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Hellblazer: New Editions
Hellblazer, Vol. 7: Tainted Love
John Constatine celebrates his fortieth birthday alongside his friends and loved ones, including Swamp Thing and Zatanna. However, things never burn bright too long for John Constantine, and he soons finds himself at his lowest point ever. Drunk and homeless, John must pull himself together if he is going to survive against the King of the Vampires, who comes looking for his blood.
Collecting: Hellblazer 62-71, Special 1; Vertigo Jam 1
Collecting: Hellblazer 62-71, Special 1; Vertigo Jam 1
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2014
49 people are currently reading
509 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,624 books3,170 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 7, 2020
Ah, Kit, you are the best. John doesn't deserve you even though I was always rooting for the two of you. With Steve Dillon in tow, this book really kicks it into high gear. You can feel how Ennis is smoothing out his storytelling. For the first time since the book started, it's no longer a prose comic with pictures. Ennis really hit his rhythm once Dillon took over the art full time. Absolutely, loved the 40th birthday issue. Damn, this book is good.
December 19, 2020
Seriously, Chas? What the actual fuck?
I do not get why so many readers are okay with that scene in #67. Yes, John has used Chas too many times and taken advantage of his old mate's goodwill, boredom and so on to get him to be a free chauffeur and occasional sidekick on dangerous adventures. You can see why Chas, deciding to start standing up for himself and not get drawn into yet another risky situation, might have skipped John's birthday party (though that scene where the two people closest to John *both* decide not to go to his 40th was, I thought, Ennis laying on the misery a bit too thick). You can see why Chas might have told John to fuck off when Constantine was routinely pissed and maudlin.
But this? John is legless several hours after the most painful break-up of his life; this is a man who was in a psychiatric hospital on multiple occasions and sounds like he might be going mad again. He swears at his best mate - in a way that, in my twenties, I saw men I knew swear at friends just for suggesting they'd had too much to drink and ought to go home from an average big night out, and nobody would think much of it a day or two later. And for this Chas beats John up badly whilst John is too drunk to have any strength left (strength that might have made it a fair fight), and then sticks his head down the toilet like a Grange Hill bully?
I see that as something where John would be fully justified in never speaking to Chas again, (and I'd have assumed a lot of people would think the same). You can't even say that's the effect Chas was trying to achieve, intentional burning of bridges, because John was at a stage of drunkenness where he might not remember what happened (Chas was sober after an evening's taxi-driving) so it was a stupid time for a ploy like that. If Chas can't refrain from actual violence towards a mate of over twenty years at a time like that, he's sure as hell not a mate any more. He might still find John too much - and not be arsed with him again after going home that night. But beating him up in that state? Just no. Reading it when the series is complete, when knowing they're going to end up mates again, and most probably that it would be John who'd be written as crawling back to Chas, made me indignant that this was supposed to be part of mateship.
Though you could say it's all part of the horror - an interesting expansion of horror to include not just the supernatural, gruesome murders and so on (as this volume also contains), but also the horror of abandonment and insult by the people the protagonist cared about most, and whom he thought cared about him. In combining that with the more usual kind of genre horror, it says something about how terrible those life events can make a person feel, especially someone with a tough backstory like John Constantine. The combination is also about showing the extent of what that pain can be for men, for whom there have traditionally been fewer ways to show the pain of loss and breakups and remain halfway credible in traditional forms of masculinity. There's, what, literary romanticism (a very different world from this) and country music style laments (very American) and drinking?
The realistic horror of one of the worst nightmares for a man like him - but without any supernatural power
And of course Constantine rapidly ends up street homeless after this. Men are still the vast majority of rough sleepers in the UK. This is the series' political consciousness again, showing how people end up on the streets - and he fits the demographic in a way that can be made to sound entirely unglamorous: man over 40, serious mental health history, irregular employment, homeless following relationship breakup, friends unwilling to accommodate him for long. Constantine has been shown plenty of times before as acquainted with homeless people, and has often been a sofa-surfer himself: now he has crossed the divide and is roofless - no more othering the homeless in the story, because he is one of the homeless.
And, just when it looks like Constantine is basically walking dead, has given up on himself and everything else - see what he can still do.
Perhaps there is still an implication that he's different and that the long-term homeless don't have agency and are passive victims - but that storyline also involves AIDS, which was still a major unsolved problem at the time. The implication, in that same subplot, that powerful men were involved in sexual violence was at that time merely an echo of Jack the Ripper, or perhaps some vague conspiracy theory, but would have seemed more resonant and real if read after the scandals of Jimmy Savile and various deceased MPs broke. Yet now that sort of thing can read as more complicated again due to the prevalence of Pizzagate and QAnon followers. Even within the space of a decade, how one type of storyline can read has changed drastically, twice. The flashback story (in the special 'Confessional') of the sexual predator priest who tried to rape a teenage Constantine, though, that still reads as a thematic choice that has seemed even more topical in recent years than it did at time of writing.
Volume 7 is, most of all, a return to story, after volume 6 which had a heck of a lot of new cosmology, and therefore theory, introduced. (The complexity of 6 is such that I still haven't reviewed it.)
At the point of writing up this review, I'm up to volume 14, and now getting a clearer sense of what different writers bring to the character. Ennis isn't really that into, or good at, writing magic in a folkloric, pagan, hippie kind of way. Instead, he writes about religion, Christianity, and most of his magic evokes Renaissance mages, who were of course in an overt and strict Christian society. It's a severe magic and a severe cosmology. The Irish influence Ennis brings to the series was always noticeable. I'm surprised more readers don't remark on it - perhaps that's because a lot of them are American and the differences between Irish and English culture aren't as obvious there. But the Irishness is even more obvious in contrast with Warren Ellis' emphatically London Constantine.
I don't think Ennis really gets some of the magic previously written into the Constantine universe: for example, at John's birthday party he has Swamp Thing use magic in a really trivial way that feels at odds with the creature's gravitas and seriousness. This scene is related to another way Ennis standardised Constantine. Delano's Constantine was a boozer but didn't really like most drugs. There are some damn cool people like this and if there are still people like this who were born in the 1970s whom I've known as friends, there sure as heck were more born in the 50s. This mustn't have fitted with the more cookie-cutter hedonistic laddishness Ennis had in mind for JC and so he lost this quirk, and I was disappointed. Delano's Constantine had a combination of traits and foibles that were unusual together, in a way that seemed real and individual. He made sense in his world and was a more plausible personality in relation to his experiences. Ennis's version is A Bloke with other legacy traits and abilities tagged on. Jenkins was trying to get back to Delano's version but was just not that good a writer (and made a stupid plotting decision about Constantine's demon blood, the folly of which is shown up all the more for coming back to this volume, where the demon blood is instrumental and essentially a superpower). And Ellis and Azzarello have emphasised the brutal crime stories which cropped up intermittently in Ennis's work.
But, in case I sold him short there, there is also plenty of depth to Ennis' Constantine. Often it seems to spring from that soul-wrenching conflict with hellfire and brimstone Catholicism and the bind it puts believers in, which I see in this run as dramatized through the extra fictional cosmology Ennis created for the series. [To anyone who reads these reviews in quick succession, I'm sorry for not having more/any synonyms to describe the sort of religion/Catholicism I mean.]
But that religious angst is part of what fuels lines like "We all try to buck fate. Right down to the last drop of blood, we struggle all the way." and "Wanting to end the line. It's no failure to be the last Constantine. Cos now no one else has to be." (#62), and " I've had one buggered up life so far but at least it's been interesting, like" (#63) Connecting with things like this is one of the main reasons I'm reading this series, seeing them uttered by an attractive hero. Other pithy insights show part of what comics can do, and why Ennis is good at them, like when the First of the Fallen (in the special 'Confessional') talks of a near-future second coming of Jesus who is, in some ways, painfully zeitgeisty for the early 90s yet also relevant now: a Black American former gangster who becomes a green anarchist with Bob Geldof among his followers, and is the victim of an NYPD swat team; the pileup of cultural referencing is cut through by the sharpness of insight about Christianity itself, the failure of this Jesus being to "once again mis-identify the primary motivating factor of humanity as love". (This has a satisfyingly oblique relevance to the way that the contemporary social justice movement has critiqued the cultural effects of Christian traditions like forgiveness.) This sort of thing keeps the momentum going when the pagan magic and quirks I loved in Delano are absent.
Kit is another of Ennis's major creations for the series and there's something about her that feels very real. There are things I really admire about her (she's tough mentally and physically; she's got a cool enough head to walk out on a man as compelling as JC when his activities put her in danger; she doesn't get involved with that sap Neil on the rebound - something I totally would have done when I was younger). And there are others I can't stand (she can be needlessly cruel in rows rather than just standing up for principles, and sometimes she is the embodiment of the 'woman as killjoy' trope. I despise people who destroy partners' posssessions during rows and breakups; Christ, I still feel guilty about the time I got closest to that, in my twenties, when I merely hid a copy of Things Fall Apart because the title was giving me OCD thoughts, with it being a favourite book of the ex in question). You could be friends with Kit and barely notice the thing about the possessions though. And all of this stuff, good and bad, stems from the same personality traits in her. She makes a lot of sense as a whole person. Good character creation.
Steve Dillon's art is unflattering to Kit (whereas she looked beautiful in William Simpson's and Sean Phillips' art) - but he draws Constantine as attractive. (If it were fanart you'd assume it was one of those daft jealous fans who hates the male protagonist's girlfriend.) Now I know why the picture of Kit on a Hellblazer wiki was unattractive: it was Dillon's, a lot of fans like Dillon's art and it's considered as classic to the series as Ennis's writing is. Dillon is better than the previous artists at making characters' appearance consistent - I assume a difficult thing to do given how rare it is in these older comics, producing so many hand drawings quickly in such quantities. At first when I saw Dillon's art, I thought that, yes it would be good on its own but it's not very good at looking like the characters did previously. But now, because of that consistency, and the overall look of his work, and his Constantine drawings, at this point I find myself agreeing with all those who say he's their favourite/default/definitive artist of the series.
For all that Ennis is known for writing violence, schlock and masculinity, he's politically very progressive in a lot of his writing here, and it still stands up to scrutiny 25 years later. He gives Constantine a tough girlfriend who's as witty as he is and who wasn't going to put up with any crap from him. In a storyline saying that overt racism is structural in the British establishment, a black man in effect gets the last word - by being responsible for the most politically significant action of all. Ennis even suggests, in issue #66, that ironic racist jokes and casual use of slurs by liberals - the sort of thing often found in shock-value 90s alternative comedy - are all part of the problem of racism. In UK 90s lad culture, it was very uncool to criticise that sort of thing, and it's only become normal to do so in the 2010s. On the social justice-oriented site Women Write About Comics, one of their bloggers agrees with what I thought about the presentation of race riots in Ennis' Hellblazer run: "Hellblazer’s “Fear and Loathing”, with its exchanges between the somewhat oblivious Constantine and his black friends, shows awareness that a story with an ethnic majority protagonist may not be the best means of articulating concerns about racial prejudice." - and it's the only one of the classic comics covered in the article which passes muster on this point. I've not written here about the Fear and Loathing storyline because it's covered so well in their article, one of the few really good analyses of Hellblazer I've seen. The writer also spotted one thing I hadn't read much into, because I'd not really noticed the characters' reactions "Nielsen then takes a sip from his drink, oblivious to George and Dez staring at him while Constantine buries his face in his palm. In this moment of dark humour, Reverend Nielsen is used to portray an out-of-touch white middle class that views racism as a specifically foreign phenomenon, one that can be bested with good, old-fashioned British patriotism.". This again relates to discussions on race that only went mainstream in recent years: and the issue of nice white people who don't understand the real nature of the problem.
Review continued below in comment field.
(Read Oct 2020, reviewed Dec 2020)
I do not get why so many readers are okay with that scene in #67. Yes, John has used Chas too many times and taken advantage of his old mate's goodwill, boredom and so on to get him to be a free chauffeur and occasional sidekick on dangerous adventures. You can see why Chas, deciding to start standing up for himself and not get drawn into yet another risky situation, might have skipped John's birthday party (though that scene where the two people closest to John *both* decide not to go to his 40th was, I thought, Ennis laying on the misery a bit too thick). You can see why Chas might have told John to fuck off when Constantine was routinely pissed and maudlin.
But this? John is legless several hours after the most painful break-up of his life; this is a man who was in a psychiatric hospital on multiple occasions and sounds like he might be going mad again. He swears at his best mate - in a way that, in my twenties, I saw men I knew swear at friends just for suggesting they'd had too much to drink and ought to go home from an average big night out, and nobody would think much of it a day or two later. And for this Chas beats John up badly whilst John is too drunk to have any strength left (strength that might have made it a fair fight), and then sticks his head down the toilet like a Grange Hill bully?
I see that as something where John would be fully justified in never speaking to Chas again, (and I'd have assumed a lot of people would think the same). You can't even say that's the effect Chas was trying to achieve, intentional burning of bridges, because John was at a stage of drunkenness where he might not remember what happened (Chas was sober after an evening's taxi-driving) so it was a stupid time for a ploy like that. If Chas can't refrain from actual violence towards a mate of over twenty years at a time like that, he's sure as hell not a mate any more. He might still find John too much - and not be arsed with him again after going home that night. But beating him up in that state? Just no. Reading it when the series is complete, when knowing they're going to end up mates again, and most probably that it would be John who'd be written as crawling back to Chas, made me indignant that this was supposed to be part of mateship.
Though you could say it's all part of the horror - an interesting expansion of horror to include not just the supernatural, gruesome murders and so on (as this volume also contains), but also the horror of abandonment and insult by the people the protagonist cared about most, and whom he thought cared about him. In combining that with the more usual kind of genre horror, it says something about how terrible those life events can make a person feel, especially someone with a tough backstory like John Constantine. The combination is also about showing the extent of what that pain can be for men, for whom there have traditionally been fewer ways to show the pain of loss and breakups and remain halfway credible in traditional forms of masculinity. There's, what, literary romanticism (a very different world from this) and country music style laments (very American) and drinking?
The realistic horror of one of the worst nightmares for a man like him - but without any supernatural power
And of course Constantine rapidly ends up street homeless after this. Men are still the vast majority of rough sleepers in the UK. This is the series' political consciousness again, showing how people end up on the streets - and he fits the demographic in a way that can be made to sound entirely unglamorous: man over 40, serious mental health history, irregular employment, homeless following relationship breakup, friends unwilling to accommodate him for long. Constantine has been shown plenty of times before as acquainted with homeless people, and has often been a sofa-surfer himself: now he has crossed the divide and is roofless - no more othering the homeless in the story, because he is one of the homeless.
And, just when it looks like Constantine is basically walking dead, has given up on himself and everything else - see what he can still do.
Perhaps there is still an implication that he's different and that the long-term homeless don't have agency and are passive victims - but that storyline also involves AIDS, which was still a major unsolved problem at the time. The implication, in that same subplot, that powerful men were involved in sexual violence was at that time merely an echo of Jack the Ripper, or perhaps some vague conspiracy theory, but would have seemed more resonant and real if read after the scandals of Jimmy Savile and various deceased MPs broke. Yet now that sort of thing can read as more complicated again due to the prevalence of Pizzagate and QAnon followers. Even within the space of a decade, how one type of storyline can read has changed drastically, twice. The flashback story (in the special 'Confessional') of the sexual predator priest who tried to rape a teenage Constantine, though, that still reads as a thematic choice that has seemed even more topical in recent years than it did at time of writing.
Volume 7 is, most of all, a return to story, after volume 6 which had a heck of a lot of new cosmology, and therefore theory, introduced. (The complexity of 6 is such that I still haven't reviewed it.)
At the point of writing up this review, I'm up to volume 14, and now getting a clearer sense of what different writers bring to the character. Ennis isn't really that into, or good at, writing magic in a folkloric, pagan, hippie kind of way. Instead, he writes about religion, Christianity, and most of his magic evokes Renaissance mages, who were of course in an overt and strict Christian society. It's a severe magic and a severe cosmology. The Irish influence Ennis brings to the series was always noticeable. I'm surprised more readers don't remark on it - perhaps that's because a lot of them are American and the differences between Irish and English culture aren't as obvious there. But the Irishness is even more obvious in contrast with Warren Ellis' emphatically London Constantine.
I don't think Ennis really gets some of the magic previously written into the Constantine universe: for example, at John's birthday party he has Swamp Thing use magic in a really trivial way that feels at odds with the creature's gravitas and seriousness. This scene is related to another way Ennis standardised Constantine. Delano's Constantine was a boozer but didn't really like most drugs. There are some damn cool people like this and if there are still people like this who were born in the 1970s whom I've known as friends, there sure as heck were more born in the 50s. This mustn't have fitted with the more cookie-cutter hedonistic laddishness Ennis had in mind for JC and so he lost this quirk, and I was disappointed. Delano's Constantine had a combination of traits and foibles that were unusual together, in a way that seemed real and individual. He made sense in his world and was a more plausible personality in relation to his experiences. Ennis's version is A Bloke with other legacy traits and abilities tagged on. Jenkins was trying to get back to Delano's version but was just not that good a writer (and made a stupid plotting decision about Constantine's demon blood, the folly of which is shown up all the more for coming back to this volume, where the demon blood is instrumental and essentially a superpower). And Ellis and Azzarello have emphasised the brutal crime stories which cropped up intermittently in Ennis's work.
But, in case I sold him short there, there is also plenty of depth to Ennis' Constantine. Often it seems to spring from that soul-wrenching conflict with hellfire and brimstone Catholicism and the bind it puts believers in, which I see in this run as dramatized through the extra fictional cosmology Ennis created for the series. [To anyone who reads these reviews in quick succession, I'm sorry for not having more/any synonyms to describe the sort of religion/Catholicism I mean.]
But that religious angst is part of what fuels lines like "We all try to buck fate. Right down to the last drop of blood, we struggle all the way." and "Wanting to end the line. It's no failure to be the last Constantine. Cos now no one else has to be." (#62), and " I've had one buggered up life so far but at least it's been interesting, like" (#63) Connecting with things like this is one of the main reasons I'm reading this series, seeing them uttered by an attractive hero. Other pithy insights show part of what comics can do, and why Ennis is good at them, like when the First of the Fallen (in the special 'Confessional') talks of a near-future second coming of Jesus who is, in some ways, painfully zeitgeisty for the early 90s yet also relevant now: a Black American former gangster who becomes a green anarchist with Bob Geldof among his followers, and is the victim of an NYPD swat team; the pileup of cultural referencing is cut through by the sharpness of insight about Christianity itself, the failure of this Jesus being to "once again mis-identify the primary motivating factor of humanity as love". (This has a satisfyingly oblique relevance to the way that the contemporary social justice movement has critiqued the cultural effects of Christian traditions like forgiveness.) This sort of thing keeps the momentum going when the pagan magic and quirks I loved in Delano are absent.
Kit is another of Ennis's major creations for the series and there's something about her that feels very real. There are things I really admire about her (she's tough mentally and physically; she's got a cool enough head to walk out on a man as compelling as JC when his activities put her in danger; she doesn't get involved with that sap Neil on the rebound - something I totally would have done when I was younger). And there are others I can't stand (she can be needlessly cruel in rows rather than just standing up for principles, and sometimes she is the embodiment of the 'woman as killjoy' trope. I despise people who destroy partners' posssessions during rows and breakups; Christ, I still feel guilty about the time I got closest to that, in my twenties, when I merely hid a copy of Things Fall Apart because the title was giving me OCD thoughts, with it being a favourite book of the ex in question). You could be friends with Kit and barely notice the thing about the possessions though. And all of this stuff, good and bad, stems from the same personality traits in her. She makes a lot of sense as a whole person. Good character creation.
Steve Dillon's art is unflattering to Kit (whereas she looked beautiful in William Simpson's and Sean Phillips' art) - but he draws Constantine as attractive. (If it were fanart you'd assume it was one of those daft jealous fans who hates the male protagonist's girlfriend.) Now I know why the picture of Kit on a Hellblazer wiki was unattractive: it was Dillon's, a lot of fans like Dillon's art and it's considered as classic to the series as Ennis's writing is. Dillon is better than the previous artists at making characters' appearance consistent - I assume a difficult thing to do given how rare it is in these older comics, producing so many hand drawings quickly in such quantities. At first when I saw Dillon's art, I thought that, yes it would be good on its own but it's not very good at looking like the characters did previously. But now, because of that consistency, and the overall look of his work, and his Constantine drawings, at this point I find myself agreeing with all those who say he's their favourite/default/definitive artist of the series.
For all that Ennis is known for writing violence, schlock and masculinity, he's politically very progressive in a lot of his writing here, and it still stands up to scrutiny 25 years later. He gives Constantine a tough girlfriend who's as witty as he is and who wasn't going to put up with any crap from him. In a storyline saying that overt racism is structural in the British establishment, a black man in effect gets the last word - by being responsible for the most politically significant action of all. Ennis even suggests, in issue #66, that ironic racist jokes and casual use of slurs by liberals - the sort of thing often found in shock-value 90s alternative comedy - are all part of the problem of racism. In UK 90s lad culture, it was very uncool to criticise that sort of thing, and it's only become normal to do so in the 2010s. On the social justice-oriented site Women Write About Comics, one of their bloggers agrees with what I thought about the presentation of race riots in Ennis' Hellblazer run: "Hellblazer’s “Fear and Loathing”, with its exchanges between the somewhat oblivious Constantine and his black friends, shows awareness that a story with an ethnic majority protagonist may not be the best means of articulating concerns about racial prejudice." - and it's the only one of the classic comics covered in the article which passes muster on this point. I've not written here about the Fear and Loathing storyline because it's covered so well in their article, one of the few really good analyses of Hellblazer I've seen. The writer also spotted one thing I hadn't read much into, because I'd not really noticed the characters' reactions "Nielsen then takes a sip from his drink, oblivious to George and Dez staring at him while Constantine buries his face in his palm. In this moment of dark humour, Reverend Nielsen is used to portray an out-of-touch white middle class that views racism as a specifically foreign phenomenon, one that can be bested with good, old-fashioned British patriotism.". This again relates to discussions on race that only went mainstream in recent years: and the issue of nice white people who don't understand the real nature of the problem.
Review continued below in comment field.
(Read Oct 2020, reviewed Dec 2020)
December 14, 2020
Well damn...Constantine has some shitty ass luck in this one.
After being who he is, and getting people he loves or likes killed, we're left with a very broken Magic user named Constantine. This is a look at a heartbroken man, lost, love gone, everything taken from him, and basically becomes a shell of who he used to be. It's the fact he is barely holding on that you feel some pity for him even if he brings A LOT of his own bad luck on to himself.
This was a dark book. And not dark in the edgy type of shit sometimes Ennis likes to write. This is a soul of a man on the verge of complete loss. Of giving into every dark desire you have to give up. And it's so damn entertaining to watch this man barely surviving yet not completely giving up. The art if fantastic with Steve coming in to give a very preacher feel.
This might be the strongest volume yet. Really loving the direction.
After being who he is, and getting people he loves or likes killed, we're left with a very broken Magic user named Constantine. This is a look at a heartbroken man, lost, love gone, everything taken from him, and basically becomes a shell of who he used to be. It's the fact he is barely holding on that you feel some pity for him even if he brings A LOT of his own bad luck on to himself.
This was a dark book. And not dark in the edgy type of shit sometimes Ennis likes to write. This is a soul of a man on the verge of complete loss. Of giving into every dark desire you have to give up. And it's so damn entertaining to watch this man barely surviving yet not completely giving up. The art if fantastic with Steve coming in to give a very preacher feel.
This might be the strongest volume yet. Really loving the direction.
May 12, 2018
What a depressing volume! At one point I thought I couldn't hate Constantine more. And I was so annoyed by his self-righteous girlfriend. She even kind of confirms I'm right later on.
John Constantine is all over the place in this volume. So were my feelings. The whole Tainted Love takes him from one high point - where he is almost a family man visiting relatives with his girlfriend - to the lowest of the low - where he is homeless and drunk. In between you see him doing horrible things. He doesn't just move away from being an anti-hero, but full blown villain.
The King of Vampire part was a bit of underwhelming.
John Constantine is all over the place in this volume. So were my feelings. The whole Tainted Love takes him from one high point - where he is almost a family man visiting relatives with his girlfriend - to the lowest of the low - where he is homeless and drunk. In between you see him doing horrible things. He doesn't just move away from being an anti-hero, but full blown villain.
The King of Vampire part was a bit of underwhelming.
August 21, 2015
I think I want to read more of Garth Ennis' work because I think he's a pretty cool comics writer but unfortunately his Hellblazer stuff was not that impressive. For his second collected edition, Volume 6: Bloodlines, I would characterize my reading experience as comfortable and mildly entertaining. This volume, thankfully enough, is an improvement, but only slighter.
Volume 7: Tainted Love was more character-driven in scope and characterization, dealing with the break-up and aftermath of John and Kit's relationship while also exploring the wretched downwards spiral John had to go through in order to once again reinvent himself in the process.
Composed of issues #62-71, Tainted Love was also a mixed bag like Bloodlines but decidedly far more riveting to read because I cared enough about John and Kit as a couple and as characters themselves. There is only one story arc here called Fear and Loathing which was pretty great because it had some tough issues like racial hate crimes which I felt were dealt with tastefully enough. We also got to see John making an ass of himself during his post break-up, hobo-ing it up and substituting alcohol with lighting fluid. The King of the Vampires makes a second appearance to taunt John, only to get utterly destroyed by his lack of hindsight concerning hubris. I also really enjoyed that Kit-centered issue because she's really awesome and I'm glad to get to know her a little better by being provided some overdue personal backstory.
My favorite issue was #71, of course. For that issue named The Finest Hour, we see John in an awful state of unkempt personal appearance and worsening alcohol dependence lose consciousness near a skeletal remains of a man whose final moments were shared through a dream sequence. The man turned out to be a flight pilot during the second World War whose youth and optimism did not prevent him from his untimely and unfair death when he unceremoniously crashed-landed in some plain. John woke up from seeing his memories and felt absolutely ashamed and humbled. There he was, miserable and beyond redemption, or so he thinks, while there are countless others like that late pilot who hasn't even lived a full life as he had. Sure, John's life is a stormy shitfest of regrets, blood and broken vows but at least he lives. And that's what John should do now, no matter the rock bottoms that he will collapse into again and again.
John cleans himself up, shaves at last and puts on his familiar trench coat. He buries the remains of the man and thanks him for reminding him of the constant cycle of victory and defeat that defines humanity, and that John Constantine's road, though a lonely path, is only something he has the strength and determination to walk through. It's poignant that the dead had gave the living a purpose. This issue was such a comforting story about self-reliance and acceptance of the past. It left me smiling sadly as I stared into the last two pages of the said pilot's alternate ending to his life. After John buries the remains, we see the pilot successfully flying his little plane back into the sunny horizon. It was a symbolic confirmation that John was able to help the poor guy carry over onto the next step after death, and into his brand of paradise where even the sky has no limits. And, maybe, John can do the same.
That being said, at this point in the series with Ennis, I'm growing weary of his repetitive storytelling choices. Some days I wish Delano was still writing the series although I much appreciate the lightness of Ennis' approach. The only problem is the depth becomes only skin-deep for his stories. Delano might be a goddamn motherfucker who hurts me emotionally and mentally with his gritty and highly tense stories, but he always has a meaningful and resonant message at the core of it all. With Ennis, there's always something missing. It's almost like he's prepared a perfectly acceptable main course, but forgets a key ingredient that makes all the difference in my appreciation for his stories. He leaves me feeling incomplete after finishing a story of his, particularly in his major arc.
Like I said in another review, my overall reaction to Ennis as a Hellblazer writer is that of mild amusement; I'm not thoroughly excited when I read his issues nor am I completely bored. I'm in a safe place where there are no risks or disappointments. Not everything I have to say about Ennis is negative, of course. I truly must credit him for creating the character of Kit Ryan. She's the only female character in the series so far whom I felt was justly characterized. She was well-developed and sympathetic, and she wasn't simply there to suit a chauvinistic purpose for the plot (which is Delano's problem with the female characters he had written in his run; a few of them were really flat *coughs-Marj-coughs*). His development and characterization of Kit were something I can commend him with, that's for sure.
Overall, Tainted Love had been enjoyable enough but not his strongest work.
RECOMMENDED: 7.5/10
DO READ MY REVIEW AT:
Volume 7: Tainted Love was more character-driven in scope and characterization, dealing with the break-up and aftermath of John and Kit's relationship while also exploring the wretched downwards spiral John had to go through in order to once again reinvent himself in the process.
Composed of issues #62-71, Tainted Love was also a mixed bag like Bloodlines but decidedly far more riveting to read because I cared enough about John and Kit as a couple and as characters themselves. There is only one story arc here called Fear and Loathing which was pretty great because it had some tough issues like racial hate crimes which I felt were dealt with tastefully enough. We also got to see John making an ass of himself during his post break-up, hobo-ing it up and substituting alcohol with lighting fluid. The King of the Vampires makes a second appearance to taunt John, only to get utterly destroyed by his lack of hindsight concerning hubris. I also really enjoyed that Kit-centered issue because she's really awesome and I'm glad to get to know her a little better by being provided some overdue personal backstory.
My favorite issue was #71, of course. For that issue named The Finest Hour, we see John in an awful state of unkempt personal appearance and worsening alcohol dependence lose consciousness near a skeletal remains of a man whose final moments were shared through a dream sequence. The man turned out to be a flight pilot during the second World War whose youth and optimism did not prevent him from his untimely and unfair death when he unceremoniously crashed-landed in some plain. John woke up from seeing his memories and felt absolutely ashamed and humbled. There he was, miserable and beyond redemption, or so he thinks, while there are countless others like that late pilot who hasn't even lived a full life as he had. Sure, John's life is a stormy shitfest of regrets, blood and broken vows but at least he lives. And that's what John should do now, no matter the rock bottoms that he will collapse into again and again.
John cleans himself up, shaves at last and puts on his familiar trench coat. He buries the remains of the man and thanks him for reminding him of the constant cycle of victory and defeat that defines humanity, and that John Constantine's road, though a lonely path, is only something he has the strength and determination to walk through. It's poignant that the dead had gave the living a purpose. This issue was such a comforting story about self-reliance and acceptance of the past. It left me smiling sadly as I stared into the last two pages of the said pilot's alternate ending to his life. After John buries the remains, we see the pilot successfully flying his little plane back into the sunny horizon. It was a symbolic confirmation that John was able to help the poor guy carry over onto the next step after death, and into his brand of paradise where even the sky has no limits. And, maybe, John can do the same.
That being said, at this point in the series with Ennis, I'm growing weary of his repetitive storytelling choices. Some days I wish Delano was still writing the series although I much appreciate the lightness of Ennis' approach. The only problem is the depth becomes only skin-deep for his stories. Delano might be a goddamn motherfucker who hurts me emotionally and mentally with his gritty and highly tense stories, but he always has a meaningful and resonant message at the core of it all. With Ennis, there's always something missing. It's almost like he's prepared a perfectly acceptable main course, but forgets a key ingredient that makes all the difference in my appreciation for his stories. He leaves me feeling incomplete after finishing a story of his, particularly in his major arc.
Like I said in another review, my overall reaction to Ennis as a Hellblazer writer is that of mild amusement; I'm not thoroughly excited when I read his issues nor am I completely bored. I'm in a safe place where there are no risks or disappointments. Not everything I have to say about Ennis is negative, of course. I truly must credit him for creating the character of Kit Ryan. She's the only female character in the series so far whom I felt was justly characterized. She was well-developed and sympathetic, and she wasn't simply there to suit a chauvinistic purpose for the plot (which is Delano's problem with the female characters he had written in his run; a few of them were really flat *coughs-Marj-coughs*). His development and characterization of Kit were something I can commend him with, that's for sure.
Overall, Tainted Love had been enjoyable enough but not his strongest work.
RECOMMENDED: 7.5/10
DO READ MY REVIEW AT:
November 22, 2014
I've comment in the last Hellblazer collection, volume 7 to be exact, of how content Constantine has become. Well, this the arc where Ennis brought him down to his lowest point, but before that, Ennis gave Constantine the best fortieth birthday party ever.
This is a notable collection as it credited Steve Dillon for the art in this collection's entirety. This would be the start of a special partnership that would eventually bring us the critically acclaimed Preacher. it all started here.
This is a notable collection as it credited Steve Dillon for the art in this collection's entirety. This would be the start of a special partnership that would eventually bring us the critically acclaimed Preacher. it all started here.
August 27, 2023
This is pure garth ennis, if you like his other works you will probably like this. It was okay for me, a lot of character study which is a nice change, but the horror was somewhat lost in this one, it started to get too real in a way. I am torn what to rate it, between a 3,5 and 4 stars.
August 6, 2025
more amazing characterization of john constantine (he’s GREAT, i’m liking him a lot), interesting plot - which somehow makes me feel for characters that appear for two pages, and a badass female love interest with no superpowers (i’m shocked as well, thank you garth ennis).
February 28, 2014
I am nowhere near Steve Dillon's biggest fan, but his Hellblazer stuff is excellent. Garth Ennis' plotlines go from horrid to horrible (but in a good way!) as he drags Constantine through the wringer and out the other side in this volume, some of the best Hellblazer I've read so far.
August 3, 2021
Ennis' run on Hellblazer continues. This would have been a 5-star volume, but honestly? Some of the "fluff" stories were merely ok and the entire issue devoted to Kit, JC's ex-gf, was boring and unnecessary.
Most of the stories in "Tainted Love" revolve around relationships. Most are pretty good. But the best part of this volume is "For God and Country" which involves the Archangel Gabriel (reminds me of parts of the Reeve's movie scene) and Constantine's nefarious plan that involves him. This was very well done.
I also enjoyed the rather dark final stories. The one about the fallen priest gives us clues that the Devil is not done with Constantine just yet. I look forward to Vol 8.
Not as good as the previous volume, this is still a superb series. The artwork has improved as well and I hope this trend continues.
Most of the stories in "Tainted Love" revolve around relationships. Most are pretty good. But the best part of this volume is "For God and Country" which involves the Archangel Gabriel (reminds me of parts of the Reeve's movie scene) and Constantine's nefarious plan that involves him. This was very well done.
I also enjoyed the rather dark final stories. The one about the fallen priest gives us clues that the Devil is not done with Constantine just yet. I look forward to Vol 8.
Not as good as the previous volume, this is still a superb series. The artwork has improved as well and I hope this trend continues.
July 25, 2018
KINGA THE FRIGGIN VAMPIRES!
Aight so after reading Bloodlines and pretty much "frigging" loving it, I was quite excited for this volume. Especially since this whole volume is drawn by Mr. Steve Dillon. He and William Simpson have honestly done some of the best penciling I have ever seen. Honestly. I'd say this volume is just as good as Bloodlines. This is yet another great collection Hellblazer stories by Garth Ennis. The first 2 issues are very entertaining. One deals with a lot of John's family drama and the other is about John's birthday. Both delve a lot deeper into John's character and dissects his personality and the people he is associated with. I had heard that Fear and Loathing was one of the best Hellblazer stories ever written. I'd have to disagree. It isn't bad or anything, it's just I didn't find the whole plot with the Archangel very interesting. But there were also many other subplots. Those 3 issues kinda felt like a cluster fuck because there was too much going on to follow clearly and that made the reading experience very confusing. The twist was pretty awesome though.
After the Fear and Loathing storyline ends, this book is fantastic. While reading
Dear John I was turning pages like a madman. Dear John was very emotionally impactful and resonating. Especially what happens between Chas and John. Damn its good stuff. Although this does bring me to a problem I have with the relationship between John and Kit. John says that he really only feels like he can be himself around Kit. I wanted to see a lot more of that. Even in Bloodlines, I felt like there should have been a full issue dedicated to just John and Kit together. I would have felt the emotional punch EVEN MORE. John goes to his lowest low and at first, I didn't buy John's drastic change in lifestyle but as I thought about it, it made sense. John has to much pride and stubbornness to take anybody's pity charity. These next 3 issues: Down all the Days, Rough Trade, and Tainted Love make for a frickin amazing section of John at his lowest point in life. I love the interactions John has with other people on the street and the conclusion a certain character we had seen in the previous volume. Heartland is purely about Kit. And I like this issue because it fleshed out her character more, gave us a look into her life outside of London, and provides for a good send-off to her character. (I think. I don't know if she shows up later.) But goddamn was these issue ever a monster when it came to words. Very very wordy. And I think I would have preferred to have had Kit just discussing her life with her sister rather than a lot of people discussing things we never get to see.
Finest Hour was all good except for a MAJOR LAZY convenience that happens involving magic. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. At least Garth Ennis could have shown something. He could have shown John maybe practicing this spell or a more expressive way of showing the spell being done. I dunno. I remember hoping something like that wasn't gonna happen, but.....ya. And finally Confessional is a frickin fantastic issue. One of the darkest I've ever read, but I loved it.
In the end, I thought this book was great. Fear and Loathing wasn't what I wanted it too be, but I thought in terms of seeing John for who he really is deep down, this book is gold. Steve Dillon's artwork is to die for and if you are ever looking for a depressing and emotional Hellblazer story, viola!
Letter Grade: (A-)
I will be finishing my Hellblazer summer event with Hellblazer Volume 8 Rake at the Gates of Hell very soon, so stay tuned for that if you wish to.
Aight so after reading Bloodlines and pretty much "frigging" loving it, I was quite excited for this volume. Especially since this whole volume is drawn by Mr. Steve Dillon. He and William Simpson have honestly done some of the best penciling I have ever seen. Honestly. I'd say this volume is just as good as Bloodlines. This is yet another great collection Hellblazer stories by Garth Ennis. The first 2 issues are very entertaining. One deals with a lot of John's family drama and the other is about John's birthday. Both delve a lot deeper into John's character and dissects his personality and the people he is associated with. I had heard that Fear and Loathing was one of the best Hellblazer stories ever written. I'd have to disagree. It isn't bad or anything, it's just I didn't find the whole plot with the Archangel very interesting. But there were also many other subplots. Those 3 issues kinda felt like a cluster fuck because there was too much going on to follow clearly and that made the reading experience very confusing. The twist was pretty awesome though.
After the Fear and Loathing storyline ends, this book is fantastic. While reading
Dear John I was turning pages like a madman. Dear John was very emotionally impactful and resonating. Especially what happens between Chas and John. Damn its good stuff. Although this does bring me to a problem I have with the relationship between John and Kit. John says that he really only feels like he can be himself around Kit. I wanted to see a lot more of that. Even in Bloodlines, I felt like there should have been a full issue dedicated to just John and Kit together. I would have felt the emotional punch EVEN MORE. John goes to his lowest low and at first, I didn't buy John's drastic change in lifestyle but as I thought about it, it made sense. John has to much pride and stubbornness to take anybody's pity charity. These next 3 issues: Down all the Days, Rough Trade, and Tainted Love make for a frickin amazing section of John at his lowest point in life. I love the interactions John has with other people on the street and the conclusion a certain character we had seen in the previous volume. Heartland is purely about Kit. And I like this issue because it fleshed out her character more, gave us a look into her life outside of London, and provides for a good send-off to her character. (I think. I don't know if she shows up later.) But goddamn was these issue ever a monster when it came to words. Very very wordy. And I think I would have preferred to have had Kit just discussing her life with her sister rather than a lot of people discussing things we never get to see.
Finest Hour was all good except for a MAJOR LAZY convenience that happens involving magic. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. At least Garth Ennis could have shown something. He could have shown John maybe practicing this spell or a more expressive way of showing the spell being done. I dunno. I remember hoping something like that wasn't gonna happen, but.....ya. And finally Confessional is a frickin fantastic issue. One of the darkest I've ever read, but I loved it.
In the end, I thought this book was great. Fear and Loathing wasn't what I wanted it too be, but I thought in terms of seeing John for who he really is deep down, this book is gold. Steve Dillon's artwork is to die for and if you are ever looking for a depressing and emotional Hellblazer story, viola!
Letter Grade: (A-)
I will be finishing my Hellblazer summer event with Hellblazer Volume 8 Rake at the Gates of Hell very soon, so stay tuned for that if you wish to.
July 12, 2021
8/10 stars
Ennis clearly gets in a high gear here, accompanied by the masterful skill of Steve Dillon. This omnibus gathers some of the most depressing Hellblazer storylines, with heartbreak, homelessness, despair, and addiction, and yet still remains hopeful. Not much, mind you, it's Ennis after all, but there is a ray of hope amidst all that bleakness - and it's always helpful to see Ennis's trademark black humor employed in Hellblazer - after all, there's no one better suited to the gallows humor than Constantine.
Ennis delivers very astute political commentary here - both regarding racism, the fear of Otherness and how the British nationalist movement takes advantage of it (decades before Brexit), as well as regarding the general interconnectedness of violence and hate. He also seems a bit prescient when it comes to the troubles that plague Catholic Church right now - though Ireland had an early start into it - and Ennis's depiction of Catholic faith, which forms the vast majority of the mystic/magical dimension in his run of Hellblazer, is stark, unflinching, and vengeful.
Lastly, I was surprised in how Ennis chose to end the friendship between Chas and John; granted, it was never without strain, but I felt that Chas's reaction to usual Constantine BS was blown waaay out of proportion. I understand that some form of ultimate severance was required to push Constantine through the rapid social exclusion process, but on the whole Chas's part in it - particularly the sudden outburst of violence - was not entirely believable for me. I do wonder, though, if Ennis has a plan for Chas - he's been going over the edge for some time, at least since Mortal Clay.
That said, I admire Ennis's decision to portray through Constantine the fate of many others in his demographic situation: white single male, over 40, a history of mental health problems, a severe addiction, homelessness, depression, and lack of social support. Constantine goes all the way down into his personal Hell to return stronger - and I suspect that Ennis knows very well that even in the moments of his sharpest critique of Catholic faith he still applies the ideas, structures and worldviews rooted in Christianity ;).
Oh, and here I can see the extent to which Ennis is haunted by war; the aircraft pilot story has nothing to do with Constantine, really, and the setup beggars belief (an extremely well-preserved skeleton on the banks of Thames just rests there in the grass, sure), but the story itself is heartfelt and moving. I'm so glad Ennis had the chance to write The Punisher later on, his run was the best :D.
Ennis clearly gets in a high gear here, accompanied by the masterful skill of Steve Dillon. This omnibus gathers some of the most depressing Hellblazer storylines, with heartbreak, homelessness, despair, and addiction, and yet still remains hopeful. Not much, mind you, it's Ennis after all, but there is a ray of hope amidst all that bleakness - and it's always helpful to see Ennis's trademark black humor employed in Hellblazer - after all, there's no one better suited to the gallows humor than Constantine.
Ennis delivers very astute political commentary here - both regarding racism, the fear of Otherness and how the British nationalist movement takes advantage of it (decades before Brexit), as well as regarding the general interconnectedness of violence and hate. He also seems a bit prescient when it comes to the troubles that plague Catholic Church right now - though Ireland had an early start into it - and Ennis's depiction of Catholic faith, which forms the vast majority of the mystic/magical dimension in his run of Hellblazer, is stark, unflinching, and vengeful.
Lastly, I was surprised in how Ennis chose to end the friendship between Chas and John; granted, it was never without strain, but I felt that Chas's reaction to usual Constantine BS was blown waaay out of proportion. I understand that some form of ultimate severance was required to push Constantine through the rapid social exclusion process, but on the whole Chas's part in it - particularly the sudden outburst of violence - was not entirely believable for me. I do wonder, though, if Ennis has a plan for Chas - he's been going over the edge for some time, at least since Mortal Clay.
That said, I admire Ennis's decision to portray through Constantine the fate of many others in his demographic situation: white single male, over 40, a history of mental health problems, a severe addiction, homelessness, depression, and lack of social support. Constantine goes all the way down into his personal Hell to return stronger - and I suspect that Ennis knows very well that even in the moments of his sharpest critique of Catholic faith he still applies the ideas, structures and worldviews rooted in Christianity ;).
Oh, and here I can see the extent to which Ennis is haunted by war; the aircraft pilot story has nothing to do with Constantine, really, and the setup beggars belief (an extremely well-preserved skeleton on the banks of Thames just rests there in the grass, sure), but the story itself is heartfelt and moving. I'm so glad Ennis had the chance to write The Punisher later on, his run was the best :D.
May 29, 2024
No my favorite one, some solid stories, some boring ones, solid artwork.
January 12, 2018
This was another great volume. I think the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it's a lot of little stories put together and although there is SOME over-arching plot it's still mostly still build-up and I'm like come on! Just get there already! What can I say, I'm super impatient.
Anyway this volume had a bunch of surprisingly cute things in it. I really liked Kit and Gemma's scenes together and also just Kit in general. On the one hand I hope she's not leaving for good because I love her but also she deserves way better than John so on the other hand I'm just like RUN! It was nice to get an entire issue just about Kit [I love that there's a Hellblazer issue that doesn't even feature John lol] although I feel like it was maybe a bit too ...topical to 90s Ireland and that I didn't quite get some references but it was still nice. John's birthday party was also great. It was nice to see that despite being a mopey emo git most of the time he's still got people that care about him. ;) Also guest appearance by Zatanna!!
There was also a lot of heavier stuff in this volume so I think it all found out a good balance. I like how Hellblazer as a whole continues to be overtly anti-rightwing and also any book where racists get set on fire is a good book in my opinion. Also a lot of commentary on homelessness and the Special that was included at the end with young!John was a very good issue as well.
I'm a bit confused with all this vampire stuff though, but I guess that will either become clear later or be dropped completely. I'm guessing this was the basis for the I, Vampire title that DC tried to tie in with Justice League Dark but it's not really directly lifted from here. Neither are really that interesting to me but at least this isn't as boring as I, Vampire.
Anyway, definitely looking forward to the next volume!
Anyway this volume had a bunch of surprisingly cute things in it. I really liked Kit and Gemma's scenes together and also just Kit in general. On the one hand I hope she's not leaving for good because I love her but also she deserves way better than John so on the other hand I'm just like RUN! It was nice to get an entire issue just about Kit [I love that there's a Hellblazer issue that doesn't even feature John lol] although I feel like it was maybe a bit too ...topical to 90s Ireland and that I didn't quite get some references but it was still nice. John's birthday party was also great. It was nice to see that despite being a mopey emo git most of the time he's still got people that care about him. ;) Also guest appearance by Zatanna!!
There was also a lot of heavier stuff in this volume so I think it all found out a good balance. I like how Hellblazer as a whole continues to be overtly anti-rightwing and also any book where racists get set on fire is a good book in my opinion. Also a lot of commentary on homelessness and the Special that was included at the end with young!John was a very good issue as well.
I'm a bit confused with all this vampire stuff though, but I guess that will either become clear later or be dropped completely. I'm guessing this was the basis for the I, Vampire title that DC tried to tie in with Justice League Dark but it's not really directly lifted from here. Neither are really that interesting to me but at least this isn't as boring as I, Vampire.
Anyway, definitely looking forward to the next volume!
August 20, 2021
Well damn...Constantine has some shitty ass luck in this one.
After being who he is, and getting people he loves or likes killed, we're left with a very broken Magic user named Constantine. This is a look at a heartbroken man, lost, love gone, everything taken from him, and basically becomes a shell of who he used to be. It's the fact he is barely holding on that you feel some pity for him even if he brings A LOT of his own bad luck on to himself.
This was a dark book. And not dark in the edgy type of shit sometimes Ennis likes to write. This is a soul of a man on the verge of complete loss. Of giving into every dark desire you have to give up. And it's so damn entertaining to watch this man barely surviving yet not completely giving up. The art if fantastic with Steve coming in to give a very preacher feel.
This might be the strongest volume yet. Really loving the direction
After being who he is, and getting people he loves or likes killed, we're left with a very broken Magic user named Constantine. This is a look at a heartbroken man, lost, love gone, everything taken from him, and basically becomes a shell of who he used to be. It's the fact he is barely holding on that you feel some pity for him even if he brings A LOT of his own bad luck on to himself.
This was a dark book. And not dark in the edgy type of shit sometimes Ennis likes to write. This is a soul of a man on the verge of complete loss. Of giving into every dark desire you have to give up. And it's so damn entertaining to watch this man barely surviving yet not completely giving up. The art if fantastic with Steve coming in to give a very preacher feel.
This might be the strongest volume yet. Really loving the direction
September 17, 2019
3.5 stars
Dark and moody, Constantine is at a low point in this one. And again Garth Ennis writes a good Hellblazer.
Dark and moody, Constantine is at a low point in this one. And again Garth Ennis writes a good Hellblazer.
April 10, 2025
Hellblazer vol 7 collets issues 62-71 and Vertigo Jam 1.
This volume starts with the single issue "End of line" that explores the legacy of the Constantine family line with John's sister running into her daughter doing some ritual against a classmate. Cheryl blames John for her daughter dabbling in magic and John feels offended at that accusation.
Then it's followed by the issue "Forty" in which John realizes it's his birthday number 40. He wants to celebrate with Kit but an emergency came up with her family so she had to travel home. Then he calls Chas to invite him to celebrate, but Chas can't 'cause he's working till late. Disappointed, John decides to go to the grocery store to buy booze and cigs to celebrate alone all brooding and moping. Little did he know, Kit and Chas aren't his only friends; he is, in fact, appreciated by other folks he's helped over the years or exchanged magic knowledge with, thus being received at the apt with a surprise party. The events might be predictable but it's cute nevertheless to see John happy with his friends :).
After that, Ennis decides initiate John's plan with the arc 'Fear and Loathing'. Here John is set to play with Gabriel's vulnerability to trap and have him around his finger. Meanwhile Charles Patterson, a racist POS who wanted to befriend Gabriel for ulterior motives sniffs John's plans and tries to stop him by kidnapping him and hurting Kit. Here we're introduced to John's friends: the Reverend Neilsen, and George and his brother Dez, two black men fighting against the neonazi british movement National Front, whose power is slowly increasing and causing confrontations with the black community.
Things turned terribly bad for John and the drop that broke the camel's back is Kit deciding to end things with John after having her life threatened. Which is understandable, and I'm glad Ennis addressed it the way he did, cause she said from the very beginning that she wanted nothing to do with his dangerous lifestyle. She's kiiinda naïve to think John's enemies wouldn't try to use her to hurt John but i'm glad she didn't budge when trouble made itself present. Of course, John took the news not so well and starts to binge drink and almost kills with magic a rude adolescent. Thankfully Chas was nearby and saved him from more trouble. Alas, John was way too pissed off to show gratefulness and instead insulted Chas and her wife to the point of Chas having enough of him, giving him a good beating, lol it felt like it was too much but i bet he felt satisfied afterwards. Honestly, John deserved it.
Thus begins John's spiraldown to alcoholism. Issues "Down all the days" and "Rough trade" are about John falling to the bottom. He's homeless, drowning his sorrows with alcohol or lighter fluid if that's what only he has money for. Despite that, he manages to come on top when an old enemy finds him and tries to turn him into a vampire.
From Kit's side, we see how's she doing in issue "Heartlad". She's back in Belfast and meets with her friends to have some fun. I really liked how Ennis showed that aspect of how when being in a relationship with a foreigner during the breakup you get annoyed at stuff related to the country/state the ex's from yet unconsciously adopt the accent or use slang they used.
The volume ends with "The Finest Hour" a wake up call for John consisting of him on his drunk stuppor lying beside the corpse of a WWII young fighter pilot who's shares in a dream how he came to die there. That dream wakes John from his mourning and decides to clean himself up and keep going on. I noticed this is another issue in which a spirit finds rest when John buries the body.
And that's it...for now.
Vertigo Jam 1 is a special issue about John in his homeless moment telling another dude a grim story about using magic. I like how's addressed here that John could fix his life with magic but doesn't want to at this moment. And this is what makes John thick. He could be the man at the top of the world if he wanted but he rather live in the slums than mingle with the bloody rich.
On a personal note, the breakup arc was one of the most lasting memories of reading Hellblazer I had because when I read them I was sort of experiencing my own big ass breakup (thankfully not coping with it in the way John was) and reading John going through it too feel like we were mates of the same pain. Re-reading it was still saddening like the first time, though I wish Ennis could have explored more about the hardships homeless people endure and make John drunkenly solve some paranormal stuff related to some murders or disappearances that the authorities probably work hard to ignore. If Delano've written this i bet he'd have extended John's extreme depression and explore the politics involved with the most vulnerable people, i just know it.
All these issues were drawn by Steve Dillon and colored by Tom Ziuko.
This volume starts with the single issue "End of line" that explores the legacy of the Constantine family line with John's sister running into her daughter doing some ritual against a classmate. Cheryl blames John for her daughter dabbling in magic and John feels offended at that accusation.
Then it's followed by the issue "Forty" in which John realizes it's his birthday number 40. He wants to celebrate with Kit but an emergency came up with her family so she had to travel home. Then he calls Chas to invite him to celebrate, but Chas can't 'cause he's working till late. Disappointed, John decides to go to the grocery store to buy booze and cigs to celebrate alone all brooding and moping. Little did he know, Kit and Chas aren't his only friends; he is, in fact, appreciated by other folks he's helped over the years or exchanged magic knowledge with, thus being received at the apt with a surprise party. The events might be predictable but it's cute nevertheless to see John happy with his friends :).
After that, Ennis decides initiate John's plan with the arc 'Fear and Loathing'. Here John is set to play with Gabriel's vulnerability to trap and have him around his finger. Meanwhile Charles Patterson, a racist POS who wanted to befriend Gabriel for ulterior motives sniffs John's plans and tries to stop him by kidnapping him and hurting Kit. Here we're introduced to John's friends: the Reverend Neilsen, and George and his brother Dez, two black men fighting against the neonazi british movement National Front, whose power is slowly increasing and causing confrontations with the black community.
Things turned terribly bad for John and the drop that broke the camel's back is Kit deciding to end things with John after having her life threatened. Which is understandable, and I'm glad Ennis addressed it the way he did, cause she said from the very beginning that she wanted nothing to do with his dangerous lifestyle. She's kiiinda naïve to think John's enemies wouldn't try to use her to hurt John but i'm glad she didn't budge when trouble made itself present. Of course, John took the news not so well and starts to binge drink and almost kills with magic a rude adolescent. Thankfully Chas was nearby and saved him from more trouble. Alas, John was way too pissed off to show gratefulness and instead insulted Chas and her wife to the point of Chas having enough of him, giving him a good beating, lol it felt like it was too much but i bet he felt satisfied afterwards. Honestly, John deserved it.
Thus begins John's spiraldown to alcoholism. Issues "Down all the days" and "Rough trade" are about John falling to the bottom. He's homeless, drowning his sorrows with alcohol or lighter fluid if that's what only he has money for. Despite that, he manages to come on top when an old enemy finds him and tries to turn him into a vampire.
From Kit's side, we see how's she doing in issue "Heartlad". She's back in Belfast and meets with her friends to have some fun. I really liked how Ennis showed that aspect of how when being in a relationship with a foreigner during the breakup you get annoyed at stuff related to the country/state the ex's from yet unconsciously adopt the accent or use slang they used.
The volume ends with "The Finest Hour" a wake up call for John consisting of him on his drunk stuppor lying beside the corpse of a WWII young fighter pilot who's shares in a dream how he came to die there. That dream wakes John from his mourning and decides to clean himself up and keep going on. I noticed this is another issue in which a spirit finds rest when John buries the body.
And that's it...for now.
Vertigo Jam 1 is a special issue about John in his homeless moment telling another dude a grim story about using magic. I like how's addressed here that John could fix his life with magic but doesn't want to at this moment. And this is what makes John thick. He could be the man at the top of the world if he wanted but he rather live in the slums than mingle with the bloody rich.
On a personal note, the breakup arc was one of the most lasting memories of reading Hellblazer I had because when I read them I was sort of experiencing my own big ass breakup (thankfully not coping with it in the way John was) and reading John going through it too feel like we were mates of the same pain. Re-reading it was still saddening like the first time, though I wish Ennis could have explored more about the hardships homeless people endure and make John drunkenly solve some paranormal stuff related to some murders or disappearances that the authorities probably work hard to ignore. If Delano've written this i bet he'd have extended John's extreme depression and explore the politics involved with the most vulnerable people, i just know it.
All these issues were drawn by Steve Dillon and colored by Tom Ziuko.
October 10, 2020
And the best Hellblazer run goes on. There are plenty of epic moments here, some involving chainsaws and others involving Constantine laughing like a sadistic maniac as his enemies burn before him!
Volume 7 opens with a couple of one-shots, one of which, is Constantine's 40th birthday party. Lots of fun times and good moments there. This volume also includes a short story from Vertigo Jam and another Hellblazer special; both stories have that spooky bit of darkness and black magic that I look for in this series and which Garth Ennis successfully provides most of the time.
The main story of this volume is Fear and Loathing. This story brings us back to Gabriel. Gabriel betrayed Constantine back at volume 5 when Constantine was dying of lung cancer. Now that he is cured, Constantine is out seeking his revenge. But Constantine's plans are always dangerous, and his closest friends often end up paying for his reckless decisions. This time is not any different.
Jamie Delano's run had some nasty version of the sad, self-destructive Constantine. Garth Ennis's has another, which, in my opinion, is also out of character. No doubt though that it is a million times better-written. This part of the story involves the return of The King of Vampires and another epic confrontation between him and Constantine (The King makes his first appearance in issue 50, having a long philosophical conversation with Constantine in an effort to convince him to join his kind).
This is yet another great story by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, and I Look forward to seeing what comes next!
Volume 7 opens with a couple of one-shots, one of which, is Constantine's 40th birthday party. Lots of fun times and good moments there. This volume also includes a short story from Vertigo Jam and another Hellblazer special; both stories have that spooky bit of darkness and black magic that I look for in this series and which Garth Ennis successfully provides most of the time.
The main story of this volume is Fear and Loathing. This story brings us back to Gabriel. Gabriel betrayed Constantine back at volume 5 when Constantine was dying of lung cancer. Now that he is cured, Constantine is out seeking his revenge. But Constantine's plans are always dangerous, and his closest friends often end up paying for his reckless decisions. This time is not any different.
Jamie Delano's run had some nasty version of the sad, self-destructive Constantine. Garth Ennis's has another, which, in my opinion, is also out of character. No doubt though that it is a million times better-written. This part of the story involves the return of The King of Vampires and another epic confrontation between him and Constantine (The King makes his first appearance in issue 50, having a long philosophical conversation with Constantine in an effort to convince him to join his kind).
This is yet another great story by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, and I Look forward to seeing what comes next!
January 2, 2016
Definitely an improvement over the last, inconsistent volume. Dillon's artwork is a big part of this. Ennis takes Constantine to his lowest point and brings him back in one of his more effective stories. I'm looking forward to the next volume.
January 13, 2014
Pretty much the best comic book series. I love it so deeply.
October 1, 2015
Watching JC sink into homeless depression - unexpected but entertaining.
May 4, 2021
This volume was a slog to get through. Delano was often incoherent in his writing but at least he was never boring. And sadly the vast majority of this volume is very, very boring.
It starts off promising with "End of the Line", a story involving Constantine's niece, that touches on the curse of being part of the Constantine family.
Then there's "Forty" which is an issue dedicated to Constantine's birthday. Uneventful, but some nice character moments.
The "Fear and Loathing" story arc deals with Gabriel. Constantine is utterly vile in this story, and I think it's the first time I wish he lost an encounter.
After that the volume really goes downhill, with Constantine becoming drunk and homeless following a break up with Kit. Kit has two personality traits "feisty" and "Irish". To say she's a dull character would be an understatement. The fact that Constantine hits rock bottom because she dumped him is ridiculous. What's more ridiculous is the fact that there's an entire issue dedicated to Kit going to the pub.
During Constantine's months of self-pity, there's an okay arc involving the King of Vampires called "Down all the Days". The King is an interesting character, but the arc was let down by a mediocre ending.
And finally, the volume ends on a high point with the last two issues. In "Finest Hour" Constantine has a flashback/dream to a WW2 pilot fighting to survive. This was a nice and clever way to get Constantine out of his despair.
And then there's "Confessional", which not only included an entertaining storey of a deranged priest that had some emotional impact on Constantine, but I also felt added to the wider plot of the Hellblazer universe.
The last two issues probably deserve a higher rating, but the rest of this volume is solidly mediocre. The art was quite nice but not my favourite style.
It starts off promising with "End of the Line", a story involving Constantine's niece, that touches on the curse of being part of the Constantine family.
Then there's "Forty" which is an issue dedicated to Constantine's birthday. Uneventful, but some nice character moments.
The "Fear and Loathing" story arc deals with Gabriel. Constantine is utterly vile in this story, and I think it's the first time I wish he lost an encounter.
After that the volume really goes downhill, with Constantine becoming drunk and homeless following a break up with Kit. Kit has two personality traits "feisty" and "Irish". To say she's a dull character would be an understatement. The fact that Constantine hits rock bottom because she dumped him is ridiculous. What's more ridiculous is the fact that there's an entire issue dedicated to Kit going to the pub.
During Constantine's months of self-pity, there's an okay arc involving the King of Vampires called "Down all the Days". The King is an interesting character, but the arc was let down by a mediocre ending.
And finally, the volume ends on a high point with the last two issues. In "Finest Hour" Constantine has a flashback/dream to a WW2 pilot fighting to survive. This was a nice and clever way to get Constantine out of his despair.
And then there's "Confessional", which not only included an entertaining storey of a deranged priest that had some emotional impact on Constantine, but I also felt added to the wider plot of the Hellblazer universe.
The last two issues probably deserve a higher rating, but the rest of this volume is solidly mediocre. The art was quite nice but not my favourite style.
August 16, 2021
The Constantine I like.
August 4, 2025
"Hellblazer, Vol 7: "Tainted Love" collects the issues #62-71from the series "John Constantine: Hellblazer", as well as one-off from Vertigo jam #1 titled "Tainted Love" and the "Hellblazer Special #1" titled "Confession". All of these are written by Garth Ennis and pencilled by Steve Dillon.
Despite being a good collection of issues, the stories herein contained start to reveal Ennis' weeknesses as a long-running writer for "Hellblazer". As good as the stories included in this collection are, few are really great and Ennis' frequent immaturity starts to shine through on more ocasions than it would be recommendable. At this point of Ennis' run on Hellblazer the repetition of piss jokes and pub humour starts to grow a little stale as a good pint of larger siting in the glass for too long and it becomes obvious that there is a 21 year-old lad writing the misadventures of a 40-year old man - Ennis' frequent immatury often underlines the young author's inability to really connect with the dilemas of a forti-ish Constantine, something I never felt with Delano. The political commentary on Ennis' Hellblazer is also not that effective or deep - it's not only blatantly obvious but also handled on the most simplistic terms immaginable, something Delano also managed to avoid for the majority of his run.
However these are still good stories, and even if only a few do achieve the status of "great" (the best of the lot being by a long mile "Confession" and "Fear and Loathing") they are an obligatory "pit-stop" for anyone interested in the closing confrontation between John Constantine and The First of The Fallen, as part of Constantine's preparation for said "battle" is revealed in some of the stories included in this collection.
Issue #62 - "End Of The Line"(6.0)
Issue #63 - "Forty"(6.0)
Issue #64-66: "Fear and Loathing" (7.0)
Issue #67-69: ""End of the Line", "Down All The Days" and "Rough Trade" (6.5)
Issue #70: "Heartland" (5.5)
Issue #71: Finest Hour" (7.0)
Vertigo Jam #1: "Tainted Love" (6.0)
Hellblazer Special #1: "Confessional" (8.5)
I struggled with the rating I'd attribute to the overall collection (I was between 3 and 4 stars) because this particular set of stories are far from Ennis' best work on "Hellblazer", but ultimetly I settled on 4 because while only a couple of them are really great there is not a bad one amongst them.
Despite being a good collection of issues, the stories herein contained start to reveal Ennis' weeknesses as a long-running writer for "Hellblazer". As good as the stories included in this collection are, few are really great and Ennis' frequent immaturity starts to shine through on more ocasions than it would be recommendable. At this point of Ennis' run on Hellblazer the repetition of piss jokes and pub humour starts to grow a little stale as a good pint of larger siting in the glass for too long and it becomes obvious that there is a 21 year-old lad writing the misadventures of a 40-year old man - Ennis' frequent immatury often underlines the young author's inability to really connect with the dilemas of a forti-ish Constantine, something I never felt with Delano. The political commentary on Ennis' Hellblazer is also not that effective or deep - it's not only blatantly obvious but also handled on the most simplistic terms immaginable, something Delano also managed to avoid for the majority of his run.
However these are still good stories, and even if only a few do achieve the status of "great" (the best of the lot being by a long mile "Confession" and "Fear and Loathing") they are an obligatory "pit-stop" for anyone interested in the closing confrontation between John Constantine and The First of The Fallen, as part of Constantine's preparation for said "battle" is revealed in some of the stories included in this collection.
Issue #62 - "End Of The Line"(6.0)
Issue #63 - "Forty"(6.0)
Issue #64-66: "Fear and Loathing" (7.0)
Issue #67-69: ""End of the Line", "Down All The Days" and "Rough Trade" (6.5)
Issue #70: "Heartland" (5.5)
Issue #71: Finest Hour" (7.0)
Vertigo Jam #1: "Tainted Love" (6.0)
Hellblazer Special #1: "Confessional" (8.5)
I struggled with the rating I'd attribute to the overall collection (I was between 3 and 4 stars) because this particular set of stories are far from Ennis' best work on "Hellblazer", but ultimetly I settled on 4 because while only a couple of them are really great there is not a bad one amongst them.
February 10, 2021
This is the middle of Garth Ennis' run and Steve Dillon (RIP) has become the full time artist which is a step up from the previous artist. Dillon's storytelling skills are superior and his drawings - while simple - do the story that Ennis is telling justice. My one quibble is Dillon has trouble drawing beautiful women. I say this because Kit (John's love) is supposed to be breathtaking Irish beuaty and she gets a bit of a man chin and looks pretty ordinary here.
The story is solid with things I won't spoil but John hits a big low but we end this volume with him finally turning it around. Overall, it lives up the the hype as being the "best Constantine run".
To nitpick a bit on the story - the reason for John to "give up" and turn into an alcoholic homeless person seems a bit forced. Yes, his heart is broken but he is basically suicidal - not the Constantine we know. I also was shocked how casually Constantine moves on from the brutal death of one of his friends and gets pissy when the brother seeks retribution. It was a weird, off-putting moment.
So, a little downer that Constantine barely does any magic in this volume and it is more about "Tainted love" but still highly recommended.
The story is solid with things I won't spoil but John hits a big low but we end this volume with him finally turning it around. Overall, it lives up the the hype as being the "best Constantine run".
To nitpick a bit on the story - the reason for John to "give up" and turn into an alcoholic homeless person seems a bit forced. Yes, his heart is broken but he is basically suicidal - not the Constantine we know. I also was shocked how casually Constantine moves on from the brutal death of one of his friends and gets pissy when the brother seeks retribution. It was a weird, off-putting moment.
So, a little downer that Constantine barely does any magic in this volume and it is more about "Tainted love" but still highly recommended.
October 12, 2015
End of the Line (62). Nice to see the continuing continuity of Gemma. Beyond that, this is Constantine as his trickster best [7+/10].
Forty (63). A nice look at Constantine's current supporting cast, but beyond that it's a pretty shallow story largely built on jokes [6/10].
Fear & Loathing (64-66). This arc is shocking and horrifying. It shows Constantine at his best and at his worst, and his gives some of his supporting cast (especially Kit!) a real chance to shine. It's one of Ennis' best [8/10].
Dear John (67). And we have a horrible, wretched end to everything. Ennis delivers on the emotions [9/10].
Tainted Love (68-71+Special). I have serious problems believing that Kit's leaving would cause John to become homeless on the streets. However, other than that, this is a strong volume. The best is "Finest Hour" (#71), which is one of Ennis' first takes on the war comic genres, and it really shows his love for the topic. The rest of the comics are all enjoyable, showing Constantine's kick-butt spirit (particularly in #68-69) and Ennis' enjoyment of horror (particularly in the special).
Forty (63). A nice look at Constantine's current supporting cast, but beyond that it's a pretty shallow story largely built on jokes [6/10].
Fear & Loathing (64-66). This arc is shocking and horrifying. It shows Constantine at his best and at his worst, and his gives some of his supporting cast (especially Kit!) a real chance to shine. It's one of Ennis' best [8/10].
Dear John (67). And we have a horrible, wretched end to everything. Ennis delivers on the emotions [9/10].
Tainted Love (68-71+Special). I have serious problems believing that Kit's leaving would cause John to become homeless on the streets. However, other than that, this is a strong volume. The best is "Finest Hour" (#71), which is one of Ennis' first takes on the war comic genres, and it really shows his love for the topic. The rest of the comics are all enjoyable, showing Constantine's kick-butt spirit (particularly in #68-69) and Ennis' enjoyment of horror (particularly in the special).
June 16, 2017
This volume, "Tainted Love", is straight-up Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, from start to finish, which is pretty cool. They make a very good team, and in the first couple of stories here you can sense them moving toward the creative synchronicity they would later have down pat. This collection is loads better than the previous one, although still not without some problems here and there, which I'll get to.
Spoilers lurk beyond this point, be warned.
Things ramp up slowly with two decent stories that are more personally related to Constantine than anything in the previous volume. In "End of the Line", John and Kit visit his sister Cheryl and niece Gemma, to find that a young would-be magician has influenced Gemma into experimenting with bad magic. John puts the fear of... well, the fear of the Devil, I guess, into the kid, and then has a graveside chat with a rotting Constantine ancestor.
Constantine turns forty in the next issue (and has it really been five years of his life since Zed and the Resurrection Crusade? Time flies), and he's depressed about it, until his strange friends throw a bash for him and everyone gets wasted. This is a pretty light-hearted story, with only a hint of menace near the end when the Lord of the Dance informs him that the next couple years are going to be extremely bad.
(Digression: I kinda wish the writers who followed had kept up the birthday issue tradition, you know? Constantine on his 45th birthday, and 50th, and 55th, etc. Wouldn't that have been cool?)
The 3-part "Fear and Loathing" is probably the best multi-part story Ennis had done since "Dangerous Habits", or at the very least the most relevant. He'd been planting the seeds of it for some time, introducing demoness Ellie, the angel known as "The Snob" (revealed to be archangel Gabriel, the one responsible for the slaughter of Ellie's angel lover) and various other players. A white supremacist group wants to seduce Gabriel into lending his power to their ranks, which sends the angel into a crisis of conscience. He meets a sweet young girl and begins at last to understand humanity. Meanwhile, Constantine violently butts heads with the white supremacists, accidentally involving Kit in all this ugly business, Constantine's friend Dez gets his face carved up and dies from the wounds, and all manner of horrible shit is going down. It culminates in the revelation that the sweet young human girl Gabriel is falling for is not exactly who she seems.
How Constantine helps Ellie get her revenge on Gabriel, and how he arranges to have the angel at his disposal in the future, is particularly brutal and you almost feel sorry for The Snob. But this is John Constantine, and he's not a good guy, and the path he chooses is seldom black or white. It's a horrifyingly shitty thing, but who knows at this point, right? Constantine has a remarkable capacity for self-preservation, and "Fear and Loathing" proves it. We get a nice reminder of what a nasty piece of work Constantine can be, something we haven't seen in a while.
Anyway, the fall-out from all this is that Kit leaves him, and all the happiness and contentment and regular bloke business leaves with her. Constantine goes into a downward spiral, and when we catch up to him again some months later, he's living rough on the streets, homeless and booze-addled and completely f-ed up.
This brings me to my central problem with the Kit thing: I never really bought it, you know? Kit is John's girlfriend for about a year and a half, and I never really felt like we the readers knew her. She never really existed outside of her relationship to Constantine; we mostly only saw her with him, and when we didn't see her with him, we saw her TALKING about him with someone else. She was the chick who was just in the flat whenever Constantine got home, "seeing through his bullshit" and taking the piss with him. She's fleshed out a bit more in the follow-up story "Heartland", but it's too little, too late. I didn't feel Constantine's misery about losing her, because I didn't really know her. You get me?
Small point made, moving on.
Constantine is homeless and doesn't give a damn anymore when who should show up but the King of the Vampires, from "Bloodlines". Constantine doesn't even fight back when the vampire goes for his neck, but... viola, demon blood was more than the vampire lord counted on. This is one of the best moments in this whole book and I laughed out loud along with Constantine.
"Heartland" is next, catching up with Kit back home in Ireland, and we finally get to see her as an actual person and not just Constantine's love interest, and it would have been nice to see all that earlier. It's also the first (and only as far as I can recall) issue of Hellblazer that Constantine isn't even in, so that's a thing. It was good, though.
In "Finest Hour", Constantine unwittingly passes out next to the long-forgotten, half-buried skeleton of a WWII fighter pilot, and has a fever dream of the young man's final seconds and his desperate determination to wring every last drop out of his life. This experience finally drags Constantine back from the brink and he pulls himself together. Six months he's been pissing about, drunk and grieving, and now it's time to get to back to work, doing what he does best.
The Hellblazer Special wraps up this volume-- Constantine stumbles across a creepo who had sexually molested him when he was a teenager, way back in 1969, and follows him to a church, where the man spills his story: he was a priest who had a crisis of faith that was seized upon by the First of the Fallen, who made his own confession, a confession that drove the priest murderously insane. After the incident with young John, he was committed to a mental asylum, where the Devil visited him every night for over twenty years. The priest kills himself right there, and Constantine realizes he was a warning from the First of the Fallen, and that their battle is about to ramp up again.
Over all, "Tainted Love" is a solid collection, with some great moments, and a nice set up to Ennis' end game in the next volume.
Spoilers lurk beyond this point, be warned.
Things ramp up slowly with two decent stories that are more personally related to Constantine than anything in the previous volume. In "End of the Line", John and Kit visit his sister Cheryl and niece Gemma, to find that a young would-be magician has influenced Gemma into experimenting with bad magic. John puts the fear of... well, the fear of the Devil, I guess, into the kid, and then has a graveside chat with a rotting Constantine ancestor.
Constantine turns forty in the next issue (and has it really been five years of his life since Zed and the Resurrection Crusade? Time flies), and he's depressed about it, until his strange friends throw a bash for him and everyone gets wasted. This is a pretty light-hearted story, with only a hint of menace near the end when the Lord of the Dance informs him that the next couple years are going to be extremely bad.
(Digression: I kinda wish the writers who followed had kept up the birthday issue tradition, you know? Constantine on his 45th birthday, and 50th, and 55th, etc. Wouldn't that have been cool?)
The 3-part "Fear and Loathing" is probably the best multi-part story Ennis had done since "Dangerous Habits", or at the very least the most relevant. He'd been planting the seeds of it for some time, introducing demoness Ellie, the angel known as "The Snob" (revealed to be archangel Gabriel, the one responsible for the slaughter of Ellie's angel lover) and various other players. A white supremacist group wants to seduce Gabriel into lending his power to their ranks, which sends the angel into a crisis of conscience. He meets a sweet young girl and begins at last to understand humanity. Meanwhile, Constantine violently butts heads with the white supremacists, accidentally involving Kit in all this ugly business, Constantine's friend Dez gets his face carved up and dies from the wounds, and all manner of horrible shit is going down. It culminates in the revelation that the sweet young human girl Gabriel is falling for is not exactly who she seems.
How Constantine helps Ellie get her revenge on Gabriel, and how he arranges to have the angel at his disposal in the future, is particularly brutal and you almost feel sorry for The Snob. But this is John Constantine, and he's not a good guy, and the path he chooses is seldom black or white. It's a horrifyingly shitty thing, but who knows at this point, right? Constantine has a remarkable capacity for self-preservation, and "Fear and Loathing" proves it. We get a nice reminder of what a nasty piece of work Constantine can be, something we haven't seen in a while.
Anyway, the fall-out from all this is that Kit leaves him, and all the happiness and contentment and regular bloke business leaves with her. Constantine goes into a downward spiral, and when we catch up to him again some months later, he's living rough on the streets, homeless and booze-addled and completely f-ed up.
This brings me to my central problem with the Kit thing: I never really bought it, you know? Kit is John's girlfriend for about a year and a half, and I never really felt like we the readers knew her. She never really existed outside of her relationship to Constantine; we mostly only saw her with him, and when we didn't see her with him, we saw her TALKING about him with someone else. She was the chick who was just in the flat whenever Constantine got home, "seeing through his bullshit" and taking the piss with him. She's fleshed out a bit more in the follow-up story "Heartland", but it's too little, too late. I didn't feel Constantine's misery about losing her, because I didn't really know her. You get me?
Small point made, moving on.
Constantine is homeless and doesn't give a damn anymore when who should show up but the King of the Vampires, from "Bloodlines". Constantine doesn't even fight back when the vampire goes for his neck, but... viola, demon blood was more than the vampire lord counted on. This is one of the best moments in this whole book and I laughed out loud along with Constantine.
"Heartland" is next, catching up with Kit back home in Ireland, and we finally get to see her as an actual person and not just Constantine's love interest, and it would have been nice to see all that earlier. It's also the first (and only as far as I can recall) issue of Hellblazer that Constantine isn't even in, so that's a thing. It was good, though.
In "Finest Hour", Constantine unwittingly passes out next to the long-forgotten, half-buried skeleton of a WWII fighter pilot, and has a fever dream of the young man's final seconds and his desperate determination to wring every last drop out of his life. This experience finally drags Constantine back from the brink and he pulls himself together. Six months he's been pissing about, drunk and grieving, and now it's time to get to back to work, doing what he does best.
The Hellblazer Special wraps up this volume-- Constantine stumbles across a creepo who had sexually molested him when he was a teenager, way back in 1969, and follows him to a church, where the man spills his story: he was a priest who had a crisis of faith that was seized upon by the First of the Fallen, who made his own confession, a confession that drove the priest murderously insane. After the incident with young John, he was committed to a mental asylum, where the Devil visited him every night for over twenty years. The priest kills himself right there, and Constantine realizes he was a warning from the First of the Fallen, and that their battle is about to ramp up again.
Over all, "Tainted Love" is a solid collection, with some great moments, and a nice set up to Ennis' end game in the next volume.
April 7, 2014
Another brilliant volume, artwork and story are perfectly suited and even though this was written 20 odd years ago a lot of the social issues inside are startlingly relevant. Still the best comic series there is IMHO.
October 2, 2014
Four stars just for the beautiful story about the Hurricane pilot.
March 30, 2016
Another disappointing volume of nonsense from Hellblazer. The story was barely existent and incredibly fragmented, I found it excruciating to read.
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