REVIEW: Hellblazer, Volume Two: The Devil You Know

PLOT: To Hell and Back. It's been a long and difficult road for John Constantine – one that's left him with demon's blood in his veins and dead friends' voices in his head. Still, with his sharp tongue and unequaled shrewdness, the sorcerer from Liverpool has manged to raise himself to a position as rarefied as it is dangerous: being the magician of last resort for a world under constant siege from the forces of chaos and evil. That same rough path has also sharpened his mind, and taught him a thing or two about ruthlessness. Now, with the outcome of an ancient prophecy hanging on his actions, it's time for Constantine to bring the scales of justice back into balance – at Hell's expense.

REVIEW: After having read the first volume of the New Editions of Hellblazer, I wasn't really expecting too much from this second volume. The problem that I had with the first reoccurred here, because again I found myself struggling to make much sense of what was going on. I definitely understand that this comic is supposed to be fucked up, and it's supposed to be gross and terrifying and Hellish. But this comic is proof that shock value doesn't always equate to quality, and Constantine's narrative really lacks direction at times. I'd both love and hate to get inside the mind of Jamie Delano for 5 minutes, and 5 minutes only. Where Hellblazer lacks a real major arc, there are some good stories in here. The 2 Horrorist issues were fantastic, as was the art in them. I wasn't much of a fan of the middle story with the weird old people wizards or whatever they were. The first issue of the volume was definitely the most messed up of all though. I really want to like these because they are what one could consider "horror comics" but I think this lacks in places that today a horror comic would really thrive. Reading these New Editions really just makes me really want to get my hands on some New 52 Constantine. The artwork in these Hellblazer comics is also outstanding, reminiscent of some Sandman work. But I continue to struggle with the undeniably depressing, dark and disorienting stories of Mr. John Constantine.

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 4 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 6 / 10 )