- I can hear the old days calling... Some of the shit I got off with last year, it's like '83 all over again. Out of the shadows and "all right, squire? Trust me." And gone before you know it. Christ, that was a laugh... So I remind myself it wasn't, it was dead mates and lost souls and cold nights with the bottle while the ghosts howeld round the door... and now it's different anyway. Kit... And saying her name makes me more determined. And I almost believe my own bullshit.
Hellblazer #64 is an issue of the series Hellblazer (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1993.
Synopsis for "Fear and Loathing, Part One: For God and Country"
Since he was visited by John Constantine two years ago, Gabriel has harboured grave doubts. Since his beginnings as a member of the Cherubim, he had done the will of God unquestioningly, and each thing he had done, no matter how heinous, had all been done in the service of that will. He had slaughtered thousands, he had raped the virgin Mary and fathered Jesus Christ. All for the good; all for God's will.
So why, then, was he even given the opportunity to deal with a sinner like Charlie Patterson? Constantine had tried to blackmail the archangel with that knowledge, and now Gabriel wonders if God has abandoned him, if he was allowed to converse with such a sinner at all. Perturbed, Gabriel decides for the first time to take a walk. Alerted by the fact that he didn't simply disappear, an employee of the Cambridge Club calls back to Charlie Patterson, who orders him to follow the angel.
Meanwhile, John Constantine has just had a rather enjoyable shag with his girlfriend Kit Ryan. Though she is still somewhat miffed about his having rendered her flat a pig-sty on his fortieth birthday, she is content to punish him by frequently reminding him of the fact that he is getting older at all. Afterwards, John gets up and dresses, reminding Kit of his plans to go out later. She has to stay in to work on a book cover anyway. As he steps out, he thinks to himself that Kit is everything to him.
Gabriel wanders the street, preoccupied by the fact that his doubts have killed all of his small joys. He accidentally walks into a young woman who apologizes, but when he simply looks on her condescendingly, she angrily shouts that he is a snob. Hearing this, he remembers that "snob" is what John Constantine calls him. Sheepishly, Gabriel returns and apologizes to the woman. She senses that he is troubled and introduces herself by the name of Julie, inviting him to a cafe to talk.
John visits with his old friend Rick the Vic. John exchanges a jar of some liquid for the forbidden foreskin bible that he inquired about earlier. Rick will not comment on what he intends the jar for. Rick is preparing to leave when John spots some old friends, Dez and George. George is from Birmingham, but he left recently when a man tried to burn a cross on his lawn and ended up burning himself to death. George chose not to help the man, and left. The four of them share a round, on the house.
Gabriel admits that his worries stem from his relationship with his father. He makes thinly veiled references to his status as one of the archangels, explaining that he fears that he is in trouble with his father, because of a man called Constantine. Julie responds that this Constantine sounds like a jerk.
John recalls the old days fondly, but reminds himself that those were also the days when he would recklessly get all of his friends killed and drown his sorrows with drinking. Now, things are different, and he has Kit to look out for. Thinking about her, he is more determined than ever to do away with those old times.
Gabriel leaves Julie, feeling somewhat relieved. She has agreed to see him again, if he needs to talk some more. As he walks, he passes by a prostitute, but does not make eye contact. She had asked him if he fancied a go at her, but merely looking on him fills her with tears of joy.
Elsewhere, Charlie Patterson's man Thompson reports that the reason Gabriel is acting strangely is that he is worried about John Constantine. Angrily, Patterson declares that they will teach Constantine a lesson by targeting his girlfriend Kit for death.
Appearing in "Fear and Loathing, Part One: For God and Country"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Dez
- Gabriel (Flashback and main story)
- George
- Kit Ryan
- Rick the Vic
Antagonists:
- Charlie Patterson
Other Characters:
- First of the Fallen (Mentioned only)
- Janine
- Julie
- Mary (Flashback only)
- The Presence (Mentioned only)
- Thompson
Locations:
- England
- London
- Cambridge Club
- Birmingham (Flashback only)
- London
Items:
Vehicles:
Trivia
- Charlie Patterson is reading "The Beginner's Nietzsche", a philosopher famous for claiming that God is a conjecture.
See Also