Hellblazer #269 - DC

We don't get a whole lot of answers this issue, but . . we do get to see a whole lot of interaction between Constantine and Shade. It all starts out with a kiss. But I don't think it's meant to be romantic. I think Shade kisses John so that he can taste what it is that's inside of him . . the magic that appears to be making him go crazy. And I know that doesn't make it sound any better, but . . I guess it's just the way Shade's magic works. Anyways, from what we see this issue . . I think it all comes down to love and loss. I think John is being attacked because there's someone else that's in love with Epiphany. Specifically, I think it's Carew. I think . . and this is just my opinion . . I think that Carew is attacking John, not necessarily because of the way John feels about Epiphany, but because of the way Epiphany feels about John. I think he's trying to diminish John in her eyes. I think that's why his first act . . the part that's really got him upset, and apparently when he blacked out, is when he attacked Epiphany. He really doesn't remember it, but . . he seems to remember the emotions, and after-effects. And I think that all this other stuff that's happening to him is to stop him from putting all the pieces together. But, like I said, that's just my take on the story. The other reason I'm thinking this is because after John and Shade kiss, there seems to be a tension between them, for this entire issue, because of a girl that John kissed in thier past that Shade fancied. I think that was an issue far enough in the past that it wouldn't even be recognized if it weren't for all the emotions bubbling just below the surface . . the emotions that Carew's spell seems to be bringing out. I think Shade got a taste of that and doesn't realize how it's actually affecting him. Anyways, the issue ends with John and Shade finally making it to Epiphany's apartment, and finding out that it may already be to late. Peter Milligan writes a great story, and seems especially adept with this character. There's a lot of emotions written in to this one. I can't wait to see how it all sorts itself out. Once again, Giuseppe Camuncoli did a good job with the art. And we get another beautiful cover by Simon Bisley.

Hellblazer #268 - Vertigo

John just seems to be sinking deeper and deeper into this cesspool of insanity. However, he did have a lucid moment last issue where he tried to contact Shade . . the changing man. He didn't show up yet, but . . the invitation is out there. However, we do find out this issue that he is indeed being set up. There are 2 orderlies that always seem to show up when he needs subdued, and they also give him his medications. After thinking about taking off his arm, he once again has a lucid moment and lures them into the room so that he can steal their keys. After he bolts, one of the orderlies calls somebody to tell them, 'He's out.' But John just ends up in one of the surgery rooms and once again tries to remove his arm. 'I'd move faster without this arm attached to me. This alien thing weighing me down. Don't know how I've lived this long with something so abhorrent glued to my shoulder.' But after trying, he decides to go for a smaller sacrifice . . his thumb. He wakes up in the surgery ward, not remembering what happened. But then he notices the piece of his thumb missing. The doctor tells him, 'I'm afraid it's bad news. Your thumb. We tried to graft it back onto your hand . . but it wouldn't take. Your blood kept acting strangely, you see. Congealing then . . changing . .' Which is when John becomes really agitated. 'That'll be the demon in my blood. Where is it? My thumb. WHERE IS IT!?' We see one of those orderlies walking out with it like he's just garnered some prize. Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, Shade has made contact with Lenny Shapiro. Apparently she's someone that he's used before. And through her, he finally makes contact with John. He also makes contact with one of the guys in the ward with John. The issue ends with him going out into the courtyard to find Shade in, of all places, a tree. 'Thank you, Lenny. All right, Constantine, kiss me. You called me. You pleaded with me to come. Now kiss me. The mouth, please.' And Epiphany has a bit of trouble with her ex, Carew. Really, he just makes an appearance, but I'm wondering if he might be the guy behind all of this, because of John's involvement with her. I don't know. Hopefully we'll find out next issue. Now that Shade is involved. I love Peter Milligan's stories in this book. He's already a fantastic writer. But on this title he seems to let his inhibitions out. This character seems to have that effect on a lot of people. And Giuseppe Camuncoli is the perfect artist for this series. He really brings a great feel to this book. Also, don't forget about the Simon Bisley cover . . fan-frikkin-tastic!

Hellblazer #267 - Vertigo

John's kind of gone off the deep end here. I don't know if it's bad mojo or bad magic. Or maybe he's just taken to many hallucinogens. But whatever the case . . he thinks, and sees, the city disappearing . . piece by piece. Almost as if there's some giant invisible demon biting off chunks of it. He thinks it's because of Epiphany. He thinks that she's mucking about with his noodle a bit, because of the way he treats her. But nothing he does seems to be helping. He's put wards on the walls of his room. Hell, he's even painted it on his face. But he just can't get the nightmare to stop. In fact, I would've thought it all a dream except that he talks to his mate Chas, and in turn he talks to Epiphany. So if he is having a dream, it's a waking dream. And one that only he can see. Anyways, he visited Epiphany the night before because he started to notice that something was wrong. He was agitated and rather paranoid. He doesn't remember it, but he beat her up pretty badly. The next day as the affects increase he can't help but think of her. He feels guilty, but . . he's also convinced that she's somehow involved. But now he doesn't know if it's her doing the actions, or someone trying to get to her. Or maybe . . keep her away from him. Whichever way . . he worries about her safety. The episode leaves him tied to a bed in a mental facility. But you know John, even in his diminished state he can't help but try to throw a wrench into things. So he starts using the people in the hospital around him, and he reaches out for . . Shade, the Changing Man. I'm not sure what he's going to do to help him, but . . he's pretty intent on getting his attention. I think Peter Milligan does an incredible job with this book. I've been thrilled with every one of his story-arcs, and . . if you look back over the last year or so, all the separate chapters are interconnected. It's like a bit jigsaw that we're gradually being shown the picture. After Simon Bisley's run at the art, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini are providing the visuals now. This is an excellent title. Anyone that's not reading it . . doesn't know what they're missing.

Hellblazer #266 - Vertigo

I was a little lost on the purpose of this whole story . . I think it's a British thing, but it appears to me that it's a fight for power between the Conservative Party and the Tories. John uses his usual magiks and mysticism to win the day here . . the slight shift of hand and misdirection. But . . what I took out of the story was that he was trying to be something that he wasn't anymore. At one time he was like kin to Faeces McCartney and the whole punk revolution. They fought for the same thing, and were moved into action by the words and deeds of Margaret Thatcher. And their idol was Sid Vicious. So when Faeces comes to him saying that his effigy of Sid has been possessed by what he believes to be Sid's soul . . of course John has to go and help. He dresses and poses like one of the Punks, because the only lead they have is that the Conservatives are recruiting them out of a local pub. When he provokes a fight between him and Epiphany's new boyfriend, the person watching is intrigued by his handling of the situation. When he's taken to meet the Party, he realizes that this whole thing revolves around some old souls taking up residence in reanimated corpses . . in an attempt to try to gain some power. He introduces them to Faeces effigy, hoping that when the soul realizes he's not who he thinks he is . . he'll get mad and destroy all the other wayward souls. Which he does. But John tells Faeces that this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole bunch more of these characters out there. And right now . . John's to tired to deal with them all. I think jumping back into this lifestyle, John got a taste of what he felt when he was young and lived it the first time, but . . he also realized that he's not young anymore. And he's already played that game once . . when it was relevant to him. But now . . now it's time for someone else to take up the charge and find their own reasons for retaliating against an oppressive regime. He's got other battles that he feels are important, and that's where he needs to focus his attention. I think he's finally decided to cut the strings between he and Epiphany also. It's flattering to have someone young, and attractive around who idolizes you. But . . since he can never do anything about it, and the temptation is driving him crazy . . it's best just to pull the plug and put 'er down. He's just going to hold Epiphany back from whatever she can be. And he's going to wear himself out trying to keep up with her. It's a no-win situation. Besides . . I think Epiphany just reminds him of what he already lost . . Phoebe. Anyways, I don't know if that's what Peter Milligan's story was actually about, but . . that's what I took out of it. So, to me . . something that prompts that much thought in this little cranium, can't be all bad. I'm just joking. I really enjoyed the story. Peter is brilliant. And of course it was even better because Simon Bisley did all of the art. I've been fan of this book for a long time. And this is a good example why.

Hellblazer #265 - Vertigo

I have not doubt that this story is a piece of work. It's going to be a big deal in the time to come. But right now . . I honestly have no idea what's going on. Well . . that's not entirely true. I can figure out kind of where everything is coming from, but . . I just don't know how it's all connected. Basically, there's a political group in England . . the Conservative Party. It's trying to cause unrest in the city through random acts of violence. And it's using angst driven teens . . mostly punk rockers, to perform it's acts of insolence. Somehow this connects to John because he used to be one of those punk-rockers. An old friend of his, Faeces, and also a punk-rocker, contacts him. He's got a cult kind of thing going called the Vicious. Obviously they worship Sid Vicious. Anyways, he's got this shrine built, with a mannequin that does bear a bit of resemblance. But the most important parts of it are the items that he's acquired that were actually Sid's. He's got his biker boots, the syringe he killed himself with, and the knife he supposedly used on Nancy Spungeon. And Faeces swears that Sid is inside. Well . . John isn't in a drug-addled state, so . . obviously he doesn't believe it. However, when he approaches, he does seem to be psychically attacked by something. He doesn't know if it's Sid, or just some demon, but . . he does know that it's to dangerous to be left in the hands of these losers. Anyways, back to the political thing . . as I said, the old men who are running this operation are using young kids to do their dirty deeds. And one boy in particular, James, seems to be in charge of managing these unruly kids. They come face to face with John before this is all over . . and kick the crap out of him. But . . I think that was John's intentions. I think he wanted to get a feel for who he was facing, and that was the best way to do it. We get a glimpse of the old men's faces on the final panel. They appear to be either very, very old . . or they're the living dead . . zombies, or resurrected corpses or whatever. John thinks he knows who he's facing, but . .I don't know that he really does. And other than the political angle, I don't know what these people are really after. Obviously the punk angle is a misdirection, but why? Luckily this is only a 2 part story, so . . next issue everything should come together and be resolved. Like I said, this is most likely a classic in the making. Especially with Peter Milligan and Simon Bisely involved. I just hope that it makes more sense after reading the second part.

Hellblazer #264 - Vertigo

This issue wraps up John's story in Mumbai. He's been chasing after this Colonel whom after death turned in to a demon. It appears a local Sadhu, a shaman, in his younger years had put a curse on this man before he died. He knew how evil he was and was trying to make sure that he paid for his sins. So . . the Colonel hooks up with a local Bollywood producer and has him bring him young females as sacrifices. I'm sure the guy was just scared, but . . he didn't realize that with every sacrifice the Colonel demon was becoming stronger and stronger. Anyways, this Sadhu had summoned John to Mumbai to help take care of this demon. In return he promises to try to help reunite John with Phoebe. John probably could've figured this out on his own, but Epiphany shows up to offer her help and support. John doesn't want to involve her, but . . she does have certain talents. So while John is being questioned by the local police, Epiphany comes up with a concoction to draw out the demon. John's done this before, but this time . . this time Epiphany has learned it's weakness. It appears that there was a battle with the Sepoy's where the Colonel turned tail and ran. Leaving all of his men at the mercy of the enemy. However, since he survived, he lied about the story and ended up getting full honors for bravery. That's the chink in his armor. John confronts him with that memory, the Colonel lets his guard down and John strikes freeing all of the lost souls that the Colonel has collected . . the source of his power. The Sadhu does fulfill his promise, but . . Phoebe channels herself through Epiphany. 'J . John . .? Wh . . what you are doing . . it is . . wrong . . I . . I need to move on. Y . . you're stopping me . . I am dead. Let me go . . get on with your life. I must . . .' So . . the story kind of has a happy ending, and . . it doesn't. The Colonel has been vanquished, but . . Mumbai remains pretty much unchanged. I'm sure there's other demons out there. And for now John is going to leave Phoebe behind. I'm sure until he gets another glimmer of hope somewhere. And he's still clueless as to how Epiphany really feels about him. That, or he's scared to death of her father. It could go either way. I really liked this story by Peter Milligan and Giuseppe Camuncoli. I thought they did a great job with it, and it fits right in with the rest of the Hellblazer stories, or . . urban legends. The cover is by Simon Bisley, whom apparently is returning next issue to do the interiors. This really is a good book. If you're not reading it, you should give it a shot. There's lots of TPBs out there to whet your whistle with.

Hellblazer #263 - Vertigo

Peter Milligan only gives us bits and pieces of the puzzle this issue. John is in India right now. He's enlisted the aid of this mage to help him get Phoebe back, but . . the mage has asked for some help in return. It seems there's a demon hunting the streets of Mumbai, and he's taking the lives of wanna-be Bollywood starlets. Which is really no coincidence, because he has a casting director working for him. Anyways, this demon is the incarnation of an old reprobate who used to run in the circles of the rich and elite in India, Colonel George Burke of the White Hussars. It seems he had a sadistic appetite even when he was a live, but it's been made worse by his acclimation of power. Anyways, Epiphany ends up in India also. It appears that the mage sent a dream to her. He told her that she should come here looking for John. However, the casting director was in love with one of the victims that the demon has chosen. He tries to save her, to barter with the demon, but he ends up killed in the process. So that means, the demon is loose with no one to control, or guide it. Things are about to get ugly in the streets of Mumbai. As always, Peter is writing an interesting story here. And Giuseppe Camuncoli is interpreting it with his unique style of art. It's supposed to wrap up next issue, so . . I can't wait to see what happens. By the way . . beautiful cover by Simon Bisley.

Hellblazer #262 - Vertigo

Peter Milligan does a fantastic job with this character. I really like the feel that he gives to John. Not to mention the Simon Bisley cover, and the Giuseppe Camuncoli art. Anyways, last issue John arrived in Mumbai and was almost immediately attacked by some sort of demon. In the beginning of this issue, on of John's old associates comes to his aid, Sadhu. Well . . that is to say . . he showed up, and the demon left. We find out the the demon was actually once Colonel Burke of the White Hussars. 'He is an evil and callous old bugger, his head full of racism and sexual vileness.' Apparently he put him in a dark place, after the colonel did some unspeakable things to a Dalit many years ago. There he festered and grew terrible until a Bollywood producer got a Fakir to release him. Like the demon, the producer also lusts after young Indian women. Anyways, this issue is mostly about John and Sadhu trying to set a trap for him, and bringing us the story of the Bollywood producer. Sadhu promises to help John with Phoebe once they vanquish the demon. Like I said, I think Peter is doing a great job here. I really dig his stories. And I love the humor and ego that he writes into John's character. I hear there's talk of another Hellblazer movie. If so, I hope Peter at least consults on it, if he doesn't write it. This is a great series. You should really pick it up . . if you aren't.

Hellblazer #260 - Vertigo

Man . . it's to bad Simon Bisely can't stay on this book forever. Well, I know that would never happen. But a few more issues would be nice. First of all we get this fantastic cover by Simon. Then on the inside . . Simon does a bang-up job with the art. I kind of expected it to look like his stuff from the various Lobo books he's done. But . . this had a completely different feel to it. But cool, none the less. Anyways, Peter Milligan's story here is called the Long Crap Friday. John is already be chased by the police for Phoebe's death. Now he's being chased by a gangster too . . Terry Greaves. His daughter is/was Epiphany. So, since it looks like she's dead too . . Terry wants to rip his intestines out. Actually he want to turn him into meat-pie and sell him in the old east end, to tourists. John is ready to skip the country and go to India, where he thinks that Charles will be able to help him. But before he can get out, Terry gets John's mate Chas and is torturing him, with promises to kill if John doesn't return. John comes back and does a little voodoo that brings Phoebe out of her little trance . . or coma . . whatever. So now that Terry's happy . . as long as Epiphany's condition doesn't change . . John is once again trying to get off to India and see if his friend Charles can help him bring Phoebe back. And yes, by back I mean . . back to the land of the living. It's a long shot, but John still thinks he can do it. These last 2 issue have been fantastic. The next 4 issues are going to be the India storyline. Peter will again be writing, with Giuseppe Camuncoli doing the art. This is a great series. You should check it out . . if you aren't.

Hellblazer #259 - DC

Oh my gosh! What a fantastic book. Simon Bisley provides the art for Peter Milligans story this issue, and . . it looks frikkin' fantastic. The art from the cover here is basically what we get through the whole issue . . with a little darker edge to it. John has gone to Chaz's wife's summer-house to try to be alone. Well . . that and he's trying to lay low because of Phoebe's recent death. He's shown in all the papers as her murderer. He tried to bring her back last issue, but instead ended up resurrecting her whole family in all the graves around her. They didn't seem like a very pleasant bunch. Anyways, he crosses over this issue in another attempt to find her. Instead he winds up in one of the circles of hell. He's not sure how he got there, or why, but he feels like he's being called. He finds what he thinks is Phoebe . .the unpleasant looking thing on the cover with needles and scalpels for fingers . . but he's confused as to why she's being presented this way. He wants to get out, to try to go back and try something different. Unfortunately he's in such a hurry that in the process he leaves the door open . . this creature follows him. He ends up sending it back, but in the process destroys much of Renee's family cottage. Chaz is going to catch hell for that. I thought it was a great issue. I really enjoy this book. I know John is a bit of as ass, but . . he's a likable ass. And I'm really enjoying the way that Peter is interpreting him. Also, luckily for us . . Simon Bisley will be returning next issue. What more could we ask for?

Hellblazer #258 - Vertigo

Last issue John realized that he had let Phoebe alone, and that Ekkimu might do something crazy. Of course he realizes this as he driving across town. He gets back to find Phoebe dead. He's distraught and trying to figure out what to do when Aisha comes in. This is her best friend, and seeing the blood on John, plus knowing what they've been through of late . . she jumps to the conclusion that John did it. Unfortunately, at the present time, he can't afford to argue with her because Phoebe's body is going to begin to decompose rather quickly, and he wants to preserve it. Why? So that he can bring her back. He performs an incantation and then takes off. He quickly goes back to Epiphany for help. She says she may have something lying around that he can use, but . . the person administering it has to be pure of heart. We all know that's not John, but . . he thinks he can fool them. Before he leaves though, Epiphany's father comes in and warns her away from John. "Piffy, this one's bad news! If I find out you've been fu#$%ng around with my daughter . . ." I have a feeling that this Terry Greaves is gonna be a whole new round of trouble in John's life. Especially after what he puts Epiphany through. Against her better judgement she decides to help John, so they go to the graveyard. Seeing as how Terry has such a high standing in the community, the plots surrounding her are all relatives and distant family members. Long story short, they administer the potion and everyone of her family members rise . . except for her. One of them puts a lip-lock on Epiphany that puts her in some kind of trance. So John has to get all the other corpses back, cover up Phoebe and get Epiphany back to her home. And that's not even thinking about the hell he's going to have to deal with, with Terry. The thing I like about this book, and Peter Milligan in particular, is the way all these different story-arcs run together. It's like real life. Sure we all have different phases . . periods we go through, but . . when the problems get resolved, or not . . life still goes on. Everything is all connected. We can compartmentalize various events, but . . in the end it's all connected, and everything affects everything. That's the way this book is set up. It feels like we're actually watching this guys life. Also, Giuseppe Camuncoli's art has really grown on me over the last few issues. His style fits this book well. But next issue we get the art of Simon Bisely. Cool! I've been reading this book since issue #1, and I think it's as good now as it's ever been. I wonder if we might get another movie some day. Huh?

Hellblazer #257 - Vertigo

First of all . . this issue has a fantastic cover by Simon Bisley. This issue, John is feeling the effects of this romance potion that he got from Epiphany. He had decided that he might've blown it with Phoebe, but . . he was actually missing her. However, he didn't think that there was any way she'd give him a second chance. However, on his way to see her, he had to stop at Julian's for some more of the 'skin' he's been using to treat his 'rash'. But . . he's becoming addicting to it. He doesn't like being a slave to anyone . . or anything. So, while there, he uses a bit of the potion on Julian. You know John's a crafty devil . . you didn't see that one coming? Anyways, Phoebe seems to be giving him everything he wants, and Julian can't stop thinking about him. Phoebe's lust is just an act though. She thought that John might be up to something so she had a colleague of hers analyze the wine that John had given her. She know something is up, but she doesn't know what. Julian on the other had, is obsessed. He offers John his hearts desires, but before he is tempted John lights his apartment, and all the dead skin on fire. Now he has 2 problems, first he has to go cold turkey on this treatment that he's exposed himself to. And secondly . . he wants to come clean with Phoebe. He still wants her . . he just doesn't want her like this. Luckily though, when he does finally get the story out to Phoebe, she does have some compassion and helps John get through the rough couple days of detox. Immediately after he gets pulled away when his mate Chas is having some problems. But it isn't long before he realizes that he's been set up . . Julian was pulling him away so that he could go after Phoebe. Now we just have to hope that John gets back in time. This is another fantastic story by Peter Milligan. Unfortunately it doesn't look like Andy Diggle will be getting back to this title any time soon. But they've actually upped the ante a bit by getting Peter on board. So far he's shown that he's a master at this type of story. I also think that Guiseppe Camuncoli is doing a good job of making this character his own. This series goes up and down for me sometimes, but . . right now I definitely feel like they're on the right track. Not bad for an alternative book that's been around for over 20 years now.

Hellblazer #256 - Vertigo

You'd think after all this time in this game, John Constantine would know better than to muck about in places that he knows so little about. This story basically stems out of his still wanting Phoebe. The problem is, it's one of those 'you always want what you can't have' scenarios. So, he turns to the alchemy of one of his 'friends', Epiphany Greaves, to cook him up a little love potion. Part of the problem is his involvement with Julian. He's the little teen-aged magician who's got John hooked on the 'juice' that he keeps giving him fight his magical excema. He goes to Julian shortly after he gets the potion from Epiphany. He doesn't like the way that Julian has turned him into his little bitch because he keeps dangling this carrot in front of him. So he decides, he's still got a bit of the potion left . . why not muck-about with Julian a bit also? Like I said, you'd really think that John would know better. But sometimes . . he just jumps into the pool without looking to see what else might be in there. I think it's one of his character flaws. So then, Phoebe gives him a call. She's decided that even though John, and his life, scare her . . she's also intrigued and excited when she's around him. She wants to give 'them' another shot. And now that John has a chance at what he wants . . he doesn't really know if he wants it anymore. And therein lies the problem with magic. We all think we know what we want, what we need, but . . "be careful what you wish for . . you just might get it". I'm glad that Peter Milligan is back on this series. I really enjoy his writing and what he brings to this book, and this character. The interior art is by Giuseppe Camuncoli, with that cool cover by Simon Bisley.

Hellblazer #255 - Vertigo

John's story in this arc is wrapped around that of a family that died from the plague in London, circa 1665. There's a construction site in Kent where their building for the Olympics. It just happens to be over top of some of the plague pits. Anyways, as this story has progressed we've watched what this family did during that time to try to survive and stay together. John thinks he's found the ghost of one of the plague doctors, but actually it turns out to be the father from this family. He's asked John to move the bones from the grave because of the terrible things that he'd done. It turns out when it wasn't sure that they'd all be able to escape London safely, he killed his wife and daughter, and then himself, so that they wouldn't be torn apart. When John finally learns the whole truth of the man's story . . he refuses to help. "You killed the people you loved . . rather than risk losing them. You're just a fu#$%ng coward Fernby. Far as I'm concerned you can rot here for eternity." The point of this whole story though was to show Constantine that what he's been doing with Pheobe, is pretty much along the same lines. He's been pushing her away because he figured it wasn't going to work out anyways, so why prolong it? But . . he really likes her. Now he's wondering if he isn't handling things the same way that Fernby did. I thought it was a pretty intelligent story. Peter Milligan did a fantastic job. But then . . I didn't expect anything less. I also thought that Goran Sudzuka did a good job on the art. It really had the feel of the 'old' Hellblazer stories . . you know, from back in the beginning of the series. This title is on it's way to becoming one of my favorites again. I'm really enjoying it, and look forward to it every month. Whodathunkit? . . . some 20 years later.

Hellblazer #254 - Vertigo

This could be an interesting story. The Scab story has wrapped up and now we're on to Regeneration. It's funny buy Peter Milligan's stories never end up being what you think they're about. The last story-line . . at first we thought the title was literal . . John was covered with a scab, hence the name. Actually, it ended up being about the Scabs that had to fill in on the docks when this guy forced the unions to go on strike . . way back when. This story starts out with John having visions of this Plague Doctor from back in England during 1665. That's when the great plague was making it's way across Europe. We start out assuming that Regeneration has something to do with that. However, by the end of the book we find out that it actually has something to do with the construction site for the 2012 Olympics that'll be coming to England. John's walking across England and comes upon the site by accident. The road's blocked and he see's the construction and stuff going on behind the blockade. There's a plague announcing the site on the wall, but there's also some graffiti. It has a picture of what looks like the Plague Doctor, and it says "Fu#$ the Olympics". The construction worker says to him, "Regeneration, innit." I'm not sure what he meant by that. Anyways, he goes back to his flat and finds Emil there. He's upset because he isn't happy about the Olympics coming to town, and he's been speaking up about it. "The destruction of allotments, the eviction of travellers, the much vaunted regeneration that's little more than a shopping mall in Stratford. All costing millions." After some conversation, Emil decides to take him down to the construction site. He explains to him that the images of the Doctor are basically a symbol of their resistance. On the way he tells him, "It's the poor who suffer, of course, the marginalized. Same thing happened during the great plague. The wealthy fled London . . but armed guards kept the poor inside the city . . the only way they could get out was if they had a Certificate of Health. Probably about as easy to get hold of as tickets to the Olympics will be. There's a plague pit somewhere around here. The Olympic village is being built upon those poor souls' final resting place." So that, as we say, is the meat and potatoes of the story. That's how what John's been having visions of is connected to what's going on in London. Somehow these spirits, from the plague, seem to be rebelling about the desecration of their ground. When John finds the location, there appears to be a tremor and the ground opens up. Out of it comes the Plague Doctor covered in blood . ."You. You are the one . . I've been waiting for." In typical Constantine fashion, John replies "Well . . . I suppose this beats staying in and watching television." I think this looks to be an interesting story. But it's only a 2 parter, so . . it'll be wrapped up next issue. We still have some residuals left over from the last story-line though. John still has a bit of a scab, and . . he still has to deal with Phoebe. And the question . . does he want to be alone, or not? This issue is drawn by Goran Sudzuka. It's in a completely different style that what we're used to with this book, but . . I think it looks nice. Sometimes it's good to be different. This issue seems to be the beginning of an interesting story-line. I'll be interested to see how it all plays out.

Hellblazer #253 - Vertigo

This is an interesting issue. This is chapter 3 of the Scab story-line. Really, my only complaint about this issue is that I thought it was all rather tidily wrapped up. That's not usually the case when John is involved. But, then again . . maybe not. This whole incident is because of something John did many years ago. This Lord Downing wanted to break up the Docker's Union, and stop a strike, so he employed John to work a little 'magic' on the instigators. The chief of which was the union leader, "Red" Mal Brady. This issue John finds the source of the Scab to be in Liverpool. That's where this whole incident went down 12 years ago. And specifically it's tied to him and "Red". He gets the necessary 'magics' to counteract the curdled magic that's affecting them, but he can't get it to stick because of the guilt and remorse that "Red" is feeling. But then it dawns on him that it's actually his own guilt and remorse that's causing the problem. So, he has to confess to "Red" what he did . . telling him that it wasn't his fault, but rather his own. And then, for penance, he goes down to a local 'Docker' bar and started slagging off the Dockers. "A few of them dragged me outside and gave me a good kicking. With every well-aimed boot, I felt a little piece of my guilt float away." The only problem is, I think in the process he may have pushed Phoebe away. Or maybe he did it on purpose. Either way, I don't know that he'll be in that relationship any more. But . . I could be wrong. That's just the feeling that I got from the way the story ended. Overall I thought it was another great Peter Milligan story. I wasn't thrilled with Giuseppe Camuncoli's pencils . . at first. But by the end of the issue I thought he gave a good feeling to the whole thing. Like I said, I really only had 1 complaint, but . . that could just be me looking for something.

Hellblazer #252 - Vertigo

I love Peter Milligan's stories. They always end up being fantastic. The only thing is, in the middle . . sometimes it's hard to tell what's really going on. That's the way I'm seeing this story-arc. John is covered with scabs and lesions. And they seem to be affecting the people around him. As does the rest of his 'magic' . . . most of the time. But this time it's affecting a woman that he's trying to have a normal relationship with. Yeah . . right. Somehow the scabs that flaked off of him when he was at Pheeb's apartment have come into a life of their own. I assume, 5 or 6 years ago, Pheeb had an abortion. The scabs that John left behind, by accident, have grown into a child that now wants to see it's mother. It tells John . . "I . . I'd like to build some kind of relationship with her. Get to know her. I might not be normal but I'm still a person, with rights. I have memories. I feel emotions." However, I think all of this revolves around a man named Lawrence . . actually Sir Lawrence. It has to do with someone he had dealings with in the past, Mal Brady. Red Mal. A Docker's union negotiator. Something happened during this business, or transaction, and now it's coming back. I don't know the 'hows' or 'whys' yet, but . . that's my best guess. Now I just have to wait for the story to progress a little farther and all the pieces to start coming together. And somewhere along the line I'll have an epiphany and think . . "Of course! I should've known it all along." In the meantime . . John's heading to Liverpool. Giuseppe Camuncoli does the art for this issue. I think this is a great book and a fantastic character. It's one of those books that leaves you thinking about things. Usually things you'd probably rather not be thinking about.

Hellblazer #251 - Vertigo

The title of this story . . Scab, is, I think, both figurative and literal. Basically, John has this huge scab that's covering his chest. He knows that it's some kind of curdled black-magic, but he doesn't know how or why. And, no matter who he contacts, he can't seem to find anyone that can do anything about it. However, in the beginning of the story, 12 years ago, we see this guy Mal and his wife Mary. They're being rattled by some people calling him a scab because he worked in a union shop when they were on strike. Mary is also pissed that Mal brought this kind of attention to them. However, in the present, when John's trying to figure out what's going on with all of this, we see this same guy walking down the street and he's still talking about that argument with his wife. He goes into a pharmacy for some cream because he has the same type of scab on his chest. So I'm thinking somehow this guy got cursed and it flowed over to John for some reason. Anyways, John also seems to have a new interest now . . Phoebe. They're doing the usual new relationship thing where they're telling each other everything about their past. In John's case . . at least most of it. Anyways, he's pretty honest with her and she doesn't seem to scare off easily. However, when she takes a piece of the scab to the hospital for testing, it ends up attaching itself to her clothes when she leaves. Later when she goes to sleep, it floats off of her clothes and into her ear. Which gives her bad dreams and seemingly a ghost in her apartment. She's doing a little cussing at John now. She seems to be scared and pissed. This is the first issue by our new creative team of Peter Milligan and Giuseppe Camuncoli. It seems that Peter has really sunk his teeth into this series as he already has a whole year of stories planned out. I thought that Andy Diggle did a good job with this series, but . . we may have yet to see the best. I can't wait to see how Peter unfolds the tales in this book. It should be a wild ride.

Hellblazer #250 - Vertigo

This was a great book. The thing I liked about it the most was that it really takes us back to the meat & potatoes of this character. I've been praising this book the last few months mostly because it really seems that Andy Diggle is trying to get this character back to his roots. Yeah things may be a little more complicated now . . with this laughing magician thing and his reality separated twin, but . . I really think that Andy has a firm grasp on this character and will do great things with him in the future. Now, unfortunately, Andy doesn't partake in this issue. He's probably resting from his last couple of story-arcs . . and, these are all short stories with holiday themes. The writers on this issue include Brian Azzarello, Jamie Delano, Dave Gibbons, China Mieville and Peter Milligan. They all do a fantastic job of blending John's particular character, and nature, with the holiday theme that's expressed on the cover. Which by the way is a fantastic cover by Lee Bermejo. There's also some great art on the inside of this issue. Sean Phillips, Jamie Delano, Rafael Grampa', Eddie Campbell and Giuseppe Camuncoli all contribute to the interiors. Really, this would be a great issue to pick up even if you haven't been following the series. All the stories are really stand alone chapters, and they all give us some great insight into the characters complexity. It really would be a great place for someone to start anew with this book. Yes, that's a huge hint! You won't be disappointed though. Just tell them . . I sent you.

Hellblazer #249 - Vertigo

I learned a part about John Constantine's history this issue that I guess I missed somewhere along the line. It appears that while John is the Laughing Magician, really . . he is, and he isn't. Apparently, when John was born, his arse of a father tried to give his mom a homemade abortion. It killed John's mother, but not him. However, it did kill John's twin brother who was growing inside of there with him. While in another reality, the same thing happened . . of sorts . . but it was John's brother that survived and not him. It all has something to do with magic and synchronicity. John's seen bits and pieces of him before, but apparently he's never put anything together until now. Once, long ago, they tried to reconcile and merge but John's ego was to strong, and they separated like oil and water. Plus, from John's point of view, "I was off my tits on magic mushrooms at the time, and nothing seemed to have changed afterwards. I figured it was just a bad trip. That was real?" He also saw him at Ravenscar when he cast a mirror cage spell there, but he was just in the shadows so he never put it all together. But ever since, he's been hiding in John's head. He's been waiting there for John to become weak enough for him to take over. After they couldn't merge, John picked up Cancer. "When that didn't work out, you tried a more subtle approach, didn't you . . . ? Broke my heart. Made me a drunk. No wonder it's been so hard to try and pull my shit together! Every time I try to reassert some control over my life, you've been there to drag me down again!" So John uses the power of his mind . . since that's where they're at, and he's in control . . to remove him. He pictures a scalpel. " Think of it as a visual metaphor. I'm having you surgically removed." Afterwards, as he's lying on the floor, with the shattered mirrors around him . . ."Fuck it. I go me own way. Always have." Again, high praises for Andy Diggle. He has done a tremendous job in the short time that he's been on this series. I absolutely love what he's brought to this book. It's the perfect book for his style. And I also think that renewed energy has lit a spark in Leonardo Manco. His work looks great also. I've been reading this book for quite a while, but I haven't been this excited about it . . in years. Congrats to all for turning out such a great book.