John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1
Kevin Rossi
Recap
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?
Review
In true John Constantine fashion, Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell’s incredible series is back from the dead with John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1. The series is a continuation of John Constantine, Hellblazer which ran for 12 issues from 2019 to 2020 and while it has been nearly four years since last we saw John, Dead in America #1 does an excellent job picking things back up without missing a beat. No longer in England, John and his new acquaintances from the Spurrier and Campbell’s previous volumes, Nat and Noah (who is John’s son), have arrived in Florida in a big red double-decker bus because something isn’t quite right in America. While John may have ulterior motives for the journey to the States, a familiar face makes an appearance, Dream, who tasks John with a mission involving unfinished business. Readers of the original Sandman series will be delighted to see that Dead in America is a follow-up to Sandman #3, where John assists Dream in acquiring his Sand Pouch.
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1 retains the entire creative team from the earlier volumes with Jordie Bellaire as a colorist and Aditya Bidikar as a letterer. Dead in America is sharper and stronger on all fronts. Spurrier was born to write this series and readers are incredibly lucky that they get more from him. The interaction between Dream and John is handled beautifully, which works in their prior history while acknowledging that this isn’t the Dream that John met all of those years ago. Spurrier and Campbell use dialogue and visuals to tell and show that Dream has changed but readers don’t necessarily need to know that Daniel Hall became Dream in the original Sandman series. The appearance initially looks like the current Dream, who is a white being but Bidikar brilliantly slips Dream’s unique and otherworldly speech balloons from the current white with black text to the original black with white text. Campbell and Bellaire do some spectacular work in the interaction, switching between flashback and the present but selling the fact that John is dreaming during all of this. Campbell is pushing the boundaries and taking chances with the art in Dead in America and it feels right at home with early Sandman and Hellblazer from Vertigo.
Final Thoughts
While John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America is technically a continuation of Spurrier and Campbell’s run, this issue works as a fantastic debut for readers who may have missed the boat in 2019. Some elements carried over from the previous volumes but this new series works in ideas from the original Sandman run which adds a new layer to this current era. The creative team is giving readers something special. Bidikar’s lettering is fantastic and adds little touches that nail the nuances of Spurrier’s script while Bellaire brings Campbell’s art to new levels. While things might not be looking good for John, it is a great time to be a reader of John Constantine, Hellblazer.
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1: Asleep at the Wheel
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
