Justice League Dark (Volume 2) #26 is an issue of the series Justice League Dark (Volume 2) with a cover date of November, 2020. It was published on September 22, 2020.
Synopsis for "Belief"
Camden, London
Inside an inn, Bobo is trying to understand how to free John Constantine from a vortex of tarots, that of course lead to Madame Xanadu. The lady decides to listen to Bobo and to free John, now that the Chimp entered the inn. Constantine approached Nimue to ask her a thing: when Giovanni Zatara sent Constantine to find the guardian of the Green for the first time, the creature told her something about what was happening with the Upside-Down Man. He wants to know what Swamp Thing knows about the whole thing, and he wants to discover what will lead them to defeat the leader of the Otherkind. Reading her tarots, the card of the Moon appears. Xanadu explains that the Moon is about illusion and deception: magic is neither the trick, the science or the formula behind an action, but is succeeding in making someone believe in that action. So, Constantine has his key: it's Belief, that is what will give the Justice League Dark a chance to destroy the Upside-Down Man. Getting out of the inn, Nimue asks the Hellblazer if he wants to uncover the last tarot, but the Hellblazer tells her he already knows what the card will be: The Fool. It's always the Fool with him. As Madame Xanadu watches John and Bobo going away, she sorrowfully turns the last tarot, Death. She wished John could have been right, but the fate speaks clearly.
The Hall of Justice
Back to the Hall, Kirk confirms to Bobo he worked out a serum to amplify Swamp Thing's powers. He never had the chance to test it, but he thinks it will work. Now, as Constantine is trying to set up the passage to the Other Place, Bobo needs to talk Khalid out of his bad mood, caused by his mentor, Kent Nelson, leaving. Khalid needs to be their sorcerer, and he has to start believing in himself again. Now that they are all together, Constantine explains that all their paths, which led to the Justice League Dark being born, were all crafted by the one Giovanni Zatara. The old bastard, like the Hellblazer appoints him, pulled all the strings to make them be here, together, in this moment to play their part. And the Key of Houdini, a gift of Giovanni to John before the father of Zatanna was taken prisoner, will probably be just enough to connect them to the right interdimensional path.
Inside the Other Place
Swamp Thing is doing his best to keep the Upside-Down Man imprisoned in his own realm, now changed with the power of the Green. While he does this, Zatanna has a brief window of opportunity to speak with her father: he tells her she will have only one opportunity to make him believe. Zatanna does not know who this "him" his father refers to is, but she does not have enough time: the Upside-Down Man breaks free and now, tired of playing with mere mortals, releases all his power. John and the others, coming through, are able to defend their comrades from the burst. They start explaining how their Belief that magic has a cost will infect the Other Place, making the power of the Upside-Down Man dangerous to be wielded so freely. In a fit of rage, the creature strikes down Constantine who dies in the arms of a desperate Zatanna. Will the League be able to stop the Upside-Down Man, or is it too late?
Appearing in "Belief"
Featured Characters:
- Justice League Dark
- Detective Chimp/Nightmaster (Bobo T. Chimpanzee) (Flashback and main story)
- Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) (Flashback and main story)
- John Constantine (Apparent Death) (Rejoins)
- Man-Bat
- Swamp Thing (Flashback and main story)
- Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) (Flashback and main story)
- Zatanna (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Otherkind
- The Conjoined (Cameo)
- The Soup (Cameo)
- Upside-Down Man (Revealed to be alive)
Other Characters:
- Harry Houdini (Mentioned only)
- Hecate (Mentioned only)
- Kent Nelson (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
- Bracelets of Submission
- Helmet of Fate
- Houdini's Key
- Lasso of Truth
- Madame Xanadu's Tarot Cards
- Sword of Night
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
Concepts:
See Also