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 )