Hellblazer #242

Part three of "The Laughing Magician" arrives in this 2008 Vertigo installment, with a cover by Glenn Fabry and Tony Luke that pulls no punches: a shadowy, blue-lit John Constantine stands at the center, flanked by a grotesque, wide-jawed creature dominating the upper right and a pale, unsettling figure lurking to the left, all set against a moody urban nightscape lit by a lone headlight. Andy Diggle and Leonardo Manco bring their grim sensibilities to bear on one of DC's most enduring antiheroes, and this cover makes it abundantly clear that Constantine is deep in dangerous company. If you've been following this arc, this issue promises the tension has nowhere left to go but over the edge.