As I had said with the review of the previous issue, this series is my first real exposure to the character John Constantine. I really enjoyed the first issue and I found this one followed up quite well.
After retrieving the needle of a magical compass from Sargon the Sorceress, our hero finds himself in Myanmar to try and find the next piece. Here he is confronted by Mister E, another one of those big bad magicians. Constantine escapes, only to have The Spectre breathing down his neck saying he must die. Constantine is able to convince The Spectre to let him live, saying he is the only one who can stop the crazy magicians, so he is allowed to live. The issue ends with quite a cliffhanger.
The writing is done by both Jeff Lemire (probably my favourite writer at the moment) and Ray Fawkes. Lemire is a plotter or co-writer whereas Fawkes is handling all the script work and making sure it all comes together. As with the last one, the pacing continues to take the reader on a thrill ride of sorts, ripping us from one place to the next but never in a jarring way. I hope The Spectre comes in again because I'm interested in what he can do and his take on this magical situation that is unfolding.
Renato Guedes continues on the art. His gritty style compliments the story well. He really likes rumpled clothes and hair. There are some close ups on hands as well, which I've seen some people fail quite badly at, but Guedes does it well. Marcelo Maiolo does colors. There is a lot of light in this issue, from either the sun or candles, looks good. Again I'm impressed with the art in general and hope the good work continues.
As I said I am a new reader to this character so don't hate on me if I like something that isn't “true” to the character. I enjoy it and I want to continue reading it. If you are new to our hero, check it out. Old fans? Check it out anyways, you never know.
Score: 4/5
Writes: Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
Artist: Renato Guedes
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 4/10/13