Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #22

The thing about this issue entitled Balance that struck me the most is the selection of visually mind-boggling yet ultimately meaningful scenes in what I believe is the awaited climax for the Fear Machine storyline. Some of these scenes also call into mind the dream-sequence from issue #14; something that I've always known is a key event and has now finally played out in this issue. Here be spoilers, I guess, but only because I have a lengthy discussion about the dream-sequence originally in my review of said issue that it featured in, and I felt the need to talk about them in light of the recent revelations for Balance because the parallels are undeniable though still open to interpretation.

What I noticed firstly is the Biblical symbolism of serpents. It is the cover for this issue after all. Zed also has this as a tattoo covering her arms which heavily suggested that her role is that of the temptress. Marj, then, is the Eve of this dynamic, and they seduce the man  (John) together into copulating with them. It's a bizarre sexual situation that is not as sexy as it sounds because it's a metaphor for a union both sacred and unholy. And then there is the 'femaleness' thematic tension which is also blatant (it is announced by no other than Zed who proved to be a more nuanced and pivotal character for this issue than I was led to believe). The three aspects of womanhood were also realized in the manifestation of Zed (crone), Marj (mother) and Mercury (maiden) as the arbiters of magic. The God of all Gods (freaking Jallakuntilliokan) has taken the appearance of a dragon (which, if I remember correctly, is a beast referenced in the Revelations). 

After consummating, Zed immediately gets pregnant on the spot and gives birth to a giant egg which hatched into a second dragon. It defeated G.O.A.G, restoring the balance in the earthly plane. The three women accomplished this by themselves and made it absolutely fucking clear that no male is needed so John had to watch in awe as the plot resolves itself before him and all he had to contribute is the seed. It's an interesting commentary about male and female dichotomy but I'm not exactly sure what to feel about it. So yes, these symbols were pretty intriguing especially if you're like me and you can recognize their message and meaning and then proceed to contextualize them in the story.

Now how do these things connect to the dream-sequence in issue #14? Simple. Almost all these situations have happened there in his dream (the apocalyptic subtext, the mating and instant pregnancy, the deformed/mutated offspring) which meant that, in a way, John has been receiving premonitions or divine interventions, or whatever you want to call them. His small role in the process of destroying G.O.A.G is quite laughable and pitiful all at once, marking just how incredibly helpless John's character can be in the presence of powers that he could never understand, let alone be a part of as a mortal man. It also felt like he had been actively deceived, if not outright rejected, by the two women he cared about the most, one who is unattainable (Zed) and one who is readily available (Marj). 

As for Mercury, it is her purity that ultimately disallowed anything more intimate to happen between her and John. I maintain that they have a fatherly relationship and I kind of like it kept that way. Lovely and charming as Constantine may be, but everything he seems to touch ends up getting soiled or spoiled to no fault of his own. And Mercury is just too good for that. However, I do wish they'd stay friends after all of this. I liked this issue though there are confounding moments and a general anticlimactic feeling while I was reading it. It was fairly creative in style, substance and execution nevertheless, and has made me feel like other darker yet beguiling horizons are coming for Hellblazer next.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #21

The God of All Gods, the namesake of this issue, not only heightened the gloom and macabre, but also maintained the pacing and intrigue of the story as we finally get closer to the climax and resolution of the whole thing. We continue to follow the way the events unravel which apparently leads to the rise of the creature within the Fear Machine, the one called--gah, I can never seem to type it without always double-checking--Jallakuntilliokan, otherwise known as G.O.A.G, an abbreviation that I more than appreciate. For future references, let's just shorten the name of that motherfucker from here on since it's not a mouthful.

So after the revelation of this creature, John Constantine felt its presence in his consciousness and flips the fuck out and leaves his companions in a hurry. This is rather unfortunate because just as the Fellowship was established in the last issue, it was quickly disintegrating, especially when Simon, Geoff and Sergei were mysteriously abducted and placed inside a cage, awaiting judgment and execution from a certain fanatic asshole/hired help Webster who gleefully decorates the ceiling of the Fear Machine with decapitated heads. So, it's a good thing I never had high hopes of these three men surviving at all because (1) This is fucking Hellblazer; (2) They sealed their fates when they became associated with John Constantine; (3) It serves the plot long-term, I suppose.

As for John, he started talking to this politician about general corruption stuff of the UK government that has paranormal underpinnings plus the impending apocalyptic shite that they are about to get smacked against. And then John left with Chas and ended up being in the same fast-food joint as the missing Mercury. As the fucking fates would have it, no? And I am not complaining because I quite liked the fact that finding Mercury isn't this big rescue mission with fireworks and all that. I'm glad she managed to escape by herself and just happened to run into John. Besides, y'all should know by now I enjoy these two together and their quasi-father-daughter dynamics. They have the best chemistry yet. So this scene just made me squeal:

At this point I don't want either of them to go back to Marj because I never liked that...boring person of a character. I want John to just take Mercury away so they can have adventures together! But then again, this is Hellblazer and no one gets what they want and Marj is apparently still relevant here because she's Merc's mother and is currently shacking up with Zed in sapphic paradise so I guess I can  begrudgingly live with that. I think Zed has become more interesting this time around, and I certainly hope she gets page time with Constantine soon enough.

The rest of the story was okay, with lots of great artwork featuring heaps of gore, death and delirious psychic landscapes. At this point I'm just relieved that the Fear Machine story is coming to an end. My expectations are set. I'm expecting a few more deaths, some surly monologues from John, a few gratuitous shags courtesy of either Marj or Zed, and hopefully more of Mercury demonstrating her prowess. Three issues to go and I can't wait for what the next installments will reveal.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #20

"A traitor to a cause can still be loyal to love. Treachery has its price but love is its own reward." ~Dr. Philip Fulton

HOT DAMN! This has been a really thrilling issue to read. I'm so happy that Hellblazer is making the most of its formula again. When the Fear Machine storyline started, it struggled to find its footing and I had to go through those motions as well. There was just something off about the set-up sometimes that I can't help but disengage every now and then.

But here comes a whiplash of great suspense and action though so all is forgiven!

I want to talk about Dr. Philip Fulton first, a character I shockingly gave a shit about in his final moments for this issue. He was originally introduced as a villain, one of the scientists who had been keeping Mercury away so they can learn and utilize her psychic powers. He eventually develops genuine feelings for her though, and even aided her escape from the facility. Merc does not share his feelings which was understandable (I recall that her first contact with Fulton was when she had a premonition of his death so it's quite difficult to connect with a man you know will die brutally). 

Still, Fulton made the most of their moments together like they're in a play-date or something, even if he knew Merc was merely pretending to like him. As soon as she does run away from him, he does not even do anything to stop it. Unfortunately for him, he will be punished for his betrayal of...whatever fucking organization he works for.  Is it the Freemasons? They were the ones who were responsible for the horrific train incident from issue #17. They could also be Webster's employers. Who the bloody hell is Webster, you ask? The creepy shit who strangled Simon and stuffed him in the closet, that's who, and is apparently the muscle/hired killer of the Big Bad. But anyway, I'm not paying that much attention to the Big Bads for this storyline because I'm more interested in John and his, er, amusingly spur-in-the-moment Fellowship.

Speaking of which, John is now with Simon the journalist and Geoff the cop when they entered the premises of a certain Russian scientist named Sergei Antonov whom John had previously rescued from the bat-shit train of murderous rampage. How did he repay this, you ask? By bitch-slapping John with a lampshade, that how! Misunderstandings aside, John explained who they are why they came for him and then invited him to join their crusade. After all, each man has a clear purpose of the mission (Geoff's is personal, wanting to find the ones who drove his wife to kill herself; Simon's is a matter of integrity, wanting to uncover their identities and expose them to the public; and Sergei just wants peas--I'm sorry, he actually meant peace, forgive the thick Russian accent). I may be making fun of Sergei right now but he said something that I feel will have a thematic resonance later on:

"Fear is the whip that makes us slaves."

So, now led by John Constantine, the Fellowship (which I will now refer them as in the coming issues) will make sense of the chaos that the otherworldly threat that is the Fear Machine presents. I sure hope that none of them dies or at least die BECAUSE OF John, whether directly or indirectly. But then again, Constantine has a reputation of causing the deaths of people in contact with him so I won't have high hopes for a clean, happy ending when this storyline does conclude.

Let me just jump back to Fulton again. I mentioned that his death is imminent and such death comes in the form of Webster the hangman and eloquent speaker (seriously, for a brawn he is surely verbose and poetic in speech). I actually felt bad when Fulton was hanged over the bridge even if I already saw this incident in Merc's vision in the earlier issues. His feelings for Merc, and his choice to let her go, have effectively redeemed his character so that his death, no matter the pitiful reason that inspired it, was made poignant because it was painted to be a meaningful sacrifice.

The last four pages are the best parts of the issue because Webster has performed a devastating ritual (that includes butchering a little boy, goddammit, Hellblazer, why?!)  to summon this creature called Jallakuntilliokan that apparently is growing within the machine itself. Whoever it is, it's coming out and everyone (from Mercury to Marj and Zed somewhere in hippie paradise, and the Fellowship led by John) will witness the hell that it is about to unleash.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #19

"These days we all need a hand to hold--in the dead of night when the rain dashes itself in blind waves against the windows. When fear seeps, pooling in every vague depression--diluting and dissolving us, diminishing us--suspending us drifting in a submarine world. When you're drowning, any hand will do."

I was pretty outspoken in my reviews about how the first three issues of the Fear Machine storyline made me disinterested in general (in retrospect, I now realize those were set-ups for the main stage), and it was only until the fifth issue that I felt like the story finally found its voice. The slow-burn quality of this storyline has finally paid off, however, with the sixth and seventh installments. This issue entitled The Broken Man picks up the pacing yet again and it thankfully continues to improve with the next one after this as well. 

The first thing I want to discuss is Mercury, a character I've had a penchant for since the beginning. She had been abducted by some scientists because she has psychic abilities and they use those powers within this invention they call the Fear Machine. Finally, we understand better how Mercury actually performs her tasks within its mainframe, and what they are specifically. From what I can understand, Merc is rooting out people's night terrors. They have a roster of patients in the facility that they would allow Merc to help and she would get inside their heads and extract their nightmares. This is not an absolute cure, however, because Merc explains that these terrors come back every now and then and she has to repeat the process for as many times as it takes. 

And she does it voluntarily, acknowledging that for once in her life she is finally doing good deeds with her gifts. It makes her all the more interesting too, especially the depth of compassion she has for the people who are plagued by such horrible things in their sleep. She may be afraid herself because she has no idea what the motives of the scientists were and how it will affect her, but she is bravely making the most of her circumstances, and doing something worthwhile for other people. 

For this, I just absolutely adore her. Still, she knows that she can't stay there forever so she started to plot her escape, employing the help of Dr. Philip Futon (who seems to be quite infatuated with her) most especially after she uncovers a deadly code shared among her captors that she may have no power over, even if she is a talented psychic. On the flip side of that coin, her mother Marj is still getting on my nerves, most probably because a series of interesting things might be happening to her but she remains remotely uninteresting. For this issue, we see her canoodling with a certain character from the earlier issue who was supposedly dead. Can I just spoil it because it's been hovering since issue #16---it's no other than John's ill-fated former shag buddy Zed (otherwise known as Mary). She's some sort of a witch doctor now, and she and Marj are apparently getting sapphic. But I really couldn't give a shit.

Now moving on to John Constantine himself. He's been so focused since he got back from his sabbatical. Clean-shaven and sporting a dark leather coat, John looks the part of  man who means business, and he has been on the right track since. He also seemed to be gathering like-minded men who are following the same cause as he iw. For this issue, he got to talk with journalist Simon Hughes who could have died if John didn't got him out of that closet where he was tied up and near asphyxiation. It's a really horrid way of to kill someone (Simon is later revealed as a gay man which is why stuffing him in the closet has that level of hate crime to it that is hard to miss). Another precious gem for this issue is Neil Gaiman's Morpheus from The Sandman who makes a cameo appearance (I did mention that I first encountered John in Preludes and Nocturnes where he accompanied Morpheus in retrieving his sand pouch from a junkie ex-girlfriend). 

Those three panels made me really giddy. Right after that charming side mission, John goes back to his original goal at hand which is to find Merc and take care of the people who took her. With Simon tagging along, John meets up with police officer Geoff Talbot (from issue #18) whom they convince to join their crusade. While on the subway, this bum, who had been following John since the first page of the issue, walks up to him, reciting gibberish about being a broken man. And then he shoves a piece of paper into John's mouth and jumps off the train. He shouted "Jallakuntilliokan!" Good times.

Recovering from the shock of that sudden (and comical) physical assault, John takes out the paper and opens it up. Simon looks at it and trembles. He recognized the symbol and it was the design on the ring of the very man who strangled and stuffed him in the closet. The issue ends with that ominous revelation and I love it!

I'm getting pretty excited with the turn of events by now. The villains are now on focus and John is becoming insanely hotter and more irresistible when he shows this level of focus and dedication on the mission at hand. 

What more could I ask from Hellblazer?

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #18

"I've become the proverbial mad, bad and dangerous to know."

Now we are finally heading somewhere that's cohesive and substantial! Hellblazer has been such a chore to read for me lately, and I have to admit that since The Fear Machine storyline started, I was half-asleep reading through issues 14-16 only because I wasn't that interested with its premise. But that's about to change now, thankfully.

To recap: After defeating the demon who bested him in Newcastle, John Constantine went under the radar to ensure that he doesn't get falsely arrested for the murders of his former landlady and another friend. In doing so, he took shelter in a hippie community led by Eddy (who I think is some sort of modern shaman?) and met the mother and daughter Marj and Mercury who seemed to play the role of a surrogate family of his for the time being. I can't help but insist on that interpretation, given the weight of impact that issue #13 (the dream-sequence story I loved so much) had on me. 

In that dream, John's subconscious reveals that he longs for a quiet, stable life with a family but also readily negates that possibility because of the consequences that might happen that could stem from living a dangerous life which he chose when he embraced mysticism and the occult. 

This is why I feel that his relationships with Marj and Mercury are echoes of that desire, and when Merc was abducted by some scientists who appear to be building a machine with the use of psychics to fuel it (hence the 'Fear' machine, get it?), John forces himself out of his funk to rescue her and bring her back home safely to Marj. It does feel like John identifies with these women as an extension of a family he wish he could have, and that means that finding Mercury has now become a personal mission for him as well. I'm just happy to see John doing stuff again even if that means placing himself in screwed-up situations yet again (see last issue, #17). I stated before that I enjoy Mercury's character and her interactions with John and I maintain that she's still beguiling to read about, especially in this issue where we get to see her showcase the extent and effectiveness of her psychic abilities. Meanwhile, John continues to investigate and uncovers more vital clues that have now placed him in the right direction to find Merc. While in pursuit of a person of interest, he stumbles inside that person's lodgings and discovers an appalling sight (and the issue ends with a cliffhanger). Typical night for our John Constantine, I say.

In addition to that, I believe this issue is quite literal in scope too, if I may add. Entitled Hate Mail and Love Letters, the story started with mail correspondences with an unknown character (whose significance will be later revealed) and the letters exchanged between John and Marj. I still don't like Marj, okay? Can we just get that out of the way? She's so insufferably dull. Moving on. In line with that theme, we also get scenes of Mercury writing her experiences with the Fear Machine in a diary. I'm glad for that expository courtesy by Delano because, through Mercury's writings, I was able to understand better and get a clearer picture of what these scientists are up to and it's morally repugnant. After all, if you can fuse psychic power with scientific research and create some machine to infiltrate people's minds and cure them of their mental 'terrors' then why the fuck not? I'm highly suspicious at this point because this is Hellblazer and people are assholes and life on earth is hell so there is more to the Fear Machine than a simple altruistic invention. I almost don't want to know.

On a positive note, my ratings are improving again.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #17

After three issues of non-action where we got to see John Constantine get cozy with hippies and runaways while also becoming a reluctant father figure to a mysterious young girl (whilst shagging the mother), this issue entitled Fellow Traveler moves the story along by also showcasing a well-executed macabre sequences of train passengers destroying each other in a frenzy of gore and delirium. Great stuff, but nothing out of the ordinary in the vein of stories that Hellblazer usually tell.

I rather enjoyed the narrative for this story as well. Delano's stylistic language can get verbose in the wrong place sometimes (I can't exactly remember which issues were they but there were instances that I didn't appreciate the quality of the narrative in those because they feel too on-the-nose, description-wise) but I believe that the atmosphere and tonality of the story at hand demands Delano's kind of prose. The scenes for Fellow Traveler were gruesome with a touch of dark comedy here and there to even out the rough edges. I suppose the humor comes from the fact that John Constantine YET AGAIN finds himself in the most compromising situations and has to ONCE AGAIN withstand and survive the ordeal. 

It's funny because it's depressing as hell. We all have to find something amusing in Hellblazer, okay? I swear to the gods that sometimes it's the only way, if not the best way, to get through most of its issues. So, for this issue, John just found himself smacked in a nightmare train while ghouls and murderers feasted on one another all around him. 

I believe that's considered a Wednesday in this man's life, Jesus bloody Christ! With the kind of chaotic cacophony that the man has to deal with in a regular basis, can we really blame him for losing his mind every now and then, chain-smoking like a chimney, or learning to be crass and harsh when it comes to his decision-making and expression of views regarding humanity and the world in general? I dare anyone to walk a mile in John Constantine's shoes and make it out intact. Seriously. 

I DARE ANY OF YOU to see and feel the things he had and come out unscathed in spite of it.

I think that my admiration and respect for John grows every issue even if, at the same time, it distresses me and makes me very uncomfortable to see him make a wrong turn or forsake a loved one. It's certainly getting hard for us readers to get on a ride horse and judge him harshly for his actions when we have no goddamn clue what it's like to experience the horrors he has to face every day and still find something generous and resilient in his spirit to bear it all. John Constantine may not be likable. 

He may not be heroic or noble. But he is nevertheless a man with admirable qualities, scarce and often hidden as they may be (because John also has a tendency to downplay these things, most probably because he is uncomfortable of the positive attention he might garner, seeing as he seems to like cultivating a loathsome persona as part of his self-preservation tactics). The bottom line is that I LOVE JOHN CONSTANTINE. He may be damaged goods but it makes him curiously functional. One has ot be equals parts of brave and crazy to do the things he does and face the things in the darkest of darkness that neither you and I can ever handle.

We got to see Mercury less in this issue for now but her role in the story proves to be promising. I certainly hope she won't be another Zed. She seems like a second chance for John to redeem himself from that earlier fuck-up.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #16

"Now I know where I stand. I've taken sides, made a commitment. I'm going back to war--but this time I know what I'm fighting for."

Oh, John. 

Sometimes you say, do and feel things that greatly upset me; but only because I can see myself saying, doing and feeling the same things. That's what makes it almost impossible for me to keep reading Hellblazer so far. It's rather interesting, however, that I feel more connected to John now than I ever was before when I started reading. I feel like seeing John interact with other people in the last three two issues; how he tries to fit in and accept the eccentric way of life of the community he's been a part for weeks now, has helped soften the harshness of the earlier strokes he's been painted with.

Little by little (and oh-so-subtly), John is learning to grow from his mistakes since Newcastle. He's also starting to show how much he cares about people's feelings instead of tuning them out in fear of exposing his own vulnerability. If we follow that progressing characterization, then The Fear Machine storyline will be an enjoyable experience. I think the narrative itself merely serves to further John's character more than anything, particularly when it comes to his relationships with the mother and daughter Marj and Mercury.

This issue is the third instalment of said storyline, and finally there's an actual plot to follow and look forward to. The latter one is still something I can't confidently say is happening for me right now but then again I'm getting the sense that Mercury will be a central figure for the next issues and that is an encouraging thought because I really like her. I think she's just so engaging and mesmerizing every time she's in the pages so my sympathy for her continues to deepen. Her interactions with John are just endearing because the surrogate father-daughter dynamic is very much alive between them, most especially now that John has shagged the mother. As for Marj, I don't think I care much about her and every time she has a conversation with John, I would either roll my eyes in annoyance or sigh deeply out of dread (or boredom). There's not a degree of excitement in their sexual congress either. With Zed, I felt a spark at least. With Marj, I feel like John wants comfort sex and Marj is giving him pity sex so it all evens out, apparently.

I did like that panel at the beginning where Marj and John were sleeping after their shag and Mercury was on the top bunk (THE ENTIRE TIME of shagging as we found out last issue) and then she creeps down and tries to get in bed with the two of them, particularly next to John. There was a timely interruption courtesy of the plot, so we never got to see John's reaction in case he wakes up and realizes that Merc has made herself comfortable beside him under the sheets next to her mother. That would have been hilarious, I bet. 

I know for a fact John would ask her gently to get out of bed (or at least to move to her mother's side if she gets insistent on lying in bed with them). But just imagining the conversation itself is already making me giggle. As for Merc's decision to do that: she struck me as lonely and in need of affection, and seeing her mother and this man she is quite fond of sleeping in a bed, looking very warm and inviting--why wouldn't she try to be a part of that? There's no malice in her part when she tried to get under the sheets with John (though yeah, he's naked). For Merc, she has a right to John because she found him first but such a justification lacked any kind of sexual overtone. It's a child's logic which is all the more poignant for me to read.

The quote I used at the beginning of this review was optimistic. The sabbatical has come to an end and harsher realities have to be dealt with, now that another girl's life is at stake. John looks primed and ready for another round of battle He exudes calm, determination and confidence, something I haven't seen him in a while. I'm excited! I can't wait to see what he plans to do next. Also, more of Mercury, please. She's such a delight to read, and I definitely want more of her and John together.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #15

What a schizophrenic issue this has been for John Constantine and the readers themselves. As the continuation of The Fear Machine storyline, Shepherd's Warning is decidedly blunt with its core narrative and yet weirdly evasive at the same time especially when it comes to the real significance of the story I'm currently following at this point. I gotta be honest: I don't care enough to know what's going to happen next, and my only connection to Hellblazer right now is our ruggedly handsome and inconsistently aggravating titular hero, and even that remaining source of interest is becoming muddled with confusion and annoyance at best.

I'm not really sure how I would even review Hellblazer now when the story it's currently hinged on is nothing that excites or intrigues me but I do try everything to keep myself invested in what I'm reading which has proven sadly strenuous. I truly hate it when reading feels obligatory and books that make me feel this way are often the ones I never bother to pick up anymore. Hellblazer continues to cruise that fine line but I'm not giving it up, of course, seeing as I've made a commitment and  I do believe that some promising events are starting to take shape in this issue that could unfold in the next ones.

I would like to discuss the details of that but I fear that even I can't comprehend yet what I just saw, especially when John Constantine himself acts as an unreliable narrator (which is something we can't blame him for, seeing as he was drugged and was therefore hallucinating). What's more fun than reading the delusion sequence of a drug-addled passively cynical occultist-on-the-run? As it turns out, everything else because this is such a painful state of mind to find John Constantine in, a man who is an inherently resourceful survivalist who basically lives his life as a constant middle finger aimed at the powers-that-be, but ironically keeps finding himself around (hell, maybe even unknowingly seeks out) people and situations that test the limits of his self-preservation instincts.

Story of John Constantine's life, I guess.

As much as I claimed not to like the direction of the series at this point, I could still find worthwhile gems along the way, such as John's surprisingly great chemistry with the child-woman Mercury who seems to me feels like a surrogate daughter he wish he had. Mercury makes a comment about the fact that John, in the heat of the moment, calls her his "little girl" which is something quite endearing and a little sad (when we remember his dream from issue #14 about his mutant two-headed seal offspring). In addition to that, John finally shags the mother, Marj, in this issue. It's a relationship that never appealed to me (even in the later parts for Dangerous Habits). I actually would prefer to read more about John and Merc's interactions. I just feel like they had a more complex interplay, and I certainly feel that John should be hanging around someone of the opposite sex who isn't a possible shag-buddy. And Merc is exactly that and she provides him with a center (based from what I've read about so far). She also shows him a more humane sort of compassion towards John than her mother does, and I say this because I think Marj is sexually attracted to John from the get-go and desires no more than just a physical closeness. 

It feels really empty when the intimacy can only be sexual and I feel that John always required more. Meanwhile, I feel as if John and Merc connected as easily as they had because they have a lot in common; both are sensitive souls trying to make sense of the chaos in their lives. That's why I enjoy reading them together because Merc could easily be a reflection of who he is trying to suppress using some sort of falsehood of machismo; a younger, less sardonic female counterpart who can understand the self-inflicted damage he had been casually prone to, and perhaps even learn to deal with through Merc's aid.

That's not to say John hasn't been trying. There are a few instances he tries to be personable, tries to engage and interact earnestly with the other members of the community. And it's rather heartbreaking because we come to know John as someone who purposefully hardened himself; who wore his sense of anarchy and arrogance on the outside to drive away anyone that will try to harm him and, in consequence, even the ones who might even love him.  Well, okay, that's enough of my indulgent Constantine psychoanalysis for now. I'll save that up for the next issues and hopefully they'll be more thrilling to read.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #14

This issue opens with John Constantine once again having vivid and symbolic nightmares. We covered this already and I'm frankly more interested in the stuff happening in his head than what is around him. However, Touching the Earth strategically places our titular hero in direct interactions with people (and for once no one gets killed or dies horribly--yet). It's truly queer to watch unfold, honestly, considering the social awkwardness on John's part is so palpable it's slightly humorous. 

Actually, reading this issue has made me either smile of chuckle to myself because I've enjoyed seeing John in a lighter shade where he's not harming his friends, getting chased down by demons and ghosts or brooding about his failures and regrets. That's all fun, sure, but it's just so refreshing to see John acting like a normal human being for once even if he's anything but stable and well-adjusted.

I was also quite pleased to see Marj and Mercury here (I encountered them in Dangerous Habits volume) and to also understand the difference between John's treatment of either of them. Mercury is a young girl though I agree with John that it's simply hard to tell if she's only a child of ten or twelve years or already a teenager. She was the one who finds John while he tries to escape the cops (apparently, he's now a fugitive because of what happened in his old flat where his landlady and a friend were brutally murdered which was, once again, something John is indirectly responsible of). Merc was clearly fascinated with him and brings him to her community. 

Said community is composed of runaways, activists and your usual pariahs led by a man named Eddy whose real identity seems to be shrouded in complete mystery. Meanwhile, John has no problem cozying up with these people. He does, after all, need to stay low-key until the murder charges against blow over. So far I think it's great to see John in such a unremarkable scenario and with strangers who are easily just as aimless and laid-back as he currently is. Sometimes, though, I forget that this comic is written in the eighties therefore a few commentaries about UK politics and atmosphere would slip in every now and then. This issue gave us conversations explaining the living conditions of these people and why they are a traveling community in the first place. Now I don't really care much for this but it is still rather nice for Delano to contextualize the times that Constantine is a part of, and how such factors can become significant, depending whether or not the writer himself would consider it relevant (just like in Go For It issue #4 which was one of my favorite satires in Hellblazer so far).

Still, my feelings for this issue are rather lukewarm. There is no excitement here or any grand turning point for the story. It's just John acting like a normal bloke, hanging out with some people just to get away from the usual drama and chaos of his life. So this is like some sort of a self-imposed sabbatical and I like that he's doing this especially because I enjoy his interactions with Mercury (and Marj, to a lesser extent, even though I feel like he has a much richer interplay with Merc).

RECOMMENDED: 6/10