Jamie Delano (born 1954 in Northampton) is a British comics writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers. Best known as the first writer of the comic book series Hellblazer, starring John Constantine.
Jamie Delano was hand-picked by Alan Moore to continue writing John Constantine, originally a secondary character introduced during Moore's revolutionary Swamp Thing run. Delano established the character in his own right, fleshing out what had been, in Moore's hands, a more shadowy, wisecracking sort of figure. It was also Delano who set the character firmly in London, Moore (and later Veitch) preferring to present him travelling virtually anywhere at will. Delano's Constantine is very much flesh and blood, never using magic when a con will do, frequently drunk, down & out, and haunted by his accidental condemning of a little girl named Astra to Hell.
Delano's approach owes much to the quiet, cold but vicious work of British "new wave" writers like Ramsey Campbell and J.G. Ballard and it is this tone that subsequent writers have either had to adopt or go violently against. This also makes Delano the first Vertigo writer, as Hellblazer is often thought of as the company's flagship title. He established the character's history – and his family's – going all the way back to the time of King Arthur in one of the more emblematic Constantine stories, "The Bloody Saint" (1989), drawn by Bryan Talbot. Much of his version of Constantine was the basis of the 2005 Constantine movie.
Most of his work since leaving the book to Garth Ennis and many others since (though he has gone back to the character a number of times), has also been for DC/Vertigo, both radical treatments of established characters and more pointed, political works, a list of which (from his site) can be found below.
Much of Delano's often bitingly witty work shares concerns with that of other British comics writers like Pat Mills, and can be characterized as science fiction, or horror, but often is a blend thereof and used very allegorically. In its concern with transformation of bodies and cultures, through psychedelia, conspiracy, or science, his work shares much with the likes of David Cronenberg and some, like Ghostdancing or Animal Man, have taken a great deal of influence from Carlos Castaneda and Jim Morrison.
Frequent subjects in his work include the War of the sexes (World Without End), imperialism and genocide (Ghostdancing), and environmental & cultural collapse (2020 Visions, Animal Man).
Most recently, it has been announced that, as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, he will be returning to Hellblazer to write Pandemonium, a graphic novel to be drawn by Jock. He is also has a number of series in the pipeline at Avatar Press.
Various prose (with illustrations by Alan Davis, in The Daredevils, Marvel UK, 1983—1984)
"House Of Cards" (with David Lloyd, Marvel UK, one shot, 1993)
Captain Britain (with Alan Davis, in Captain Britain Monthly #1-12, Marvel UK, 1984, tpb, 1988, ISBN 1854000209)
One-Off:
"Blood Sport" (with David Pugh, in 2000 AD #484, 1986)
"The Ark" (with Dave Wyatt, in 2000 AD #504, 1987)
Tharg's Future Shocks:
"The Ship that Liked to Dance" (with Barry Kitson, in 2000 AD #501, 1986)
"Fair's Fare" (with Massimo Belardinelli, in 2000 AD #501, 1987)
Doctor Who (with John Ridgway, collected in The World Shapers, Panini Comics, 288 pages, May 2008, ISBN 1905239874):
"Time Bomb" (in Doctor Who Magazine #114-116, 1986)
"The Gift" (with inks by Tim Perkins, in Doctor Who Magazine #123-126, 1987)
D.R. and Quinch: "DR & Quinch's Agony Page" (with co-author and pencils Alan Davis and inks by Mark Farmer, in 2000 AD #525-534, 1987)
Hellblazer:
Hellblazer #1-24, 28-31, 33-40, 84 (with John Ridgway, Richard Piers Rayner, Mark Buckingham, Bryan Talbot, Steve Pugh, Sean Phillips, & others, Vertigo/DC, 1988-1991) collected as:
Original Sins (collects #1-9, Vertigo, October 1998, ISBN 1-56389-052-6, Titan Books, February 2007, ISBN 184576465X)
The Devil You Know (collects #10-13, The Hellblazer Annual and The Horrorist #1-2, Vertigo, May 2007, ISBN 1-40121-269-7, Titan Books, July 2007, ISBN 1845764900)
Rare Cuts (collects #11, 25-26 and 35, Vertigo, February 2005, ISBN 1-40120-240-3, Titan Books, January 2005, ISBN 1840239743)
Fear Machine (collects #14-22, 208 pages, Vertigo, June 2008, ISBN 1-40121-810-5, Titan Books, ISBN 1845768809)
Family Man (collects #23-24 and 28-33, 208 pages, November 2008, Titan Books, ISBN 1845769783, Vertigo, ISBN 1401219640)
Bad Blood (with Philip Bond & Warren Pleece, Vertigo, 4-issue mini-series, 2000)
Pandemonium (with Jock, graphic novel, 128 pages, hardcover, Titan Books, March 2010, ISBN 1845768655, Vertigo, February 2010, ISBN 1401220355)
World Without End (with John Higgins, DC, 6-issue limited series, 1990)
Animal Man #51-79 (with Steve Pugh, DC, 1992-1994)
Ghostdancing (with Richard Case, Vertigo, 6-issue limited series, 1995)
Tainted (with Al Davison, Vertigo, one-shot, 1995)
The Horrorist (with David Lloyd, Vertigo, 2-issue mini-series, 1995)
Batman/Manbat (with John Bolton, DC, 1996)
Twisted Metal 2 (one-shot promo comic)
2020 Visions (with Frank Quitely (#1-3), Warren Pleece (#2-6), James Romberger (#7-9) & Steve Pugh (#10-12), Vertigo, 12-issue limited series, 1997)
Shadowman #5-15 (with co-author Dick Foreman (#14-15) and art by Charlie Adlard, Acclaim Comics, 1997)
Hell Eternal (with Sean Phillips, Vertigo, one-shot, 1998)
Cruel and Unusual (with co-author Tom Peyer, pencils by John McCrea and inks by Andrew Chiu, Vertigo, 4-issue mini-series, 1999)
The Territory (with David Lloyd, Dark Horse, 4-issue mini-series, 1999, tpb, 96 pages, 2006 ISBN 978-1-59307-010-6)
Legends of the DC Universe #24-25 (with Steve Pugh, DC, 2000)
Nevermore: "The Pit and the Pendulum" (with Steve Pugh, graphic novel adaptation, Eye Classics, Self Made Hero, October 2007, ISBN 978-0-9552856-8-4) : Selfmadehero :
Narcopolis (with Jeremy Rock, 4-issue mini-series, Avatar Press, February 2008)
Rawbone (with Max Fiumara, 4-issue mini-series, Avatar Press, 2009)
