Editing Hellblazer (section)

==== Peter Milligan (#250–300)====
[[Peter Milligan]], a veteran of the Vertigo line, having written both ''[[Shade, the Changing Man (Vertigo)|Shade, The Changing Man]]'' and ''[[Animal Man (comic book)|Animal Man]]'' at the publisher's inception (and another former ''2000&nbsp;AD'' writer), then took over,<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19012 Peter Milligan Talks “Hellblazer”] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055904/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19012 |date=September 21, 2013 }}, [[Comic Book Resources]], December 3, 2008</ref> starting with a short story in the landmark 250th issue, and taking over full-time following this. His run implemented several major changes, including John Constantine's wedding and the loss of his thumb.

In a rare change, Milligan's run on the title starts with John living in domestic bliss with a nurse, Phoebe. Over the course of the first storyline, several new characters are introduced, including Epiphany Greaves, the alchemist daughter of a notorious London gangster, and Julian, a [[Babylonia]]n demon. Over the course of the run, John dealt with a demon taking revenge on people involved in the [[Liverpool dockers' strike (1995–98)|Liverpool dockers' strike]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Scab|publisher=Vertigo|author=Peter Milligan|date=2010 |isbn=978-1-4012-2501-8}},</ref> gone insane and sought help from [[Shade, The Changing Man]], after chopping off his own thumb, seen Phoebe die at the hands of Julian,<ref>{{cite book|title=Hooked|publisher=Vertigo|author=Peter Milligan|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4012-2728-9}},</ref> and traveled to India to try to find a way of saving her.<ref>{{cite book|title=India|publisher=Vertigo|author=Peter Milligan|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4012-2848-4}},</ref> Following this, he realised that he was in love with Epiphany, and married her in the 275th issue. However, the events of this wedding turned Constantine's niece Gemma against him, due to the Demon Constantine sexually assaulting her in the restroom. The strain of this traumatic incident turned her against John, and she enlisted the help of a coven of witches to kill him, which later came to a head when John was forced to fight off a brutal Demon summoned by them using John's iconic trenchcoat to target him.

Afterwards, John's coat (which Gemma sold on [[eBay]]) began to manipulate its various new owners into murder, suicide, or other horrific acts until coming into the hands of a man from the U.S., who tried to kill John and Epiphany. During the time the coat was missing, John's magical abilities had begun to go out of control. John eventually resolves this, and he was re-united with his coat. Since this, Gemma and John have a very shaky relationship with one another, and she began a sexual relationship with Epiphany's crime-boss father Terry in order to "punish" John. When he confronted her about this relationship though, she told him that she would not stop unless he was able to retrieve her mother's soul from Hell. John agreed.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hellblazer 276–285|publisher=Vertigo|author=Peter Milligan}}</ref> In order to get his sister to leave Hell, John agreed to track down her son, his adopted nephew, in Ireland.

On October 8, 2012, the series was announced as ending with issue 300, following which a new title, ''[[Constantine (comics)|Constantine]]'', started at the main imprint of DC comics.<ref name=Cancelled/> By 2013, Constantine was contacted by the [[Three Fates]], who tell him that he will finally meet his end in five days. Having lived a good and adventurous life, he happily accepts his fate rather than trying to fight it like he always does. When the last day came, Constantine was ambushed and shot in his own home right in front of a horrified Epiphany. After he died, Epiphany and Finn had an affair as a way to comfort each other. John's ghost saw them having sex in a graveyard and seemed to give his blessing, making the fates decide that John wasn't going to try to come back to life. Then, of course, he did. He contacted Epiphany and asked her to help resurrect him by making him cigarettes from his ashes, which, after he smoked them, made him corporeal again. Thinking to disappear and live happily ever after with Epiphany, they moved to a tiny house in Ireland, courtesy of Finn, that was totally off the grid and far removed from any apparent trouble, the last place anyone would think to look for John. That didn't last long, though, as John realized he can never run from his past.

So John left Epiphany in Ireland and returned to England to confront Gemma. He stole the last dart holding the concoction that killed his demon twin, but ultimately gave it back to Gemma and told her either she could kill him, and live her life without him, but be consumed with guilt for killing him or she could let him disappear from her life forever, without any guilt for murdering him. Gemma shot the dart at him, but John disappeared. The final panel of Hellblazer reveals John, looking shocked and much older than we'd previously seen him, standing in a bar appropriately called "A Long Journey's End" surrounded by people, in front of a shelf full of bottles with the names of the comic's staff over the years.<ref>{{cite book|title=Death and Cigarettes|publisher=Vertigo|author=Peter Milligan|year=2013|isbn=978-1401240936}}</ref>