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| Lee Bermejo offers up this striking cover image for Hellblazer 229. |
Hellblazer #229 is a one-off story, entitled “With a Little Help from My Friends.” It is scripted by
Mike Carey, who at the time of publication was
Hellblazer’s former series writer. This issue was a stand alone story to fill in before Andy Diggle took over as series scribe with issue 230.
The story begins with series star
John Constantine having a few drinks at the pub with his friends, when one of them asks for a favor. John is reluctant to get involved, but he will do the favor. Still, as he always does, John has a unique way of illustrating a point, or few points, as is the case here – about good deeds…, helping a stranger, minding your own business, etc.
John once met twin sisters, who were seemingly in the midst of a feud. Wheel chair-bound
Ella wanted John to retrieve something from her sister,
Anna that belongs to Ella. Anna is willing to give up the goods, but she wants the highly-resourceful Constantine to obtain a holy relic for her. The relic’s keeper also wants something, and before long, John is up to his stomach in demon flesh and hungry wolves.
THE LOWDOWN: A tightly paced tale,
Hellblazer #229, literally drags the reader across the span of 22 pages in just a few minutes. Like a dastardly Elliot leaving a trail of candy for E.T. to follow, Carey introduces a steady flow of sweet nothings and candy-coated elements that keeps us following the intrigue he’s created. It’s not perfect; it’s just perfectly entertaining.
The art team of
John Paul Leon (pencils/inks) and
Lee Loughridge (colors) mixes a noir-ish sensibility (Leon) with a 2-color and monochromatic rhythm (Loughridge). It’s the perfect palette for this supernatural hardboiled detective/hired gun tale.
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Long time fans and those looking for a $3 comic that delivers the entire package in one sitting.
B+
