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John Sinclair is a fictional character and the protagonist of a popular German horror detective series (of the dime novelorpenny dreadful variety). The full title is Geisterjäger John Sinclair, (lit. Ghost Hunter John Sinclair), and the official English title is John Sinclair: Demon Hunter. The long-running series has been ongoing since 1973 and is released weekly since 1978. In the stories, Scotland Yard chief inspector John Sinclair battles all kinds of undead and demonic creatures, such as vampires, witches, ghouls and werewolves. While falling into the category of 'pulp fiction', the ongoing series is yet remarkable for the relatively wide range of its vocabulary and the inventiveness of its plots. The novels have been a commercial success in Germany, with over 250 million copies sold as of 2020.[1][2] A recent milestone was the release of issue 2400 of the regular novel series in July 2024.[3]
| John Sinclair | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Die Nacht des Hexers (July 1973) |
| Created by | Jason Dark |
| Portrayed by | Florian Fitz [de] (film) Kai Maertens [de] (TV series) |
| Voiced by | Frank Glaubrecht [de] Dietmar Wunder [de] Andrew Wincott |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Scotland Yard chief inspector |
| Nationality | British |
Most John Sinclair stories in the series have been written only by Helmut Rellergerd under the nom-de-plumeofJason Dark. Only a few of the earliest stories have been written by other authors. As of late, creation of new stories is divided among Rellergerd and several new authors, each of them writing separate full episodes; the new writers are attributed for their respective stories.[4] For example, the Oculus duology (2017) was written by Wolfgang Hohlbein, while forensic biologist Mark Benecke was the author of the novel Brandmal.[1] Rellergerd narrates the stories in first person from Sinclair's point of view whenever he is involved. At all other times a neutral narrator style is used. In some stories Sinclair does not appear and one of his friends takes the leading part.
The John Sinclair stories and their spin-offs Sinclair Academy and Dark Land are part of a larger shared universeofBastei Lübbe novels and had multiple crossover events with several other German horror and fantasy series, such as Tony Ballard [de], Damona King [de] and Der Hexer von Salem [de] among others.[5] The Professor Zamorra [de] novels take place in an alternate universe within the fictional multiverse and also had numerous crossovers with John Sinclair since the 1976 story Der Fluch aus dem Dschungel.[6]
Over the decades the Spanish painter Vicenç Badalona Ballestar has created numerous paintings and illustrations for the bestselling series.[7][8] Other artists that contributed to artworks and cover designs for John Sinclair include Sebastià Boada, Tim White, Les Edwards, Luis Royo, Vicente Segrelles, Ron Walotsky, Alan M. Clark, Michael Whelan, Jim Warren etc.
In Germany, the stories have been adapted into multiple successful audio drama series and audiobooks,[9] as well as a television film and a TV series.[10][11] Additionally, the novels have also spawned a comic series, tabletop role-playing games and the 1998 video game John Sinclair: Evil Attacks.[12][13] The novel series is being released in English as of April 2021 by J-Novel Club as part of their J-Novel Pulp imprint.
Most bad guys are destroyed by the end of a novel, but some arch-villains come up quite often against Sinclair until he finds a way to get rid of them permanently. Due to the horror nature of most of the creatures, some return even after being destroyed, most notably Vincent van Akkeren who started mortal and had to be killed 3 times by powers of the light before he stayed dead.
Rellergerd never states exactly which Christian denomination John Sinclair or any of his team is a member of. The silver bullets are made by a Catholic abbot, even though most of the team probably belong to a Protestant variant of Christianity. Suko and Shao are Buddhists.
As of 2020, the John Sinclair series sold over 250 million novel copies and over 5 million audio drama units.[1][12] In Germany, John Sinclair is considered a pop culture and horror icon that has sometimes been compared to Italian comic book hero Dylan Dog.[20][21] Over the years, there have been numerous fan conventions, with one of the most recent ones being a special event in Cologne on July 15, 2023 that commemorated the 50th anniversary of John Sinclair's first appearance in the 1973 story Die Nacht des Hexers.[22][20]
There has also been some scholarly engagement with the Sinclair novels of Jason Dark, particularly as regards their author's powers of imagination and inventiveness, and a positive assessment has on occasion been expressed. Tony Page comments:
"Jason Dark’s imaginative powers have rightly been praised. Indeed, Godden writes: ‘As regards imagination, Jason Dark towers houses high in superiority above Sherlock Holmes creator, Conan Doyle.’ (Godden, 207: 293). This is eminent praise indeed-and is justly bestowed. The sheer inexhaustible inventiveness which Dark displays week upon week, in novel after novel, is testimony to a fertility of imagination which can rightly lay claim to lie within the realm of genius."[23]
The first audio drama series based on John Sinclair consisted of 107 episodes and was produced by Tonstudio Braun, a company based in Wiesbaden, Germany.[24] It was originally distributed on cassette tape from 1981 to 1991, although a remastered version of the old recordings was later released on CD from 2015 to 2021.[25]
In 1999, Lübbe Audio began producing a new audio drama series, which is known as Geisterjäger John Sinclair – Edition 2000. The first episode, Im Nachtclub der Vampire, was released on CD in October 2000 and series creator Helmut Rellergerd eventually received a gold record in 2013 to celebrate 150,000 sold units.[26] In 2016, Rellergerd was presented with a double platinum record to commemorate 400,000 sold units of episode 77.[27] The role of John Sinclair is currently voiced by Dietmar Wunder [de], who is best known for dubbing Daniel Craig in the German version of the James Bond films.[1][28] Episode 170 of the ongoing series was released in April 2024, titled Ein Grab aus der Vergangenheit.[29] There have also been several special editions, including crossovers with Dorian Hunter and Wolfgang Hohlbein's Der Hexer franchise.[30] Over the decades, numerous well-known actors made guest or cameo appearances on the John Sinclair audio drama series, including Carmen-Maja Antoni, Wolfgang Bahro, Hartmut Becker, Rasmus Borowski, Ralph Caspers, Peter Groeger, Peter Matić, Jürgen Prochnow, Oliver Rohrbeck and Martin Semmelrogge.[31][32]
From 2010 to 2023, Lübbe also released the audio drama series John Sinclair Classics, a prequel set before the events of the main series.[31]
Additionally, Lübbe produced the reboot audio drama SINCLAIR (2019–2022), which takes place in an alternate universe.[33] Torben Liebrecht voiced John Sinclair in the limited reboot series.[34]
From 2011 to 2012, Lübbe produced an audiobook series based on the novels that was narrated by Carsten Wilhelm.[35] The series consists of 50 episodes.
There has also been the short-lived audiobook series Sinclair Academy (2016–2017). The spin-off serves as a chronological epilogue to the main series, taking place decades into the future and depicting an elderly John Sinclair.[36]
Another spin-off is the audiobook series Die Suko-Akten, in which Martin May reprises his role as Suko from the regular audio drama.[37]
Lübbe also started releasing Promis lesen Sinclair in 2023, an audiobook series that features German celebrities such as Oliver Kalkofe and Urban Priol reading their favourite John Sinclair stories.[38]
In April 1997, the live-action television film John Sinclair: Brides of the Devil [de] based on the novels premiered on the channel RTL. The film was co-produced by John de Mol Jr., written by Christoph Gottwald [de] and directed by Klaus Knoesel [de]. It starred Florian Fitz [de] as John Sinclair.[10][39][40]
The novels were later also adapted into the television series Geisterjäger John Sinclair that premiered on RTL in January 2000. The role of John Sinclair was recast with Kai Maertens [de] for the series. It consists of nine episodes that were directed by Robert Sigl, John van de Rest, Daniel Anderson and Bernd Fiedler. The series received generally negative reviews from critics, fans of the novel series and author Helmut Rellergerd himself.[11][40][24]
In addition, the John Sinclair novel series has also been translated into various other languages, with some of the stories being published more than once in some European countries. Translated versions of the stories were published in Belgium, England, Finland, France, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.[41] A new English translation is available from J-Novel Club featuring never-before translated stories.[42]
In 2015, Bastei Lübbe released the first issue of John Sinclair – Demon Hunter, an English reboot of the Sinclair series that retells the story from the beginning. It is only loosely based on the original stories by Helmut Rellergerd. This e-book series was written by Gabriel Conroy and ended after 12 issues.
John Sinclair – Demon Hunter was also adapted into an English audio drama series, which was recorded at OMUK Studios, London and Igloo Music, Los Angeles.
12 episodes of the John Sinclair – Demon Hunter audiobook series were released between 2015 and 2019:
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In April 2021, light novel and manga publisher J-Novel Club announced John Sinclair: Demon Hunter as one of three launch titles for its J-Novel Pulp imprint, dedicated to the best of European pulp fiction. Nine volumes, each containing four installments, or "episodes", have been announced. The cover art for this release is by NAMCOOo, artist for the light novel series Outer Ragna.
Volumes 1-3 of J-Novel Club's release feature a reworked version of the 2015 Gabriel Conroy stories. Changes include realigning the stories to their original 1970's time period and reverting alterations to some characters in order to more smoothly transition into Jason Dark's original stories, starting with Volume 4. The J-Novel Club release also sees Conroy's text adapted into British English as the novels were originally written with American spelling and phraseology.
Beginning with Volume 4, the J-Novel Pulp release contains direct, unaltered translations from a selection of Jason Dark's original stories as chosen by the Geisterjäger John Sinclair editors.
In line with J-Novel Club's light novel releases, new installments are first serialized on J-Novel Club's website over a number of weeks for subscribers. The first part of each volume is free for all visitors and requires no membership or subscription to read. Following web serialization, each volume is released as an Ebook at all major digital book retailers. J-Novel Club members who purchase the books directly receive textless versions of the cover art as a bonus.
| No. | Author | Original Episode No. | German Release | J-Novel Club Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabriel Conroy | 1-4 (2015 Edition) | 2015 | May 2021 |
| 1977 is a strange year. Things beyond human understanding have begun to surface, threatening the peace and leaving behind an endless trail of blood. When such incidents arise, it is down to Scotland Yard’s Special Division and their Demon Hunter in residence, John Sinclair, to set things right. But Sinclair is haunted by demons of his own, ones which rival the dark forces attacking innocents around him. Can he conquer one to vanquish the other? | ||||
| 2 | Gabriel Conroy | 5-8 (2015 Edition) | 2015/2017 | June 2021 |
| John Sinclair’s life is many things, but boring is not one of them. When an archaeological expedition ends in a series of questionable deaths, Sinclair’s old friend Bill Conolly begins to investigate. If one set of deadly digs wasn’t enough, an expedition in Yorkshire unearths a vampire graveyard with bloody consequences – including for Sinclair himself. Will he survive his own death and undeath, or wind up as part of a ghoulish banquet alongside the dregs of London? | ||||
| 3 | Gabriel Conroy | 9-12 (2015 Edition) | 2017/2018 | July 2021 |
| In John Sinclair’s line of work, the lines are blurred between supernatural cults and organised crime: both lead to extensive violence and upset the peace. When the two combine into a force threatening to upheave London’s underworld, Sinclair has to team up with a new partner to prevent the Black Dragon from rising in more ways than one. The aftermath brings equally little peace, as Sinclair’s new fling finds herself targeted by dark forces as well. Can he save her without betraying all he holds dear? | ||||
| 4 | Jason Dark | 1, 7, 14, 16 | 1978 | October 2021 |
| It doesn’t take long in the demon hunting business to realise that not everything is as it seems. When a madman is found wandering the woods in Spessart, John Sinclair finds himself at a fairy-tale castle promising its patrons a night they’ll never forget. Little does he know, something far more sinister lurks behind closed doors. An unholy plan to unleash the horrors of a long-lost continent leads Sinclair to team up with his partner Suko, but time is of the essence. Can the infamous Demon Hunter take on the unstoppable force that is the Black Death, or will he lose his head along the way?
Im Nachtclub der Vampire (The Vampires' Nightclub) Das Horror-Schloß im Spessart (Spessart's Castle of Horrors) Der schwarze Henker (The Dark Headsman) Das Mädchen von Atlantis (The Girl from Atlantis) | ||||
| 5 | Jason Dark | 17, 18, 19, 33 | 1978/1979 | December 2021 |
| Demon hunting might be dangerous work, but it comes with travel benefits! John Sinclair and Suko travel to Greece in pursuit of a mysterious magician and the secrets of Atlantis! But even the Mediterranean depths are full of threats... Bound by a promise, the gang return to Britain to slay a vampire coven, before taking flight for New York! But with the meter running on a cursed taxi, will Sinclair make it to Romania in time to prevent Dracula's descendants from rising again - or will a certain Impaler beat him to it?
Original German Stories: Das Dämonenauge (The Demon's Eye) Die Hexenmühle (The Witches' Mill) Das Horror-Taxi von New York (The Horror Taxi from New York) Der Pfähler (The Impaler) | ||||
| 6 | Jason Dark | 34, 35, 38, 42 | 1979 | April 2022 |
| The work of a demon hunter is never done! While John Sinclair's still in Romania, hot on D Kalurac's trail, a band of vampires cause trouble in London. Not only do their spawn infiltrate a British ministry, the vampires even kidnap Bill Connolly's wife and son! John Sinclair has to pull out all the stops to put an end to D Kalurac's plans! But evil is never without company, and John also has to travel to a French monastery to decipher the mystery behind "aeba". Just what could it mean? The final story in this volume sees John head to Wales, where he has to prevent the nachzehrers from rising...and do battle with a familiar face.
Original German Stories: Dracula gibt sich die Ehre (Dracula Cordially Invites) Die Vampirfalle (The Vampire Trap) Die Horror-Reiter (The Skull Crew) Der Totenbeschwürer (The Necromancer) | ||||
| 7 | Jason Dark | 50, 51, 55, 61 | 1979 | 2022 |
| Original German Stories:
Der Gelbe Satan (The Golden Satan) Horror-Kreuzfahrt (The Cruise from Hell) Todeszone London (Death Zone London) Kino des Schreckens (The Cinema of Terror) | ||||
| 8 | Jason Dark | 64, 65, 71, 81 | 1979-1980 | 2022 |
| Original German Stories:
Der Hexer von Paris Gefangen in der Mikrowelt Knochensaat Der Sensenmann als Hochzeitsgast | ||||
| 9 | Jason Dark | 84, 100, 101, 102 | 1980 | 2022 |
| Original German Stories:
Das Buch der grausamen Träume Die Drohung Ein Friedhof am Ende der Welt Das letzte Duell | ||||