

As we head into the third issue of the second attempt for DC comics to take John Constantine, the former mascot of the Vertigo universe, back into the superhero world, it keeps reminding us exactly how good Hellblazer always was. This was the longest running series at Vertigo, running a full 300 issues on top of dozens of cross-overs, graphic novels, miniseries, one-shots, and more. The character defined the dark fantasy of that period of Vertigo, drawing together magic and mythology in a way that told horror stories that were uniquely personal. This is now a character and run entirely of the past, and does not tie to the contemporary Constantine series at all.
So how do you start with Hellblazer and John Constantine? What is the real order, anyway? This is difficult because in the beginning, the comics where Constantine appeared and even Hellblazer were a part of the regular DC universe, before evolving out of it. We have started by taking the wonderful and detailed reading order presented by Trade Reading Order and augmenting it to get something fully realized.

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Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 3 |
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The Saga Of The Swamp Thing 35-38; Swamp Thing 39-42 |
April – November 1985 |
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Swamp Thing: The Curse |
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The Saga Of The Swamp Thing 35-38; Swamp Thing 39-42 |
April 1985 – November 1985 |

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Crisis On Infinite Earths |
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Crisis on Infinite Earths 1 – 12 |
April 1985 – March 1986 |

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Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Four |
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Swamp Thing 43-50 |
December 1985 – July 1986 |
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History of the DC Universe |
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History of The DC Universe (Prestige) 1-2 |
1986 |

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Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Five |
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Swamp Thing 51-56 |
August 1986 – January 1987 |

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Swamp Thing VOL 06: Reunion |
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Swamp Thing 57-64 |
February – September 1987 |


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Swamp Thing: Infernal Triangles |
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Swamp Thing 77-81 |
October – December 1988 |

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Hellblazer, Vol. 2: The Devil You Know |
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Hellblazer 10-13;The Hellblazer Annual; The Horrorist 1-2 |
October 1988 – January 1989 |


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Hellblazer: The Fear Machine |
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Issues 14-22 |
January – September 1989 |


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The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll’s House |
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The Sandman 8-16 |
August 1989 – June 1990 |

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The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 |
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The Sandman 1-20 |
January 1989 – October 1990 |

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John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rare Cuts |
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Hellblazer 11, 25-26, 35, 56, 84 |
November 1988 – November 1990, August 1992, December 1994 |
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HellBlazer: Dangerous Habits |
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Hellblazer 41-46 |
May – October 1991 |
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Sandman: Fables and Reflections |
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Issues 29-31, 38-40, 50, Sandman Special 1, Vertigo Preview 1 |
August 1991 – August 1992 |
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HellBlazer: Bloodlines |
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Hellblazer 47-50, 52-55, 59-61 |
November 1991 – January 1993 |
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HellBlazer: Fear and Loathing |
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Hellblazer 62-67 |
February – July 1993 |
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HellBlazer: Tainted Love |
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Hellblazer 68-71, Hellblazer Special, Short Story From Vertigo Jam |
August – November 1993 |
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HellBlazer: Damnation’s Flame |
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Hellblazer 72-77 |
December 1993 – May 1994 |
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HellBlazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell |
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Hellblazer 78-83, Heartland one-shot |
June – November 1994 |
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Neil Gaiman’s Midnight Days |
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Swamp Thing Annual 05; Hellblazer 27; Sandman Midnight Theatre 1995 OGN; Original Content |
Annual 1989 – July 1995 |
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Underworld Unleashed |
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Underworld Unleashed 1-3; Abyss – Hell’s Sentinel 1 |
November 1995 – January 1996 |
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Sandman: The Wake |
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The Dreaming 8; The Sandman 70-75 |
August 1995 – March 1996 |
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Absolute Sandman 4 |
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The Dreaming 8; The Sandman 57-75; Vertigo Jam 1 |
August 1993 – January 1997 |
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HellBlazer: Son of Man |
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Hellblazer 129-133 |
September 1998 – January 1999 |
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HellBlazer: Haunted |
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Hellblazer 134-139 |
February – July 1999 |
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HellBlazer: Setting Sun |
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Hellblazer 140-143 |
August – December 1999 |
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HellBlazer: Hard Time |
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Hellblazer 146-150 |
March – July 2000 |
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HellBlazer: Good Intentions |
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Hellblazer 151-156 |
August 2000 – January 2001 |
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HellBlazer: Freezes Over |
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Hellblazer 157-163 |
February – August 2001 |
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HellBlazer: Highwater |
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Hellblazer 164-174 |
September 2001 – August 2002 |
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HellBlazer: Red Sepulchre |
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Hellblazer 175-180 |
September 2002 – March 2003 |
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HellBlazer: Lady Constantine |
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Lady Constantine 1-4 |
February – May 2003 |
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HellBlazer: Black Flowers |
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Hellblazer 181-186 |
April – September 2003 |
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HellBlazer: Staring at the Wall |
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Hellblazer 187-193 |
October 2003 – April 2004 |
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Swamp Thing: Bad Seed |
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Swamp Thing 1-6 |
May – October 2004 |
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HellBlazer: Stations of the Cross |
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Hellblazer 194-200 |
May – November 2004 |
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HellBlazer: All His Engines |
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Original Graphic Novel |
February 2005 |
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Constantine: The Official Movie Adaptation |
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Original Graphic Novel |
2005 |
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Constantine: The Hellblazer Collection |
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Constantine: The Official Movie Adaptation; Hellblazer 1, 27, 41 |
January 1988 – May 1991; 2005 |
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HellBlazer: Reasons to be Cheerful |
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Hellblazer 201-206 |
December 2004 – May 2005 |
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HellBlazer: Papa Midnight |
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Papa Midnite 1-5 |
April – August 2005 |
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HellBlazer: The Gift |
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Hellblazer 207-215 |
June 2005 – February 2006 |
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HellBlazer: Empathy is the Enemy |
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Hellblazer 216-222 |
March – September 2006 |
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HellBlazer: The Red Right Hand |
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Hellblazer 223-228 |
October 2006 – March 2007 |
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HellBlazer: Joyride |
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Hellblazer 230-237 |
May – December 2007 |
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HellBlazer: The Laughing Magician |
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Hellblazer 238-242 |
January – May 2008 |
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HellBlazer: Roots of Coincidence |
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Hellblazer 243-244, 247-249 |
June – December 2008 |
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HellBlazer: Chas: The Knowledge |
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Chas: The Knowledge 1-5 |
September 2008 – January 2009 |
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HellBlazer: Scab |
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Hellblazer 250-255 |
February – July 2009 |
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Dark Entries |
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Original Graphic Novel |
August 2009 |
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Hellblazer: Hooked |
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Hellblazer 256-260 |
August – December 2009 |
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Hellblazer: Pandemonium |
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Original Graphic Novel |
February 2010 |
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Hellblazer: India |
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Hellblazer 261-266 |
January – June 2010 |
Hellblazer: Bloody Carnations |
Collects Hellblazer #267-275 |
Peter Milligan |
“Sectioned”, “Bloody Carnations”, “The Royal Wedding of the Century” |
1-40123-152-7 |
Hellblazer: Phantom Pains |
Collects Hellblazer #276-282 |
Peter Milligan |
“High Frequency Man”, “Phantom Pains”, “Inside” |
1-78116-057-0 |
Hellblazer: The Devil’s Trenchcoat |
Collects Hellblazer #283-291 |
Peter Milligan |
“The Devil’s Trenchcoat”, “Another Season in Hell” |
1-40123-720-7 |
Hellblazer: Death and Cigarettes |
Collects Hellblazer #292-300; Hellblazer Annual #1 |
Peter Milligan |
“The Curse of the Constantines”, “Death and Cigarettes” |
1-40124-093-3 |
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