JLD is the first book I've decided to drop since I've gotten back into buying comics weekly. I wanted to like this book so badly, but nothing about this clicks with me. I absolutely love Deadman, Zatanna, and Constantine in other books. Deadman just seems to come across as poor comic relief with consistently lame jokes. Zatanna feels like a jilted lover of Constantine's that keeps coming back for one more kicking, and she exudes none of the strength or confidence I have seen of her in previous incarnations. She should be the powerhouse of spells on the team, but her magic just keeps coming up against things that have no affect on it (see Felix Fausts minions) Constantine irks me the most. I am a long time reader and fan of Hellblazer, and his various appearances in the Vertigo line. I know this is supposed to be an alternate universe version of John, but JLD's version acts like a pale comparison to the other. I have an extremely hard time seeing him leading a team, or going headfirst into battle against Felix Faust. Zatanna should have been a stronger candidate for team leader with John being a dick, or scheming on the sidelines. Black Orchid? She can shape shift, and she's a government stooge. Dr. Mist? Magical Bishop. Andrew Benet? I don't like. He's this story arc's Shade, as in, he was there for some reason, then gone the next. Madame Xanadu just complains about her end of the world visions (ok, fair enough on that. The reveal about John and the books of magic was pretty neat) In short, I guess that's my biggest complaint. The characters. They spout dialogue that doesn't fit, or has no weight. Too much exposition when there needs to be little to none. The art is mostly strong, all of the character's look excellent, but the artist has a habit of invoking my biggest peeve: not drawing backgrounds in panels. A splash of color instead of showing the backdrops to Mayan ruins or the twisting halls of the House of Mystery is kind of a shame. That's a huge nitpick for me, but it was a huge factor in me deciding to drop this. My love of the characters and Jeff Lemire will have me checking in on it every once in awhile, but for now, I gotta drop this book. I wanted to like this. SO much.