Review – John Constantine: Dead In America #5 – Border Lies

John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead In America #5 – Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell, Writers; Aaron Campbell, Kelsey Ramsay, John Pearson, John McCrea, Artists; Jordie Bellaire, Francesco Segala, Mike Spicer, Colorists

Ray – 9.5/10

Ray: Easily the best issue of the series and the most ambitious by a mile, this issue takes Constantine and his odd group of companions to the American southwest, immersing them in probably the most politically fraught region of the country and the one brimming with the most human suffering barely out of the public eye. After all, this is an area where vigilantism is at its peak, where Native Americans have some of their largest populations still dealing with the fallout of colonization, and where countless migrants battle to survive after many come here with nothing but the cloths on their back. It’s not surprising that one creative team couldn’t tell this story—so Spurrier brings on four different artists and even a co-writer (regular series artist Aaron Campbell) to weave together these complex stories, with Constantine coming in and out and trying to bridge the gaps many of these people face.

Some of these stories are deeply affecting, like a tragic tale of an elderly native man saying goodbye to the daughter he lost long ago. Even more powerful is the haunting story of a young migrant desperately searching for the bus ticket that will allow him to go home. The twist here was a little predictable, but didn’t lose any of its power because of that. Then there’s the hilariously bizarre and gruesome tale illustrated by John McCrea, which involves a very strange man dressed as a chupacabra with a dark secret. Does Constantine actually manage to solve any of these issues? Outlook cloudy, but sometimes just being there to hear people out makes a big difference. Each of the segments has its own gorgeous art style, and we get to know some fascinating characters in only a few pages. Of every issue in this series so far, this is the one that feels quintessentially Vertigo in the best way.

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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.