Released on November 27th, 2019
I got into Hellblazer late, when Andy Diggle was writing it and it was getting a phenomenal reception. I stayed until the end, #300, which came out way back in 2013 and ended writer Peter Milligan's excellent run. In those years, it was one of my favorite comics. The character was great, the stories great, and the Simon Bisley covers were the best in comics. DC tried two different reboots of the series that didn't last long because they weren't R-rated like the old book. This new reboot, with its stupid title (just call it Hellblazer and number it #301, you fuckwits), is pretty much the same as the old, good book. It's a return to form that's very welcome. There is a reason that John Constantine has stuck around since Alan Moore introduced him in the 80's during his legendary Swamp Thing run. He's a compelling character in a compelling world. He's basically a drunk, cigarette smoking bad ass that also can do magic and ends up dealing with the underbelly of sorcery; demons, ghosts, monsters, etc. Writer Simon Spurrier, who has written Crossed in the past, is kind of a perfect fit for this book. His writing is bonkers and very, very dark. But he can also be very funny. It's a great mix. This issue is truly out there. The basic plot isn't, but the way it unfolds is very much all over the map and often obscure, confusing, wild, bizarre, sick, and disturbing. It's also very, very hard to follow with this heavy English dialect being tossed around. Here's a bit of dialogue from this issue: "Common's hot, bruv. Gone dead-up. Six lost--daaaak shit. How we gonna sell what we got where we can't go, uh?" I'm not sure if this is realistic dialogue...I'd probably have to go sell drugs in the poor part of Liverpool to know this, but it does make the book interesting at least. The plot here has a few drug dealers trying to sell drugs but there are angels that appear in a park at night and peel the skin off of people. Okay. So the drug dealers get John Constantine to help out. Boris Johnson, the real prime minister of the U.K., also makes an appearance at the end as he runs away naked after having sex with some weird, shady guy in an alley. Yep. I guess a book like this can get away with a controversy like that because who the hell reads Hellblazer? This book feels like writer Simon Spurrier doesn't give a fuck about anything. This is truly out there. The dark, gloomy, sketchy art by Aaron Campbell certainly helps to set the tone. So far, only one issue in, this isn't exactly the same or as good as the original Hellblazer. But it definitely feels like it could become similar. Bring on another 300 issues! I've been dying to get back to these dark places. ***
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