Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1
DC Comics
Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Darick Robertson
Colors by: Diego Rodriguez
Letters by: Deron Bennett
John Constantine is always cleaning up messes, usually his own. But there’s nothing quite like those that are years in the making.
Tom Taylor has Constantine dealing with a problem that’s a lifetime in the making in Hellblazer: Rise and Fall. And who better to illustrate this catastrophe than Darick Robertson (The Boys) — who knows a thing or two about handling characters managing an alarming amount of chaos.
One luxury with writing Constantine is the character can pretty much say and do whatever he wants. Makes it easier to write a fun issue or decent series without the most compelling plot in the world.
But, Taylor’s one of the best there is. He’s not going to lean on Constantine as a crutch.
With Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1, Taylor set a foundation for an intense story, quickly developed two characters and brought in another we already cared about before the series. Constantine is still very much involved and the most important piece in it all, but we now have other key players established.
It’s different from the ongoing John Constantine: Hellblazer series (also a great read), in which Constantine walks into random situations that don’t necessarily need to be specific to him.
When it comes to the art, violence is crucial to any Constantine story. Not a problem with Robertson whatsoever.
In general, Robertson seems like a no-brainer choice to draw Constantine, specifically because of his work on The Boys. Stick Constantine in a room with Butcher and Hughie, those three will walk out side-by-side talking all kinds of smack about superheroes and…well, pretty much everyone else.
That being the case, how can you not trust the artist who helped create those characters with Constantine?
Excellent start to the series. Has the making of a must-read for Constantine fans.