Plot
Judy Tanner, grieving after the murder of her husband Jack, desires to get revenge on the murderer. She submerges her identity into that of "The Extremist", an alias her husband went by in both his life as a patron of the most extreme sex clubs and as a hired assassin for a shadowy organization called "The Order". Judy eventually murders a woman she believes to be her husband's killer, but she later learns the real killer was a man named Patrick, the "Chief Hedonist" of the Order. Patrick claims he killed Jack in order to manipulate Judy into becoming the Extremist, and into killing an innocent woman, to "liberate" her from her bourgeois moral system. [1]
After Judy goes missing, her neighbor Tony Murphy attempts to find her while discovering more and more about what "The Extremist" really is, and he is both ashamed and titillated by his discoveries. In his quest to find Judy, Tony's obsession prompts his wife and newborn child to leave him. He does eventually manage to track Judy down, after which a thoroughly indoctrinated Judy kills him to prevent him from exposing her activities or those of the order. [1]
Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that did not fit the restrictions of DC's main line, thus allowing more creative freedom. Its titles consisted of company-owned comics set in the DC Universe, such as The Sandman and Hellblazer, and creator-owned works, such as Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables. The Vertigo branding was retired in 2020, and most of its library transitioned to DC Black Label.
John Constantine is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in The Saga of Swamp Thing #37, and was created by Alan Moore, Rick Veitch, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben. He serves as the lead character of the comic books Hellblazer (1988–2013), Constantine (2013–2015), Constantine: The Hellblazer (2015–2016), The Hellblazer (2016–2018), and John Constantine: Hellblazer (2020–2021).
John Constantine, Hellblazer is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is the streetwise magician John Constantine, who was created by Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissette, and first appeared as a supporting character in Swamp Thing #37, during that creative team's run on that title. Hellblazer had been published continuously since January 1988, and was Vertigo's longest-running title, the only remaining publication from the imprint's launch. In 2013, the series concluded with issue 300, and was replaced by a DC Universe title, Constantine. The original series was revived in November 2019 for twelve issues as part of The Sandman Universe line of comics. Well known for its extremely pessimistic tone and social/political commentary, the series has spawned a film adaptation, television show, novels, and multiple spin-offs and crossovers.
Death: The High Cost of Living is a comic, written by Neil Gaiman with art by Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham. It is a spin-off from Gaiman's best-selling Vertigo Comics series The Sandman, featuring the Sandman (Dream)'s elder sister, Death of the Endless. Its premise is that Death takes human form once a century, to remain grounded and in touch with humanity, an idea touched upon in several other media, for example in the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday and in the Terry Pratchett novel Reaper Man.
Peter Milligan is a British writer known for his work in comic books, film, and television.
Birds of Prey is a superhero team featured in several American comic book series, miniseries, and special editions published by DC Comics since 1996. The book's premise originated as a partnership between Black Canary and Barbara Gordon, who had adopted the codename Oracle at the time, but has expanded to include additional superheroines. The team name "Birds of Prey" was attributed to DC assistant editor Frank Pittarese in the text page of the first issue. The group is initially based in Gotham City and later operates in Metropolis and then relocates once more to "Platinum Flats", California, a new locale introduced in Birds of Prey in 2008.
Enigma is an American comic book series written by Peter Milligan, with art by Duncan Fegredo, featuring a superhero named "The Enigma". It was published as an eight-issue limited series as part of the launch of Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics, in 1993.
Ted McKeever is an American artist known for his work in the comic book industry. A master of pen-and-ink, McKeever has also fully painted many comics. He is known for his distinct graphic style and "bold, angular lines, which gives his work a fantastic, almost Kafka-esque edge."
Shade, the Changing Man is a comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo in one of the first Vertigo titles.
Spider-Man's Tangled Web is a comic book series starring Spider-Man and his supporting cast published by Marvel Comics for 22 issues from June 2001 to March 2003.
Duncan Fegredo is a British comic book artist.
Brendan McCarthy is a British artist and designer who has worked for comic books, film and television. He co-wrote the film Mad Max: Fury Road. He is the brother of Jim McCarthy.
Human Target is an espionage-related comic series written by Peter Milligan and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. The series was based on the Human Target character created in 1972 by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. The original Vertigo miniseries yielded an original graphic novel and later, an ongoing series.
Charles McNider is a fictional superhero in DC Comics. The character appeared for the first time in All-American Comics #25.
American Vampire is an American comic book series created by writer Scott Snyder and drawn by artist Rafael Albuquerque. It was published by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint. American Vampire continued under the newly-created DC Black Label imprint after Vertigo was closed in January 2020. The series imagines vampires as a population made up of many different secret species, and charts moments of vampire evolution and inter-species conflict throughout history. The focus of the series is a new American bloodline of vampires, born in the American West in the late 19th century. The first of this new species is a notorious outlaw named Skinner Sweet, who wakes from death, after being infected, to find he has become a new kind of vampire, something stronger and faster than what came before, impervious to sunlight, with a new set of strengths and weaknesses. The series goes on to track his movements through various decades of American history—along with the movements of his first and only known progeny: Pearl Jones, a young woman working as a struggling actress in the 1920s silent film industry when she is attacked by a coven of European vampires hiding in Hollywood. Sweet saves her (uncharacteristically) by giving her his blood, thereby turning her into an American vampire like him, at which point she seeks revenge on the classic vampires who attacked her in life. The complicated and charged relationship Jones has with Sweet is another focus of the series. The first five issues featured two stories—one by Snyder and the other by Stephen King, both drawn by Rafael Albuquerque. With the sixth issue, Scott Snyder took over as sole writer. The original series ran from 2010-2013 and lasted 34 issues. A second series called American Vampire: Second Cycle ran from 2014-2015 and lasted 11 issues and the third and final series called American Vampire: 1976 ran from December 2020-October 2021 and lasted 10 issues.
Animal Man is a superhero comic book ongoing series published by DC Comics starring the superhero Animal Man. The series is best known for the run by writer Grant Morrison from issue #1 to #26 with penciller Chas Truog who stayed on the series until #32.
Shade, the Changing Man is an American superhero comic book featuring the character of the same name. The series was written by Peter Milligan and published by DC Comics; it lasted for 70 issues, from July 1990 to April 1996. The final 37 issues were published under the company's Vertigo imprint for mature readers. Shade, the Changing Man chronicles the adventures of Rac Shade, an alien from the planet Meta who becomes stuck in the body of Troy Grenzer, a convicted serial killer. The series' long-term story arc focuses on the relationship between Shade and Kathy George, a girl whose parents were killed by Grenzer.
The Justice League Dark, or JLD, is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in Justice League Dark #1, the Justice League Dark originally featured John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Shade: The Changing Man, and Zatanna, eventually being joined by prominent members such as Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman. The team consists of the more supernatural members of the DC Universe, handling situations deemed outside the scope of the traditional Justice League.
The Saint of Killers is a fictional character who appears in the comic book series Preacher, published by Vertigo Comics in 1995. The Saint of Killers was created by writer Garth Ennis with artist Steve Dillon. The Saint is described as, "a grim, taciturn, implacable killing machine", with supernatural abilities involving divinity, immortality, and influence over Heaven and Hell. His goals typically center on bringing down individuals through destruction and death by the laws of Paradise.
The UK Comic Art Award was a British awards for achievement in comic books. Winners were selected by an open vote among British comic book professionals ; the awards were given out on an annual basis from 1990 to 1997 for comics published in the United Kingdom the previous year. Award presentations were generally held at the Glasgow Comic Art Convention, usually in the spring.
