John Constantine is not known for his altruism. Indeed, the con artist conjurer is better known as an antihero. However, one Christmas Eve saw Constantine taking steps to save a holiday spirit from seasonal depression. And maybe, just maybe, save a little bit of the world’s magic in the process.
Written by Garth Ennis with art by Steve Dillon, Hellblazer #49 opens with John Constantine in a panic. Christmas Eve snuck up on him, and while holidays normally didn’t concern him, this year he had a new girlfriend to impress. Unfortunately, a day of desperate shopping left John with no ideas and no gift for Kit Ryan. It also left John with a spectral stalker in the form of a homeless man following him around Camden.
Constantine confronted the spirit, who revealed himself as the Lord of the Dance. He claimed to be a forgotten god of revelry, who delighted in gatherings which celebrated the sheer joy of being alive. His favorite were the festivals held at midwinter as “a mighty affirmation of light against dark and life against death.”
While the Lord of the Dance does not give another name, he resembles the Celtic deity Cernunnos. A god or fertility and the harvest, Cernunnos was said to be reborn every midwinter and died every midsummer. He also wore a horned helm, like the Lord of the Dance.
Whatever his name, the Lord of the Dance lamented his fate to a sympathetic Constantine. He cried for how his sacred songs were adapted into hymns and the joy of his season was forgotten amid both Puritanism and commercialism. This pushed John to an uncharacteristic act of charity.
Constantine delivers a message about the holidays
Constantine invited the Lord of the Dance to join him for a drink at a nearby pub. They ran into John’s friend, Chas, and shared a couple of rounds. This led to a couple of more rounds with total strangers and raucous singing. The staging of this page is notable, as Steve Dillon drew it as a mirror of the flashback to the revel that first drew the Lord of the Dance to humanity.
By the night’s end, Constantine had lifted the spirits of the Holiday Spirit. The Lord of the Dance realized that while there were no longer festivals held in his honor, there were still mortals who met to share a drink and a song. They might call it a Christmas party, but mortals still gathered in defiance of those who would regulate happiness. And while they might not remember his name, there were still those who honored the old traditions of the Lord of the Dance in new ways. The two parted company as friends, with the spirit of the season renewed.
Unfortunately, this good deed done still left Constantine with no gift for Kit. Thankfully, when he got home, it turned out she had forgotten to get him a gift. They opted for a night enjoying one another’s company in a most primal fashion. And the Lord of the Dance would later repay John for his kindness on another night.
