GRAPHIC NOVEL
Hellblazer
Dangerous Habits

Author: Garth Ennis
Artist: William Simpson
Titan Books
RRP: £9.99
ISBN
1 84576 105 7
Available 23 September 2005


John Constantine has been a smoker since his teens, and he's about to pay the price - he's just been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and he doesn't have much time left. Just enough to tie up some loose ends, say goodbye to the few loved ones who haven't met an ugly end before him... and somehow trick the lords of Hell into curing him... or he'll be paying the Devil his due for all eternity...

Dangerous Habits is one of the best Hellblazer collections I've read. Not only is there the usual supernatural slant, but this time there's also a bit of a warning for smokers - one that stops just short of being preachy. In fact, if you know someone who is seriously trying to stop smoking, this could be the collection to make them quit.

This collection starts with Constantine discovering that he has lung cancer - hardly surprising for a man whose smoked 30 a day since his teens. The rest of this book then deals with him saying goodbye to his friends (old and new), and then deciding that he is going to try and con Satan out of taking his soul - not an easy task. But can anyone really expect to out smart The Devil?

Garth Ennis's twisted tale is complimented by the impressive artwork of William Simpson - there are plenty of disturbing scenes where Simpson manages to leave the gory details to your imagination, rather than graphically depicting the events. One example of this is where someone, and I won't spoil it by telling you who, dies a violent death spitting blood all over the place. The most chilling panel is the aftermath, where we see the room he was in, with blood splattered up the walls.

This is one collection that I would not only recommend to Hellblazer fans, but anyone who appreciates great writing and quality artwork. In a word: stunning.

Ray Thompson

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