John Constantine, Hellblazer: Reasons to Be Cheerful

I disliked it since Constantine had nothing to do besides being there. Chas, even if possessed, is somewhat interesting. Won't recommend it to anyone. ( )

You all know by now that I love John Constantine, and I really, really love Hellblazer. But I found this installment to be disappointing. I mean, how many times are we going to do the whole "evil being(s) can't attack Constantine directly, so they try to kill off all his friends" thing? It's particularly disappointing given how strong Mike Carey's work has been on the series -- the arc of Red Sepulchre, Black Flowers, and Staring At the Wall was just such excellent storytelling. This, though... it really feels like Carey's phoning it in. Also, what's with the abrupt change in art style? Issues 201-205 are extremely realistic, and then all of a sudden it goes all cartoony for issue 206. I dunno, I mean, I'm always glad to read more Hellblazer, even sub-par Hellblazer, but I had really expected more out of this one. ( )