John Constantine, Hellblazer

John Constantine first appeared in Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing in 1985, but the Hellblazer series—launched in 1988—provided the character with his own ongoing platform. The collection referenced here, Original Sins, gathers the initial issues written by Jamie Delano with art by John Ridgway and others. It was released by Vertigo in 2005 to reprint the formative chapters of this landmark occult-noir saga, which helped define the dark, mature-reader direction of DC’s fledgling imprint.

Delano’s writing established the template for Constantine as a cynical, working-class magician navigating a gritty, supernatural version of Thatcher-era Britain. By juxtaposing mundane urban decay with cosmic horror, the creative team sought to ground the fantastic in a tactile, often uncomfortable reality. The series was critically lauded for its psychological complexity and social commentary, cementing Constantine's status as a foundational anti-hero in contemporary comic book history.