Hellblazer #244

A smoldering embrace — a darkened figure clutched against a fiery, flame-wreathed form adorned with Celtic crosses and red roses along its spine — sets a hauntingly intimate tone for part two of "The Mortification of the Flesh." Lee Bermejo's painted cover work is quietly stunning, blending desire and dread in a composition that feels both tender and deeply unsettling. Writer Andy Diggle and artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini continue their run on John Constantine's long-running Vertigo series with this July 2008 installment — and this issue also comes with a free preview of Madame Xanadu tucked inside.