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By Garth Ennis & William Simpson (Vertigo)
ISBN 1-56389-150-6
Probably the turning point and where this series caught fire, the initial saga from Garth Ennis set the tone for the next decade of the career of the anti-hero cynical, wide-boy magician John Constantine.
A seedy, troubled soul who danced on the edge of damnation every minute of his life, even unsure of his own motives, shrewdly manipulating events and standing back, he would coolly take a drag on his ever-present cigarette as Hell happened around him
And now he’s dying. Not Devils, not monsters or magic or even one of the mates or allies he continually betrayed. John Constantine is dying of lung cancer. So if science has given up on you and medicine can’t help what can you do? If you’ve spent your life ticking off both Heaven and Hell the one thing you can’t do is just die.
How this street trickster deals with his inevitable fate, and the power of the relationships he forges in his dying days are poignant and moving. The sheer brilliance of his solution and the manner in which he cheats the Reaper is a bravura bit of brilliance that perfectly describes everything you need to know about the character.
Simply one of the best adult comic stories ever. I’m sure you already own it. If not, why not?
© 1991 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.