Jesus, this is serious. No wonder I've been hiding from it. Murder, it's got a pulse all its own -- slow, cold electricity. If it comes down to it, Constantine -- do you really think you can do it? 
Hellblazer #28 is an issue of the series Hellblazer (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1990.
Synopsis for "Thicker Than Water"
Samuel Morris dreams of his youth, when he had come entered his parents' room late at night, and then murdered both of them out of what he called love. After finishing the deed, John Constantine appears, wielding a hangman's noose, and Samuel wakes up. He is much older now, and he has been staying in a home for the elderly.
In his London flat, John wakes from a nightmare to a knock at the door. Standing before him are the mutilated corpses of the Cass family, who blame him for their murder at the hands of the Family Man - who was directed to them by John, unwittingly.
Morris is allowed to leave the home, finally, and he takes a cab to Northampton, having lied to his nurses that he was going to stay with his sister in Brighton.
John wakes up from the nightmare of the Cass family, realizing that they were serving as analogues for the Lucas family, whose address he had delivered to the Family Man at Jerry's house. Surely, they are already dead, as John has avoided dealing with the issue for three months, because admittedly, he is scared. He is scared because he had liked the man before he had known he was a murderer. Reluctantly, John admits to himself that he must find the killer and stop him.
Morris, himself a retired police detective, meets with Inspector Kenny Balfour at a pub. Unwittingly, Kenny divulges that the police are no closer to finding the Family Man. However, he has come up with the requested information - a background check on John Constantine. Apparently, John's father Thomas is still living in Liverpool, though John himself has never been much of a family man.
Remembering that Jerry had sold memorabilia from the Family Man killings to crap-movie producer Reed Hackett, John visits the man's office claiming to be Jerry O'Flynn. When he meets Hackett, he identifies himself as the Family Man, and demands to see the memorabilia, and to know why Hackett wants it. The man tries to justify his actions, but John, disgusted, throws him to the floor. As he begins to leave, Hackett entrusts John with an invitation meant for the Family Man to a convention for serial murderers as the guest of honour. Hackett assumes that he will be killed, but John simply leaves him behind.
After meeting with Thomas Constantine, finding out some of his history, and extracting information about John's whereabouts under false pretenses, Morris kills him, and attempts feebly to wash the blood out of his coat.
John calls the police, and has them come for Hackett. He stands outside and watches as the police drag him out of his office. As the reporters crowd around, John surreptitiously makes his way into the background of the photos, ensuring that the Family Man will see that he was involved.
That night, in John's own area, Morris dines at an Indian restaurant, and while the proprietor is involved in a dispute over the bill, he murders the owner's family.
John soon hears about the murder from the television, and realizes that the Family Man is already aware of him. He won't have as much time to plan as he thought. Returning home, he thinks about what he ought to do. Something inside him knows that he may have to kill the killer, and he's not sure he's okay with that.
Appearing in "Thicker Than Water"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Chas Chandler
- Peter Lucas (As a spirit) (In dream sequence only)
- Thomas Constantine (Real name revealed) (First full appearance) (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
- Kenny Balfour (Police agent) (Single appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- Reed Hackett (First full appearance)
- The Family Man (Samuel Morris) (Real identity revealed) (Flashback and main story) (Also in a dream sequence)
Other Characters:
- Bethany Homestead for the Elderly nurses
- Betty (Single appearance)
- Norma (Single appearance)
- Constantine Family (Flashback only)
- Cheryl Constantine (Cameo)
- Mary Anne Constantine (Unnamed) (Dies in flashback) (Cameo)
- Thomas Constantine's brothers (First appearance; unnamed) (In a photograph only)
- Thomas Constantine's father (First appearance; unnamed) (In a photograph only)
- Thomas Constantine's mother (First appearance; unnamed) (In a photograph only)
- Mrs. Etheridge (Bethany Homestead patient) (Single appearance)
- George Morris (Family Man's father) (Single appearance) (Dies in a dream sequence)
- Ghosts
- Lucas Family (First full appearance) (In dream sequence only)
- June Lucas
- Mark Lucas
- Sarah Lucas
- Lucas Family (First full appearance) (In dream sequence only)
- Metropolitan Police
- Mrs. Morris (Family Man's mother) (First appearance; unnamed) (Dies in a dream sequence)
- Unnamed The Peckham Parade owner (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
- Wendy (Reed Hackett's assistant) (Single appearance) (Cameo)
- Zombies (In picture only) (Cameo)
- Astra Logue (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- God (Mentioned only)
- Hammer of God (Mentioned only)
- Jerry O'Flynn (Mentioned only)
- Jesus Christ (Mentioned only)
- Michael Etheridge (Mrs. Etheridge's son) (Mentioned only)
- Daniel Etheridge (Mentioned only)
- David Etheridge (Mentioned only)
- Dawn Etheridge (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Dreamtime
- Vertigo Universe (Unnamed)
- England
- London
- Peckham
- Eddie Morgan (First appearance)
- John Constantine's Apartment (First appearance)
- The Peckham Parade Indian Restaurant (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
- Eddie Morgan (First appearance)
- Hackett Productions (Single appearance)
- Islington
- Pentonville (Mentioned only)
- Soho (Mentioned only)
- Peckham
- Merseyside
- Liverpool (Flashback and main story)
- Constantine House (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- Liverpool (Flashback and main story)
- Northamptonshire
- Bethany Homestead for the Elderly (Single appearance)
- Northampton
- Garibaldi Pub (Single appearance)
- Jerry O'Flynn's Mansion (Destroyed) (Mentioned only)
- Cambridgeshire
- Peterborough
- Dogsthorpe (Mentioned only)
- Lucas House (Mentioned only)
- Dogsthorpe (Mentioned only)
- Peterborough
- Ravenscar Secure Hospital (Mentioned only)
- Sussex
- Brighton (Mentioned only)
- West Yorkshire
- Wakefield (Mentioned only)
- London
- Thailand
- Bangkok (Mentioned only)
- United States of America (Mentioned only)
- England
- Hell (Mentioned only)
Items:
Events:
- Newcastle Exorcism (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- The Serial Murderers' Convention (Mentioned only)
Concepts:
Notes
- This story takes place around late January/early February[1] 1990.[2] According to Constantine, it has been three months since his return to London, some time after the events of Hellblazer #26.
Trivia
- The convention that Constantine receives the invitation for in the Family Man's stead is shown during The Doll's House storyline from Sandman (Volume 2)..
See Also
Links and References
- ↑ A few months before Hellblazer #34 that takes place on April 3–4
- ↑ Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer