John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #11: The End

John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America triumphantly comes to a close with issue eleven, and few series stick a landing like this. Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell are a rare combination that exceeds expectations on all fronts. Spurrier’s writing has never been better than in this series and every line is a masterpiece in this issue. It is hard to say it all but somehow John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #11 does. Aaron Campbell delivers some of the best work of his career in this issue. From the cover to the credits page, the art in this issue is phenomenal and somehow makes horror-filled pages feel hopeful and poignant at the same time. Jordie Bellaire’s coloring has consistently been fantastic throughout this series and this issue is no different. Campbell’s work is hard to improve but somehow Bellaire has done it, giving readers one of the best-looking books in a long time.

This series needs to be read to be appreciated, like most series, but John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America is truly a must-read series. The seeds planted from the start, both literally and figuratively, are so masterfully done that readers may just pick up issue #1 back up and reread the entire series just to appreciate the planning and execution that Spurrier and Campbell put in. Like John Constantine in Dead in America, the series came back from the dead for a second chance after its cancelation in 2020. This series’ ambition was most likely a result of that, and it may have inspired John’s actions. Fans of the character have seen John get out of practically every scenario, but Spurrier somehow makes this feel real and permanent. Near-perfect writing in this medium is only as good as the visuals, and the biggest reason why this issue is so effective is because of Campbell’s art, Bellaire’s colors, and Steve Wands’ lettering. There is one instance where John and Dream are having a discussion and everything from the panel layout to the lettering is a masterpiece. The word masterpiece could be used to describe a lot about this issue and series.