- "What kind of medium works at an Army surplus store?"
- "A paranoid one."
- —Chas Chandler and John Constantine[src]
Fennel (died January 2015) was a shopkeeper and an underground medium from New York City, as well as a "friend" of John Constantine. He begrudgingly assisted John Constantine's team in locating the soul of Geraldine Chandler.
Biography[]
Meeting Constantine[]
Army Surplus "Sal", where Fennel worked as a shopkeep.
Prior to 2015, Fennel had an unknown number of dealings with John Constantine, whom he considered a liar and a thief. John, on the other hand, thought himself Fennel's friend. At some point of time Fennel became a shopkeeper of the Army Surplus Sale shop in New York City, acquiring an arsenal of military grade weapons, while also continuing his dealings with magic, becoming known as an underground medium, specializing at channeling spirits.[1]
Search for Geraldine Chandler[]
Fennel ended up meeting John Constantine once again in 2015 when John Constantine's team was investigating the stolen souls of the people of New York City, including Geraldine Chandler, the daughter of Chas Chandler. Fennel harshly refused to work with Constantine, pulling a gun on him and demanding to leave his shop. However, he was knocked out by the enraged Chas, who was eager to search for his daughter. Being overwhelmed, Fennel agreed to help, to which John said that he'd be in Fennel's debt, which is "no small fee".[1]
Fennel's gruesome death.
Preparing the ritual, Fennel got some water from the River Jordan, to act as a "lubricant for communication", a round table engraved with a pentagram, Geraldine's doll for the focus on her soul and a few candles. With the team seated around the table in a circle, Fennel connected with them, asking not to break the connection, and focused on finding Geraldine's spirit. He was successful, allowing Geraldine to speak through him with Chas and John. However, his channeling was soon overtaken by Felix Faust, the dark mage responsible for stealing people's souls with his soul separating spell. Possessing Fennel, Faust warned the team not to mess with his plans and try to take any of his stolen souls back. As he did so, he levitated Fennel into the air and burned him alive, while also using the soul separating spell on him, leaving Constantine's team without a specialized medium.[1]
Personality[]
Fennel was described by John Constantine as paranoid, leading him to set up shop in an army surplus store, with weapons always nearby. He held a grudge against John, despising him for lies and thievery, and refusing to help him willingly even when innocent lives were at risk. Nevertheless, he agreed to help under pressure and did his best to achieve the result that the team required from him.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
Fennel using his powers to channel Geraldine's soul.
- Magic: Fennel was a user of magic, working underground as a medium.[1]
- Channeling: As a medium, Fennel specialized in channeling separated or departed souls, allowing them to speak through him.[1]
Abilities[]
- Marksmanship: Fennel was able to target John Constantine with a shotgun.[1]
Weaknesses[]
- Spiritual exposure: While channeling, Fennel's own soul and body were exposed to the actions of the channeled spirit, or the spirit's malevolent jailer, such as Felix Faust.[1]
Equipment[]
Fennel pointing a gun at John Constantine.
- Medium accessories: Fennel required a number of accessories for his channeling rituals.
- Candles: Fennel used candles in his channeling of Geraldine Chandler[1]
- Pentagram table: Fennel and John Constantine's team were seated at a round table engraved with a pentagram during the channeling of Geraldine's soul.[1]
- Water from the River Jordan: Fennel used water from the River Jordan as a "lubricant for channeling", allowing him to access souls easily.[1]
- Military-grade weapons: As a shopkeeper at Army Surplus Sale, Fennel possessed a number of military-grade weapons.
- Grenades: Fennel's shop had a number of grenades, one of which was stolen by Chas Chandler.[1]
- Shotgun: Fennel protected himself and his property with a shotgun.[1]
Appearances[]
Constantine[]
Behind the scenes[]
- In DC Comics Fennel appeared as a character in the graphic novel "John Constantine - Hellblazer: All His Engines", which can be argued as taking place in either the mainstream DC Comics continuity, or a separate "Vertigo Universe". Fennel appears as a conduit to deeper evil in the storyline, which has partially inspired the TV series' episode "Quid Pro Quo".
- Andy Rusk and Philip Dido were stunt doubles for Roger Floyd in the role of Fennel.