Hellblazer #265-266

Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Simon Bisley

If there's one thing that Milligan brings to Hellblazer, it's a sense of authenticity.  This book needs to be written by a Brit that lived through the Thatcher era.  I imagine that Milligan is about the same age as John Constantine, and is putting some of his own experiences or impressions of the world into the character.

This two-part arc has Constantine hooking back up with his old friend Faeces McCartney, who has an effigy housing the spirit of Sid Vicious.  Faeces has been keeping up the good fight against the Conservatives since the punk days ended, and has with him a small commune of young believers.  They are being recruited by a dark wing of the Conservative party to help them return to power, and Faeces needs John's help to put a stop to it.

This means that Constantine has to shave his head, and immerse himself in this sad little scene.  While the story has John examining his past on the eve of a return to power for the party he hates, it also gives Milligan a good reason to further examine the blossoming relationship between John and Epiphany, who is an interesting character.

The guest art by Bisley is quite nice (I don't usually like him at all), although I felt that his Constantine is a little boxier and more burly than is usual for the character.  I'm starting to reconsider having dropped this title.