Talking with some of my friends and colleagues, I seem to be in the minority when it comes to Andy Diggle’s run on Hellblazer. Most readers really enjoyed his take on Constantine, whereas I thought he took the fairly safe route of keeping him static and stereotypical. True, these are comic books and futzing with the main character can cause a revolt among the faithful. However, I would have liked more soul searching storylines within Diggle’s run, or at least more effective ones. I can hear my buddies ramping up the arguments as I type!

Moving on to current events, Peter Milligan has taken over as Hellblazer’s writer, beginning with a three part story arc called "Scab." I don’t know about you, but I have the same sort of feelings about Milligan as I do Diggle when it comes to established characters. He doesn’t really bring his A-game to enhancing someone else’s characters, emotionally or psychologically. The high point of Milligan’s career has to be X-Statix, a title that he made his own with what I would presume to be his personality. With Hellblazer, Milligan tries to inject his own style into the Constantine book of lore, but he shows himself to be tone deaf to the type of writing he does best: a quirky style featuring characters that literally jump off the page with over-the-top ferocity. However, this is not to say that this first issue of his run is not fun in its own right. Fans of the series will like the safe direction Milligan is taking this arc, with plenty of creepies and Constantine cronies to keep everyone happy. It’s good, solid entertainment with fine artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini (though Constantine looks a little to clean for my tastes...more about that later). Still, if you’re looking for signs of the next great Hellblazer creative team, you’re not going to find them in this issue.

Like Batman and other long-time characters in the DC Universe, there isn’t much more a writer can do with John Constantine. Or so we think. Call me picky or overly optimistic, but I want to see something new and unique within the pages of Hellblazer. Still, being comfortable with a comic has its advantages as well. Constantine sounds like Constantine, acts like Constantine, and has the same crappy luck that follows him everywhere. Like a warm cup of soup, Milligan keeps things at an even keel, though he does add the wrinkle of a new love interest in John’s life. Phoebe is a nice foil to John’s antisocial ways, and Milligan even addresses how a seemingly sane woman could deal with a scut like him. To tell you the truth, I don’t see the attraction Phoebe has toward Constantine, but Milligan does make a nice case for love is strange. What’s even stranger is the scabby growth that is growing on John’s chest, and how this disgusting occurrence relates to an incident with a union traitor twelve years ago (The crowd chanting "Scab" was a nice touch.). It’s a story that, though lacking in scale, has the nice creepy vibe that makes Hellblazer a great read month after month. I think that’s why I had a positive reaction to this issue. It’s a fun comic that doesn’t require any serious thought or analysis about Constantine’s history or where his actions are taking him. If anything, this is a light issue of a traditionally dark series.

Speaking of light, is it just me or does Constantine look about ten years younger in this issue than he normally does? Also, does anyone think he resembles Aaron Eckhart in this issue (I don’t mean after his face is burned in the Dark Knight)? I thought it was hilarious, particularly when I had to recheck the dialogue to make sure that this was indeed Constantine. He looked a lot cleaner than Leonardo Manco has portrayed him, and I don’t know if I like it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Camuncoli’s artwork (his work on Bonerest was terrific.) and I think Landini’s finishes are superb. But, the light tone of the layouts and the bright colors by Jamie Grant are not the vibe usually associated with Hellblazer. Hey, wait a minute! Maybe this is the new and unique element I was looking for! We’ll see.

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