Hellblazer #234 - Vertigo

John has a heightened sense now. Well . . . I don't know if I would call it heightened. It's more like . . . he's been walking around in the fog for a while. Well now, with him wrapping up loose ends at Ravenscar, it's like the fog has lifted. His senses are actually what they've always been. But right now, with the fog lifted, it's like he can see colors that he forgot were there. So he feels more attuned than he has in a long while. Anyways he's kind of stumbled across this gang. Group of boys really. Started out innocent enough. But then after getting in trouble for so long, and being blamed for things, they decided to be as bad as they're expected to be. Why not? They go by the Hunger Hill Massive. Because . . . that's where they live. The Hunger Hill projects. I know. Not very original. But . . a neat name, none the less. Anyways, everything's going along innocently enough. Well . . . as innocent as they can for a group called the Hunger Hill Massive. But then one day, during an uneventful afternoon of beer drinking, one of the boys, Danny, is . . . I guess . . . possessed. Basically, something takes control of him, hot-wires a car, goes for a joy-ride, and then deliberately runs over a baby-carriage. Danny appears to wake up, with blood running down his face, and a man outside screaming about his baby. He doesn't remember any of it. But he doesn't feel guilty about it, because he doesn't feel connected. At the same time, John is looking in to the Hunger Hill Projects, because his mate Haine chose to live there. He had heard that they were cursed, and he likes to be close to magic. Even the bad kind. Well Haine doesn't live there any more, because he's dead and stuffed in the trash chute. On the final pages another of the boys, Gav, calls Danny and tells him to meet him in the park, and to bring a hammer. Danny finds him laying on the ground. Gav gets up, takes the hammer, and proceeds to beat Danny's head in. Very disturbing image. Anyways, this is part 1 of a new story-arc, so we don't get all the answers this issue. But Andy Diggle seems like he was made to write this book. He really seems to have a feeling for these characters. But what's really improved, is Leonardo Manco's art. He's been on this book . . . off and on actually . . . for quite a while. I don't know if it's Andy's stories, or just a renewed energy, but I think this is some of Leonardo's best work. Ever! It really, really looks good. So this whole book just feels like it has this renewed energy to it. Almost like the book felt when it very first came out. Fantastic.