Caballistics, Inc.

Plot

In 2004 Department Q, a Ministry of Defence department originally created in the 1940s to combat nazi occult warfare, is 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 up by Ethan Kostabi, a reclusive multi-millionaire pop star of the 1970s, clearly modelled to a certain extent on David Bowie. 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, Jennifer Simmons was possessed by a powerful demon, a state that continues to this day. More recently, Jonathan 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 suspicsion - 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 Jenny known to have walked away unharmed. With the ultimate fates of the only two other members being left highly ambiguous, this effecitvely 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.

Many references hint that the world of Caballistics is the same as that of Doctor Who (and also Quatermass, reflecting a fan theory that the two series share a universe). The strip also contains many eclectic references to other cult television, film and literary mythologies alongside various religious traditions. Among the many mentions are Gnosticism, Kabbalah, the Rosicrucians, the Tetragrammaton, Opus Dei, Zoroastrianism, the Illuminati, paranormal warfare in World War II, the Thule Society, Aleister Crowley, Faust, Grant Morrison's Zenith, Delta Green, The Omen, The Exorcist and references to the works of Clive Barker, Robert W. Chambers, Roger Corman, William Hope Hodgson, Shaun Hutson, H. P. Lovecraft, Palo Mayombe, Kim Newman, Edgar Allan Poe and Hammer studios.

Ethan Kostabi

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

Mr. Howard Slater

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

Mr Lawrence Verse

Aka Father Lawrence

Miss Hannah Chapter

Mr. Mikey Ness

Aka The Nessy Monster, Bravo Two Zero