Caballistics, Inc.

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Caballistics, Inc.
Publication information
PublisherRebellion/2000 AD
First appearance"Going Underground" (January 2003)
Created byGordon Rennie
Dom Reardon
In-story information
Type of businessParanormal investigations
Base(s)Exham Priory
Owner(s)Ethan Kostabi
Employee(s)Solomon Ravne
Jenny Simmons
Hannah Chapter
Lawrence Verse
Mikey Ness
Howard Slater
Jonathan Brand

Caballistics, Inc is a

anthology comic 2000 AD since December 2002. The strip was created by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Dom Reardon
(the latter of whom has been the sole artist on the strip since its inception).

It spawned a spin-off,

Tiernen Trevallion
.

Plot

In 2004, Department Q, a

privatised by the British government. The Department, by then consisting only of the crusty paranormal historian Dr Jonathan Brand and his assistant Jennifer Simmons, is bought by Ethan Kostabi, a reclusive multi-millionaire 1970s pop star. Kostabi announces that he has contracted their services as part of a new private ghost-busting outfit, to be known as Caballistics, Inc., and introduces them to their teammates, freelance occult investigators Hannah Chapter and Lawrence Verse. Even before the official press release for the new company can be sent out, the team is called to deal with a major paranormal infestation on the London Underground
, where they meet the fifth member of the team, the powerful and seemingly evil Solomon Ravne. The team go on to investigate various paranormal phenomena, suffering from internal conflicts and divided loyalties, and all the while it is suggested that Kostabi has some ultimate plan in mind for the team beyond that which any of them expect.

Caballistics, Inc. has an extremely dark tone. Several recurring characters have been unexpectedly killed off, and there is a degree of brutality unusual for a British comic magazine. Early in the series, Simmons was possessed by a powerful demon, a state that continues to this day. More recently, Brand, usually identified by fans as the 'good' member of the team, was pushed under a Tube train by another member, Mikey Ness.

Events within the team came to a head when - after three years of intrigue and suspicion - they were eventually pushed into confrontation with their erstwhile employer. At least three members of the team were killed in the ensuing battle in addition to Kostabi himself, with only Ravne and Simmons known to have walked away unharmed. With the ultimate fates of the only two other members being left highly ambiguous, this effectively marked the end of the organisation. Besides an epilogue, "Nativity", in late 2007, the remaining plot threads would be taken up in a spin-off series,

Absalom
, beginning in 2011, and followed characters that had previously appeared in minor supporting roles in Caballistics, Inc.

Caballistics contains many overt references to both

Hammer studios.[1]

Major characters

Ethan Kostabi

Also known as Citizen Strange, David Smith [real name], possibly Nyarlathotep.

  • 1970's rock star, turned New Media Entrepreneur / Internet Guru / Venture Capitalist
  • Owner & Founder of Caballistics Inc.
  • Lives in Bern, Switzerland
  • Also owns Abraxas Research Facility (Wenley Moor, Yorkshire), Ludgate Studios and multiple & diverse other holdings (legal and otherwise)

Mr. Howard Slater

  • Manager of Caballistics Inc. / Legal Representative of Ethan Kostabi (12 years)

Solomon Ravne

Aka: Der Teufel

The Devil
, Master Raven, Dominus, Ravenous

Doctor Jonathan Brand

Aka Professor Brand, Brainiac

Miss Jennifer Simmons

Aka Demon Jenny, Edwina Scissorhands, Baarish-Shammon, She Who Stalks By Night

  • Possession
    : Jenny was possessed by a demon which claims that she is dead. Ravne insists that she is still alive but may be insane.
  • Paranormal Historian, Q Department (sold; formerly British Government Ministry of Defence)
  • Recently revealed that she is pregnant with Ravne's child
  • Is now the target of several different occult factions of the British Government, who have decided that her imminent child is potentially too dangerous to let live

Mr Lawrence Verse

Aka Father Lawrence

Miss Hannah Chapter

  • Employment: Majored in Cryptozoology at Arkham University. American Government [specialist work: colleagues: Warren (alive), Perconte (alive), Charteris (dead), Niland (dead)], freelance with Verse (inc. Guatemalan Were-Jaguar Cult: 1999; Zagreb, Croatia); 2-year freelance contract with Caballistics Inc.
  • Weaponry: Spook Detector, 2 pistols (9mm parabellum steel-jacketed / armour-piercing / hollow point Vatican silver), shades
  • Favourite tipple: Double Jack Daniels & black, straight up.
  • Has written (unpublished) book: Mixed-Up Flicks For Mixed-Up Chicks

Mr. Mikey Ness

Aka The Nessy Monster, Bravo Two Zero

  • Employment: SAS, Gulf War, 1991; mental hospital patient (sectioned), 1991–2003; Caballistics employee, 2004–2007)
  • Has murdered a British Cabinet minister and Jonathan Brand
  • Heavy Glasgow accent
  • Weaponry: expert in many kinds, but prefers a knife.

Bibliography

Comics

All installments have been written by Gordon Rennie and drawn by Dom Reardon:

Novels

So far there have been two novel adaptations:

Notes

  1. ^ "annotations | Caballistics, Inc".

References

External links

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