Hellblazer #295

Simon Bisley's painted cover for this November 2012 Vertigo issue captures John Constantine at his most haggard — cigarette hanging from his lips, bottle clutched in hand, crouched over a dark-haired woman lying motionless on the grass in what looks like a bleak, run-down yard. The image radiates exhaustion and moral weight, perfectly suited to part three of Peter Milligan's "The Curse of the Constantines" arc, with interior art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini. At issue #295, Hellblazer was still delivering the kind of unflinching, atmospheric storytelling that made the series essential reading for mature-audience comics fans.