Review: Adult Horror With HELLBLAZER: DEAD IN AMERICA #1

Wanted for all kinds of wrongdoing, on the run with his son Noah and his bodyguard Nat, and a prime candidate for a remake of The Walking Dead, John Constantine finds himself in desperate need of help. And where does a cantankerous, walking corpse like Constantine go when he needs help? America, of course, where the magic goes to die. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1 is out today from DC Comics.

In 2019, Simon Spurrier and Aaron Campbell launched a new Hellblazer series for DC’s Black Label imprint. It was instantly obvious why the series was released on that imprint, because of the darker tone of the comic, the language used, and the grotesque images dripping with blood and gore. This second mini-series is no different, jumping straight into the horror on page 1, followed quickly by cheeky quips and bad language. There is even some slapstick thrown in. This is the only possible way that this creative team could bring back everyone’s favorite anti-hero.

Dead In America follows John Constantine as he searches for a way to absolve his son and free Noah from the same fate as himself. He also wants to clear their names of a murder charge and, if possible, find a cure for his current state of death. Being the living dead is not his cup of tea, and Spurrier fills the pages with jokes and asides letting the reader know this. In fact, one of the stand-out elements of this comic is the constant humour. There are plenty of jokes, but in true British fashion, they are not necessarily to everybody’s taste. Dad jokes, bad puns, and play-on-word gags spill from the mouths of the characters throughout, breathing an air of relief into what would otherwise be a deeply dark tale. Spurrier does not hold back on his criticisms of certain sections of American life, starting difficult conversations with sequences such as a gun-happy policeman who admits to stopping a vehicle because the driver was black. To be fair to Spurrier, he did this in the last run, tearing into England and its own screwed up politics—however we English are more used to openly criticising our country. There isn’t quite the same level of national pride that is often associated with America, so it is possible that this kind of lambasting may meet with a sterner audience now that the location has changed. Although, the readers who pick up a Hellblazer comic should know what to expect.

This opening issue has a number of guest appearances. Some new characters, hinting at the larger world that Constantine inhabits, and some more familiar faces, although you may not instantly recognise them. This linking in with the greater Sandman Universe not only allows for the use of other characters, but also gives Campbell a chance to play with the layouts, bringing a different visual magic to the comic. His characters inhabit the space on the page but not always the locations within the panels. They are larger than life and have the air of myth or legend about them. Because of this, Campbell treats their representation in a similar manner, glorifying their appearances while maintaining the horror themes that are the backbone of the story.

One of the ways that the horror aesthetic is retained is through the gorgeous colour work by Jordie Bellaire. The opening pages have a dry, burnt orange colouring, making the locations uncomfortable, despite the obvious humour. Throughout the comic, the colours shift to create the atmospheres for each scene, but there is a darkness to them all, shadows that push against the panel borders and occasionally fill the gutters. The same sense of dark humour that dwells in the speech is present in the colours. The Cookie-girl, a character who clearly has significance for the future, is surrounded by swirling pink lights but it’s not comforting or pleasant. The way that Bellaire applies the colour is somehow sinister and disturbing.

There is a lot of character in Dead in America. This comes through in the script, and through Campbell’s rough, expression-driven figure work. But one of the strongest assets of this comic is the lettering. Aditya Bidikar’s exhausting attention to detail is an absolute joy. His work, not just here but across his comics career, is sublime. One of the first rules of lettering is that lettering shouldn’t be noticed, but in Dead in America, it leaps from the page. The variety in speech balloons, the intensity of the outlines, and constant changing of font size, all create the sense of character that comics like this need. Every nuance of the speech is captured in the way that Bidikar visualises it on the page. Often you can take the lettering away and still have some idea of how a character is feeling. Here, the reverse is true. You can instantly tell the volume, the tone, and the inflections of each word as if you had heard it spoken. If the rest of the comic was garbage (which it isn’t) it would still be worth reading just to see the lettering.

There is something about this creative team working on this comic that seems to gel. It’s as if they are made for each other—a well-oiled team working on their favourite property to produce the best work that they can. And yet, it’s easy to see why some may not like it: the casual dropping of the C-Bomb, the harsh realities of racism, the not subtle attacks on national pride… The creators’ politics are built into the story and it shows through the narrative and the design work. If you are looking for politics-free comics, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Although, I am not sure where you can look.

Dead in America is a resounding success as a Hellblazer comic. It captures the early spirit of the comic, back when it seemed punk and outrageous, a real slap in the face for bright coloured superhero comics. Although the current market has much more diversity, and the ability to shock or standout has greatly diminished, this iteration of Hellblazer still has something to say and is going to do so in a combative, full frontal way.

Constantine is dead; he has nothing to lose. And this comic carries that attitude with glee.