Status Updates From Hellblazer, Vol. 5: Dangero...

Issue #46 -
John spent two days wasted while he dealt with the success of his plan.
And the thought of what he almost submitted the world to…

Stumbling outside, he bumps into Kit, Brendan’s ex. They raise a coffee to their old friend.

Another run-in with Chas has John remember those he said goodbye to.

Though alive when John arrives, Matt loses the battle John cheated to win…

Kit holds John in the rain.

Issue #45 -
The Three of the Three learn they’ve been played the fool…

They cannot go to war. But it still takes some more deliberating before the decision is made.

John is healed (painfully) then boasts he’ll have a great life, with them watching out for him.

Can’t say that last page wasn’t a bold choice…

Issue #44 -
John spends time saying goodbye to those he can.

Then he begins Summoning. Talking business to those we don’t see.

Guess John’s plan didn’t have him waiting for Death to come to him…

The ‘first of the three’ does though… The one John tricked into drinking holy water!

Issue #43 -
John tries to get help from both sides… Neither angel nor demon are willing to.

After drowning his sorrows for a couple of hours, John realises he can only rely on himself…

He comes up with something ‘sneaky and crazy’.

Issue #42 -
John travels to Ireland to catch up with old friend Brendan.

Brendan shows off his impressive wine cellar. Then shows John his real prize…
A pond full of holy water!

He creates the best beer John’s ever tasted.

They share a laugh at their grim fates, hoping the other would help them.

John meets Satan. And saves Brendan’s soul by tricking Hell’s ruler.

Now, John’s determined NOT to die.

Issue #41 -
John has terminal lung cancer.

He relives when he was told and the horrible nightmare of all his friends who blame him for their deaths.

In the end, he’s determined to find a way around this. Though deep inside, he feels he will fail…

I’ve had family members pass from cancer so this wasn’t an easy issue to read. I’m reading this because it’s a big moment in Constantine lore.

Maybe I intentionally skipped Dead Boys’ Heart because I remember looking up the Magus story and deciding not to read it.

I did not read it this time round either. (Issues 39 and 40).

Issues #37/38 -
A terrible father mistreats and forces his son to do things he really doesn't want to do.

Mercury meets and begins to like Martin. She wants to help him.

Though she realises when Martin is comatose over his mistreatment, she cares for him as Marj looks after John...

Merc uses her ability on the dad, making him lose his mind.

Martin's mum leaves her husband and joins the group in the van.

Issue #36 -
Mercury is so mad at John that she pulls him into his subconscious to confront the thing that he’s afraid of…

It becomes a vision of a possible future. One that very nearly kills John in the present.

Not sure why they had to make John start strangling Marj but anyway…

John tells Merc they’ll talk after breakfast.

Issue #35 -
I liked the art in this one. But I can’t say I gave it my full attention.

John finds the bones of a young child, and a stone he calls the dead boys’ heart.

Eventually, believing the heart is making him do bad things, he throws it away.

There was something about a Bogeyman too.

Issue #34 -
I obviously did not look at the issues included in this because I didn’t realise it included the Dead Boys’ Heart storyline.
I hadn’t realised I ‘skipped’ those issues.

This issue was basically John raving to old friend Marj.
And her daughter Mercury does not want whatever is eating at him to infect them.

But even though she left them, Merc feels John pulling her into his subconscious!

A few years ago, I said my tolerance for horror and the like was increasing. I think I was lying to myself.

But I am attempting to push through this collection. One because I own it. And two because this is, I feel, a pretty big story for Constantine.

I predict that I will be skimming some of the story.