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Hellblazer #24 Review: A Mixed Bag Representative of Constantine Himself

John Constantine is at the mercy of a mob boss' spirit in the body of an ex-girlfriend. Burke Day is in the body of Margaret Ames, and the Huntress incapacitated across the room. This looks like it maybe it for the old Hellblazer as Burke sucks the soul from John's body. Constantine has one more gambit left in him, and that is turning Margaret into a vampire and offering the Huntress as a replacement body for Burke.

Hellblazer #24 cover by Tim Seeley and Chris Sotomayor
Hellblazer #24 cover by Tim Seeley and Chris Sotomayor

Thus, we return to the semi-regular show, "Josh takes a look at the last issue of an ending series." This week, we look at Hellblazer #24.

I've had some experience with John Constantine thanks to crossovers as well as the previous iterations of Justice League Dark and Constantine titles. I've not read the original Hellblazer series, so you can be mad at me for being young and under-read again.

Anyway, how does this one stack up? Mixed.

The non-stop cavalcade of Britishisms straddles the line of comedic and unbearable. John's goofiness makes him hard to take seriously at times, but, the next thing you know, he's opening a literal portal to Hell in his chest. Huntress comes off as a plot device, but then she has a dramatic character moment.

The comic simultaneously bites off more than it can chew while knowing exactly the kind of book it's selling.

In a way, that's about as John Constantine as it gets.

Hellblazer #24 art by Davide Fabbri, Christian Dalla Vecchia, and Carrie Strachan
Hellblazer #24 art by Davide Fabbri, Christian Dalla Vecchia, and Carrie Strachan

What is harder to apologize for is the artwork, which stays fairly mediocre throughout the book. Huntress and Margaret are given ludicrous proportions, and the stylism isn't distinct or appealing enough o make up for those choices. I'll admit Constantine's face is given some immaculate detailing, but that isn't prevalent enough to excuse the rest of it. The color work is solid though, often giving a good color gradient in decent number of panels. Even that is marred by some rather stark pages though.

Hellblazer #24 is a decent read. It has some distinctly Constantine moments and an enjoyably vague yet confident conclusion. There are some moments that don't quite click, and the art isn't great. However, the overall product amounts to more than the sum of its parts, and I can recommend it. Feel free to pick it up.



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Joshua DavisonAbout Joshua Davison

Josh is a longtime super hero comic fan and an aspiring comic book and fiction writer himself. He also trades in videogames, Star Wars, and Magic: The Gathering, and he is also a budding film buff. He's always been a huge nerd, and he hopes to contribute something of worth to the wider geek culture conversation. He is also happy to announce that he is the new Reviews Editor for Bleeding Cool. Follow on Twitter @joshdavisonbolt.
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