THE HELLBLAZER #16
Writer: Richard Kadrey
Art: Davide Fabbri
Cover: Jesús Merino
Variant Cover: Yasmine Putri
Publisher: DC Comics/Darkhorse
Part 1 of “the BARDO score” starts off with more dead friends and more mysterious messages. What has John been drawn to this time?
What You Need to Know:
Not a lot, John’s starting a new story arc in a new city so just some basic knowledge of John will get you where you need to be.
What You’ll Find out (Minor Spoilers):
John’s off to San Francisco at the behest of one of his friends, Jenny. Another of their friends has recently died under mysterious circumstances and with the words “thank you” written in his blood on the wall.
We get a glimpse of a man with a mysterious wheel and a list. The crossed off names do not bode well for John’s friends. And as expected in short order, John is another friend down and accused of murder. Sometimes a man can’t be left to self-destruct in peace……
What Just Happened:
We started a new story, so it’s too soon to tell. It’s an interesting start. San Francisco is definitely a change from the last couple of locations, as is the art. The new art teams is more simplistic and cleaner than the last, but they work well with the story. In terms of storytelling the art definitely gets the job done, you could probably get the gist of the story without the words, always the hallmark of a good comic book artist. The story and the artwork best together, always the hallmark of a good team. I’m not sure how I feel about the last page, or those introduced, I’m afraid it might head us into a bit of cheesy territory, but so far the arc has started off well. It’s too soon to tell where we’re going but for now, I’m looking forward to finding out the meaning behind “thank you”.
Score: 7/10
Final Thoughts: New creative team, new story, same troubles for John. Poor guy really can’t catch a break. Or keep a friend.