HELLBLAZER - a long journey

I was just digging theough The Stack™ and I ran across one of the consistently great comic books ever - HELLBLAZER. This is one of DC's longest running titles (!) at 215 issues so far and no sign of an end. (HELLBLAZER actually predates the "Vertigo" side of DC, and the character of John Constantine was first introduced in an Alan Moore-written SWAMP THING #37.) It's sorta hard to describe what this book is about... John Constantine is a hard-living smoker, drinker and dabbler in magic for the good guys, but seems to be cursed with the fact that everyone around him ends up in a bad way, quite often due to his actions. He's no tragic figure though, because he's SUCH a hard sonofagun, to put it nicely. I can only think of about 20 or so issues of this title that were not that good - the rest range from very good to the best comics can be. The latest story arc sums John up well. It's a two-parter in issues 214 and 215. Titled "R.S.V.P.", it's a small tale about John getting an invite to speak at a party of magic-types just as he's closing the door to his past. In typical Constantine manner, John gives the party guests much more than they bargained for... and not in a good way. A great short story arc for new readers and another piece of the puzzle for old readers... HELLBLAZER rarely disappoints.