Tim Seeley, Jesus Merino new creative team on The Hellblazer

DC has announced that The Hellblazer is getting a new creative team with issue #13, writer Tim Seeley and artist Jesus Merino.

I really had a problem getting used to a PG-rated John Constantine.

I grew up with the R-rated, foul-mouthed, chain smoking version of the anti-hero, brought to life by the likes of Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis and Peter Milligan. These were about as far from superhero comics as you could get and they served as my introduction to the world beyond capes and cowls.

So when that version John Constantine faded into the sunset with Hellblazer #300 and was replaced with a younger, more kid-friendly version, a part of me died a little bit inside.

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That said, the new series that emerged in 2011, titled Constantine, wasn’t all bad. It wasn’t all great either but it wasn’t nearly the unmitigated disaster I thought it would be. Things improved a bit more when the book was relaunched as Constantine: The Hellblazer and have improved again as the title returned to simply being known as The Hellblazer.

The latest series, part of the massive DC Rebirth event, saw Constantine return to London and the reappearance of several long standing supporting cast members, including Chas Chandler. While not as dark and adult as the original Vertigo series, it has upped the horror element and has almost impressed the old school Hellblazer purist in me.

Now DC has announced that The Hellblazer will be getting a new creative team with issue #13 in the form of writer Tim Seeley and artist Jesus Merino.

First reported by Nerdist, Seeley will also be providing covers and colorist Chris Sotomayor will also be joining the title beginning with that issue.

Seeley, perhaps best known for his creator-owned series Hack/Slash, seems very excited to be joining the book, telling Nerdist that the assignment is a dream come ture.

"“I’ve wanted to work on The Hellblazer for as long as I can remember. John isn’t quite a hero. He’s doing his best to get by, making mistakes along the way, and checking off things he’ll regret later. Y’know, like all of us. The Hellblazer is one of the few, genuine horror series DC regularly puts out, and telling icky, creepy, scary stories with just a touch of sexy is totally my thing.”"

Seeley also revealed his first cover for the series via his Twitter feed.

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Seeley is a solid writer who knows how to create horror comics that can actually scare a reader. He could be a great addition to the long line of talented writers who have shaped John Constantine over the years. I for one am pretty excited.

The Hellblazer #13, now with more Seeley and Merino, goes on sale this coming August.