus . In Plutarch 's The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans in the account of Cimon , the author describes the spirit of a murderer , Damon, who himself was murdered in a bathhouse in Chaeronea . Pliny the Younger (61 to c. 113) tells the tale of Athenodorus Cananites , who bought a haunted house in Athens . Athenodorus was cautious since
13860-497: The streets, drinking to forget his life. This remains the case until the King of the Vampires hunts him out, and is poisoned by his demon blood, leaving him out in the sun at dawn, killing him. Following his recovery, the storyline "Damnation's Flame" (Issues #72–77) follows a trip to the US, where Constantine is put into an alternative America by his old adversary Papa Midnite , a Vodun shaman . He
13992-458: The term, considering it too lurid. They instead use the terms dark fantasy or Gothic fantasy for supernatural horror, or " psychological thriller " for non-supernatural horror. Richard Corben Richard Corben (November 1, 1940 – December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine, especially
14124-435: The time the coat was missing, John's magical abilities had begun to go out of control. John eventually resolves this, and he was re-united with his coat. Since this, Gemma and John have a very shaky relationship with one another, and she began a sexual relationship with Epiphany's crime-boss father Terry in order to "punish" John. When he confronted her about this relationship though, she told him that she would not stop unless he
14256-519: The title in 1998 with "Son of Man", filling the gaps between Paul Jenkins's and Warren Ellis's runs on the title. This more irreverent story is about the consequences of Constantine resurrecting the dead son of an East London gangster , using the spirit of a demon. He also had two specials published during his run on the title, the Hellblazer Special and Heartland , which follows Kit Ryan's return to Ireland. Following issue #84 by Jamie Delano and
14388-492: The title in 2007, another former writer for 2000 AD to have done this. He left the title in 2009 after accepting an exclusive contract with Marvel . The run starts by introducing two main antagonists, an aging politician, who is using a strange portal to enter other people's minds and commit crimes, and Mako, a cannibalistic mage who devours other magicians in order to obtain their power. Constantine's attempt to play them off one another only succeeds in making them join forces in
14520-756: The title largely set back in London, and featuring many characters from former runs on the title. Mike Carey also has the honour of being the first Liverpudlian to write the Liverpudlian character. His was the second longest run by any single author on the title up to that time, second only to Garth Ennis, until Peter Milligan's run. The start of his run introduces Angie Spatchcock, a fellow magician, and reintroduces his niece, Gemma Constantine, who has also fallen into magic use, to her uncle's consternation. After ridding his sister's house of an evil spirit, and finding out Gemma has gone missing, John returns to London, to find his old colleagues and enemies are all taking sides in
14652-554: The title starts with John living in domestic bliss with a nurse, Phoebe. Over the course of the first storyline, several new characters are introduced, including Epiphany Greaves, the alchemist daughter of a notorious London gangster, and Julian, a Babylonian demon. Over the course of the run, John dealt with a demon taking revenge on people involved in the Liverpool dockers' strike gone insane and sought help from Shade, The Changing Man , after chopping off his own thumb, seen Phoebe die at
14784-425: The title took John to Scotland, to attempt to stop a plot to make everybody empathise with each other. However, John fails to stop this, and, overwhelmed by the grief and horror they're forced to empathically share, suicides abound through the people of Glasgow. With help from Gemma Constantine, Angie Spatchcock and Chas Chandler, a plan to reverse the problem is made, as tension builds among the soldiers now surrounding
14916-501: The title was more personal than Jamie Delano's, with John's relationships coming to the fore. It also had a strong religious theme, with John's dealings with the First of the Fallen , and some storylines, such as the relationship between an angel, Tali, and a succubus demon, Ellie, would go on to be used again as a major plot device in Preacher , one of his most popular works. He also references
15048-493: The titles Fantagor published were Den , Den Saga , Horror in the Dark , Rip in Time , and Son of Mutant World . Fantagor went out of business after the 1994 contraction of the comics industry. Due to the sexual nature of Corben's art, it has been accused of being pornographic , a description he disagreed with, preferring to call his work " sensual " instead. One notorious example was
15180-413: The two decades that it had been published, Hellblazer had normally been quite well received. While not attaining the sales of 'mainstream' comics, it had sustained healthy figures, consistently being one of the top selling Vertigo titles, and was sustained by healthy sales of trade paperbacks . Hillary Goldstein of IGN described it as, "Sometimes surreal, often provocative and almost always entertaining,
15312-448: The usual format, in breaking the fourth wall , and addressing readers as if they are in a pub with Constantine for a monthly get-together to hear his stories. Over the course of the issue, most of the characters from Constantine's history appear, along with Death of the Endless from Sandman . Also, appearances are made by writers and artists, including series creator Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, and Jenkins himself. Jenkins' run then draws to
15444-605: The video to John's punk band, Mucous Membrane's song "Venus of the Hardsell" . Jamie Delano returned to the title on several occasions. Between the Garth Ennis and Paul Jenkins runs on Hellblazer , he finally told the story of why John's best friend Chas 'owes' him (issue #84), and he returned again for one of the five Christmas stories in issue #250. He also wrote the miniseries The Horrorist in 1995, and Bad Blood in 2000, both featuring John Constantine. A more substantial return
15576-473: The writer Alexander Belyaev popularized these themes in his story Professor Dowell's Head (1925), in which a mad doctor performs experimental head transplants and reanimations on bodies stolen from the morgue and which was first published as a magazine serial before being turned into a novel. Later, specialist publications emerged to give horror writers an outlet, prominent among them was Weird Tales and Unknown Worlds . Influential horror writers of
15708-525: The younger New 52 John Constantine, rather than the version from Hellblazer, depicted as being in his late 50s. The Constantine series ended its run with its 23rd issue in May 2015. Nonetheless, the character would again star in another solo series entitled Constantine: The Hellblazer , co-written by Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV with art by Riley Rossmo, released on June 10, 2015. Writer Ming Doyle expressed excitement in her chance to write Constantine, stating that
15840-516: Was able to retrieve her mother's soul from Hell. John agreed. In order to get his sister to leave Hell, John agreed to track down her son, his adopted nephew, in Ireland. On October 8, 2012, the series was announced as ending with issue 300, following which a new title, Constantine , started at the main imprint of DC comics. By 2013, Constantine was contacted by the Three Fates , who tell him that he will finally meet his end in five days. Having lived
15972-554: Was adapted in a highly abridged form, in the animated film Heavy Metal , where Den was voiced by John Candy in a humorous interpretation of the character that Corben found excellent. Corben's collaborations are varied, ranging from Rip in Time with Bruce Jones , to Harlan Ellison for Vic and Blood , to the Mutant World titles, Jeremy Brood , and The Arabian Nights with Jan Strnad . From 1986 to 1994 Corben operated his own publishing imprint, Fantagor Press . Among
16104-547: Was announced that a younger John Constantine would feature in Justice League Dark , one of the new titles launched as part of September 2011's DC Universe reboot. He was to be part of a team including Shade, The Changing Man , Deadman and Madame Xanadu , known as Justice League Dark . As part of the DC universe reboot in September 2011 , Peter Milligan started the title which featured an alternate version of John Constantine as
16236-576: Was forced to create "Ambroise Bierce" in Stanley and His Monster , having been refused both Constantine and Willoughby Kipling. John Constantine was reintroduced into the DC Universe in 2011, initially in the Brightest Day crossover event title Search for the Swamp Thing , and in the ongoing The New 52 title Justice League Dark . Having previously worked on D.R. & Quinch for 2000 AD ,
16368-399: Was made in 2010 for a hardcover graphic novel Hellblazer: Pandemonium with artist Jock to commemorate the 25th anniversary of John Constantine's first appearance in Swamp Thing . Irish writer Garth Ennis then took over the title in 1991, again from 2000 AD , where he had been working on Judge Dredd . He proceeded to write the second-longest run for any writer on the title. His take on
16500-508: Was premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2022, and was released for streaming in North America on August 9, 2022. Corben's wife is named Madonna "Dona" (née Marchant). Corben was the special-effects/animation technician for her prize-winning film entry Siegfried Saves Metropolis in a contest sponsored by Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine in 1964 (see issues #34 and 35). They married soon afterward in 1965. They had
16632-538: Was presented annually to works of horror and dark fantasy from 1995 to 2008. The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic works. Other important awards for horror literature are included as subcategories within general awards for fantasy and science fiction in such awards as the Aurealis Award . Some writers of fiction normally classified as "horror" tend to dislike
16764-464: Was published by Markus Ayrer, which is most notable for its woodcut imagery. The alleged serial-killer sprees of Gilles de Rais have been seen as the inspiration for " Bluebeard ". The motif of the vampiress is most notably derived from the real-life noblewoman and murderer, Elizabeth Bathory , and helped usher in the emergence of horror fiction in the 18th century, such as through László Turóczi's 1729 book Tragica Historia . The 18th century saw
16896-477: Was revived in November 2019 for twelve issues as part of The Sandman Universe line of comics, under the DC Black Label brand. Well known for its extremely pessimistic tone and social/political commentary, the series has spawned a film adaptation, television show, novels, and multiple spin-offs and crossovers. The series was the longest-running and one of the most successful titles of DC's Vertigo imprint, and
17028-404: Was the stepping stone for many British writers. Notable writers who have contributed to the series include Jamie Delano , Garth Ennis , Eddie Campbell , Paul Jenkins , Warren Ellis , Grant Morrison , Neil Gaiman , Brian Azzarello , Mike Carey , Denise Mina , Andy Diggle , and Peter Milligan . Hellblazer was one of the first modern occult detective fiction works and heavily influenced
17160-445: Was then taken over by Brian Azzarello , once again hired on the strength of his own series for Vertigo, 100 Bullets . Azzarello's run is one large meta-story, that follows John Constantine on a trip across America, starting with his incarceration in prison, then variously uncovering a pornography ring, catching a serial killer, taking on a Neo Nazi group before finally dealing with the architect of his incarceration, Stanley W. Manor,
17292-511: Was where I was living, it was shit, and I wanted to tell everybody." The book, originally published as a regular DC Comics title, became a Vertigo title with the imprint's launch in March 1993 (issue #63 of the series). In October 2011, it was announced that this would join DC titles in being published digitally on the same day as its physical release, starting in January 2012. Many writers had lengthy runs on
17424-624: Was written by women and marketed towards a female audience, a typical scenario of the novels being a resourceful female menaced in a gloomy castle. The Gothic tradition blossomed into the genre that modern readers today call horror literature in the 19th century. Influential works and characters that continue resonating in fiction and film today saw their genesis in the Brothers Grimm 's " Hänsel und Gretel " (1812), Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), John Polidori 's " The Vampyre " (1819), Charles Maturin 's Melmoth
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