I've said it before and I'll no doubt say it again, I have no particular love for the character of John Constantine. I like him fine, but I follow Hellblazer largely because DC keeps getting these writers that I like: Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello and now Mike Carey. Given how good Lucifer is, how could I not at least check it out? But while I suspect traditional Hellblazer fans will be happy to see a more traditional (and London-based) take on Constantine return, complete with previous Hellblazer artist Steve Dillon, I have to admit that this first issue seemed like old hat to me. Well-constructed, reasonably interesting, recalling Ennis's run to some degree, but not new enough to really draw me in.
Constantine's return to London (or, as a reader gently corrected me, Liverpool) is handled in a nice, low-key fashion that befits the character and tips its hat to Azzarello's run without requiring new readers to know anything about it. Carey cleverly just brings John right back into the kind of mystical mess he's used to running into, this time involving relatives, and given that this sort of bad mojo is what he always runs into, it's absolutely believable. Not quite content to simply rest on what has gone before, though, Carey also introduces an intriguing new character in the form of a coffee shop waitress who dabbles in magic.
There's a nice quiet feeling of desperation in this issue, in the dingy surroundings of Cheryl and Tony's apartment and the generally nasty feel of the area Constantine has been in, and it once again reinforces Constantine's primary characteristic: The ability to land smack dab in nastiness no matter where he goes. Cheryl's descent into narcotics and booze is heart-breaking because it is believable, she's the same person she was with just a few nasty qualities accentuated, and I'm impressed that Carey, Dillon and Palmiotti have managed to give their new flat a dark feeling to it, a sense of foreboding.
It's funny, after the grinning trickster that was Marcelo Frusin's John Constantine, I was a little taken aback to see Steve Dillon's and Jimmy Palmiotti's regular joe version of the character. While the English style of Hellblazer is back in this issue, John actually looks more American than I'm used to seeing, a little more like Jesse Custer than like himself. Also, as with some of Lee Loughridge's other work these days, I found the colors a bit one-note, drowning the pages in yellows, greens and browns. While it maintains a grim atmosphere, it also makes the book look flat and lifeless.
Hellblazer has returned to its more traditional roots, and that will no doubt please fans who have not been enjoying Azzarello's run on the book. However, each writer on Hellblazer has put their own personal stamp on the work, whether it was Ennis's over-the-top humor, Ellis's very strong sense of the country or Azzarello's crime and horror spin. It remains to be seen in which direction Carey's run will go, as he so far seems to be incorporating a little bit of each past writer, resulting in a friendly and familiar, if not spectacular, debut.
