John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 20: Systems of Control

Hellblazer: New Editions

by Mike Carey, Andy Diggle, Leonardo Manco (Artist)

An epic horror story written by Mike Carey with stunningly visceral art by Leonardo Manco is all here in JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER VOL. 20: SYSTEMS OF CONTROL!

When a mysterious worldwide plague starts putting millions of people into deadly comas, Earth's foremost expert on the bizarre, John Constantine, steps in with the "cure," After traveling from the dreary alleys of London to the glittering boulevards of L.A., Constantine realizes that a cadre of wicked demons and hellish monsters is behind the outbreak, and he'll have to sacrifice more than himself to put an end to the nightmare.

Includes an amazing edition of the epic horror story written by Mike Carey (THE UNWRITTEN) and Andy Diggle (GREEN ARROW: YEAR ONE). Collects JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER #230-238 and the HELLBLAZER: ALL HIS ENGINES original graphic novel.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2019

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow skipping Volume 19, I sailed right into Hellblazer Volume 20, “Systems of Control”, featuring a long run by writer Andy Diggle and the graphic novel “All His Engines” by Mike Carey.

In the two-issue “In At the Deep End”, Constantine finds himself at the business end of a gun when a mobster tries to set him up for a violent crime. The mobster discovers, too late, that Constantine has set him up for some otherworldly retribution.

In the two-issue “Wheels of Chance, Systems of Control”, Constantine goes back to where he was “born”: the insane asylum he was sent to after the horrible debacle in Newcastle. Nowadays, the asylum has been tidied up and turned into a posh casino hotel. Whoever said the house always wins never met Constantine…

The four-issue “Joyride” is a nasty, stomach-churning tale of gentrification, rich assholes getting richer, and the poor getting stepped on and grinded into paste by Hell itself. Not even Constantine can stop progress.

The stand-alone “All His Engines” sees Constantine getting personal as a particularly nasty demon steals his best pal Chaz’s daughter. Following him to L.A., Constantine summons the help of an ancient Aztec demon to help save the innocent girl, but it might be a case of the cure being worse than the disease…

Every story in this volume is phenomenal. This run (2005-2007) feels like the zenith period in the Hellblazer series.

[Max Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short version: It's an excellent book both visually and storywise. Andy Diggle is a new name for John Constantine fans (he's done Lady Constantine limited series before but didn't work on the main series until that point) and he does not disappoint. Most of the art is by Leonardo Manco who often delivers amazing Hellblazer visuals.



So, this book contains both the start of Andy Diggle's run and Mike Carey's graphic novel, All His Engines. What I immediately liked is that the first scene has Constantine tied to a wharf pile with his would-be killer waiting for the tide to kill him. Constantine is in his underdog role which suits him best. The story works from that and it's good, having in equal parts the crime and the occult. What I liked even more is that next it continues to unfold into a cleansing arc. Constantine goes back to Ravenscar (which is now a gambling house) to purge his great burden of guilt that accumulated over the course of past hundreds of issues. He emerges an arrogant bastard we all know and love.



The next story is the best one out of Diggle's run so far. It has all the elements that Constantine story needs - big city as a background, social issues intertwined with dark magic, an interesting cult and a nasty manipulative bureaucrat who is also a lord as is the custom in Britain. Starting with the small group of murdering young delinquents the story proceeds to nicely layer in the aforementioned aspects resulting in a great story that plays well and leaves with a promise of more.



The last part of the book is the graphic novel. It has Constantine reluctantly working with a demon from LA that is opening up Hell here on Earth to save a little girl's soul. It also has a dubious honor of having a DC animation made based on it and it just shows how much better the novel is. Significant parts of the plot were used but then a lot of garbage was added on top to "make it work better" and have a more complete story. The original version got diluted into your usual Hell and Redemption rubbish that occult flicks often devolve into. I'm surprised they left the Aztec death god in. Well, at least we didn't get John Constantine throwing fireballs and that's a good thing, right? Anyways, the grapnic novel is great, too, Carey is consistently great on Hellblazer.



Of special mention are the covers. I'm not the biggest fan of Lee Bermejo but his Constantine looks positively badass.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Constantine's tired. Tired of losing, tired of being on the back foot, and tired of being the butt of Hell's jokes. Now it's time to take back the initiative, and take back control of his life. Plus when Chas calls John for help, desperate to save his granddaughter's life, John's hardly going to turn him down...right?

It's time for another new writer for Hellblazer, as Andy Diggle begins his run in this volume of Hellblazer. We begin with the two part In At The Deep End story, which reminds us once more that Constantine is actually a bit of a bastard, even when he's trying to do the right thing for a change. It's a story that instantly shows the reader that Diggle knows how to write Constantine; he gets the character right out of the gate, which is why the two part Wheels Of Chance, Systems Of Control story that cuts right back to Hellblazer #1 works so well - in the hands of a lesser writer, or one that didn't quite grasp the point of John, this story wouldn't have the same impact at all, and would feel like a complete reset rather than an earned transformation for Constantine.

Joyride is the four part story that follows these, which involves a cult of assholes possessing people and making them do diabolical things. This is one of those stories that shows that magic isn't usually inherently evil, but human beings are vile, and that's never a good combination. This one might be an issue too long, but it covers a lot of ground and seems to possibly set up a recurring nemesis for John, so that's nice. Bringing up the rear in terms of single issues is The Smoke, which looks at the power of belief as well as bringing back Map for another go at wrecking John's life - it's actually refreshing to see John 'lose' for a change, after such a winning streak in the preceding issues.

Finally, the volume ends with the OGN All His Engines, which brings back writer Mike Carey for a longer form story that reads mostly like a five issue arc collected all in one go. Carey's run on Hellblazer is up there with Ennis as one of the best, and this is no exception at all. It's no wonder that the recent City Of Demons movie and an episode of the Constantine TV show both adapted this in some form, because it's such a quintessential Constantine story.

The art for every issue bar one and the entirety of All His Engines is by Leonardo Manco, who has made his mark on Hellblazer already at this point. He can do the visceral magical grotesqueness easily, and his pencils coupled with the dingy colour palette of Lee Loughridge make Constantine's world drab and uninviting, but in a way that suits the stories perfectly. Danijel Zezelj pencils The Smoke as a guest artist, and he's a bit more jagged and unrefined compared to Manco, but the colourist remains the same so it's not that big of a deal.

This is a volume of stories that cut right to the core of John Constantine, written by two writers who grasp the character implicitly, with art from a Hellblazer mainstay. What more could you want, especially when other series would be flagging after nearly 250 issues?

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, we're heading towards the home stretch!
And what a ride it's been!
As I write this, Volume 24 has just been released; only 2 more volumes to go!
So, time to get back on the Hellblazer train and plow thru the next 4 volumes! :)

***

Maybe it's the time away from the title, or the fact that Andy Diggle begins his run here, or that Mike Carey has his OGN collected here, but this volume really spoke to me.

Hoping this feeling continues until the end of the series (which should be Volume 26.)

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic Hellblazer volume. Andy Diggle writes us a very good story, with Constantine very much in character, and while at this point, there is some repetition, its nonetheless a very good HB volume.

The later half of the volume collects "All His Engines", by Mike Carey. Its stronger than the Diggle portion of the book, and it's one of the best Hellblazer stories ever written. But it was previously collected on another trade I own, so its wasn't the draw of this volume for me.

Diggle's take on HB is not as good or exciting as Mike Carey's work, both in plots and supporting characters, but a very good read nonetheless.

The artwork is by Leonardo Manco, who has been doing the artwork for HB since the latter half of Mike carey's run. its very good, even if, at this point, its starting to look too predictable and one-note,as well as excessively grimey and dirty.

HB continues to be, for me, one of the best comic book series DC ever produced. Diggle is the last really good HB run, and it ends in the next volume. Once Peter Mulligan takes over (after issue number 251, I think). the title got significantly worse, to the point of becoming unreadable; just awfull. That means I have only one really good Vertigo Hellblazer volume left to read, which is a shame. But then again, I have Si Spurrier's run to look forward to in DC's Black Label, so there is a silver lining.

[Thomas Bruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid! The interaction with Chas and Constantine is spot on! Three more issues to go; I don't want Constantine's journey to end.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very tight and in line with the history and core ethos of Hellblazer.

[Matt Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat return to form with Andy Diggle firmly taking Constantine back to his roots. Bizzarely it’s the inclusion of Carey’s All His Engines which doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

This all said, the artwork is stunning throughout, and visceral in its depiction of horror so I’m fairly confident I’ll enjoy the rest of Diggle’s tenure on the title.

[Frank Privette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid compiled volume written by Hellblazer then-newcomer Andy Diggle, complemented by the graphic novel All His Engines penned by the reliably great Mike Carey.

The volume is comprised of two arcs, both tangentially related to a worldwide coma-like plague (no spoilers from previous compilations here).

In London, Constantine follows an oft-used trope: he unravels a conspiracy led by certain members of the aristocracy and a made-to-very-suspicious-specifications village. This time, he goes back to Ravenscar, to play. And it is needless to say very exciting, albeit completely predictable. As a side note: even though this concept has been battered to death on the Hellblazer series, it’s still fresh here, as always. However, one starts to notice the reek of the procedural. And, with the hindsight of knowing what happened with the New 52 and DC’s insistence that John is a superhero-detective-magician (akin to Dr Fate, say) one can’t help but see the seeds of that here (and in the previous two editions). By the way, his trip back to the asylum obviously reminds one of the genesis of the now-canceled Matt-Ryan-staring series. What’s especially interesting to the long-running Hellblazer reader is that even though the resolution is predictable, John is left vulnerable. Not physically or mentally as has been the case before. But in his pride. In his “ego.” Interested in seeing what, if anything, Diggle makes of this.

The “Engines” graphic novel is classic Carey. The stakes are high; Chas, scathed by the events of the previous two years, has to trust John even though he doesn’t want to and doesn’t even see him anymore; a demon-cum-monster is trying to build a hell on earth; there’s an appearance of Aztec and Mexican gods and demons, which is appreciated by a Latin American such as yours truly. It’s not Carey’s best but a satisfying write-up to the entire coma virus arc.

Great writing and good artwork aside, I must say that Constantine in the mid 2000s feels a little forced. He did not feel this way in the 90s and as a product of the 80s was obviously good then. But the series became a little dated around this time. I will finish it, obviously. But it is beginning to feel forced. Beginning to beg to be put out of its misery. I’ve been here before though, so maybe it’s just be being my pessimistic self. We’ll see.

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

[edit 8/21/22: I've been kind of dreading trying to read the next volume of this so I've decided I'm just not going to do it! Which means it gets added to the abandoned series shelf. Honestly it's probably not even really the writers' faults because I feel like there's no way to keep *anything* fresh and interesting for this many consecutive issues, but to me this series got weirdly boring fairly early and as much as I loved the short-lived TV show and some of the limited runs that came later it seems like the original series is generally just not for me. Shoutout to Garth Ennis for [unfortunately] being just about the only one to do a good job though lmao]

actual rating: 2.5

At this point I'm really just still slowly making my way through it because I figure if I've come this far I might as well actually complete the original Hellblazer run but I just find it so dull and repetitive overall that I'm just pretty bleh about every volume. Maybe something will come along and feel fresh again before the end but I'm mostly losing hope at this point. Carey's last arc was a bit better than the stuff by Diggle but still by far not his best work and not enough for me to bump this up to 3 stars.

[Mark A Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy Diggle's run returns to the original decaying heart of Hellblazer, with a series of short stories centred around more personal, urban, even everyday horrors, rather than the cosmic endgames of other writers. He really gets Constantine. I was particularly impressed by the "title" chapters, as it takes a confident writer to revisit a classic event in a character's evolution and to add to it, rather than reheat an old story. I also liked the restoration of using Old-English folklore tropes within the narrative to return John to his London and Liverpool roots: reminded me of the best of Delano's run. Manco's artwork too is a joy, with intense detail, especially on character's faces, against dark and moody backgrounds. As a bonus you also get a reprint of the classic self-contained release "All His Engines" by Carey and Manco. Destined to be one of the best graphic releases this year.

[David Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

All His Engines is included in this volume and it’s a hell of a ride by Carey and Manco. Andy Diggle adds his own amazing stories to the legend of John Constantine. Great collection.

[Nate]

Andy Diggle's Hellblazer goes down easy. It's straightforwardly written, not overly complicated, and entertaining. His run is maybe not as nuanced or thematic as past Hellblazer stories, and that's okay. Not everything needs to be. This is fun stuff.

We start with John in the thick of it about to be executed. Everything is not as it seems, as John of course has a trick up his sleeve. He then goes to the Ravenscar building (no longer an asylum) to take care of some personal business. Basically he wants to regain confidence and get his life back on track. The main arc, "Joyride," sees John involving himself in a body-possessing revenge plot, where a greedy housing and development minister manipulates things from behind the scenes (great idea for a villain). John is a pure bastard throughout, maybe more than usual. That scene where he wades into the crime scene is hilarious. He's still falliable though, with some humanity shining through, particularly in the issue with Map.

Also collected here is Mike Carey's standalone story, "All His Engines." Carey is one of the best Hellblazer writers, probably second to Ennis, and this story proves it. Dark and well-written, with just the right touches of humor. A very good Hellblazer story, with the added bonus of having Chas at his most Chas.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing i noticed with this 20th! Trade, is the difference in paper stock,  gives the book a different feel and vibe, in this trade we have yet another writer, Andy Diggle delivers a great first entree, after a lesser run on Hellblazer. Fan favorite Mike Carey is also back with a fantastic standalone graphic novel collected in its entirety. All His Engines is a gorgeous typical John Constantine story,  with all the Hellblazer tropes and i loved it. Leonardo Manco is on artwork again and he is becoming my favorite blazer artist. Their is also a very sad story in this collection, Joyride is a social commentary of a low income neighbourhood and when someones kid gets run over by some thugs all hell breaks loose. All in all another fantastic trade.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Christian Oliverio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note this is for both Hellblazer vol. 20: Systems of Control and vol. 21: The Laughing Magician

This was actually a pretty strong run with some pretty solid filler. The main story involves Constantine fighting two evil mages, one who is a politician using magic to amass power, the other being a cannibal who devours the powers of other mages by literally eating them. The latter wants to eat Constantine, who he refers to as "The laughing magician." Spoilers: That isn't Constantine, but the true villain of the story (which was a nice twist, bringing this whole story to a nice close). This was a fun arc where Constantine shows unusually high competency, playing both sides against each other and having a pretty quick elimination of them once he takes both parties seriously. We actually spend more time with the victims and villains than we do our hero, which was surprisingly great as they were compelling characters in their own right. Additionally, the arc does a good job continuing the conclusion from Carey's run where magic's ultimate price is damnation. Everyone has a very dark and poetic end (except Constantine). With the victims it was tragic, while with the villains oh-so satisfying.

However, the strongest part of this whole set is "All His Engines." Carey returns for a final story that restores Chas and Constantine's friendship. Chas calls upon John when Chas's granddaughter is put into a coma by a demon and held hostage. This is certainly a dark story that really presses into the urban fantasy side of Hellblazer with some pretty hard decisions and moral compromises to get the job done. What's great is this story can easily be a standalone and introduction to the character... despite being near the end of his story.

The lowest point is easily Lady Constantine, which is weird because this was a very fun story. Picture Constantine as a femme fatale, pirate during ye olden days. She fights homunculi while chasing after a mythical treasure tied to ancient mythology. Sounds fun, right? Well, it was! In fact, it wasn't dark at all or particularly humorous. Twas a very 'safe' story. So, nothing stood out other than the fun of it.

In short, a good collection of non-linear stories with some decent filler. I've been told this is the last stop before the train wreck, so I'll leave the series here while things are still good. Been a fun and demented ride!

[AJW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andy Diggle’s John Constantine’s is a hard cocky bastard. It’s a valid take on this character, but I personally didn’t warm to it. Diggle’s dynamic writing style is evident and I’m sure he has many fans. Just not my cup of rocket fuel.

The last third of this book is a Mike Carey graphic novel which I enjoyed much more.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Andy Diggle stuff was decent, which was a relief since most of the reviews about him seemed mixed. But the original graphic novel that's collected here, the All His Engines, was great. And, it was nice to revisit that since it was the first Constantine anything I had ever read, way back in 2006. I didn't like it back then, but loved it this go-around.

[Mark Jardine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent volume in the long running series. I especially like that Constantine isn't feeling sorry for himself anymore, it wears a bit thin after a while, arrogant, cocky Constantine is much better.

[Héctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great artwork and storytelling.

This book was a fun one.
Plenty of supernatural elements and great stories; although the one about the river entity felt incomplete.
The artwork varies between good and great thanks in great part of Manco's artwork.

Solid stuff.

[Elías Casella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta que este volumen tenga tanto hecho canónico. Se empezaba a extrañar. Trágico, oscuro, sardónico, antisistema y movido por el ingenio de John.

Pero por el amor de dios te pido, consultá con alguien que sepa articular una frase en castellano si vas a meter diálogos en ese idioma.

[Nick Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

All His Engines is very good, but I had deja vu the entire time reading it so I’m wondering if it was published in another collected trade or adapted elsewhere.

[Phil Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'd have to say that John Constantine is my favourite character and also my favourite Scouser. Five stars again.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this one falls in weird place, for me. Story was just okay; artwork was atrocious, I hated that John was drawn like an accountant. However, the cover art was outstanding some of the best.

[Kevin Pilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was pretty good.
It seems they based one of the movies on the graphic novel included.

[Zardoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing art and writing. A great horror read that doesn’t always have a happy ending. Constantine is in rare form conning hell and increasing his reputation as the greatest Magnus of his age.

[Matt Sabonis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars is down to the Mike Carey graphic novel included, All His Engines, which is just ideal Hellblazer. The stuff written by Andy Diggle that precedes it is, unfortunately, not up to snuff.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the first time years ago, and Mike Casey's arc here has never left me. Absolute genius, probably my favorite.

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constantine gets his Mojo back.

Joyride is a pretty crazy story which may yet come back to haunt us. All His Engines is even better, getting some Aztec flair in line. A good volume.

Full review (pictures/thoughts/spoilers):
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2022/03/25/...