Ennis Hellblazer

Hellblazer 49-56

Things get off to a not-so-good start as John Constantine meets the Lord of the Dance.  Not this one:

His next encounter, with the First Vampire, isn’t much better, just a bunch of self-important navel gazing that tells you why Constantine is tortured and a badass instead of showing it.

But things get better with a creepy encounter in a laundromat, a poor man’s version of Neil Gaiman’s superlative “24 Hours” in Sandman.  That gets followed by the first extended arc in this trade, “Royal Blood.”  The demon that possessed Jack the Ripper (go with it) has now possessed Prince Charles.  The ensuing murder spree is sufficiently grotesque, and Constantine’s called in by the government to fix it.  It’s pretty well done, the nicest showcase of Constantine’s powers and character since “Dangerous Habits.”  I particularly like Garth Ennis’ description of the demon’s manipulation of Charles’ brain, accompanied by some sweet art by Will Simpson.  (His art fits this arc a lot better than “Habits.”)

The last issue today is a run-of-the-mill investigation of a “sell your soul to the devil” situation.  Perfectly readable.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice (Fine for 49-50)