REVIEW: Justice League Dark, Volume Two: The Books of Magic

PLOT: Vampires across the world have gone berserk, attacking anything with a pulse. Fearing her apocalyptic vision of the future has come to pass, Madame Xanadu mobilizes the team to intervene. But everything the Justice League Dark members know about how to slay a vampire is useless, for the world has changed.

REVIEW: So what can you add to Justice League Dark that could make it any better than it was the first time? Apparently the answer is Jeff Lemire, writer for DC Comics' New 52 Animal Man. Lemire comes in after Peter Milligan opened up the series with a pretty big bang, and there's no one better suited for this world that Jeff Lemire. I was so happy to see his name on the cover of the book, and boy was I right about the chemistry he has with this book. Where the first volume finds the characters and puts them together as a loose team, this one utilizes all of that and starts to create the world that our dark Justice League will battle. One of the things I love is that in this book, John Constantine sort of becomes the unofficial leader of this squad and his character is just so perfectly written for it, I was surprised. With my recent journey into Hellblazer, I wasn't really that sold on Constantine but this book is by far the best John Constantine story I've ever read. The title of this volume also has some relevance in the universe as Neil Gaiman's The Books of Magic child protagonist makes a return to the page. I recently read that book and so seeing this character come out of obscurity for me and tie up again with Constantine and some new heroes was pretty cool. The art again was superb in this second volume, but the writing is so much better here. It's no wonder Jeff Lemire is one of the greater writers currently writing for New 52, and now I simply cannot wait for the conclusion of this current storyline that he has woven. Also, John Constantine bears an uncanny resemblance to the Doctor of Doctor Who in this volume of Justice League Dark, which I found cool as a recently converted Whovian but also slightly odd.

WRITING : ( 10 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )

STORY : ( 10 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 10 / 10 )

REVIEW: Justice League Dark, Volume One: In The Dark

PLOT: The witch known as The Enchantress has gone mad, unleashing a wave of chaos that not even the combined powers of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg can stop. Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna, Mindwarp and John Constantine may be our only hope - but how can we put our trust in beings whose very presence makes ordinary people break out in a cold sweat?

REVIEW: Anything dark is pretty much right up my alley, so I've been excited to see what Justice League Dark will be bringing to the table with DC Comics' New 52. So far, I've been really impressed with everything New 52, and of course there are a few titles that aren't that great but that comes with anything new. A great amount of these titles though have been amazing, so add to that success that there was a darker title that would appeal to me even further, and I'm fanboy excited. Now, I have read the first volume and while I can't say it is among the best of the New 52 titles, it is definitely one of the best in terms of artwork. Much like the current Batwoman, the art is phenomenal and it makes use of the entire page and non-traditional layouts. Just like the characters that comprise of this dark team, they're full of colorful and odd traits, which is really what puts Justice League Dark amongst the most creative of the initiative. I really liked the largely illustrated scenes where heroes and people of the dark both try and attack on the witch known as Enchantress, and seeing Superman in particular being torn apart by a witch tooth storm really explains why the Justice League Dark exists. New 52 put out a lot of renewed titles with a lot of the same old, so it's cool to see that someone out there by the name of Peter Milligan penned a different and unique super hero squadron. The art is by far the best part of this book, and now I'm excited to read the second volume as it is written by Jeff Lemire who has done amazing things with Animal Man. If you like the darker side of comics, John Constantine, or any of the darker elements of DC, this book is for you.

WRITING : ( 7 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: Hellblazer, Volume Three: The Fear Machine

PLOT: In THE FEAR MACHINE, John Constantine looks for a way to reconnect to humanity -- but how can such a man ever find inner peace? Constantine finds himself encamped with a new-age pagan group that's tapping into their own psychic abilities -- but a defense contractor is out to exploit their powers. Is the company's aim just political, or is it something much more sinister?

REVIEW: Honestly, I'm not really sure what to say about Hellblazer anymore. This is the third volume I've tried to read and it seems to me they get longer and longer. Not only that, it's just incredibly boring. I can't believe that something with such a high concept and plenty to strive for, could be so insanely dull it's a pain to read through each page. I mean, The Fear Machine has all of the right components for a crazy good story. But instead, it's nearly 250 pages of Constantine's dreadfully dreary and wordy thoughts, and just when you think the story is about to pick up, the issue you're reading ends and it starts all over again the next issue. You could cut out half of these issues by just shutting John's inner monologue up for like two seconds, and maybe your story would have some traction to hold on to. I'm not sure who is a fan of the Hellblazer series but I'm pretty interested as to what it was that compelled Hollywood to make a film, and what part of this series are people actually fans of? Surely not this beginning stretch, at least I would hope, because they are some of the most painfully difficult to read comics I've ever read and I'd like to say I've read quite a few at this point in my life. I don't need to know Constantine's thoughts on the wind blowing. I don't need the thoughts of every character on the page. Oh, and get on with the sodding story already you twits. It takes 8 issues to tell a story that could have been told equally as well and probably better with another writer, in 5. I hate to be so hateful, but I'm a fan of the rule you get three strikes and you're out. So Constantine, I think you're out until I can get my hands on the New 52 version, because Hellblazer is so not fun it hurts.

WRITING : ( 4 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )
STORY : ( 6 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 5 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 2 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 4 / 10 )

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 )

REVIEW: Hellblazer, Volume One: Original Sins

PLOT: The very first Hellblazer collection ORIGINAL SINS is available in a new edition that includes John Constantine’s appearances in SWAMP THING. This is the first of a series of new HELLBLAZER editions starring Vertigo’s longest running antihero, John Constantine, England’s chain-smoking, low-rent magus.This first collection is a loosely connected series of tales of John’s early years where Constantine was at his best and at his worst, all at the same time.

REVIEW: Having only seen the movie previously, I wasn't really sure what to expect from Hellblazer. At times I felt like that writing was a bit outdated. It was that kind of comics writing that I don't particularly like these days, because it's too wordy and over thought. A lot of what is written in these pages are the same thoughts I'd have on my own while reading, just using bigger words and taking longer to reach a conclusion. That said, my first Hellblazer experience was great. I really enjoy the character of John Constantine because while he's hard ass on the outside, there's a soft core to him. The issue where he saved the girl from being married was good evidence of that. His ghosts haunting him, also show that once he loses someone that's not it, he actually cares for the person he loses and it's not something that goes to the back of his mind, it stays in the front and relevant to anything he experiences. I would definitely keep reading the Hellblazer series, and I really enjoyed seeing the Swamp Thing tie-in issues. I had read one of those before in a Swamp Thing volume but I didn't quite understand what was going on, and now I do! There was one thing missing from these issues of Hellblazer, and while I can't tell you what it is, I know that that one thing would make this series rival something like Sandman. All the pieces are there, but there's one string that would tie it all together very well, maybe like an overall arc that would strengthen the story of Mr. John Constantine.

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 5 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 8 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )