Comic Review
by John Hefner

Hellblazer #177, "Red Sepulchre, Pt. 1 of 4"
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciler/Inker: Marco Frusin
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Clem Robins
What You Should Know: Master mage. Former punk rocker. Con artist. Chain smoker. All-around bastard. He's John Constantine. And he's back in London.

Finally, after a long-overdue absence, John Constantine is back in his element. I imagine, for most fans, this is a welcome change after the past few years under yank Brian Azzerello's run. Even though I rather enjoyed that run, it really wasn't the John Constantine that we all knew and loved. But now that fan-favorite Mike Carey (LUCIFER) has taken over the reins, Constantine is once again the familiar character he has always been: a supremely powerful character who screws others over just as often as he himself is screwed over. Maybe it's just the fact that Azzerello was the only American to write a British character so distinctly, but with Carey this story feels like part one of a HELLBLAZER epic, right up there with the works of previous writers Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis.

So, like I said, Constantine's back in London, only to discover that an acquaintance of his is dead, his shop burned to the ground. And there is a growing rivalry between gangs of magicians in the city, a conflict which lands him, as usual, square in the middle of it all.

Carey has a firm grasp on Constantine's character, but he does not try to live up to the prestigious line of past writers. Carey is clearly working with his own style here, and anyone who has read LUCIFER knows he can handle a character as complex and intriguing as John Constantine. He knows when John should look cool, aloof, and superior and when he should look disturbed, horrified, off-guard, and defeated. Constantine is always an interesting character to read about because one never knows if he is vulnerable or if he has the upper hand. He's a master con artist, and it takes a skilled writer to depict that.

I am also very glad to see Marco Frusin continue his amazing work as an artist for this book. His artwork has been consistently slick, dark, mysterious, and creepy, just as Constantine's world should be. As much as I loved Steve Dillion's work for the past couple issues, Frusin is, in my humble opinion, the perfect artist to compliment Carey's vision of John Constantine.

I know several people were turned off by this book during Azzerello's run, and if you're one of those people, or you just want to see Constantine in his prime once again, I sincerely recommend you give this first part a try. It's a perfect jumping-on point, not to mention a pretty damn good story, too.