John Carik
Encyclopedia
John Carik is a fictional character
who was featured as the main supporting character
in the mid-1990s American comic book
series Blade: The Vampire Hunter
, published by Marvel Comics
. He was created by Ian Edginton
and Douglas H. Wheatley
.
He was exclusively referred to in the solicitations for Blade the Vampire Hunter as Bible John and the use of that nickname was established in the first issue. However, the name Bible John was rarely used in other issues.
He is the one of last of an order of warrior/scholars named the Cathari, who all take vows to combat the evil forces of the supernatural
.
Blade: The Vampire Hunter was cancelled after ten issues leaving John Carik's story unfinished. This remained the case until June, 2007 when he was given an entry in the Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic edition of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
. This entry gave details regarding story events taking place after the cancellation of Blade: The Vampire Hunter.
, John Carik lead an expedition to east Africa
. The goal of his group was find the tomb of a Knight Templar
with a notorious reputation for being evil in life.
Once there Carik and his team were attacked by a supernatural being of an undisclosed nature, Carik was the only member of his team to escape alive. Afterwards, he would discover the encounter had gifted him with precognition
.
He was shortly thereafter contacted by and joined the Cathari.
and the resulting destruction of New York City
. His vision gives him the knowledge that Blade is the only one who can prevent the events from coming true. In order to warn Blade, Carik escapes from the Nyman Psychiatric Clinic and seeks him out. Once he finds Blade, Carik gives him a witch compass, a device for seeking out the supernatural.
Using the compass, Carik and Blade go to Body Hammer, a nightclub
for vampire
s. Inside they find and fight Dracula with no final result coming from the confrontation.
A few days after the fight at Body Hammer, Carik invites Blade into the Chiaroscurio (known as the Cathari Academy of Light and Shade) for the first time. There he reveals that he has uncovered evidence of dark happenings in Los Angeles, California
. Once there he and Blade find themselves in the middle of a plot by voodoo
priestess Marie LaVeau and vampire Steppin' Razor
to bring the vampire lord Varnae
back to the land of the living.
After returning from Los Angeles, the Chiaroscurio is invaded by Deacon Frost
, Carik is severely beaten in the fight and is taken to the hospital, where he has a vision. In this vision he once again sees New York destroyed and ruled by Dracula. Added to this second vision are Blade's former comrades in the Nightstalkers
, Hannibal King
and Frank Drake
impaled on stakes. They tell him, "For Pity's sake, help us! Please don't desert us! We're in Limbo, exiled between life and death! You are our only salvation! Our souls are in torment. Give us release, before this nightmare you see becomes reality -- before our horror devours the world!"
Carik's entry in Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic finally revealed what this vision meant:
Blade sneaks into the hospital in order to take Carik back to the Chiaroscurio for safety. Once back the Chiaroscurio is attacked once again, this time by a pair of vampires calling themselves the Vampz.
When last seen, "Bible John" Carik was still recovering from his wounds inside the Chiaroscurio. Events surrounding his vision were left unrevealed until his entry in Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic was released.
The entry states:
, many of John Carik's character traits are visible in the character Abraham Whistler
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who was featured as the main supporting character
Supporting character
A supporting character is a character of a book, play, video game, movie, television or radio show or other form of storytelling usually used to give added dimension to a main character, by adding a relationship with this character...
in the mid-1990s American comic book
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
series Blade: The Vampire Hunter
Blade (comics)
Blade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
, published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. He was created by Ian Edginton
Ian Edginton
Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and Douglas H. Wheatley
Doug Wheatley
Doug Wheatley, sometimes credited as Douglas H. Wheatley or Doug Tropea-Wheatley, is a comic book artist that has illustrated numerous comic books including several Star Wars stories for Dark Horse Comics.-References:* ComiCon.com...
.
He was exclusively referred to in the solicitations for Blade the Vampire Hunter as Bible John and the use of that nickname was established in the first issue. However, the name Bible John was rarely used in other issues.
He is the one of last of an order of warrior/scholars named the Cathari, who all take vows to combat the evil forces of the supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
.
Publication history
John Carik appeared in almost all of the ten issues of Blade: The Vampire Hunter (July 1994 to April 1995). Issue #6 was the only issue in which he failed to appear.Blade: The Vampire Hunter was cancelled after ten issues leaving John Carik's story unfinished. This remained the case until June, 2007 when he was given an entry in the Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic edition of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
. This entry gave details regarding story events taking place after the cancellation of Blade: The Vampire Hunter.
Origin
As a professor of antiquities for the Kronenberg Institute in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, John Carik lead an expedition to east Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The goal of his group was find the tomb of a Knight Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
with a notorious reputation for being evil in life.
Once there Carik and his team were attacked by a supernatural being of an undisclosed nature, Carik was the only member of his team to escape alive. Afterwards, he would discover the encounter had gifted him with precognition
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
.
He was shortly thereafter contacted by and joined the Cathari.
Blade: The Vampire Hunter
Blade: the Vampire Hunter begins with "Bible John" Carik having a vision of the return of DraculaDracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
and the resulting destruction of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His vision gives him the knowledge that Blade is the only one who can prevent the events from coming true. In order to warn Blade, Carik escapes from the Nyman Psychiatric Clinic and seeks him out. Once he finds Blade, Carik gives him a witch compass, a device for seeking out the supernatural.
Using the compass, Carik and Blade go to Body Hammer, a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
for vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s. Inside they find and fight Dracula with no final result coming from the confrontation.
A few days after the fight at Body Hammer, Carik invites Blade into the Chiaroscurio (known as the Cathari Academy of Light and Shade) for the first time. There he reveals that he has uncovered evidence of dark happenings in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Once there he and Blade find themselves in the middle of a plot by voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
priestess Marie LaVeau and vampire Steppin' Razor
Steppin' Razor (comics)
Steppin' Razor is a fictional vampire character, owned by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in the comic book series, Blade: The Vampire Hunter #4 and was created by Ian Edginton and Douglas H...
to bring the vampire lord Varnae
Varnae
Varnae is a fictional villainous vampire in the Marvel Comics universe. He has been an adversary of several of Marvel's supernatural and fantasy-related heroes, and is a major character in Marvel's Dracula mythos...
back to the land of the living.
After returning from Los Angeles, the Chiaroscurio is invaded by Deacon Frost
Deacon Frost
Deacon Frost is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Universe. He appears in The Tomb of Dracula and in the Blade limited series.- Publication history :...
, Carik is severely beaten in the fight and is taken to the hospital, where he has a vision. In this vision he once again sees New York destroyed and ruled by Dracula. Added to this second vision are Blade's former comrades in the Nightstalkers
Nightstalkers (comics)
The Nightstalkers is a fictional trio of preexisting characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A team of occult experts, they reluctantly banded together to fight supernatural threats....
, Hannibal King
Hannibal King
Hannibal King is a fictional character, a supernatural detective appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. He first appeared as a supporting character in the 1970s comic book The Tomb of Dracula.-Fictional character biography:...
and Frank Drake
Frank Drake (comics)
Frank Drake is a fictional character appearing in publications from Marvel Comics, most notably the Tomb of Dracula series created by Gerry Conway....
impaled on stakes. They tell him, "For Pity's sake, help us! Please don't desert us! We're in Limbo, exiled between life and death! You are our only salvation! Our souls are in torment. Give us release, before this nightmare you see becomes reality -- before our horror devours the world!"
Carik's entry in Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic finally revealed what this vision meant:
Blade sneaks into the hospital in order to take Carik back to the Chiaroscurio for safety. Once back the Chiaroscurio is attacked once again, this time by a pair of vampires calling themselves the Vampz.
When last seen, "Bible John" Carik was still recovering from his wounds inside the Chiaroscurio. Events surrounding his vision were left unrevealed until his entry in Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic was released.
The entry states:
Powers and abilities
Apart from the power of precognition, "Bible John" Carik is covered from head to toe in wards and sigils that he has carved into his own flesh which give him protection from supernatural beings. In Blade: The Vampire Hunter #3 (September 1994) Dracula grabbed Carik by the wrist, the wards burned Dracula's hand and he was forced to release Carik.In other media
Although he never made an appearance in the Blade films or in Blade: The SeriesBlade: The Series
Blade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
, many of John Carik's character traits are visible in the character Abraham Whistler
Abraham Whistler
Abraham Whistler is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a vampire hunter and mentor to Blade. Screenwriter David S. Goyer created him for the 1998 film Blade , but he first appeared on screen in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and was voiced by Malcolm McDowell and later by...
.