Read our review of John Constantine: Hellblazer – Dead in America #1 from DC Comics, written by Si Spurrier with art by Aaron Campbell.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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John Constantine: Hellblazer – Dead in America #1 Review:
In the continuation of the previous, critically acclaimed series, John Constantine is, well… Dead. Just his body hasn’t accepted it yet. And while on a road trip through America, he’s confronted by none other than Morpheus, the king of dreams, who gives him a mission tying back to the original Sandman comic books.
“We got a creepy cover and creepy start with the zombies and then creepy ghost stuff,” kicked off creeped-out host Pete LePage. “But the art… The colors are so powerful.”
For Alex Zalben, while the issue started for him as a pretty typical John Constantine series, “this is solid… Si Spurrier knows how to write some fun dialogue, and Aaron Campbell [has some] great art,” when Dream finally entered halfway through, it really got him. “It gets me,” Zalben said on the guest star, particularly because they “used the old design of Dream, before segueing into the Daniel design.”
Justin Tyler noted that this “touched on the Sandman world in the same way that James Tynion IV’s series has been using Sandman mythology super well. So if you’re a Sandman fan, definitely read Nightmare Country” as well as this book which is “really bearing the standard forward, and are definitely worth picking up.”
John Constantine: Hellblazer – Dead in America #1 Official Synopsis:
At last, as you demanded: The celebrated creative team of Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell have returned to Hellblazer! John Constantine has cheated death once again—but his heart’s not beating, his body is decaying, and he, his friend Nat, and his son Noah are on the run in America, wanted for murder. Naturally, it’s all John’s fault—it always is. But as it turns out, Dream himself needs John’s help. Something terrible has taken root in America, and it’s using the sand from Dream’s pouch to impose its will. If John can put a stop to it, he might be able to parlay that favor into a chance to save all their lives—but he’s going to need help from someone he hasn’t spoken to in years. Someone he wasn’t always…all that kind to. Someone…or some…Thing? Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell‘s first run on Hellblazer was the best-reviewed comic of 2020, reintroducing the character to a new generation, and their second act, told in extra-length 28-page issues, is ambitious and unmissable!
