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Hellblazer: New Editions
John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 18: The Gift
Acclaimed author Mike Carey concludes his groundbreaking run on London’s working-class magus with JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER VOL. 18: THE GIFT.
To restore his mind and save his life, John Constantine was forced to give a day of his life to a she-demon named Rosacarnis. It was a bad bargain, and one that he knew he’d regret—but he had no idea how quickly everything would go straight to hell in its aftermath.
Over the course of that single day, England’s savviest street sorcerer lived several lifetimes—and sired three infernal offspring, whose incandescent hatred of him was carefully nurtured by their mother.
Luckily for Constantine, the blood he shares with his sulfurous brood makes it impossible for them to kill him outright. Unluckily, his dwindling roster of friends and loved ones enjoy no such protection. And now that war has been declared on all that John holds dear, the lives and souls of his best friend, his ex-flame, his niece and his sister are all fair game for the non-existent mercies of Rosacarnis and her family.
Can Constantine defeat his progeny, their mother and their all-powerful grandfather? Or will the so-called gift of fatherhood finally be the death of him?
Collects issues #202-215 of the signature VERTIGO series and featuring the artistic talents of Leonardo Manco, Frazer Irving, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Lorenzo Ruggiero.
To restore his mind and save his life, John Constantine was forced to give a day of his life to a she-demon named Rosacarnis. It was a bad bargain, and one that he knew he’d regret—but he had no idea how quickly everything would go straight to hell in its aftermath.
Over the course of that single day, England’s savviest street sorcerer lived several lifetimes—and sired three infernal offspring, whose incandescent hatred of him was carefully nurtured by their mother.
Luckily for Constantine, the blood he shares with his sulfurous brood makes it impossible for them to kill him outright. Unluckily, his dwindling roster of friends and loved ones enjoy no such protection. And now that war has been declared on all that John holds dear, the lives and souls of his best friend, his ex-flame, his niece and his sister are all fair game for the non-existent mercies of Rosacarnis and her family.
Can Constantine defeat his progeny, their mother and their all-powerful grandfather? Or will the so-called gift of fatherhood finally be the death of him?
Collects issues #202-215 of the signature VERTIGO series and featuring the artistic talents of Leonardo Manco, Frazer Irving, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Lorenzo Ruggiero.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2018
14 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Mike Carey
1,264 books2,970 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 28, 2018
The saga of the Ultimate British bastard continues. Having read these all in short order, it's been enjoyable to watch how this title has evolved since the beginning!
As a Mike Carey fan, I'm disappointed to see his run end, even though it went out on a high note. ( And looking forward to see what comes next!)
As a Mike Carey fan, I'm disappointed to see his run end, even though it went out on a high note. ( And looking forward to see what comes next!)
March 10, 2018
Mike Carey's run on Hellblazer concludes in this volume, as John deals with the events of issue 200 and his demon children with Rosacarnis.
The volume opens with Reasons To Be Cheerful, which is four issues of reasons for John to not be cheerful as his children systematically target all of his friends and family. Everyone from Chaz to Angie is in danger, and the most unlikely of characters returns to help John out. Considering most writers like to reset John's supporting cast for the most part when they take over and introduce their own love interest/old friends, it's nice to see Carey drawing on quite a lot of the older ones; it gives a sense of weight to the story that it wouldn't have if it was only more recent characters.
The next issue, Cross Purpose, is billed as a one-and-done story, but it feeds right off of the end of Reasons To Be Cheerful so it's more like part five of the four part story. Although honestly, this is all just one giant story cut into more easily digestible chunks. Cross Purpose is a highly distressing interlude story about the effect that Constantine has had on Chas' life, and it's super depressing and sad. But this is Hellblazer, so what do you expect?
Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go sees Constantine and his new 'friend' head into Hell in search of a lost soul as a result of his children's rampage against his friends. Carey uses even more continuity here, dragging up some previous foes to pit against John as well as exploring the history of Rosacarnis and her relationship with her father. The arrival of the First Of The Fallen should feel predictable at this point, but he still manages to throw a spanner into the works every damn time, and this makes the ending of this story even more painful. I do feel like Rosa and the kids could have had more time in the spotlight, since the kids especially seem to blend into one character, with Maria the only one that really sticks out in my mind.
The volume wraps up with The Gift, a one-and-done flashback story about John's first experience manipulating people as he comes to terms with the events of the previous two arcs, and then the two part RSVP story which is basically Mike Carey burning down everything he's done in his run of the character, just like all of the writers before him but a little more literally. It's very bittersweet, and it reads very much from Carey's perspective as well as Constantine's. I'm curious to see where the next writer goes, since there isn't much to go on after Carey has finished his scorched earth.
Art-wise, Leonardo Manco remains the main artist for Reasons To Be Cheerful and Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go, as well as RSVP. Manco's art is a good fit for Hellblazer, with some gruesome visuals and emotional facial expressions. Manco also seems to use splash pages very effectively; you don't get many, but that means the ones you do get are well-earned.
Meanwhile, Giuseppe Camuncoli takes Cross Purpose, while Frazer Irving tackles The Gift. Camuncoli will become the regular Hellblazer artist in about fifty issues, and has been doing odd issues here and there, so he's clearly perfecting his style and proving himself to the Vertigo editors at this point in time. Meanwhile Irving's style feels very 90s Vertigo, a far cry from his hyper-coloured art of today, but you can see shadows of the artist he will become in the way he draws his faces for certain. It seems like no matter how much an artist's style changes, their faces are always similar.
It's always disappointing to see a writer leave Constantine, especially one who gets his adventures and the balance between magic and mundane that makes him so appealing like Carey does. These final stories of his are a big culmination not just of what Carey's done, but what a lot of writers seeded earlier on too with lots of returning characters and the continuing battle between John and his two worst nemeses. He's left some big shoes to fill, that's for sure.
The volume opens with Reasons To Be Cheerful, which is four issues of reasons for John to not be cheerful as his children systematically target all of his friends and family. Everyone from Chaz to Angie is in danger, and the most unlikely of characters returns to help John out. Considering most writers like to reset John's supporting cast for the most part when they take over and introduce their own love interest/old friends, it's nice to see Carey drawing on quite a lot of the older ones; it gives a sense of weight to the story that it wouldn't have if it was only more recent characters.
The next issue, Cross Purpose, is billed as a one-and-done story, but it feeds right off of the end of Reasons To Be Cheerful so it's more like part five of the four part story. Although honestly, this is all just one giant story cut into more easily digestible chunks. Cross Purpose is a highly distressing interlude story about the effect that Constantine has had on Chas' life, and it's super depressing and sad. But this is Hellblazer, so what do you expect?
Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go sees Constantine and his new 'friend' head into Hell in search of a lost soul as a result of his children's rampage against his friends. Carey uses even more continuity here, dragging up some previous foes to pit against John as well as exploring the history of Rosacarnis and her relationship with her father. The arrival of the First Of The Fallen should feel predictable at this point, but he still manages to throw a spanner into the works every damn time, and this makes the ending of this story even more painful. I do feel like Rosa and the kids could have had more time in the spotlight, since the kids especially seem to blend into one character, with Maria the only one that really sticks out in my mind.
The volume wraps up with The Gift, a one-and-done flashback story about John's first experience manipulating people as he comes to terms with the events of the previous two arcs, and then the two part RSVP story which is basically Mike Carey burning down everything he's done in his run of the character, just like all of the writers before him but a little more literally. It's very bittersweet, and it reads very much from Carey's perspective as well as Constantine's. I'm curious to see where the next writer goes, since there isn't much to go on after Carey has finished his scorched earth.
Art-wise, Leonardo Manco remains the main artist for Reasons To Be Cheerful and Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go, as well as RSVP. Manco's art is a good fit for Hellblazer, with some gruesome visuals and emotional facial expressions. Manco also seems to use splash pages very effectively; you don't get many, but that means the ones you do get are well-earned.
Meanwhile, Giuseppe Camuncoli takes Cross Purpose, while Frazer Irving tackles The Gift. Camuncoli will become the regular Hellblazer artist in about fifty issues, and has been doing odd issues here and there, so he's clearly perfecting his style and proving himself to the Vertigo editors at this point in time. Meanwhile Irving's style feels very 90s Vertigo, a far cry from his hyper-coloured art of today, but you can see shadows of the artist he will become in the way he draws his faces for certain. It seems like no matter how much an artist's style changes, their faces are always similar.
It's always disappointing to see a writer leave Constantine, especially one who gets his adventures and the balance between magic and mundane that makes him so appealing like Carey does. These final stories of his are a big culmination not just of what Carey's done, but what a lot of writers seeded earlier on too with lots of returning characters and the continuing battle between John and his two worst nemeses. He's left some big shoes to fill, that's for sure.
February 28, 2020
Mike Carey finishes his run with some spectacular story arcs that changes his relationships with family, friends, and enemies.
April 12, 2020
This volume compiles the fiery ending to Mike Carey’s already solid run on Hellblazer during the mid aughts. The arc saw John Constantine lose friends and family (in itself nothing new, but always painfully narrated), become a proper hero (he actually saves humanity, which was bombastic, albeit trite), help birth demon spawn (greatness), relive three lifetimes (trippy, bordering on the psychedelic), and fend off horrors both from hell and from earth (funnily, this was never a cliché).
In the conclusion to this arc John returns to hell. And any time Constantine actually goes to the abyss, you know the plot, script, artwork, lettering, pace, excitement, treachery, horror, and bait-and-switch antics will try to be up to par with 1980s Hellblazer.
And try, Carey and team do. And they deliver. Except for the very ending of his infernal journey and confrontation, which is terribly anticlimactic (and almost made this a four-star review), this “The Gift” volume is consistently great. Including the three closing “chapters” which function as a long drawn-out epilogue. And which, incidentally, give the edition its name and clarify what Constantine’s true power really is.
A fitting ending to this Carey run, and, with hindsight, a great bridge crossing into the beginning of the end for the Hellblazer series, which lasted eight-odd additional years after the conclusion of this tome.
In the conclusion to this arc John returns to hell. And any time Constantine actually goes to the abyss, you know the plot, script, artwork, lettering, pace, excitement, treachery, horror, and bait-and-switch antics will try to be up to par with 1980s Hellblazer.
And try, Carey and team do. And they deliver. Except for the very ending of his infernal journey and confrontation, which is terribly anticlimactic (and almost made this a four-star review), this “The Gift” volume is consistently great. Including the three closing “chapters” which function as a long drawn-out epilogue. And which, incidentally, give the edition its name and clarify what Constantine’s true power really is.
A fitting ending to this Carey run, and, with hindsight, a great bridge crossing into the beginning of the end for the Hellblazer series, which lasted eight-odd additional years after the conclusion of this tome.
October 13, 2017
Sad that Mike Carey's run ends with this volume, but Denise is pretty awesome too. Excited to see what fresh hell a female writer injects to the JC character. The artwork definitely looks awesome.
March 4, 2020
It’s the end of the line for Constantine. Will he lose everything? Carey is the quintessential Hellblazer writer. Cheers!
Read
February 7, 2021While the final third of Carey’s run treads some familiar Hellblazer ground, it’s still very well done. After the three kids muck around with John’s life, targeting those close to him, a tragedy happens that forces John to go to Hell and confront Rosacarnis. Wild stuff follows. There is some predictability here but also some surprises, ones I’m curious how/if future writers will address. I was glued to page during all of “Down in Ground Where to Dead Men Go.” I’ve said before that Carey is an expert pacer, and that absolutely holds true here.
The three epilogue issues get to core of John’s character, especially the tragedies in his life. It’s a surprisingly dour note for Carey to go out on, but appropriate considering all that’s happened.
All told, Carey’s run is great. It’s less pure horror than, say, Delano’s stuff, and lacks the political overtones of previous Hellblazer stories. This is more of a dark fantasy affair. It gets pretty epic. Yet Carey is able to keep the characters grounded with plenty of human drama, a testament to his storytelling skill. This is a run I definitely want to read again.
The three epilogue issues get to core of John’s character, especially the tragedies in his life. It’s a surprisingly dour note for Carey to go out on, but appropriate considering all that’s happened.
All told, Carey’s run is great. It’s less pure horror than, say, Delano’s stuff, and lacks the political overtones of previous Hellblazer stories. This is more of a dark fantasy affair. It gets pretty epic. Yet Carey is able to keep the characters grounded with plenty of human drama, a testament to his storytelling skill. This is a run I definitely want to read again.
February 8, 2024
This was equal parts incredible and devastating. Mike Carey is a perfect fit for Constantine. The artwork was great too. If I ever need more reasons not to have kids, aside from the state of the planet, this book shows why.
February 28, 2018
The constant change of artists was rather annoying, this volume dealt with mainly childhood trauma and our inner demons, which was a significant improvement from the previous volumes.
August 27, 2018
Messed up Family Tree
Aight here it is. The last volume of Mike Carey’s Hellblazer run until Vol. 20. So far I am sad to say I have found Mike Carey’s run disappointing. The reasons being, it’s incredibly hard to follow a lot of the times, the art isn’t the greatest, and I didn’t like a lot of the directions the run took. There is still stuff I liked but sadly as a whole I disliked more than I liked.
Reasons to Be Cheerful is the best story arc in this collection. It was the most fun and easy to follow. It ends with a very unexpected twist as well. But Gemma Masters has now become unlikable. I’ve stuck with her since Original Sins but she has begun to annoy me because she really isn’t that great of a person anymore. I get it. She is a hormone filled teenager. But damn she was always pissed off all the bloody time.
Cross Purpose was a hard issue to read. Not because it was bad or anything but because some bad shit goes down in it. It’s an okay issue at best with very questionable art.
The six part arc: Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go. NOPE. This arc reminded me of Damnations Flame. The crappiest thing Garth Ennis wrote for Hellblazer. Only I think I might like Damnations Flame better! Because this arc felt sooo looooong it was SO BORING! Not only was this a very very very confusing story but at the end of it I faced palmed. I’ll explain why later. The link this story has to Happy Families in the last volume is so goddamn subtle that I just blanked out every time the whole family thing was brought up. John having 3 kids, Rosie being the Mother somehow, Nergal being her dad, John having a doppelgänger and yada yada yada. I might sound like an asshole right now and I’m sorry but this is just my opinion. The reason the ending made me Patrick Stewart style face palm is because of the huge ass thing that happens. And I wish more THAN ANYTHING that this happened in a more grounded and well written story line. The expression on John’s face as he looks at Gemma at the end is great but misplaced in my opinion.
The Gift is the best single issue in Mike Carey’s run. John’s relationship with Angie Spatchcock is summed up here and I thought it was a very very dark but very well written issue. It better be since the collection is called The Gift.
And the last 2 issues are fine. The first issue of R.S.V.P is better than the second. Chas and John once again have a fit and the book ends in a really weird and messed up way I didn’t really like.
All the art besides Fraser Irving’s work is good. Leonardo Manco’s style has grown on me and is one of my favourite Hellblazer artists.
In the end of the end, I’m disappointed. Vol 16 was not my thing at all, Vol. 17 is the best, and with the exception of The Gift Vol. 18 was also not really to my liking. Mike Carey’s writing for Hellblazer is just plain and simple not really for me. I never said it was horrible or trash, I just didn’t enjoy as much as I wanted to. Hate me if you want to. Letter Grade: (C)
PS: If you haven’t read Original Sins frickin do that because a lot of this book is based off of it.
February 24, 2021
This volume collects the final issues of Mike Carey's run on the title, and it's a glorious send off. All the plot points and threads that Carey has been building towards come to a full crescendo on a sprawling 11-part epic in the from of the arcs "Reasons to be Cheerfull", "Cross Purpose" and "Down Where the Dead Men Go".
Despite their different titles, are really one huge story that features charcaters new and old, from recent Carey creatons to older cameos that arc back to the title's earlier days. The amount of featured characters and call-backs could end up reeking of fan-fiction, but in Carey's hands it feels organic and exciting, and mostly uncontrived.
After that long epic, Carey finishes his run with a wonderfull one-shot, and the send-off two parter "RSVP".
Carey's run was, for me, one of Hellblazer's finest hours. An extremely engaging epic run, literred with witty dialoguwe, exciting new directions and challenges, and with mostly great art from Marcelo Frusin and Leonardo Manco. Everything I allways imagined Hellblazer to be comes into full realization in his run. Loved it.
Despite their different titles, are really one huge story that features charcaters new and old, from recent Carey creatons to older cameos that arc back to the title's earlier days. The amount of featured characters and call-backs could end up reeking of fan-fiction, but in Carey's hands it feels organic and exciting, and mostly uncontrived.
After that long epic, Carey finishes his run with a wonderfull one-shot, and the send-off two parter "RSVP".
Carey's run was, for me, one of Hellblazer's finest hours. An extremely engaging epic run, literred with witty dialoguwe, exciting new directions and challenges, and with mostly great art from Marcelo Frusin and Leonardo Manco. Everything I allways imagined Hellblazer to be comes into full realization in his run. Loved it.
August 12, 2024
Note: This is for all of Carey's run collected in Hellblazer vol. 16: Wild Card, vol. 17: Out of Season, and vol. 18: The Gift.
You might be wondering why review three volumes in one? Well, Carey's run is essentially two larger stories which I will call: "Three Doors Down" and "Family Matters." Three Doors Down starts in vol. 16 with the climax being the very beginning of vol. 17, which then seamlessly flows into Family Matters, which is finished up in vol. 18. So... let's go over these two stories.
Three Doors Down: John finally returns home to Liverpool, finding a plucky sidekick as he investigates mysterious dark energies centered around his sister's apartment. He then discovers a mage war has been brewing in London, with his niece being drawn into one side as a pawn to lure him into the game. Constantine enters the war, playing both sides against each other with some cleaver tricks and begins investigating the "doors" the war was centered around. Three doors are being unlocked to unleash the apocalypse... This story was pretty good. It was fun seeing John take up the reluctant mentor role and plenty of old faces return to the stage (including Swampy). I also enjoyed the intensity of the climax. Very dark, but well done. I really liked how this arc had a variety of stories in it, with a multitude of threats building up the big bad. It felt like the original Swamp Thing Arc that introduced Constantine, but this time John was the main character, which was awesome.
Family Matters: Coming directly out of the last arc, John finds himself in a very tight spot after [spoilers]. A mysterious demon decides to take advantage of this to [spoilers], which leads to some "Holy Crap!" moments and somehow ups the intensity from the last arc as she is hitting Constantine directly in the heart. Plenty of good character moments, building on the last arc, while some very familiar characters return to the scene, whom I can't say without spoilers. Let us just say it gets really good. Additionally, we are treated to an epilogue where Constantine reflects on all he has lost and gives a great monologue to the mage's guild, telling them to not follow in his footsteps. This actually ended up being a great send off to the character.
In short, two great stories that, while not the "peak" of the character, are easily some of his best stories and a solid finale to Constantine's arc... but wait. There's more?
You might be wondering why review three volumes in one? Well, Carey's run is essentially two larger stories which I will call: "Three Doors Down" and "Family Matters." Three Doors Down starts in vol. 16 with the climax being the very beginning of vol. 17, which then seamlessly flows into Family Matters, which is finished up in vol. 18. So... let's go over these two stories.
Three Doors Down: John finally returns home to Liverpool, finding a plucky sidekick as he investigates mysterious dark energies centered around his sister's apartment. He then discovers a mage war has been brewing in London, with his niece being drawn into one side as a pawn to lure him into the game. Constantine enters the war, playing both sides against each other with some cleaver tricks and begins investigating the "doors" the war was centered around. Three doors are being unlocked to unleash the apocalypse... This story was pretty good. It was fun seeing John take up the reluctant mentor role and plenty of old faces return to the stage (including Swampy). I also enjoyed the intensity of the climax. Very dark, but well done. I really liked how this arc had a variety of stories in it, with a multitude of threats building up the big bad. It felt like the original Swamp Thing Arc that introduced Constantine, but this time John was the main character, which was awesome.
Family Matters: Coming directly out of the last arc, John finds himself in a very tight spot after [spoilers]. A mysterious demon decides to take advantage of this to [spoilers], which leads to some "Holy Crap!" moments and somehow ups the intensity from the last arc as she is hitting Constantine directly in the heart. Plenty of good character moments, building on the last arc, while some very familiar characters return to the scene, whom I can't say without spoilers. Let us just say it gets really good. Additionally, we are treated to an epilogue where Constantine reflects on all he has lost and gives a great monologue to the mage's guild, telling them to not follow in his footsteps. This actually ended up being a great send off to the character.
In short, two great stories that, while not the "peak" of the character, are easily some of his best stories and a solid finale to Constantine's arc... but wait. There's more?
May 31, 2018
Mike Carey's run concludes in style, as his overarching plot lines literally come together in a satisfying confrontation between Constantine and his personal demons. As a long time reader from the first issue, I particularly enjoyed the visual and thematic call-backs to classic stories, characters and antagonists, as these both helped to firmly ground the action within Hellblazer's own unique reality, and create that feeling that finally something important was truly at risk for a change. This tension was further heightened by Carey's scripting of his cast in believable ways, true to their own natures and established behaviours : no-where else was this more clear than in the inevitable "John enters an inescapable situation armed only with sarcasm and a cigarette" scene, the best moment in a long while. Finally, Leonardo Manco's fantastic art is sublime, and perfectly fitting for an endgame reminiscent of the early glory days days of the title. Strongly recommended.
February 10, 2022
John Constantine’s a daddy! Too bad his brood’s a bunch of demonic wankers. Literally. It sucks that he has to save the world by killing his own children—-as evil as they are—-but that’s kind of what he gets for sticking his dick in a succubus.
Hellblazer Volume 18, “The Gift”, is all about family. You know that saying, “The family that slays together, stays together?” Kind of true.
The Constantine kids are nasty little assholes, leaving a trail of innocent victims all across England. Meanwhile, grandpa Nergal, in the form of a rat, has possessed the body of Constantine’s best buddy, Chas. Nergal wants to get back to Hell and take over the throne that his daughter Rosacarnis—the demon-bitch that shares custody of Constantine’s devil-children—now sits upon.
Another great compilation of issues written by Mike Carey. Gratuitous. Bloody. Depressing. Awesome.
Hellblazer Volume 18, “The Gift”, is all about family. You know that saying, “The family that slays together, stays together?” Kind of true.
The Constantine kids are nasty little assholes, leaving a trail of innocent victims all across England. Meanwhile, grandpa Nergal, in the form of a rat, has possessed the body of Constantine’s best buddy, Chas. Nergal wants to get back to Hell and take over the throne that his daughter Rosacarnis—the demon-bitch that shares custody of Constantine’s devil-children—now sits upon.
Another great compilation of issues written by Mike Carey. Gratuitous. Bloody. Depressing. Awesome.
October 12, 2018
There is a habit when writing Constantine to focus on his losses and how he keeps shitheeling his friends. Most times, it is tired. It is a little bit like Walking Dead. How many ways can we go over the same story and make it new again. Well, it takes a while for this arc to get there and when it does, it does give a bit of a new gloss. The problem is getting there.
I give Carey credit and leeway due to some of his other work. They often work on a longer arc and if this was earlier in the Constantine world, I would be more excited. I also know that I am coming to the end of the series soon. I'm expecting fireworks but they probably won't come yet. The series probably didn't know it was ending soon and the threads still remained.
I give Carey credit and leeway due to some of his other work. They often work on a longer arc and if this was earlier in the Constantine world, I would be more excited. I also know that I am coming to the end of the series soon. I'm expecting fireworks but they probably won't come yet. The series probably didn't know it was ending soon and the threads still remained.
October 27, 2020
With the 18th trade we see Mike Carey leave the stage and end his Hellblazer run. Very sad to see him go, i think he is the best writer since Garth Ennis his run. He knows the character very well and even the side characters, in this run we also see old mistakes made by dear old John and come back to hunt him, some on very early issues, so its a blast to be reminded by it. Constantine is literally in hell and these issues freaking glorious ! Leonardo Manco's artwork is perfect for this book. Still loving this run, i only have trade 19 left and really need to get the rest !
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April 8, 2023
I really liked this volume.
After what happened in the last one I was very curious about how the story continued.
In this one we see how Constantine really is a heavy burden for all those who love him, but also the sacrifice he makes for them.
I think it is very well written, and even has a couple of surprises.
The art and drawing is very good, in keeping with the mood of the stories and although it has some violent moments it's nothing that is very different from what we've seen in the previous volumes.
After what happened in the last one I was very curious about how the story continued.
In this one we see how Constantine really is a heavy burden for all those who love him, but also the sacrifice he makes for them.
I think it is very well written, and even has a couple of surprises.
The art and drawing is very good, in keeping with the mood of the stories and although it has some violent moments it's nothing that is very different from what we've seen in the previous volumes.
March 11, 2018
This volume contains the final third of Mike Carey's Hellblazer, which is by far the best part. It's a great conclusion to this chapter of Hellblazer and I'm really happy with the way things were wrapped up. Leonardo Manco's art and Lee Loughridge's coloring make this book easily one of the prettiest Hellblazer volumes and make Hell look especially interesting to look at. I'd argue "The Gift" is one of the top five Hellblazer stories, period.
April 12, 2018
Ole scurvy former punk rocker occultist anti-hero Constantine is at it again. Like Hellboy, he takes his beatings and makes his mistakes and my hook or by crook comes out in thee end. A trickster like Brer Rabbit. I appreciate that this world is messy and dirty. Nergal brings out base desires in Chas and there are consequences. Trip to hell.
August 10, 2020
Mike Carey does John Constantine’s trip through hell, efficiently, effectively, and emphatically. Carey found a way to fast-track the beaten path and kept it fresh enough for it not to be a simple re-tread by bringing together all of the forces of Constantine past in a neat little package from which I hope future authors take note.
March 16, 2022
All about that little issue of Constantine and one very very long day.
There’s a lot of crazy things going on better my here. Quiet a story… where can it possibly go next?
Full review (thoughts as I go):
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2022/03/15/...
There’s a lot of crazy things going on better my here. Quiet a story… where can it possibly go next?
Full review (thoughts as I go):
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2022/03/15/...
April 17, 2023
A classic Constantine tale that ties up some lose ends from previous plot lines and has our hero going to hell in response to the attacks from his demon children. So, nice character development for Chas and Gema and an excellent ending.
May 31, 2025
The conclusion to Mike Carey’s run on the title, which has without a doubt been my favourite so far. This volume brings his storylines together brilliantly, handling Constantine with real pathos amidst the mysticism and urban fantasy.
February 6, 2018
God, how I love reading about this utter bastard.
April 22, 2018
Another excellent volume of John Constantine exploits, brilliantly written with great art, say no more.
August 30, 2019
This was a dark, grim read. Classic Hellblazer in fact.
August 31, 2019
I strongly disliked Giuseppe Camuncoli’s art in Cross Purpose, but other than that, this was another fantastic volume.
November 18, 2020
Perhaps not the best Hellblazer, but it's still John Constantine and I love the stories.
February 26, 2022
I love the Hellblazer comic's on a level I cannot describe. No matter what new run comes. These issues will forever be what Constantine should be like.
October 10, 2022
I enjoy Carey. Whatever I've read has been great.
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