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The Hellblazer #2 comics review
By Leroy Douresseaux
October 3, 2016 - 21:33
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The Hellblazer #2 cover image |
Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
DC Comic's new publishing event/initiative (entitled “Rebirth”) offers the fourth John Constantine comic book series,
The Hellblazer. It is written by
Simon Oliver; drawn by
Moritat; colored by
Andre Szymanowicz; and lettered by
Sal Cipriano.
The Hellblazer #2 (“The Poison Truth” Part 2) opens with two old friends discussing the good, bad, and awful in the box of deplorable that is
John Constantine. Speaking of the devil, Constantine is being kicked out of his “temporary” shelter, but he has other things on his mind. He is back in
London, and his welcome-me-home gift to the city was bringing it to the edge of destruction. So why hasn't anyone from the London Underworld contacted him any in manner? He hopes to get answers from an old (old) friend,
Clarice Sackville, but she is speaking the language of English romantic poets.
THE LOWDOWN: First, I have to admit that I was and still am a big fan of
Constantine: The Hellblazer simply because the 13-issue series brought John back to form, but had him hell-raising and -blazing in the good old U.S. of A. So, it is not as if
The Hellblazer is the return to some lost form, but returning John to his original stomping grounds makes
The Hellblazer quite formidable.
I did read the one-shot
The Hellblazer: Rebirth, and I pretended to like it a lot more than I really did. I did not read
The Hellblazer #1, but even reading only issue #2, it is clear to me that this could be a damn good read. I say that because The Hellblazer #2 is a damn fine read. Writer John Oliver's script recalls the best years of John, and artist Moritat's eclectic line work and Andre Szymanowicz's watercolor-like hues infuse the story with supernatural atmospherics.
I think
The Hellblazer will cast some old black magic on comic book readers.
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Fans of classic John Constantine will want to read
The Hellblazer.
A-
Rating: A- /10
Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12