If the Fool is considered as the character who strikes out on his or her own to confront the mysteries of the universe, then John Constantine, the protagonist of the DC/Vertigo comic HELLBLAZER, is a particularly dark Fool.

Just about every standard image in the Fool card is reproduced here in a subverted format--the bright light of the sun is more like an explosion, the flowers have wilted, the dog has deteriorated to a skeleton, and in the background, it looks like somebody's fallen off the hillside. But Constantine stands by, hands in pockets, observing implacably and shuffling along.  

He was introduced to SWAMP THING readers in the mid-80s as one of the most powerful magicians on the planet, but also as a nasty, cynical fellow whose power may have earned him the respect of his peers, but not (for the most part) their admiration. In the years since, he has become even more isolated from his peers and loved ones, as the consequences of his actions have accumulated over time.

He is the occult equivalent of Raymond Chandler's private detective walking down the mean streets, the knight errant--or, perhaps better yet, masterless samurai--of the big city, attempting to right wrongs from outside the usual hierarchy of things, but not always aware enough to know what the right thing to do IS.

In her guidebook to the Vertigo Tarot, Rachel Pollack describes him as "the outsider who battles against all authority, including God and the Devil ... Constantine and the Tarot Fool are archetypal tricksters, getting into and out of trouble recklessly, just for the experience."   The astrological association attributed to this card is Uranus.  

Ron