John Constantine

John Constantine is a DC Comics character created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben. He first appeared in Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 (1985) and went on to headline his own long-running series, Hellblazer, from 1988 to 2013.

Constantine is a working-class occultist and con man from Liverpool, England. He possesses no innate magical powers but compensates with an encyclopedic knowledge of the occult, a talent for manipulation, and a willingness to sacrifice others to achieve his goals. He operates in the space between Heaven and Hell, playing demons and angels against each other while trying to stay alive.

Hellblazer ran for 300 issues under DC's Vertigo imprint, making it one of the longest-running Vertigo titles. The series explored mature themes including politics, addiction, class, and the costs of wielding dangerous knowledge. Constantine is a chain smoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer (and characteristically conned his way out of it). His guilt over friends and allies who have died because of their association with him is a recurring theme.

Constantine has also appeared in mainstream DC continuity as a member of Justice League Dark.