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“THE SPIRIT HUNTER” part one! Home from Paris, John gets in a drunken argument, has a terrible dream about a dead teenager, and then finds the corpse. Did someone use his imagination as a weapon, or has his distaste for humanity made him a murderer?

In Simon Oliver and Moritat’s “The Hellblazer” #1, John Constantine goes back to the basics with a healthy dose of supernatural workings, some familiar faces and a classic Constantine staple: his telltale guilt. In that, “The Hellblazer” #1 is a far cry from the series’ lackluster “Rebirth” issue; it’s a strong introduction that sets the story in motion with the nearly foiled assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It feels like a careful return to the Vertigo formula, a dose of darkness amid hazy colors and brilliant storytelling from the hands of Oliver and Moritat. The conversations between would-be assassins Marid and Adnan are the most curious development by far. Using the two assassins as a vehicle, Oliver hints at their otherworldly origins and cleverly contrasts the moral themes of inaction vs. intervention. If he didn’t act, Constantine wouldn’t be weighted down by the consequences of his actions — but he does, and where does that leave our hero? This ambiguity is where t

When DC Comics moved its characters from the Vertigo mature readers imprint into the DC Universe right before the New 52 reboot, one of the big questions was how characters like John Constantine, Swamp Thing and Shade the Changing Man would fit into a world with slightly stricter audience standards. We’ve had two series starring John Constantine since then (“Constantine” and “Constantine: The Hellblazer”), with varied amounts of success. But with Simon Oliver and Moritat‘s new “The Hellblazer: Rebirth” #1, it feels like DC has made its most deliberate attempt yet to evoke the spirit of the original “Hellblazer” series. RELATED: “Hellblazer” Rebirth Series Sees Oliver, Moritat Bring John Constantine Home The most obvious element in that regard is the title’s return to London. After having John Constantine in America for the previous two series, having him back in his old stomping grounds feels like a bit of a relief. It means that his best friend, the long-suffering Chas, is once more

“THE SMOKELESS FIRE” part six! Constantine finally gets what he wants—just in time to discover he’s a better man than he used to be. Maybe. But will that matter in the confrontation he and Marid have been building to?

“The Smokeless Fire” part five! Constantine thought about taking an old frenemy’s advice, but Paris has bistros to sit in and wine to drink. With a little patience and a little magic, things have a way of sorting themselves out. Unless Marid crosses the finish line first, that is.