Hellblazer #298

Simon Bisley's cover for Hellblazer #298 is a striking piece of macabre artistry — a skeletal figure in a weathered trenchcoat lights a cigarette with a Zippo lighter, its bony hand clutching the flame while a cracked, grinning skull merges with a vivid red demon-like face beneath it. The story arc "Death and Cigarettes" kicks off here, written by Peter Milligan with interior art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini, promising the kind of dark, supernatural tension the series does so well. For fans of John Constantine's world, this 2013 Vertigo issue sets a grim, atmospheric tone right from its unforgettable cover.