Hellblazer #143

Warren Ellis and Marcelo Frusin bring their gritty sensibility to this December 1999 issue of Vertigo's long-running occult series, subtitled "Telling Tales." Tim Bradstreet's cover art places John Constantine front and center — trenchcoat-clad, cigarette in hand, wearing the world-weary expression of a man who has seen too much — while fragmented scenes of shadowy crowds, urban chaos, and dark silhouetted figures swirl behind him like half-remembered nightmares. It's a moody, atmospheric composition that captures exactly why Constantine remains one of comics' most compelling antiheroes.