John Constantine, Hellblazer: Freezes Over

Brian Azzarello

Writers of Hellblazer have come, and writers of Hellblazer have gone, including some of the genre's brightest lights. It is possible, however, that none of them have shone as brightly in the light of John Constantine as Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets). Garth Ennis' Hellblazer work was good, but pales in comparison to Preacher; Warren Ellis' Hellblazer work shouldn't even be mentioned in the same zip code as Transmetropolitan; Grant Morrison has topped his work on the series with We3. This is not to say that Azzarello was never this good again; 100 Bullets has been a fun ride the whole way. But something about Azzarello's strengths as a writer, his innate noir tendency, lit a spark under this series.

Freezes Over is one story arc (and after that preface, it's not even Azzarello's best) concerning a blizzard, an inn full of snowed-in guests, and the Iceman, a local legend. Fertile ground, surely, for Constantine to do what he does best-- expose what wickedness is lying closest to the surface of the nastiest folks in the room, while urging others to depths of heroism they didn't know they possessed. As far as a plotline goes, it's relatively standard Hellblazer stuff. What sets it apart is Azzarello's mastery over this sort of plotline; instead of the usual heavy-on-the-action fare, Azzarello goes more for the mystery angle, and it works.

Good stuff, this.