John Constantine, Hellblazer: Death and Cigarettes

In 2013, Peter Milligan and Simon Bisley brought John Constantine back to his gritty, supernatural roots with this single-issue DC comic. "Death and Cigarettes" finds the chain-smoking magician facing the literal consequences of his hard-living ways, as his own mortality comes calling in the form of a debt to be collected. It’s a visceral, standalone story that captures the bleak, punk-rock spirit of the Hellblazer mythos, with Bisley’s raw, expressionistic art making every page feel like a fever dream. For fans of the character, this issue is a potent, self-contained shot of the dark, unflinching magic that defined the series at its best.