With John’s soul in danger and his friends'(?) lives on the line, all that’s left is a desperate gamble to keep from having to die with the Good Old Days!
THE HELLBLAZER #24 “The Good Old Days, Conclusion”
Writer: Tim Seeley
Penciller: Davidé Fabbri
Inker: Christian Dalla Vecchia
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Covers: Tim Seeley and Chris Sotomayor (A) Sean Phillips (B)
Editors: Kristy Quinn, Jim Chadwick
What You Need To Know:
John’s ex-lover has been possessed by a damned soul (Burke Day) AND has become a living conduit capable of opening any portal. Right now she’s got her hands on John’s heart (figuratively) and Burke’s got his hands on John’s soul (literally). Guest-star The Huntress is down for the count, and John’s going to need to pull out all of the stops to get out of this one.
What You’ll Find Out:
Things are looking pretty grim for John. He’s out of allies and out of time. Luckily for him, he’s got an ace up his sleeve, or rather, a syringe. I’ll leave the details to him, but John manages to make Maggie’s body unsuitable for her squatter and offers up the Huntress as a suitable and readily available substitute. Desperate and out of options Burke jumps at the chance and into Helena’s body.
Turns out this issue has one more guest star waiting in the wings to straighten things out, but how much anyone is pleased can be characterized as “not at all”. A little bit later, John and The Huntress meet up and it’s clear Helena is still litter more than angry at how John used her. She vents her spleen at him with surprising results. Also surprising, or perhaps not, is John coming out on top but with a bittersweet ending that reminds Constantine that you really can’t get back the good old days.
What Just Happened?
This story wraps up the series and I have to say I’m sorry to see it go. The book has put on several faces throughout its run and seemed to be finally finding its footing, in terms of writing, art, and blending the two. The most recent story brought events with Maggie full circle and set John up for future run-ins with the now freed Blythe. I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Constantine.
Rating: 9/10
Final Thoughts: If the series has to end, this was a good note to go out on. Good health, John, and good night.