I just read Rake at the Gates of Hell. The only Hellblazer stories I’ve read before are Dangerous Habits, one where a hunger demon comes to Earth and makes people eat until they die, and Damnation’s Flame. Maybe if I’d read more Hellblazer I’d understand Rake at the Gates of Hell, but as it is, I don’t.
My questions, in no particular order:
How come Ellie can kill the Devil? She’s just a demon, he’s the lord of Hell.
Why would Ellie want to kill the Devil? What does she have against him?
What was that sword?
Who was Gabriel’s old adversary, that Constantine wanted Gabriel to kick ‘seven shades of shit’ out of? It can’t have been the Devil, can it? He’s much too powerful to never have been in Gabriel’s league.
If Constantine planned everything, as it is subtly suggested that he did, why was he running scared from the Devil and hiding in a church?
Why did Ellie wait until the last moment to kill the Devil? She could have done it at any time.
Hoo boy, it’s been a while. I’ll take a shot, and hopefully I can answer.
She surprises the First while all his energies are focused on JC.
The answers you seek here are in “Guys and Dolls”
I’m sorry, I don’t remember.
IIRC, the First made his move sooner than expected, so JC was having to play catch up.
As you said, he’s the lord of Hell. The time he would be most vulnerable would be when he’s not paying attention to what’s going on in Hell… or right behind him. The idea was to get the First so occupied with JC and so concentrated on him, that she would be able to surprise him.
I suppose that makes sense, but it’s a bit of a letdown. The “get him concentrated on X so I can stab him in the back” bit has been kind of overdone. After the brilliance that was Dangerous Habits I expected a bit more. If it is that easy to kill the devil, it should have happened before.