The original Hellblazer still looms as a titanic comics accomplishment – spanning 25 years, 300 issues, and a laundry list of elite talent. What’s even more impressive is that in an industry dominated by technicolor heroes and action-packed events, it focused entirely on the life of a con man with a heart of pyrite, at best, to detail the personal and social failings of its era. In the intervening years since its conclusion, John Constantine has continued to appear in the pages of DC Comics, most often as one of those technicolor heroes throwing spells in action-packed events. That’s why the 12-issue run of John Constantine: Hellblazer by writer Simon Spurrier and artists Aaron Campbell and Matías Bergara felt like a genuine return to form. It embraced the truly anti-heroic nature of Constantine’s character while delving into the xenophobic and increasingly isolated world of post-Brexit Britain, but was gone too soon. That’s why the reunion of Spurrier and Campbell for another Hellblazer miniseries beginning this week is cause to celebrate as one of comics’ icons returns from the dead once more… for the most part, at least.
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John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1 picks up shortly after the conclusion of John Constantine, Hellblazer #12 with John still (technically) dead and joined by two companions unable to unravel themselves from his schemes. However, it picks up across the pond in the not-so-great state of Florida as John and his companions flee the law amongst other problems.
Readers who missed those earlier misadventures shouldn’t hesitate to pick up this issue. As was the tradition on classic Hellblazer, if you know John Constantine is a bastard, then you know enough to jump in. The first issue succinctly summarizes its status quo, addressing John’s supporting cast, his current disposition, and the desperate gamble that may save some of them from their current fates.
The efficiency with which Dead in America re-establishes its reality and introduces new (and familiar) threads to it may be its greatest feat. This introduction is about laying the groundwork for whatever is to come, as the three opening pages reveal just how far the core trio must travel in the issues to come. Spurrier finds natural opportunities to deliver exposition and introduce an array of familiar guest appearances, utilizing every sequence to serve multiple needs. The inevitable appearance of Dream—this series does fall under DC’s Sandman banner—is far from perfunctory. In addition to providing a key story hook, it characterizes the self-deluding mage driving that story and begins to color in Spurrier and Campbell’s vision for magic in America. The Dream sequence stands out as being the most impressive, by far, as Campbell’s layouts and Jordie Bellaire’s colors transform each page into a singular piece. Dream’s form and the stars and stripes suggest larger conflicts and the hegemonic sorts of power being considered.
It is apparent from the first few pages that Dead in America will not simply be a fish out of water story, although the inclusion of a red double-decker bus from London plants a very funny flag on that dynamic. Much like Spurrier and Campbell’s prior work contemplated the modern state of the United Kingdom, this story is turning its critical eye towards the superpower Britain spawned. An early sequence featuring a demonic interrogation plays upon familiar Hellblazer tropes to great effect. In addition to Campbell’s abstract depictions of Hell’s forces warping reality, lacking any distinct form when revealed, it summons something unfamiliar that speaks for America. What’s shown is intriguing, to say the least.
Much like the components of a spell, Dead in America #1 is ultimately about potential. The characters, their dynamics, settings, themes, humor, and style are all displayed, and they are all impressive. As John Constantine’s mostly-dead form lumbers westward across the United States, an array of encounters await readers bound to question the nation’s very nature. If past success is any indicator, then Hellblazer is back in fine form and the answers it’s aiming to uncover will be anything but pleasant.
Published by DC Comics
On January 16, 2024
Written by Simon Spurrier
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Aditya Bidikar
Cover by Aaron Campbell
