DC Comics’ Constantine just had a ghost train in the Devil’s bedroom

John Constantine has a new life at DC Comics after making a dignified exit after eight years in the main DC universe. His reissued light blazer series is part of the Sandman Universe footprint, which means that John is back in his own supernatural England, spinning a winning round around some of the other Sandman books.

This week he visited Dan Watters and Fernando Blancos Lucifer to make a home visit to the Lord of Hell. Old Scratch has done some construction work on the material level – long history, but it’s all part of a plan to avoid the revenge of several underworld gods that he set fire to in an earlier story arc.

John came in just as he was starting a very spooky inauguration ceremony, was invited and indeed felt at home.

What else happens on the pages of our favorite comics? We will tell you. Welcome to Polygon’s weekly list of books that our comic book editor has enjoyed over the past week. It is partly about the pages of the society of superhero life, partly about reading recommendations, partly about “look at this cool art”. There may be some spoilers. There may not be enough context. Let’s get started!

Lucifer # 15

Dan Watters, Fernando Blanco / DC Comics

After hundreds of years, all the spirits in Lucifer’s villa have returned to the sense of human joy without tasting or feeling. John Constantine is just the type of person who can’t say no to a well-hanged headless ghost, a Japanese horror movie villain, and good shit in the devil’s own vacation home.

He really is a role model for all of us.

Aquaman # 55

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha / DC Comics

Everything in Aquaman comes to a head, and by that I mean that Black Manta basically has a hunter controlled by an AI version of his dead father, and Mera uses her Aquakinesis to turn a huge water element into one by itself pulp. While pregnant, Mera is great.

Tom Kings Run on Batman ended its 85th edition this week, and the moment Kite-Man showed up I knew it was going to be a good one. I can’t say that there were no ups and downs in this series, but overall I’m glad I was there. Hopefully King’s true cap in his story, the upcoming 12-issue mini-series Batman / Catwoman, will be one of the highlights.

Geoff Johns, Gary Frank / DC Comics

The end of the Doomsday Clock did not live up to the hype. And it looked worse after HBO’s electrifying Watchmen series. But I can say that: Gary Frank’s art was incredible all the way.

Legion of Superheroes # 2

Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook / DC Comics

Jonathan Kent, you get parental permission to be with an absolutely fantastic intergalactic justice league of cool, Superman-loving teenagers of the future, your extremely intense 11-year-old best friend ??? You are grounded.

Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo / DC Comics

The new Suicide Squad series comes from Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, the same team that delivered the surprisingly entertaining Injustice series. It’s a lot of fun and brings the valuable new characters of an entire team into the DC universe. The revolutionaries are in the squad’s crosshairs, and once they are defeated, they crowd into the squad, just as Amanda Waller gives up under apparent pressure. This is great for morale!

Family tree # 2

Jeff Lemire, Phil Hester / Image Comics

Jeff Lemires and Phil Hester’s newest family tree is Lemire’s old standby in a strange science fiction situation plus family drama – the story of a broken family that comes together again in the face of a plague that turns their victims into trees.

Gwenpool strikes back # 5

Leah Williams, David Baldeón and Marvel Comics

Okay, Gwenpool is a long story, but it has reached a turning point in the last edition of its mini-series. Gwen is a confident cartoon character who knows that if she doesn’t find an editorial home, she could disappear from existence. In order not to spoil the image, Gwenpool Strikes Back finds a new home and a new community after a long struggle – and it’s perfect.

King Thor # 4

Jason Aaron, Mike Del Mundo / Marvel Comics

King Thor # 4 ends Jason Aara’s Thor saga. But of course, Thor’s story doesn’t end. The issue takes time to address Asgard’s new status quo, including an important new detail. After Heimdall’s death on the Valkyrie side, someone else picked up his sword and all-seeing look: The Lady Sif.

X-Force # 4

Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara / Marvel-Comics

Oh thank god, X-Force has finally stated that Wolverine still has adamantium claws after he rose from the rest of the X-Men in Hox / Pox. You always have a bottle of adamantium in your hand because he dies so damn often. The X-Men are great.