John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell

Book by Garth Ennis

The popular comic book Hellblazer chronicles the exploits of cynical con-man and magus John Constantine, who traffics in the occult in London's demimonde and whose mystic chops save the world more than once. Ennis and Dillon are one of the more popular writer-artist teams who have limned Constantine during the past 15 years, and in their final Constantine stories, collected here, before they moved on to Preacher, he confronts the prince of darkness himself, out for revenge after Constantine bested him in an earlier encounter. As frequently occurs in his exploits, Constantine's actions bring inadvertent misfortune to friends; this time, he even sparks a cataclysmic race riot. Ennis gave Constantine cheeky irreverence, especially evident here in his confrontation with Satan, and perfectly captured the character's mordant charm. Dillon's understated drawing style puts a chilly edge on the story's horror and bestows believability on the characters. Constantine will soon be portrayed on the big screen by (badly miscast?) Keanu Reeves, so libraries may want to stock up on his print adventures. Gordon Flagg
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