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Hellblazer: New Editions
Hellblazer, Vol. 12: How to Play with Fire
In these tales, John Constantine must discover the connection between disasters across the ages. Then, while Constantine’s past catches up at home, the First of the Fallen unveils his new scheme in the U.S.
Collecting: Hellblazer 121-133
Collecting: Hellblazer 121-133
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 19, 2016
31 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Paul Jenkins
1,257 books152 followersPaul Jenkins is a British comic book writer. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, he has had a big part shaping the characters of the company over the past decade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 20, 2022
Up the Down Escalator and How to Play with Fire are the last two Paul Jenkins stories and really is just one bigger story. Most of it is quite boring. It's a lackluster return for the First of the Fallen. Jenkins's writing is very obtuse in parts of this. I think it's his weakest story of his whole run. Maybe it's because Sean Phillips already bailed and Warren Pleece was a weak replacement as artist.
Then we get to the return of Garth Ennis in Son of Man for the most depraved story I can remember in Hellblazer. It's full of Ennis's trademark dark humor. It's also got some moments that foreshadow some of the shit Ennis would pull in Crossed years later, just nowhere near as graphic fortunately. It's really good as long as you aren't bothered by much.
Then we get to the return of Garth Ennis in Son of Man for the most depraved story I can remember in Hellblazer. It's full of Ennis's trademark dark humor. It's also got some moments that foreshadow some of the shit Ennis would pull in Crossed years later, just nowhere near as graphic fortunately. It's really good as long as you aren't bothered by much.
August 6, 2018
[throwing confetti around wildly] Goodbye Paul Jenkins! I hope you never come back! Seriously though, I did not like a single solitary thing about his run and when I saw it switch back over to Ennis halfway through this volume I almost cried with joy. So far I think Ennis is literally the only person who can actually write Hellblazer so I'm glad he stepped in to write another short arc [although I did really love the Constantine: The Hellblazer run out of the newer stuff, but that's honestly more like a super fun AU most of the time].
Here's some highlights from Ennis' issues:
#amazing
I honestly should have known these panels would come from an Ennis issue lol
I just really want to hammer home the fact that John Constantine apparently sits around his house in a pink mesh tank top in his spare time.
Looking forward to Warren Ellis' stuff in the next volume. It's so nice to actually be excited for this series again, Jenkins was absolutely killing me.
Here's some highlights from Ennis' issues:
#amazing
I honestly should have known these panels would come from an Ennis issue lol
I just really want to hammer home the fact that John Constantine apparently sits around his house in a pink mesh tank top in his spare time.
Looking forward to Warren Ellis' stuff in the next volume. It's so nice to actually be excited for this series again, Jenkins was absolutely killing me.
Read
November 24, 2020The difference in quality between Jenkins' and Ennis' writing seemed a tad fuzzy to me before this volume, as I was getting tired of some of Ennis' themes by the end of his main run on the series. But bloody hell, this volume - about 2/3 Jenkins and 1/3 Ennis' work - makes it clear. The sharpness and wit of Ennis' take on John Constantine was instantly apparent (there's also better detail in the art again) - and whilst I would rather folkloric themes (as Jenkins uses) over the splatter gore and relentless focus on hell-demons that makes 'Son of Man' Garth Ennis Hellblazer turned up to 11 - the latter is far cleverer and funnier.
But yeah, there are a couple of Jenkins stories in issues #121-128 to get out of the way first.
I've mentioned in earlier reviews that Jenkins tends to be culturally clumsy. At first, Constantine's visit to his girlfriend's African-American family one Thanksgiving seemed to be handled surprisingly well in unexcitingly titled four-parter 'Up the Down Staircase'. (Also: Thanksgiving week - well-timed Hellblazer reading strikes again.) I figured Jenkins realised he needed to make them an ordinary family like in many US sitcoms and light dramas, from live action to The Simpsons - and (though I don't have the background to be sure) he seems to have put in a decent balance of AAVE so that they sounded genuine talking amongst themselves but not stereotyped. And whether it was a Brit's lack of knowledge meaning he neglected some of the more obscure US stereotypes or typical cultural choices (which have only become known to us in recent years because of internet discussions on racism), or a deliberate effort to counter one, I really liked that Dani - plausibly also as the one with the big city job - was into skiing.
But then, oh dear. *Tyre screech*. Pages and pages on young Black American men and gun crime.
The background supernatural problem Constantine needs to address during this story was also very mixed in its quality as a theme. The US consumerist-industrial complex and the advertising that hooks people into it is evil? Wow, what an original revelation. Yet, reading this 1998 publication now, after a half-decade when when social media and digital tech have fuelled volatile political division in America and elsewhere, naming the malevolent super-brand in this story 'IT' ends up inadvertently prescient. (The illustrations hint this was meant to be a reference to Nike's 'Just Do It' slogan.)
The second of the two four part Jenkins stories in this volume, 'How to Play With Fire' seemed okay while I was reading it, but after 'Son of Man' it seems rather flat, more HB-by-numbers. It also rounds off Jenkins' run by returning in #128, his final issue, to his meeting with the old fortune-teller in the woods, and the changed, now IMO needlessly embittered relationship between Constantine and Ellie which shifted in issue #104 (vol). I never could see why there was any need to trick a succubus into sex. This whole strand (which is evidently now established as backstory in the HB universe) seemed like contrived conflict for its own sake, which had very little understanding of the characters' prior relationship.
The lack of attention to detail in writing and drawing that has marked Jenkins' run was present here: there are very few of the clever little items in scenery that it was enjoyable to find in others HB work, and the occasional ones present are heavy-handed, like the copy of Julius Caesar on a floor when someone calls Constantine "an honourable man". A scenes of psychic workings lack any sense of intensity, so that transformations afterwards feel unearned and random, and a wily old US veteran thinks that Constantine was too young to have fought in any war other than the Falklands. (Again, one of those instances where you'd be forgiven for thinking Jenkins' JC wasn't being written by a Brit, as if someone had forgotten the UK was involved in the first Gulf War.) There are lots of little clunks and errors like this and it gets boring enumerating them all.
The only time these issues me laugh was when John called the 90s bland. Well, you're gonna love the 2000s then!
But bam, the sharpness of Ennis' writing hit straight away and I saw why fans love his work. It also got me on board straight away with Constantine ranting at length about kids, in a vein that can be summarised as anti-natalism.
Ennis is, of course, clever enough to return to this theme later and slap the storyline around with it, seemingly fuelled by some kind of lapsed-Catholic-atheist ambivalence about abortion. Whilst, during Ennis' main run on the comic, I was kind of bored with him apparently using HB to exercise some angst about religion, I do like digging around the subtext and it certainly brings more depth to the comics than Jenkins ever did.
Closer to the edge than HB has ever been before on religious themes, it seems genuinely shocking now in a different way to have a demon tell a character he's going to hell because of homosexuality. (Though the character has also been plenty violent throughout his life.) Ennis has always shown the HB hell to be very traditionalist-Catholic in its moral judgements. One of the few ways in which he, as a writer, seems supportive of Constantine is to imply (assuming the reader has more modern morals, because anyone who perseveres with reading this stuff would) that he's right to want to fight the powers of heaven and hell that condemn people to fates like these. Perhaps in the late 90s it wasn't *as* shocking as it is now to see that panel, but read these days it somehow seems to make Constantine's project against their dominion to be more urgent and important. (I already felt that about a different matter at issue #78, but that wouldn't be quite such a majority opinion.)
(Also on gay topics - there's a review somewhere which criticises Constantine grinning at the 'camera' about shagging a lesbian - but this episode reminded me more of how definitions have changed. They are now more about how one feels rather than what one does. Because of that, the female character's angst might be far from inevitable now. I remember, at some point in the 00s, still in my twenties, hearing about a lesbian friend-of-friend who had started dating a man, and was still definite about calling herself a lesbian, and I said, "well, she's bi then". Quite unacceptable now!)
The one thing it seems that Ennis has taken from Jenkins is an increased tendency for Constantine to break the fourth wall and talk to the reader. As 'Son of Man' is a crime focused story, in which, essentially, the seedy PI needs to clear up his old mistakes, occasional use of this old-school, vaguely Chandleresque mode fits excellently here.
The grimness of Ennis' themes can get wearing after a while, but five issues, like this is just fine. (Though I understand that Warren Ellis', which follow, are similarly grim.) I don't feel bothered by this stuff in the moment of reading, and am increasingly inured to it as I make my way through the series, but I feel a sort of weariness from it later. Son of Man is all kinds of bad-taste gory splatter that makes it abundantly clear (more so than his main HB run) why Ennis has a reputation for shock-value comics - some of the later scenes are basically Viz-does-hell-horror. It also has some very funny lines if you're able to laugh at stuff like this, and reading it after the flat Jenkins material made me appreciate it all the more.
I'm a bit puzzled by some GR reviewers' take on Son of Man Constantine as the worst version of the character and irredeemable (perhaps it's something to do with different levels of sensitivity around the kids theme). After the grubby bloke in Jenkins who is low-level insulting to all and sundry in a way that never sounds affectionately jokey, here, as I see it, is a return to a Constantine with a deep-down sense of honour who ultimately wants to try and put things right, even if that has to be in a very messy way. There's a clarity to him that's part of Ennis' greater skill as a writer.
The art - both by Warren Preece in Jenkins' later issues, and especially the further improvement with John Higgins in 'Son of Man' - is an improvement on Sean Phillips as far as I'm concerned. Both draw a Constantine who looks like a grown-up and whom it's easy to imagine pulling off the cons he does. (Rightly or wrongly, I think that Hollywood-leading-man kind of look would be an asset there.) There's a welcome increase in interesting visual details with Higgins too - for example, when JC's at home you can see he's reading a 90s Peter Benchley novel, White Shark.
Anyway, here's hoping for more writing of similar quality to Ennis, but eventually more nice folklore themes (though the latter will obviously have to wait until after Ellis and Brian Azzarello's issues.)
But yeah, there are a couple of Jenkins stories in issues #121-128 to get out of the way first.
I've mentioned in earlier reviews that Jenkins tends to be culturally clumsy. At first, Constantine's visit to his girlfriend's African-American family one Thanksgiving seemed to be handled surprisingly well in unexcitingly titled four-parter 'Up the Down Staircase'. (Also: Thanksgiving week - well-timed Hellblazer reading strikes again.) I figured Jenkins realised he needed to make them an ordinary family like in many US sitcoms and light dramas, from live action to The Simpsons - and (though I don't have the background to be sure) he seems to have put in a decent balance of AAVE so that they sounded genuine talking amongst themselves but not stereotyped. And whether it was a Brit's lack of knowledge meaning he neglected some of the more obscure US stereotypes or typical cultural choices (which have only become known to us in recent years because of internet discussions on racism), or a deliberate effort to counter one, I really liked that Dani - plausibly also as the one with the big city job - was into skiing.
But then, oh dear. *Tyre screech*. Pages and pages on young Black American men and gun crime.
The background supernatural problem Constantine needs to address during this story was also very mixed in its quality as a theme. The US consumerist-industrial complex and the advertising that hooks people into it is evil? Wow, what an original revelation. Yet, reading this 1998 publication now, after a half-decade when when social media and digital tech have fuelled volatile political division in America and elsewhere, naming the malevolent super-brand in this story 'IT' ends up inadvertently prescient. (The illustrations hint this was meant to be a reference to Nike's 'Just Do It' slogan.)
The second of the two four part Jenkins stories in this volume, 'How to Play With Fire' seemed okay while I was reading it, but after 'Son of Man' it seems rather flat, more HB-by-numbers. It also rounds off Jenkins' run by returning in #128, his final issue, to his meeting with the old fortune-teller in the woods, and the changed, now IMO needlessly embittered relationship between Constantine and Ellie which shifted in issue #104 (vol). I never could see why there was any need to trick a succubus into sex. This whole strand (which is evidently now established as backstory in the HB universe) seemed like contrived conflict for its own sake, which had very little understanding of the characters' prior relationship.
The lack of attention to detail in writing and drawing that has marked Jenkins' run was present here: there are very few of the clever little items in scenery that it was enjoyable to find in others HB work, and the occasional ones present are heavy-handed, like the copy of Julius Caesar on a floor when someone calls Constantine "an honourable man". A scenes of psychic workings lack any sense of intensity, so that transformations afterwards feel unearned and random, and a wily old US veteran thinks that Constantine was too young to have fought in any war other than the Falklands. (Again, one of those instances where you'd be forgiven for thinking Jenkins' JC wasn't being written by a Brit, as if someone had forgotten the UK was involved in the first Gulf War.) There are lots of little clunks and errors like this and it gets boring enumerating them all.
The only time these issues me laugh was when John called the 90s bland. Well, you're gonna love the 2000s then!
But bam, the sharpness of Ennis' writing hit straight away and I saw why fans love his work. It also got me on board straight away with Constantine ranting at length about kids, in a vein that can be summarised as anti-natalism.
Ennis is, of course, clever enough to return to this theme later and slap the storyline around with it, seemingly fuelled by some kind of lapsed-Catholic-atheist ambivalence about abortion. Whilst, during Ennis' main run on the comic, I was kind of bored with him apparently using HB to exercise some angst about religion, I do like digging around the subtext and it certainly brings more depth to the comics than Jenkins ever did.
Closer to the edge than HB has ever been before on religious themes, it seems genuinely shocking now in a different way to have a demon tell a character he's going to hell because of homosexuality. (Though the character has also been plenty violent throughout his life.) Ennis has always shown the HB hell to be very traditionalist-Catholic in its moral judgements. One of the few ways in which he, as a writer, seems supportive of Constantine is to imply (assuming the reader has more modern morals, because anyone who perseveres with reading this stuff would) that he's right to want to fight the powers of heaven and hell that condemn people to fates like these. Perhaps in the late 90s it wasn't *as* shocking as it is now to see that panel, but read these days it somehow seems to make Constantine's project against their dominion to be more urgent and important. (I already felt that about a different matter at issue #78, but that wouldn't be quite such a majority opinion.)
(Also on gay topics - there's a review somewhere which criticises Constantine grinning at the 'camera' about shagging a lesbian - but this episode reminded me more of how definitions have changed. They are now more about how one feels rather than what one does. Because of that, the female character's angst might be far from inevitable now. I remember, at some point in the 00s, still in my twenties, hearing about a lesbian friend-of-friend who had started dating a man, and was still definite about calling herself a lesbian, and I said, "well, she's bi then". Quite unacceptable now!)
The one thing it seems that Ennis has taken from Jenkins is an increased tendency for Constantine to break the fourth wall and talk to the reader. As 'Son of Man' is a crime focused story, in which, essentially, the seedy PI needs to clear up his old mistakes, occasional use of this old-school, vaguely Chandleresque mode fits excellently here.
The grimness of Ennis' themes can get wearing after a while, but five issues, like this is just fine. (Though I understand that Warren Ellis', which follow, are similarly grim.) I don't feel bothered by this stuff in the moment of reading, and am increasingly inured to it as I make my way through the series, but I feel a sort of weariness from it later. Son of Man is all kinds of bad-taste gory splatter that makes it abundantly clear (more so than his main HB run) why Ennis has a reputation for shock-value comics - some of the later scenes are basically Viz-does-hell-horror. It also has some very funny lines if you're able to laugh at stuff like this, and reading it after the flat Jenkins material made me appreciate it all the more.
I'm a bit puzzled by some GR reviewers' take on Son of Man Constantine as the worst version of the character and irredeemable (perhaps it's something to do with different levels of sensitivity around the kids theme). After the grubby bloke in Jenkins who is low-level insulting to all and sundry in a way that never sounds affectionately jokey, here, as I see it, is a return to a Constantine with a deep-down sense of honour who ultimately wants to try and put things right, even if that has to be in a very messy way. There's a clarity to him that's part of Ennis' greater skill as a writer.
The art - both by Warren Preece in Jenkins' later issues, and especially the further improvement with John Higgins in 'Son of Man' - is an improvement on Sean Phillips as far as I'm concerned. Both draw a Constantine who looks like a grown-up and whom it's easy to imagine pulling off the cons he does. (Rightly or wrongly, I think that Hollywood-leading-man kind of look would be an asset there.) There's a welcome increase in interesting visual details with Higgins too - for example, when JC's at home you can see he's reading a 90s Peter Benchley novel, White Shark.
Anyway, here's hoping for more writing of similar quality to Ennis, but eventually more nice folklore themes (though the latter will obviously have to wait until after Ellis and Brian Azzarello's issues.)
January 3, 2022
Vol 12 of Hellblazer seemed to start slowly, but it gathered steam and ended up as a winner.
The poor start is due to JC's fetish for getting involved in bad relationships. This time he is spending time with his recent disaster's family for Thanksgiving. Yet, all is not well as the First of the Fallen shows JC his master plan.
The second story is superb. Long ago JC helped a mobster by bringing his son back from the dead. but, all is not as it seems since JC placed a demon inside the boy's body. Now the boy is in charge of the crime family and it is a twisted tale indeed.
Both of these stories are really good, though the latter one was far superior. JC shows that he is a world class dick and sometimes, that's enough. Rough being his friend though. A great series and one of the darkest comics in terms of ideas and concepts.
The poor start is due to JC's fetish for getting involved in bad relationships. This time he is spending time with his recent disaster's family for Thanksgiving. Yet, all is not well as the First of the Fallen shows JC his master plan.
The second story is superb. Long ago JC helped a mobster by bringing his son back from the dead. but, all is not as it seems since JC placed a demon inside the boy's body. Now the boy is in charge of the crime family and it is a twisted tale indeed.
Both of these stories are really good, though the latter one was far superior. JC shows that he is a world class dick and sometimes, that's enough. Rough being his friend though. A great series and one of the darkest comics in terms of ideas and concepts.
January 19, 2016
The continuing adventures of everyone's favourite utter bastard take place in this next volume of Hellblazer.
We open with the weakest story, Up The Down Staircase, which spins its wheels for three issues before sort-of concluding; for a story starring one of John's few recurring foes, the First of the Fallen, it's pretty lacklustre.
But Paul Jenkins pulls out all the stops in his final arc, the titular How To Play With Fire which sees all of John's misfortunes catch up with him and all of his friends desert him, just when he needs them the most as Buer and Ellie return to plague him. It draws on all of Jenkins's past stories, and is a fitting conclusion for Jenkins and artist Warren Pleece to bow out on.
Finally, Garth Ennis returns for a five issue semi-fill-in as John and Chas find themselves to embroiled in an East End gangster war, with a deadly demonic under-current. Even without Ennis's name on this, you'd know it was him writing - the level of depravity is evident, but it's all in the usual Constantine flare.
Despite one dud of a story, Constantine's misadventures continue to be compelling reading, and DC are showing no sign of stopping when it comes to these collections, with at least another two (and hopefully more) on the way. Bring 'em on
We open with the weakest story, Up The Down Staircase, which spins its wheels for three issues before sort-of concluding; for a story starring one of John's few recurring foes, the First of the Fallen, it's pretty lacklustre.
But Paul Jenkins pulls out all the stops in his final arc, the titular How To Play With Fire which sees all of John's misfortunes catch up with him and all of his friends desert him, just when he needs them the most as Buer and Ellie return to plague him. It draws on all of Jenkins's past stories, and is a fitting conclusion for Jenkins and artist Warren Pleece to bow out on.
Finally, Garth Ennis returns for a five issue semi-fill-in as John and Chas find themselves to embroiled in an East End gangster war, with a deadly demonic under-current. Even without Ennis's name on this, you'd know it was him writing - the level of depravity is evident, but it's all in the usual Constantine flare.
Despite one dud of a story, Constantine's misadventures continue to be compelling reading, and DC are showing no sign of stopping when it comes to these collections, with at least another two (and hopefully more) on the way. Bring 'em on
July 9, 2016
This trade was basically three separate storylines.
In the first, there's a bit of a convulated tale where Constantine meets his girlfriend's parents and finds out about some scheme the devil has to hypnotize people using their tv sets. Or something like that. I didn't care as much for this one. It was set in the states which was a change, but not enough to save it.
Then we get the end of Paul Jenkins run, which brings back a lot of Constantine's past sins and provides a nice set up for the Ennis storyline which followed.
The next storyline was SON OF MAN written by Garth Ennis, and I found this one much better. Years ago a gangster had his son killed in a hit and run accident, and demanded Constantine bring the boy back to life. It wasn't possible, so John did the only thing he could: conjure a demon to possess the kid's body and make it look like he'd came back to life. So now it's twelve years later and the boy hasn't aged physically but he's a demon, literally. So John has that to deal with...
Overall the Son of Man storyline saved the book. The art wasn't the best, but still another good volume overall.
In the first, there's a bit of a convulated tale where Constantine meets his girlfriend's parents and finds out about some scheme the devil has to hypnotize people using their tv sets. Or something like that. I didn't care as much for this one. It was set in the states which was a change, but not enough to save it.
Then we get the end of Paul Jenkins run, which brings back a lot of Constantine's past sins and provides a nice set up for the Ennis storyline which followed.
The next storyline was SON OF MAN written by Garth Ennis, and I found this one much better. Years ago a gangster had his son killed in a hit and run accident, and demanded Constantine bring the boy back to life. It wasn't possible, so John did the only thing he could: conjure a demon to possess the kid's body and make it look like he'd came back to life. So now it's twelve years later and the boy hasn't aged physically but he's a demon, literally. So John has that to deal with...
Overall the Son of Man storyline saved the book. The art wasn't the best, but still another good volume overall.
March 11, 2016
This was an awesome contrast between the ending of Paul Jenkins' run and the beginning of Garth Ennis' run on Hellblazer. Paul's UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE & HOW TO PLAY WITH FIRE were mostly haunting, somber, a little labyrinthian even. They continued with JC's downward spiral as he alienates everyone around him and culminates in him dealing with the devil. Whereas Garth picks up from where Paul stops, his portrayal of JC versus the demon he raised and supplanted into the body of a five year old, who becomes a London Crime boss, is rather entertaining. Lewd, vulgar, and full of that raw edginess you'd expect from the creator of PREACHER.
All in all it was an amazing collection.
All in all it was an amazing collection.
January 23, 2019
I grew to like Paul Jenkins, though his run was quite a change of pace. It was lovely, in that dirty, rotten, Constantine way, to have Garth Ennis back at the helm. I hope the next book’s more of the same.
April 30, 2025
Alright, buckle up my peeps, because we're diving back into the murky world of Hellblazer with this collection, marking the end of Paul Jenkins' tenure and featuring a five-issue detour courtesy of Garth Ennis. So, how does this batch of Constantine chaos stack up? Here we go.
First up is "Up the Down Staircase," and it lands squarely in the "good, not great" category for me. Jenkins throws some intriguing ideas into the mix, dropping our favorite trench coat-wearing bastard into American where his girlfriend's family lives. Of course, wouldn't you know it, bad shit follows him, turning everyone in the vicinity into raving lunatics. The story attempts to grapple with American greed and violence, but at times it feels a bit clunky and overly dense just for the sake of it. I dug the interactions with the family, but the broader narrative didn't quite stick the landing for me. However, the subplot with the grieving husband blaming Constantine for his wife's death added a compelling layer to the background.
Then we hit "How to Play with Fire," and this is where the collection really ignites (get it? Thanks, I'll be here all week.). This storyline is a straight-up gut punch, watching John get royally screwed over by the Devil himself. He signs his life away, and in the process, watches everyone he cares about get dragged into the inferno that is John's life. It's a bleak and brutal affair, but it cleverly ties back into Ennis' earlier run, which is a nice touch. Despite feeling a tad stretched in places, this arc mostly delivers the dark and gritty Constantine I crave.
Finally, we have Garth Ennis' return with "Son of Man," and holy hell, this is some seriously bizarre shit. Picture this: John brings a kid, who was hit by a car, back to life for a big-shot mobster. But surprise, surprise, the kid ain't quite right. At one point he fucks the guy's belly, releasing a baby inside of it, and he gives birth by shitting it out. I shit you not. This story is gloriously outrageous, over-the-top silly, and frankly, dumb as fuck in the best possible way. It's wildly entertaining at times, but even I have to admit that Ennis gets a little too self-indulgent towards the end. If it had been trimmed down by a couple of issues, it would have been a tighter, more impactful ride.
Ultimately, while there are moments of brilliance scattered throughout this collection, a bit too much rambling holds it back from true greatness. Paul Jenkins' ending, while decent, feels like a somewhat subdued farewell. So, I'm landing on a solid 3 out of 5 stars. With a tighter editorial hand, this could have been a truly exceptional addition to the Hellblazer saga.
First up is "Up the Down Staircase," and it lands squarely in the "good, not great" category for me. Jenkins throws some intriguing ideas into the mix, dropping our favorite trench coat-wearing bastard into American where his girlfriend's family lives. Of course, wouldn't you know it, bad shit follows him, turning everyone in the vicinity into raving lunatics. The story attempts to grapple with American greed and violence, but at times it feels a bit clunky and overly dense just for the sake of it. I dug the interactions with the family, but the broader narrative didn't quite stick the landing for me. However, the subplot with the grieving husband blaming Constantine for his wife's death added a compelling layer to the background.
Then we hit "How to Play with Fire," and this is where the collection really ignites (get it? Thanks, I'll be here all week.). This storyline is a straight-up gut punch, watching John get royally screwed over by the Devil himself. He signs his life away, and in the process, watches everyone he cares about get dragged into the inferno that is John's life. It's a bleak and brutal affair, but it cleverly ties back into Ennis' earlier run, which is a nice touch. Despite feeling a tad stretched in places, this arc mostly delivers the dark and gritty Constantine I crave.
Finally, we have Garth Ennis' return with "Son of Man," and holy hell, this is some seriously bizarre shit. Picture this: John brings a kid, who was hit by a car, back to life for a big-shot mobster. But surprise, surprise, the kid ain't quite right. At one point he fucks the guy's belly, releasing a baby inside of it, and he gives birth by shitting it out. I shit you not. This story is gloriously outrageous, over-the-top silly, and frankly, dumb as fuck in the best possible way. It's wildly entertaining at times, but even I have to admit that Ennis gets a little too self-indulgent towards the end. If it had been trimmed down by a couple of issues, it would have been a tighter, more impactful ride.
Ultimately, while there are moments of brilliance scattered throughout this collection, a bit too much rambling holds it back from true greatness. Paul Jenkins' ending, while decent, feels like a somewhat subdued farewell. So, I'm landing on a solid 3 out of 5 stars. With a tighter editorial hand, this could have been a truly exceptional addition to the Hellblazer saga.
February 8, 2016
At long last, it's the final Jenkins Hellblazer volume, and the Hellblazer series is finally complete (other than a few one-or-two-issue fill-ins, but who cares ..).
Up the Down Staircase (121-124). Constantine makes another trip to America, and Jenkins does a good job of representing the country's guns, violence, and consumerism without it seeming over-the-top. The heart of this story is Dani's family, and they're great. The story of devilish corruption is a bit harder to follow, but it's as dense and thoughtful as I'd expect of Hellblazer at its best. However, if anything the story of Gavin and Pam is more powerful, because it offers a subtly different point of view on Constantine's friends than what we usually get … and it suggests a great finale on the way [7+/10]
How to Play with Fire (125-128). One thing that I always loved about Jenkins' Hellblazer was how true it was to the Ennis run that preceded it, and this is the final example, showing that together they wrote a very cohesive run of the comic that went from #41-128.
Oh, sure, we get great closure for Jenkins' run, combining together a variety of plot threads. But, we also get great closure for Ennis' run, including a major turning point for the First of the Fallen and for Eli and a meeting with God himself (to mirror Constantine's past meetings with the Devil). Overall, "How to Play with Fire" feels like a book-end for "Dangerous Habits", so many years before. And it's told very well [8/10].
Son of Man (129-133). Ennis' return is pretty brilliant. He revisits the idea of demonic possession, and uses it to present an entirely terrifying antagonist. He also successfully mixes that with some deep history on Constantine's part that's quite interesting. Oh, there's some grossness, sure; it's Ennis. But he keeps it under control and serving the story.
The problem with this arc is that it fits so poorly into what Jenkins did before him. Jenkins left Constantine friendless and down, while Ennis has him living in a happy-go-lucky flophouse with plenty of fun neighbors, and he only recalls his older friends from Ennis' previous run. So, this is a nice coda to what Ennis wrote, but a pretty poor coda for Jenkins' stories. It's a pity DC didn't take the opportunity to place it earlier in the chronology when they reprinted it. [8/10].
Overall, a volume of great stories, even if the transition from Jenkins to Ennis' return is rough.
Up the Down Staircase (121-124). Constantine makes another trip to America, and Jenkins does a good job of representing the country's guns, violence, and consumerism without it seeming over-the-top. The heart of this story is Dani's family, and they're great. The story of devilish corruption is a bit harder to follow, but it's as dense and thoughtful as I'd expect of Hellblazer at its best. However, if anything the story of Gavin and Pam is more powerful, because it offers a subtly different point of view on Constantine's friends than what we usually get … and it suggests a great finale on the way [7+/10]
How to Play with Fire (125-128). One thing that I always loved about Jenkins' Hellblazer was how true it was to the Ennis run that preceded it, and this is the final example, showing that together they wrote a very cohesive run of the comic that went from #41-128.
Oh, sure, we get great closure for Jenkins' run, combining together a variety of plot threads. But, we also get great closure for Ennis' run, including a major turning point for the First of the Fallen and for Eli and a meeting with God himself (to mirror Constantine's past meetings with the Devil). Overall, "How to Play with Fire" feels like a book-end for "Dangerous Habits", so many years before. And it's told very well [8/10].
Son of Man (129-133). Ennis' return is pretty brilliant. He revisits the idea of demonic possession, and uses it to present an entirely terrifying antagonist. He also successfully mixes that with some deep history on Constantine's part that's quite interesting. Oh, there's some grossness, sure; it's Ennis. But he keeps it under control and serving the story.
The problem with this arc is that it fits so poorly into what Jenkins did before him. Jenkins left Constantine friendless and down, while Ennis has him living in a happy-go-lucky flophouse with plenty of fun neighbors, and he only recalls his older friends from Ennis' previous run. So, this is a nice coda to what Ennis wrote, but a pretty poor coda for Jenkins' stories. It's a pity DC didn't take the opportunity to place it earlier in the chronology when they reprinted it. [8/10].
Overall, a volume of great stories, even if the transition from Jenkins to Ennis' return is rough.
April 27, 2020
Well, after 3 volumes, Paul Jenkins long, hit-and-miss run on Hellblazer comes to end more on the "miss" side of things. Jenkins' approach to Constantine himself has always worked pretty well, and his storylines were often philosophical in an entertaining, idea-forward way. But Jenkins' biggest blind spot has always been the supporting cast. They're largely throwaway stock characters who are just there to get in Constantine's way, and Jenkins' run has thrived most when their presence was minimized.
In this volume, they take center stage. As Jenkins pulls Constantine's world down around him in his grand finale, we're meant to be upset by the fact that all of his friends are turning on him and/or being driven away by his actions. But, these characters are all flat and forgettable. I didn't shed a tear for a single one of them, and that's kind of Jenkins wanted me to be doing. So, by devoting his final issues to the worst part of his run, he really fumbles the ball at the one yard line.
Also, it's worth mentioning that this is Jenkins' first run without the excellent accompaniment of Sean Phillips' artwork, and you can really feel that vacuum begging to be filled. Warren Pleece is unfortunately just no substitute.
Then, after Jenkins wraps up his tenure, we get a little 5-issue bit of mania from Garth Ennis, who I guess couldn't leave his fantastic run well enough alone. "Son of Man," which is about a demon possessing the child of a mob boss and generally wreaking havoc, is a nice chunk of mindless fun, but doesn't really leave much of a lasting impression. The premise of the story kicks off with Constantine being utterly terrified of the demon inside in the child, saying it's one of the only demons that's ever scared him, but that just doesn't track with anything we've seen. He casually flipped off Satan and has defeated a countless number of much more sinister demons than this one (which ends up being just an evil monster with a gigantic penis), so it's a tall order to believe Constantine's fear out of the gate. It's an uphill climb from there, and while it has its extremely Ennis-y moments, it doesn't have any of the heart that made his earlier Hellblazer so good. So, it's kind of a wash.
So, while Jenkins' run was by no means terrible, I'm still glad to have it behind me. Warren Ellis's acclaimed (but short-lived) run is next, so I'm excited about that. Here I go, off to continue reading all 300+ issues of Hellblazer!
In this volume, they take center stage. As Jenkins pulls Constantine's world down around him in his grand finale, we're meant to be upset by the fact that all of his friends are turning on him and/or being driven away by his actions. But, these characters are all flat and forgettable. I didn't shed a tear for a single one of them, and that's kind of Jenkins wanted me to be doing. So, by devoting his final issues to the worst part of his run, he really fumbles the ball at the one yard line.
Also, it's worth mentioning that this is Jenkins' first run without the excellent accompaniment of Sean Phillips' artwork, and you can really feel that vacuum begging to be filled. Warren Pleece is unfortunately just no substitute.
Then, after Jenkins wraps up his tenure, we get a little 5-issue bit of mania from Garth Ennis, who I guess couldn't leave his fantastic run well enough alone. "Son of Man," which is about a demon possessing the child of a mob boss and generally wreaking havoc, is a nice chunk of mindless fun, but doesn't really leave much of a lasting impression. The premise of the story kicks off with Constantine being utterly terrified of the demon inside in the child, saying it's one of the only demons that's ever scared him, but that just doesn't track with anything we've seen. He casually flipped off Satan and has defeated a countless number of much more sinister demons than this one (which ends up being just an evil monster with a gigantic penis), so it's a tall order to believe Constantine's fear out of the gate. It's an uphill climb from there, and while it has its extremely Ennis-y moments, it doesn't have any of the heart that made his earlier Hellblazer so good. So, it's kind of a wash.
So, while Jenkins' run was by no means terrible, I'm still glad to have it behind me. Warren Ellis's acclaimed (but short-lived) run is next, so I'm excited about that. Here I go, off to continue reading all 300+ issues of Hellblazer!
September 23, 2016
Garth Ennis took over and made this volume significantly better than others. This first arc where Constantine visited New York was pretty bad, though it had a pleasant ending that I wanted. The second one was gory and fun though didn't make much sense, think of it as aliens vs predators. New comers could skip all the previous volume and start here and everything would still make sense.
July 4, 2017
This volume features the last eight issues of Paul Jenkins excellent run, and a 5-parter by former Hellblazer writer Garth Ennis. Sean Phillips, Jenkins' penciller for the bulk of his time on the title, is replaced by Warren Pleece, who had previously done a fill-in issue, and Ennis' story is illustrated by newcomer John Higgins.
Spoilers below!
In "Up the Down Staircase" Constantine joins Dani on a trip to the States to spend Thanksgiving holiday with her family, and there are some comically uncomfortable moments as he tries in vain to adjust to the culture shock. But the real story begins subtly, as there are indications even before they get off the plane that things are off-- people are behaving strangely and aggressively (to be perfectly honest, this weirdness isn't addressed adequately, so it's difficult to summarize). But the point is, Dani's family has also been affected negatively by this strange malaise, and tensions are running high in the house. While Dani goes off skiing instead of facing the problem, Constantine is left to deal with it, and once again crosses paths with the First of the Fallen. But this time, the Devil doesn't really have much to do with it; it's the media, the television, the coarsening of the culture. Over-exposure. But he's certainly having loads of fun watching it all happen.
Constantine figures out that the problem, at least for Dani's family, is originating with Dani's grandfather, and with the help of a spirit-channeling friend, delves into the mind and history of the old man. This was a nice bit-- we get to see the man's full and rich life, all the key experiences that shaped him as a black man in America and the world, all the life he lived before ultimately winding up a tired, unthinking old man in front of a television. This solves the problem somehow?
Okay. As Constantine says to us, the readers, "A remarkably stupid concept, mind. But good enough for this friggin' story."
To be fair, I was a bit drunk when I read this so there is a possibility I missed some important details.
More important than the actual story, though, is the subplot that sets up the next and last Jenkins story. While Constantine is busy in the States, back in England an acquaintance of his named Gavin is tormented by the death of his girlfriend Pam many years previous. Through the very clever use of various false memories, Pam's ghost plants seeds of despair in Gavin's mind, until he ultimately decides Constantine must pay...
At the end of "Up the Down Staircase," the Devil (having the time of his life watching Constantine squirm!) meets our man at the airport, and happily gives him his business card, saying, in effect, "Call me. Trust me, you're gonna want to very soon."
And this leads us directly into "How to Play with Fire," Jenkins grand finale.
Gavin continues to have changing memories of the events leading up to Pam's death as Pam's ghost continues to mess with his head. Turns out the ghost isn't Pam after all. It's.... the demoness Ellie. Cool, right? Since she can't kill Constantine (see my review of "In the Line of Fire") she's decided to take a less direct route to her revenge. Ellie begins to work on the hearts and minds of Constantine's friends and family, turning them against him, and Constantine becomes more and more isolated from anyone who can help.
Ellie's coup de grace happens when she arranges for Dani to catch Constantine sleeping with someone else. He isn't, but hey, what else is Dani going to think when she walks in and finds her boyfriend naked in bed with another woman? The woman is Ellie, of course, and Constantine is innocent, but good luck explaining that.
The demoness reveals to Gavin that he alone is responsible for Pam's death, leaving him wallowing in despair that eventually ends with suicide. She continues to chip away at Constantine's friends' hearts, until Constantine finally does the unthinkable: instead of wheeling and dealing, instead of putting his own self-preservation front and center as usual, he sacrifices everything for the safety of his friends. He sells his soul to the First of the Fallen, free and clear, no scams, no tricks. It's a huge moment, and a turning point for Constantine as a human being.
Because of his deal with Constantine, the Devil can now find Ellie, who has been hiding from him for years in the farthest reaches of Hell. In a cruel move, the Devil poses as her lost angel lover long enough to capture her and consign her to endless torment.
Remember that old man in the woods with the tarot cards from the beginning of "In the Line of Fire"? Turns out it WAS God after all, or at least a manifestation of Him. Constantine visits him again, pressures him to remove the evil darkness lingering over his friends. "God" does so, knowing that once Constantine dies, he could eventually wind up being a serious enemy in Hell.
The last few pages of "How to Play with Fire" are devastating. Constantine meets with Dani, deliberately breaks her heart and drives her away. He meets Rich in the park, long enough for Rich to inform him they can no longer be friends, because Rich (as the reincarnation of King Arthur, remember!) has to protect himself and his family. Constantine doesn't argue. The last thing we see is a full page shot of John Constantine, sitting alone in the park, emotionally destroyed.
"Nobody died. Except me."
I found this to be a tremendously moving wrap up to Jenkins run. Constantine shows real humanity, accepting his enormous loss for the good of his friends-- hell, the supporting cast in Jenkins stories are more than friends, really. In Garth Ennis' run, we had a cast of friends and mates and pub-pals, but what Jenkins gives us is more like a family. You really feel Constantine's loss at the end, even though everyone survives more or less intact (except poor old Gavin). Ennis' Constantine tried to be "normal", but failed; Jenkins' Constantine tried to be "good", and actually succeeded, but the price he paid was equally devastating.
Warren Pleece's art grew on me over the course of these eight issues, by the way. I missed Sean Phillips at first, but Pleece was a good replacement, using much the same color scheme and layout design, and he draws a helluva First of the Fallen.
If you're reading this volume for the first time, I would strongly recommend waiting a day or two before moving on to the Garth Ennis 5-parter that wraps it up. It's kinda like you're sitting there, contemplating the intense emotional roller coaster Jenkins put you through, you're having a smoke and thinking it over, feeling somewhat melancholy, and then Garth Ennis comes busting in the door naked and wielding a chainsaw and screaming dick jokes at you. Don't get me wrong, "Son of Man" is an excellent story, but jesus, the tone change is jarring as hell.
So way back in '82, Constantine was pulled against his will out of Ravenscar by the Cooper crime family of London, to bring back to life Cooper's dead son, which even in magick circles is considered impossible. Under threat of harm to his sister and niece, Constantine instead called forth a demon to inhabit the boy's dead body, no one the wiser-- but it was an arrangement that would eventually come home to roost. Now, many years later, Chas inadvertently pulls Constantine back into it, and our man has to face up to what he's done: the demon, 21 years old but still with the body of a child, is sparking a gang war in a bid to take over London and eventually give rise to a new evil religion.
The end of the story is a bloodbath, with the demon assuming it's true form (think HR Geiger Alien, but with a six foot dick) and slaughtering more or less everyone. Constantine and Chas are cornered, but Constantine pulls out an ace card by threatening to squash the skull of the demon baby the elder Cooper has just shat out. The demon relents and vanishes, and Constantine and Chas are saved.
Ennis breaks the fourth wall frequently in this one, having Constantine talk to us, the readers, explaining this plot point or that, going on minor rants about children or hippies or what have you. It was fun, but I'd hate it if Hellblazer was that "nod and wink" all the time.
"Son of Man" is an outrageously over-the-top story, very funny (in Ennis' teenage humor way) and worth reading. I've said before Ennis wasn't as mature a writer as Jenkins or Delano, but that's fine. Not everything Hellblazer story has to be devastating or deep.
I'm giving this one 5 stars, because the Ennis story was fun enough but mostly because Jenkins wrap-up was tremendously moving.
Spoilers below!
In "Up the Down Staircase" Constantine joins Dani on a trip to the States to spend Thanksgiving holiday with her family, and there are some comically uncomfortable moments as he tries in vain to adjust to the culture shock. But the real story begins subtly, as there are indications even before they get off the plane that things are off-- people are behaving strangely and aggressively (to be perfectly honest, this weirdness isn't addressed adequately, so it's difficult to summarize). But the point is, Dani's family has also been affected negatively by this strange malaise, and tensions are running high in the house. While Dani goes off skiing instead of facing the problem, Constantine is left to deal with it, and once again crosses paths with the First of the Fallen. But this time, the Devil doesn't really have much to do with it; it's the media, the television, the coarsening of the culture. Over-exposure. But he's certainly having loads of fun watching it all happen.
Constantine figures out that the problem, at least for Dani's family, is originating with Dani's grandfather, and with the help of a spirit-channeling friend, delves into the mind and history of the old man. This was a nice bit-- we get to see the man's full and rich life, all the key experiences that shaped him as a black man in America and the world, all the life he lived before ultimately winding up a tired, unthinking old man in front of a television. This solves the problem somehow?
Okay. As Constantine says to us, the readers, "A remarkably stupid concept, mind. But good enough for this friggin' story."
To be fair, I was a bit drunk when I read this so there is a possibility I missed some important details.
More important than the actual story, though, is the subplot that sets up the next and last Jenkins story. While Constantine is busy in the States, back in England an acquaintance of his named Gavin is tormented by the death of his girlfriend Pam many years previous. Through the very clever use of various false memories, Pam's ghost plants seeds of despair in Gavin's mind, until he ultimately decides Constantine must pay...
At the end of "Up the Down Staircase," the Devil (having the time of his life watching Constantine squirm!) meets our man at the airport, and happily gives him his business card, saying, in effect, "Call me. Trust me, you're gonna want to very soon."
And this leads us directly into "How to Play with Fire," Jenkins grand finale.
Gavin continues to have changing memories of the events leading up to Pam's death as Pam's ghost continues to mess with his head. Turns out the ghost isn't Pam after all. It's.... the demoness Ellie. Cool, right? Since she can't kill Constantine (see my review of "In the Line of Fire") she's decided to take a less direct route to her revenge. Ellie begins to work on the hearts and minds of Constantine's friends and family, turning them against him, and Constantine becomes more and more isolated from anyone who can help.
Ellie's coup de grace happens when she arranges for Dani to catch Constantine sleeping with someone else. He isn't, but hey, what else is Dani going to think when she walks in and finds her boyfriend naked in bed with another woman? The woman is Ellie, of course, and Constantine is innocent, but good luck explaining that.
The demoness reveals to Gavin that he alone is responsible for Pam's death, leaving him wallowing in despair that eventually ends with suicide. She continues to chip away at Constantine's friends' hearts, until Constantine finally does the unthinkable: instead of wheeling and dealing, instead of putting his own self-preservation front and center as usual, he sacrifices everything for the safety of his friends. He sells his soul to the First of the Fallen, free and clear, no scams, no tricks. It's a huge moment, and a turning point for Constantine as a human being.
Because of his deal with Constantine, the Devil can now find Ellie, who has been hiding from him for years in the farthest reaches of Hell. In a cruel move, the Devil poses as her lost angel lover long enough to capture her and consign her to endless torment.
Remember that old man in the woods with the tarot cards from the beginning of "In the Line of Fire"? Turns out it WAS God after all, or at least a manifestation of Him. Constantine visits him again, pressures him to remove the evil darkness lingering over his friends. "God" does so, knowing that once Constantine dies, he could eventually wind up being a serious enemy in Hell.
The last few pages of "How to Play with Fire" are devastating. Constantine meets with Dani, deliberately breaks her heart and drives her away. He meets Rich in the park, long enough for Rich to inform him they can no longer be friends, because Rich (as the reincarnation of King Arthur, remember!) has to protect himself and his family. Constantine doesn't argue. The last thing we see is a full page shot of John Constantine, sitting alone in the park, emotionally destroyed.
"Nobody died. Except me."
I found this to be a tremendously moving wrap up to Jenkins run. Constantine shows real humanity, accepting his enormous loss for the good of his friends-- hell, the supporting cast in Jenkins stories are more than friends, really. In Garth Ennis' run, we had a cast of friends and mates and pub-pals, but what Jenkins gives us is more like a family. You really feel Constantine's loss at the end, even though everyone survives more or less intact (except poor old Gavin). Ennis' Constantine tried to be "normal", but failed; Jenkins' Constantine tried to be "good", and actually succeeded, but the price he paid was equally devastating.
Warren Pleece's art grew on me over the course of these eight issues, by the way. I missed Sean Phillips at first, but Pleece was a good replacement, using much the same color scheme and layout design, and he draws a helluva First of the Fallen.
If you're reading this volume for the first time, I would strongly recommend waiting a day or two before moving on to the Garth Ennis 5-parter that wraps it up. It's kinda like you're sitting there, contemplating the intense emotional roller coaster Jenkins put you through, you're having a smoke and thinking it over, feeling somewhat melancholy, and then Garth Ennis comes busting in the door naked and wielding a chainsaw and screaming dick jokes at you. Don't get me wrong, "Son of Man" is an excellent story, but jesus, the tone change is jarring as hell.
So way back in '82, Constantine was pulled against his will out of Ravenscar by the Cooper crime family of London, to bring back to life Cooper's dead son, which even in magick circles is considered impossible. Under threat of harm to his sister and niece, Constantine instead called forth a demon to inhabit the boy's dead body, no one the wiser-- but it was an arrangement that would eventually come home to roost. Now, many years later, Chas inadvertently pulls Constantine back into it, and our man has to face up to what he's done: the demon, 21 years old but still with the body of a child, is sparking a gang war in a bid to take over London and eventually give rise to a new evil religion.
The end of the story is a bloodbath, with the demon assuming it's true form (think HR Geiger Alien, but with a six foot dick) and slaughtering more or less everyone. Constantine and Chas are cornered, but Constantine pulls out an ace card by threatening to squash the skull of the demon baby the elder Cooper has just shat out. The demon relents and vanishes, and Constantine and Chas are saved.
Ennis breaks the fourth wall frequently in this one, having Constantine talk to us, the readers, explaining this plot point or that, going on minor rants about children or hippies or what have you. It was fun, but I'd hate it if Hellblazer was that "nod and wink" all the time.
"Son of Man" is an outrageously over-the-top story, very funny (in Ennis' teenage humor way) and worth reading. I've said before Ennis wasn't as mature a writer as Jenkins or Delano, but that's fine. Not everything Hellblazer story has to be devastating or deep.
I'm giving this one 5 stars, because the Ennis story was fun enough but mostly because Jenkins wrap-up was tremendously moving.
March 11, 2021
In Hellblazer, Volume 12, “How To Play With Fire”: John goes to America to meet his girlfriend’s parents; he encounters Satan in the Great Satan (a.k.a. the U.S.); a succubus that was wronged by Constantine is about to get her revenge; John manages to lose more friends; we learn that fearless Constantine actually does have something to fear; a mafia story quickly devolves into a demonic possession story; we learn that there is such a thing as a “fuck-pig” demon that has a three-foot schlong and will literally stick it into anything.
This volume proves the vast difference in (not necessarily quality, because that seems to be subjective) tone, temperament, and politesse between the writers behind “Hellblazer”.
Paul Jenkins’s lengthy eight-issue run is a story in which subtlety and nuance matter. The horror is a more real-world, intellectual one.
With Garth Ennis’s four-issue “Son of Man” series, there is no subtlety or nuance. Nor intellect, really. It’s just balls-to-the-wall gross-out horror. It’s also pretty perverted and borderline politically incorrect. Okay, not so borderline. In some cases, this story jumps the border and takes up camp in purely disgusting awfulness. Seriously, this is “Hellblazer” at its most blatantly gratuitous.
I happen to like both styles, personally, but the latter-half of this volume—-the part written by Ennis—-may not be for everyone. Those with weak stomachs and even weaker senses of etiquette and decorum, beware.
This volume proves the vast difference in (not necessarily quality, because that seems to be subjective) tone, temperament, and politesse between the writers behind “Hellblazer”.
Paul Jenkins’s lengthy eight-issue run is a story in which subtlety and nuance matter. The horror is a more real-world, intellectual one.
With Garth Ennis’s four-issue “Son of Man” series, there is no subtlety or nuance. Nor intellect, really. It’s just balls-to-the-wall gross-out horror. It’s also pretty perverted and borderline politically incorrect. Okay, not so borderline. In some cases, this story jumps the border and takes up camp in purely disgusting awfulness. Seriously, this is “Hellblazer” at its most blatantly gratuitous.
I happen to like both styles, personally, but the latter-half of this volume—-the part written by Ennis—-may not be for everyone. Those with weak stomachs and even weaker senses of etiquette and decorum, beware.
January 12, 2022
Up the Down staircase led this volume off.
While it had a few decent moments, this first story never really nailed the landing so to speak. Playing With Fire concluded Jenkins run with an arc that felt disjointed with a less then satisfying conclusion for all involved. Jenkins run started strong but never reached or exceeded its potential.
It was cool to revisit these issues again and complete Jenkins run. Say what you will about Paul Jenkins, but he wrote a different kind of Hellblazer and for that mater a different John Constantine. I liked it then, but some of it just falls flat or misses the mark now. His Constantine just isn't as clever as I remembered. I miss Sean Phillips but Warren Pleece is decent here but nothing more.
Son of Man rounds out this volume.
Love Ennis and his return here is neither his best nor worst Hellblazer tale. It does feel like it was a rejected tale from the original run that they green lit to fill in before Ellis arrives next volume though.
While it had a few decent moments, this first story never really nailed the landing so to speak. Playing With Fire concluded Jenkins run with an arc that felt disjointed with a less then satisfying conclusion for all involved. Jenkins run started strong but never reached or exceeded its potential.
It was cool to revisit these issues again and complete Jenkins run. Say what you will about Paul Jenkins, but he wrote a different kind of Hellblazer and for that mater a different John Constantine. I liked it then, but some of it just falls flat or misses the mark now. His Constantine just isn't as clever as I remembered. I miss Sean Phillips but Warren Pleece is decent here but nothing more.
Son of Man rounds out this volume.
Love Ennis and his return here is neither his best nor worst Hellblazer tale. It does feel like it was a rejected tale from the original run that they green lit to fill in before Ellis arrives next volume though.
April 9, 2021
Que lo disfruté más que cuando leí las versiones antiguas.
August 17, 2023
It was so-so for the first bit, but the story at the end near about turned my stomach. Some absolutely repulsive horror imagery. Very cool!
March 4, 2016
Goodbye to Paul Jenkins Hellblazer run, it was fun. Other than all the crushing depression and all that is.
Volume 12 starts with Up the Down Staircase which is sorta meh other than my warm feelings towards Dani and my growing desire to start a blog that just features John in front of No Smoking signs.
Next up is How to Play With Fire in which Ellie sort of gets revenge? I'd prefer more revenge to be honest. I liked Ellie and she got screwed over, no pun intended by writers and John. If you want me to root against him a little well deserved revenge for being a back stabbing asshole goes a long ways. This is Hellblazer though, and there are no winners, only losers.
Son of Man is an Ennis stand alone run, and although it's a fine little piece of disgusting sadism it is badly placed in this collection choreographically. The ending of How to Play With Fire butts up very badly in tone and life placement with the start of Son of Man, so much so that I think reading Son of Man first might be the better choice. Fortunately for me I've already read all this stuff so it's just nice to own it.
Random Note: When I was attempting to explain Hellblazer to my husband I chose 4 stories to sum up the experience for him each in two sentence or shorter. One of them was Son of Man. (The others were Hunger, Feast of Friends, Good Intentions and Counting to 10. I believe I summed up Counting to 10 by saying "And then there's this one, it's my favorite, where he goes to a Laundromat.")
Volume 12 starts with Up the Down Staircase which is sorta meh other than my warm feelings towards Dani and my growing desire to start a blog that just features John in front of No Smoking signs.
Next up is How to Play With Fire in which Ellie sort of gets revenge? I'd prefer more revenge to be honest. I liked Ellie and she got screwed over, no pun intended by writers and John. If you want me to root against him a little well deserved revenge for being a back stabbing asshole goes a long ways. This is Hellblazer though, and there are no winners, only losers.
Son of Man is an Ennis stand alone run, and although it's a fine little piece of disgusting sadism it is badly placed in this collection choreographically. The ending of How to Play With Fire butts up very badly in tone and life placement with the start of Son of Man, so much so that I think reading Son of Man first might be the better choice. Fortunately for me I've already read all this stuff so it's just nice to own it.
Random Note: When I was attempting to explain Hellblazer to my husband I chose 4 stories to sum up the experience for him each in two sentence or shorter. One of them was Son of Man. (The others were Hunger, Feast of Friends, Good Intentions and Counting to 10. I believe I summed up Counting to 10 by saying "And then there's this one, it's my favorite, where he goes to a Laundromat.")
June 24, 2018
This trade begins with several great issues and a finale from Paul Jenkins' run on the title, but the real star here is the five-issue arc by Garth Ennis, Son of Man.
Son of Man is a horror and occult riddled mob story set in London that tells of John's connection to the Cooper family- a story he hoped would never rear its demonic head again. Unfortunately for Constantine, his best buddy Chas landed in some hot water with the mob family by association that opens up the old can of worms, once again threatening mankind and therefore requiring John's help. Not only is the reader treated to several fantastic examples of Glenn Fabry's patented too-realistic covers and remarkable illustration from John Higgins, but the story is perfectly paced, disgustingly occult, full of great characters (good and bad alike), and absolutely loaded to the brim with hilarious and witty dialogue à la Garth Ennis.
Son of Man is a horror and occult riddled mob story set in London that tells of John's connection to the Cooper family- a story he hoped would never rear its demonic head again. Unfortunately for Constantine, his best buddy Chas landed in some hot water with the mob family by association that opens up the old can of worms, once again threatening mankind and therefore requiring John's help. Not only is the reader treated to several fantastic examples of Glenn Fabry's patented too-realistic covers and remarkable illustration from John Higgins, but the story is perfectly paced, disgustingly occult, full of great characters (good and bad alike), and absolutely loaded to the brim with hilarious and witty dialogue à la Garth Ennis.
May 22, 2016
Good stuff. Happy to see Ennis back. I really dislike the main illustrator in this set, though. He draws the worst eyes I've ever seen. If they aren't ridiculously large, they're disproportionate and crossed. Really ruined some scenes.
Read
September 15, 2016While I would consider John Constantine one of my favourite fictional characters in any medium, and so absolutely feel his complete back catalogue should be in print, the lacklustre Jenkins run is emphatically for completists only.
December 18, 2020
Outright made me laugh in spots. A very good run.
July 3, 2020
Paul Jenkins isn't widely known for his Hellblazer run. It was often tonally similar to Delano's original stories. It didn't take many risks, but it also didn't fail as often as Delano's run. I enjoyed his secondary cast, even knowing that, like Delano's run, and like Ennis's first run, they'd all be scrapped when he left the book.
His first storyline in this collection, "Up The Down Staircase" had me worried. A white British writer's take on African American culture usually goes poorly. Especially when it's in the course of a Vertigo book (it's not much better when it's an American white writer, if you need an example just see how poorly all of Brian Azarello's Vertigo work has aged.). But Jenkin's run is comparatively tame. He's trying to tackle American advertising and general American culture, and uses characters of color. It's ok. I liked his characters, and while the story didn't really live up to the promise of the first couple of issues, I didn't regret reading it.
"How To Play With Fire" is the finale of the Jenkins run, and I would put it solidly between Delano's finale (which was awful) and Ennis's finale (which was highly satisfying). It hits all of the same notes that both of the others' finales did. It feels like the end of every Hellblazer story. In that way, it's somewhat of a let down, but it's narratively satisfying.
Closing out the collection is Ennis's return to Hellblazer "Son Of Man." What a steaming pile of unnecessarily vulgar horseshit. Really one of the worst runs of any major comic I've ever read. It's as though Ennis has completely forgotten the character he helped established. With no warning, setup, or payoff, John Constantine is a fourth-wall breaking cad with a zinger and a raised eyebrow for every occasion. The villain is a racist, baby eating demon with a three foot cock who blah blah blah nonsense nonsense nonsense. It ranks down with Garth Ennis Dicks Volume 1 as books that prove that Garth Ennis rarely has a mediocre note. When he's not at the top of his game, he is a fucken awful writer. Portions of this story seem to be going in an interesting direction, and then you've got a racist demon trapped in a five year old body throwing out racial slurs while the protagonist with a penchant for accidentally ruining his life and then brooding over it, fucks a lesbian woman and then winks at the reader bragging about "I shagged a lesbian. Do I win a prize?"
Ugh. F- The DC New 52 version of Constantine is more recognizable than the one in "Son Of Man".
I can't really recommend this book. I feel like it was packaged this way so that they could put Ennis's name on it and draw in the people who wouldn't buy Jenkins' run. But Jenkins' run, for all it's faults, is ten times better than the Ennis portion of this collection. It's a shame it was never collected on its own.
His first storyline in this collection, "Up The Down Staircase" had me worried. A white British writer's take on African American culture usually goes poorly. Especially when it's in the course of a Vertigo book (it's not much better when it's an American white writer, if you need an example just see how poorly all of Brian Azarello's Vertigo work has aged.). But Jenkin's run is comparatively tame. He's trying to tackle American advertising and general American culture, and uses characters of color. It's ok. I liked his characters, and while the story didn't really live up to the promise of the first couple of issues, I didn't regret reading it.
"How To Play With Fire" is the finale of the Jenkins run, and I would put it solidly between Delano's finale (which was awful) and Ennis's finale (which was highly satisfying). It hits all of the same notes that both of the others' finales did. It feels like the end of every Hellblazer story. In that way, it's somewhat of a let down, but it's narratively satisfying.
Closing out the collection is Ennis's return to Hellblazer "Son Of Man." What a steaming pile of unnecessarily vulgar horseshit. Really one of the worst runs of any major comic I've ever read. It's as though Ennis has completely forgotten the character he helped established. With no warning, setup, or payoff, John Constantine is a fourth-wall breaking cad with a zinger and a raised eyebrow for every occasion. The villain is a racist, baby eating demon with a three foot cock who blah blah blah nonsense nonsense nonsense. It ranks down with Garth Ennis Dicks Volume 1 as books that prove that Garth Ennis rarely has a mediocre note. When he's not at the top of his game, he is a fucken awful writer. Portions of this story seem to be going in an interesting direction, and then you've got a racist demon trapped in a five year old body throwing out racial slurs while the protagonist with a penchant for accidentally ruining his life and then brooding over it, fucks a lesbian woman and then winks at the reader bragging about "I shagged a lesbian. Do I win a prize?"
Ugh. F- The DC New 52 version of Constantine is more recognizable than the one in "Son Of Man".
I can't really recommend this book. I feel like it was packaged this way so that they could put Ennis's name on it and draw in the people who wouldn't buy Jenkins' run. But Jenkins' run, for all it's faults, is ten times better than the Ennis portion of this collection. It's a shame it was never collected on its own.
June 18, 2017
Just skip this volume. Seriously, just forget about all the characters Jenkins has created for now because it doesn't matter... Also, the new artist Warren Pleece has a cartoonish style and likes to draw big eyes. I don't think this mixes well with gritty, occult stories, but, whatever, we're skipping it anyway.
#121-124 Up the Down Staircase 3/5 (4/5 for main story, 2/5 for intrusive next story setup)
Okay, the volume isn't all bad. Constantine takes a trip to America to meet Dani's family and gets involved with another of the schemes of the First of the Fallen. Each issue begins with this guy who accidentally killed his wife, but they don't matter in this story, only the next one, which makes their appearance jarring. The stuff really worth reading is about Dani's family and the escalation of conflicts and the fallout caused by miscommunication. I really would have preferred a three-parter, followed by a one shot of guy with dead wife, but I suppose I wouldn't feel that way if I enjoyed the next story.
#125-128 How to Play with Fire 2/5
What? Wait, why? John Constantine gives up. Chantielle from Ennis' run returns to drive all the characters close to Constantine away, so John takes the easy way out and gives in. Yeah, all the character setup for a typical, end-of-run character housecleaning, but without any Constantine cleverness. So, yeah, skip this volume, none of the characters end up really mattering. The only thing that I can think of is that Ennis wanted a down on his luck Constantine, and the prospect of getting a series-defining writer back made DC execs salivate. If that's the case, IT WAS NOT WORTH IT.
#129-133 Son of Man 1/5
Garth Ennis thinks children are horrible things doomed to repeat the mistakes of their parents. Isn't that funny? Ugh, Ennis and I do not share a sense of humor. This story beings with Constantine explaining his dislike of children to us, the reader, like all great Constantine stories... While this "sins of the father" idea could lead to an interesting story, Ennis decides to make it full of puerile puns and gross-out gags. The story also doesn't really have anything to do with people raising kids. Well, rasing them from the dead, but that's not what the phrase really refers to... Oh, and I think the big bad of this arc either escapes, is killed due to the failure of his plan somehow, or gets eaten by the panels. Ennis doesn't care, so I really shouldn't. There is some okay Constantine/Chas stuff, hence the one star and not zero or half, but it does not make the arc worth reading. Ugh, I'm glad I don't ahve to read another of Ennis' Hellblazer arcs. If you have agreed with me at all, in any of my prior reviews, at least skip this story.
Constanine, now with less cleverness and charm. The series is seriously running on fumes this volume, and I'm gland the famous Warren Ellis who made Tony Stark relevant again in the 2000s is put in a place to do so.
#121-124 Up the Down Staircase 3/5 (4/5 for main story, 2/5 for intrusive next story setup)
Okay, the volume isn't all bad. Constantine takes a trip to America to meet Dani's family and gets involved with another of the schemes of the First of the Fallen. Each issue begins with this guy who accidentally killed his wife, but they don't matter in this story, only the next one, which makes their appearance jarring. The stuff really worth reading is about Dani's family and the escalation of conflicts and the fallout caused by miscommunication. I really would have preferred a three-parter, followed by a one shot of guy with dead wife, but I suppose I wouldn't feel that way if I enjoyed the next story.
#125-128 How to Play with Fire 2/5
What? Wait, why? John Constantine gives up. Chantielle from Ennis' run returns to drive all the characters close to Constantine away, so John takes the easy way out and gives in. Yeah, all the character setup for a typical, end-of-run character housecleaning, but without any Constantine cleverness. So, yeah, skip this volume, none of the characters end up really mattering. The only thing that I can think of is that Ennis wanted a down on his luck Constantine, and the prospect of getting a series-defining writer back made DC execs salivate. If that's the case, IT WAS NOT WORTH IT.
#129-133 Son of Man 1/5
Garth Ennis thinks children are horrible things doomed to repeat the mistakes of their parents. Isn't that funny? Ugh, Ennis and I do not share a sense of humor. This story beings with Constantine explaining his dislike of children to us, the reader, like all great Constantine stories... While this "sins of the father" idea could lead to an interesting story, Ennis decides to make it full of puerile puns and gross-out gags. The story also doesn't really have anything to do with people raising kids. Well, rasing them from the dead, but that's not what the phrase really refers to... Oh, and I think the big bad of this arc either escapes, is killed due to the failure of his plan somehow, or gets eaten by the panels. Ennis doesn't care, so I really shouldn't. There is some okay Constantine/Chas stuff, hence the one star and not zero or half, but it does not make the arc worth reading. Ugh, I'm glad I don't ahve to read another of Ennis' Hellblazer arcs. If you have agreed with me at all, in any of my prior reviews, at least skip this story.
Constanine, now with less cleverness and charm. The series is seriously running on fumes this volume, and I'm gland the famous Warren Ellis who made Tony Stark relevant again in the 2000s is put in a place to do so.
November 28, 2017
The first arc is a good opportunity for the author to show his views on how America perceives war in contrast to its true atrocities, how certain people take advantage of other people's anger to take their money in a frenzy of consumerism and how racism has affected humanity. The second arc will leave John a lonely, depressed mess, but he will somehow be content that it's for the best. Ennis writes the last arc and the black humor is splendid from beginning to end, in stark contrast with Jenkins' run. The breaking of the fourth wall adds even more fun to the story. The characters are, as always, extremes of human personalities, from the sex freaks and the violent madmen, to the deadly demons and the preagnant men.
John and his girlfriend Dani travel to her family in New York for Thanksgiving. The First of the Fallen is also aroud inflaming the spirits of everyone in New York, including Dani's family.
In the second arc Ellie is working to turn every one of John's family and friends against him.
Chas is wanted by police for being an accessory to murder. He gets John's help to hide the evidence in a story that involves corrupt police, London mobsters and a demon who wants to take over the world.
John and his girlfriend Dani travel to her family in New York for Thanksgiving. The First of the Fallen is also aroud inflaming the spirits of everyone in New York, including Dani's family.
In the second arc Ellie is working to turn every one of John's family and friends against him.
Chas is wanted by police for being an accessory to murder. He gets John's help to hide the evidence in a story that involves corrupt police, London mobsters and a demon who wants to take over the world.
July 12, 2024
Three Stories: Up the Down Staircase (title is just as confusing as the actual story), How to Play with Fire (Jenkins' last stand with a solid ending), and Son of Man (as mixed as the entire series has been thus far).
Up the Down Staircase was pretty... interesting? The core plot involves the spirit of capitalism being used to corrupt America with a dark magical presence. Constantine thinks Satan is responsible, but Satan is just exploiting what is already there. Despite the utterly stupid concept and story, the characters were pretty enjoyable in this. Satan is the most authentic to what you would expect of him based on Christian mythos, which is great. Dani's family was great. I particularly loved how John connected with her crotchety grandpa. So great character work, terrible story. Luckily, it conveniently sets up the next story:
How to Play with Fire involves a couple of John's old friends getting revenge on him for ruining their lives'. They do this by getting the rest of his friends to leave him through various nefarious means. Despite surprisingly low stakes, this was a good story. The ending in particular was phenomenal. Both Satan and his light counterpart (that's right, Daddy shows up) really shine in the last two issues. Not sure why Constantine was desperate enough to go to either of them, but his interactions with each were top-notch. Overall, a pretty decent story.
Finally, Son of Man. Oh, boy were there some both great and terrible stuff in this story. I wasn't a fan of all the 4th wall breaks nor the constantly fluctuating tone. John's priest friend I'm discovering is my least favorite character and it is rather fitting that he is currently roasting in Hell. Luckily, we get Chas back and the plot itself was great. Essentially, Constantine swindled a crime lord by "bringing his son back from the dead" by getting a demon to possess said dead son. Unfortunately, life got hectic and John wasn't able to maintain the seal/control over the demon and therefore the family, so the demon ended up getting free rein and took over the crime family. Creepy demon kid ruling a crime family? Pretty cool story. In the hands of another writer, this would have been great, but I feel like DC gave Ennis WAY too much freedom here. How can you tell? The name of the demon was literally F**kpig. Like. Why?
In short, another mixed bag. Great character works in some bad stories, while also great stories with some very questionable creative choices.
Up the Down Staircase was pretty... interesting? The core plot involves the spirit of capitalism being used to corrupt America with a dark magical presence. Constantine thinks Satan is responsible, but Satan is just exploiting what is already there. Despite the utterly stupid concept and story, the characters were pretty enjoyable in this. Satan is the most authentic to what you would expect of him based on Christian mythos, which is great. Dani's family was great. I particularly loved how John connected with her crotchety grandpa. So great character work, terrible story. Luckily, it conveniently sets up the next story:
How to Play with Fire involves a couple of John's old friends getting revenge on him for ruining their lives'. They do this by getting the rest of his friends to leave him through various nefarious means. Despite surprisingly low stakes, this was a good story. The ending in particular was phenomenal. Both Satan and his light counterpart (that's right, Daddy shows up) really shine in the last two issues. Not sure why Constantine was desperate enough to go to either of them, but his interactions with each were top-notch. Overall, a pretty decent story.
Finally, Son of Man. Oh, boy were there some both great and terrible stuff in this story. I wasn't a fan of all the 4th wall breaks nor the constantly fluctuating tone. John's priest friend I'm discovering is my least favorite character and it is rather fitting that he is currently roasting in Hell. Luckily, we get Chas back and the plot itself was great. Essentially, Constantine swindled a crime lord by "bringing his son back from the dead" by getting a demon to possess said dead son. Unfortunately, life got hectic and John wasn't able to maintain the seal/control over the demon and therefore the family, so the demon ended up getting free rein and took over the crime family. Creepy demon kid ruling a crime family? Pretty cool story. In the hands of another writer, this would have been great, but I feel like DC gave Ennis WAY too much freedom here. How can you tell? The name of the demon was literally F**kpig. Like. Why?
In short, another mixed bag. Great character works in some bad stories, while also great stories with some very questionable creative choices.
Read
July 9, 2020John and Dani visit her parents in “Up the Down Staircase,” which also sees the First coming back on the scene to muck things up. I enjoy the stuff with Dani’s family who feel like real people with real problems. The devil plot is harder to follow, and once again Jenkins tries to be all profound and misses the mark. I think this story would have benefited from focusing more on the two friends (which he does in the next story), as Ennis proved how to make compelling Hellblazer stories about friendship. Ah well, it’s not too bad.
“How to Play With Fire” is the end of Jenkins’ run. The couple from “Staircase,” Gavin and Pam (who turns out to be someone else), concoct a plan to make John’s life miserable. Specifically, they turn all his friends and family against him. Because once he’s happy everything has to go wrong, right? Yes, there’s a supernatural element behind the backstabbing, and it’s exactly what you’d expect. So, this feels like a rehash of Ennis’ run - not to mention Jenkins’ own “Critical Mass” - with the First going after John and John having to come up with some clever plan only to lose a piece of happiness. The ending does have a twist though, and I think Jenkins is pretty bold to attempt it. Elsewhere, he revisits several plot elements from his own run and to remind you of what happened. Like the previous story, it’s decent enough I suppose.
On the whole, I wouldn’t my call Jenkins’ run essential. It has its moments, but I didn’t get the sense of overarching themes like Ennis or even Delano had. What themes he does play with are too similar to what those guys did. Jenkins mostly has a good handle on John’s personality and introduces some intriguing new characters, though again, some stories simply fall flat. I conclude that his run is for completists only.
Oh yeah, this book also contains Ennis’ five-issue return, “Son of Man.” I’d read it before and it’s very entertaining. Quite different from Ennis’ other Hellblazer stuff as it’s more in line with his humorous/gross-out work. That’s usually where I find him the least rewarding but I can’t deny how fun this story is, and how good the dialogue reads (as usual).
“How to Play With Fire” is the end of Jenkins’ run. The couple from “Staircase,” Gavin and Pam (who turns out to be someone else), concoct a plan to make John’s life miserable. Specifically, they turn all his friends and family against him. Because once he’s happy everything has to go wrong, right? Yes, there’s a supernatural element behind the backstabbing, and it’s exactly what you’d expect. So, this feels like a rehash of Ennis’ run - not to mention Jenkins’ own “Critical Mass” - with the First going after John and John having to come up with some clever plan only to lose a piece of happiness. The ending does have a twist though, and I think Jenkins is pretty bold to attempt it. Elsewhere, he revisits several plot elements from his own run and to remind you of what happened. Like the previous story, it’s decent enough I suppose.
On the whole, I wouldn’t my call Jenkins’ run essential. It has its moments, but I didn’t get the sense of overarching themes like Ennis or even Delano had. What themes he does play with are too similar to what those guys did. Jenkins mostly has a good handle on John’s personality and introduces some intriguing new characters, though again, some stories simply fall flat. I conclude that his run is for completists only.
Oh yeah, this book also contains Ennis’ five-issue return, “Son of Man.” I’d read it before and it’s very entertaining. Quite different from Ennis’ other Hellblazer stuff as it’s more in line with his humorous/gross-out work. That’s usually where I find him the least rewarding but I can’t deny how fun this story is, and how good the dialogue reads (as usual).
July 18, 2021
Truly a mixed bag. Jenkins stuff is big cosmology and nation wide/ Heaven and Hell tricks and spells that just go on without much pacing, sense and flavour. Like, I get the reference, the consummerism is bad and Satan something, but...what actually happened? What is the point of meeting God when it´s just another small episode where nothing really happens and Constantine is more of an accessory, being called smart and tricksterish much more than he ACTS smart and tricksterish? It has some nice moments and art, but that´s about it.
Ennis part is much faster, better paced, aggressive and...well, so all over the place with its ultra manly man BS that it somehow dissolves the story (the lesbian side story is just as stupid as it is unneeded), most of the gore does not advance anything, it´s just there and...it´s there. Even the super master plan of the villain is like "yeah, so why he is actually doing this?" and once again Constantine (who is now really muscular:)) just makes it all go away with a trick.
BUT - the pacing is so good, the quips so clever and the general tone so close to "low key urban fantasy" that it was over all an enjoyable read. Even despite all the criticism, quite enjoyed that one.
Ennis part is much faster, better paced, aggressive and...well, so all over the place with its ultra manly man BS that it somehow dissolves the story (the lesbian side story is just as stupid as it is unneeded), most of the gore does not advance anything, it´s just there and...it´s there. Even the super master plan of the villain is like "yeah, so why he is actually doing this?" and once again Constantine (who is now really muscular:)) just makes it all go away with a trick.
BUT - the pacing is so good, the quips so clever and the general tone so close to "low key urban fantasy" that it was over all an enjoyable read. Even despite all the criticism, quite enjoyed that one.
December 26, 2018
Despite being a continuous series, and despite multiple instances along the way that show you the wheels may be coming off, this twelfth (and Jenkins’ last) collected edition is almost as good as the 1980s Delano original run. And that’s saying a lot. As usual, the “magical,” the mystical and the “satanic” take second seat trailing behind Constantine’s wits, pisstakery, and devil may care attitude (sorry, had to be done).
Although the series has expected up and downs the self-referential, fourth wall breaking first issues are a great sendoff from Jenkins. Which are then actually upstaged by Son of Man, tying together plot pointa from previous editions which, if not loose, were left a little inconclusive.
Just when you think you don’t want a late-Ninetines Hellblazer, you get this and want to come back for the end-of-the-century volume.
Although the series has expected up and downs the self-referential, fourth wall breaking first issues are a great sendoff from Jenkins. Which are then actually upstaged by Son of Man, tying together plot pointa from previous editions which, if not loose, were left a little inconclusive.
Just when you think you don’t want a late-Ninetines Hellblazer, you get this and want to come back for the end-of-the-century volume.
May 14, 2020
Thats the problem with this world mate, its not worth bloody saving. John Constantine.
With this 12th trade, collecting issues 122-133 Constantine is sort of happy, he has a girl, things are going well, but if you know poor John, you know thats never for a long time.. he is also going to the USA in this one. Paul Jenkins will never be my favorite Hellblazer writer but his stuff is decent, the artwork is ok, this is a easy read but nothing to spectaculair. Things do speed up as Garth Ennis returns for a badshit crazy story arc called Son of Man. Of you know Ennis you know he can write some bizarre shit. Think again.. This is by far one of the most fucked up stories i have ever read ! And it really saves this trade from being a bit dull at times. 3.5 stars.
With this 12th trade, collecting issues 122-133 Constantine is sort of happy, he has a girl, things are going well, but if you know poor John, you know thats never for a long time.. he is also going to the USA in this one. Paul Jenkins will never be my favorite Hellblazer writer but his stuff is decent, the artwork is ok, this is a easy read but nothing to spectaculair. Things do speed up as Garth Ennis returns for a badshit crazy story arc called Son of Man. Of you know Ennis you know he can write some bizarre shit. Think again.. This is by far one of the most fucked up stories i have ever read ! And it really saves this trade from being a bit dull at times. 3.5 stars.
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