10 Vertigo Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die
3. Hellblazer: Original Sins
Everyone's favorite occult investigator John Constantine has starred in a lot of fantastic stories over the years.
From Neil Gaiman's extraordinarily brilliant one-shot "Hold Me," to the aforementioned Horrorist, to even the character's appearances as a member of the mainline DC universe, it's safe to say that the former frontman for Mucous Membrane is one of the most prolific Vertigo characters out there.
However, in order to experience his most essential tale, you have to go back to the very beginning with Jamie Delano's Hellblazer: Original Sins.
Delano's supernatural tale of a disheveled, amoral anti-hero being pitted against mystical forces of darkness, as well as the horrors and harsh realities of our own world, is as relevant today as it was back in the late 1980s. What's more, this dark adventure is wonderfully brought to life by the vivid, unabashedly chilling drawings of artist John Ridgway.
Delano and Ridgway's run on Hellblazer was so iconic and defining that they (as well as a few others) are now even listed as being the character's co-creators alongside Alan Moore. That's no small feat, especially given how dodgy DC can occasionally be with their creator credits.