Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame

Hellblazer Collection #4

by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon (Illustrator), William Simpson (Illustrator)

From the creators of Preacher Cynical, chain-smoking mystic John Constantine is drawn away from his London home on a disturbing and surreal trip to the United States. Caught on the metaphysical plane by the wizard called Papa Midnite, Constantine must regain his footing and escape Midnite's horrific vision of America.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Ennis 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

Reviews

[Tatiana Shorokhova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Так, ну что там? Джон уехал в Америку, шатается по Нью-Йорку, но оказывается в личном аду сестры некоего вуду-колдуна. В аду весело - он похож на Америку из хорроров, и вместе с Джоном Кеннеди (у него вываливается мозг из простреленной головы) Константин идёт к Белому дому.

А может и нет, может он просто сидит в баре и бухает с призраком лучшего друга. Вообще это конечно очень специфическая история, абсолютно из своего времени и из своей страны. Эннису на момент работы над Хэллблэйзером было 20 лет, и это очень сильно чувствуется. Слишком много юношеского цинизма и максимализма.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The weakest writing on Ennis' run on Hellblazer by far. It's frustrating that such a good writer is also capable of such obvious coasting, not really having many strong ideas to lead up to the final story arc, which will hopefully see an improvement. Here, Constantine hallucinates a bit whilst wandering around America (incorporating a chat with JFK), chats in a pub with friends, swears a lot and there's some guy getting shot in the groin. Ennis is trying to do satirical in some of thse stories and humanistic in others but he's just not hitting the right notes. It's mostly Steve Dillon's fantastic artwork that stops these being total filler.

[irene ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me agradó la visión estadounidense de Ennis (?) o algo así y también el personaje de JFK.

El issue #77 es muy bueno, pero los demás me aburrieron un poco.

Como comentario innecesario, las portadas de Fabry me dan grima.

[Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume takes John Constantine to the States, where he's trapped by Papa Midnite in a surreal American-Dream-turned-sour landscape that symbolically holds a (nightmarish) mirror up to American society and its hypocrisies. The second half of the book shows Constantine reminiscing about the past with the ghost of Brendan and reconciling with his best mate Chas.

While the storytelling was good and I enjoyed reading the book, I still felt it lacked focus in a way. Constantine is more or less drifting around, acted upon and reacting to forces beyond his control, but (and that's unusual) seldom or never taking the initiative and starting to develop counter-schemes of his own. Plus, he's lacking any of his typical aplomb in handling critical situations. Instead, he just turns and runs. Even the reconciliation with Chas wasn't emotionally convincing: after the really severe rift between John and Chas it suddenly takes no more than some conciliatory words by John and a few pints together in a hotel bar to make them forget their grievances. This is particularly disappointing in a writer like Garth Ennis who so far has shown a knack for handling the human(e) side of the characters in this series.

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - I am just getting into Constantine after reading Ian Rankin's Dark Entries. I believe Constantine narratives tend to have one of two directions - either 'take it to the next level, bigger than big,' or 'Constantine does a pub crawl, and it is somehow just as incredible, even though he just talks.'

This book has both - Constantine Witchwalks in the first half - and basically journeys through the underworld. The second half has him pub crawling with various old friends - and though it is dialogue-driven, it is just as good!

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this one. Not that it was bad, but it didn't seem to reach the high standards set by previous volumes.

Constantine heads to the USA, but then he spends most of this time there in a type of existential dream world courtesy of Papa Midnite. Then we have a few odd one shot stories rounding the volume out.

This was a weird volume, even for this series. Overall it was still entertaining, but not my cup of tea exactly. Still a good read for Hellblazer fans.

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Constantine is visiting New York and he gets sucked into a hell version of the city by an enemy named Midnite. He travels through a wasteland that vaguely resembles New York with a half dead JFK (still to soon in my opinion). He runs into Midnite's sister in the underworld and we learn how f***ed up Midnite actually is. His sister tells John that Midnite murdered her and tampered with her soul so that she could be used as a talisman to gather magical powers. John helps her move on and she helps him figure out how to get out of he'll and back to the real world. He wakes up just in time. While he was unconscious he was taken to a homeless shelter, where a bunch of guys are about to set him on fire. (Wtf?!) Midnites sister uses her powers to force her brother to commit suicide and John goes back to drinking.
There were a couple other stories including one where John helps a couple of very old and disturbed souls move on. One of them is a very evil soul and it drags Constantine to actual hell. Everyone thinks John is dead until he shows up to his own funeral.
These comics are equally disturbing and intriguing. I want to stop reading but I can't put the book down.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ennis continues the interpersonal relationship section of his run, as Constantine ends up in a hallucinatory quest courtesy of Papa Midnite, during his return to America. We also get to see a major flashback featuring several characters from earlier in his run, and even an interesting mishmash of characters from Delano's run showing back up in flashbacks.

This is hardly the best of Ennis's run, but it feels very deliberate, kind of like when David Tennant, as the Tenthish Doctor says goodbye to all of his companions at the end of Russel T Davie's run on the show. Clearly, there's going to be at least one scene left, but it's nice to give him some down time and closure with characters. Even characters he, technically, shouldn't be able to have closure with.

This volume also has the best use of Chas, since Constantine gave him a bunch of money during one of the previous times he was convinced he was going to die.

I understand why some people didn't enjoy this, but I think if you're invested in the character, this is a solid volume. If you're reading this more for the demon and magic focused plots, this is unlikely to be one of your favorite parts of the run.

[Nate]

It’s obvious Ennis is treading water before the finale. Great Dillon art aside, “Damnation’s Flame” can easily be skipped. It’s essentially one long dream sequence with dull commentary on America, plus a flimsy appearance from Papa Midnite. A rare Ennis misstep, in other words, and a poor outing for Constantine as a whole. I do like the New York scenes in the first issue - Ennis writes about loving New York better than anyone else. As someone who moved there around the same age that he did, I can relate.

The rest of the book is thankfully better. We get three standalones, one flashing back to John and Kit’s first meeting, another of John pub crawling with ghost-Brendan, and the last with Chas telling a story about John. Ennis is still treading water a bit here, but I welcome these quieter issues of people talking, as that’s where his run has been the best.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Ennis just has a certain way.... it's dark and it's a little bit sentimental and it leaves you a little sad, somewhat choked. And also anxious. Like home-sickness.

Constantine's piss-up with Brendan in Dublin is just lovely - 'closure' I think it's called.

[Nathan Pais · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst in the series. I appreciate Ennis to be one of the best writers here, but this one is not only the lowest he's written Hellblazer, but the lowest in the series. I just read a whole volume reading about John Constantine being wimpy and getting his ass kicked. It was boring and stupid.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love John Constantine but Damanation's Flame was not my cup of tea, just an ok run.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Conversations with the dead and dying.

[Neil Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+.

[Haley Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing!!!

[Bevaha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really fantastic.

[Agroca AWOL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very fantastic.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damnation’s Flame (72-75). Ever since I first read this in the ‘90s, I’ve thought it was Ennis’ worst arc on Hellblazer: a real misfire. The biggest problem is that it’s a four-issue long hallucination with no real stakes. Ennis tries to be clever and to use the hallucination to say biting things about the United States, but unfortunately he largely fails. The result is just dull and unfortunately also engages in some of Ennis’ sixth-grade gross-outs and extreme crudeness, which is mostly missing from his Hellblazer writing [3/10].

Act of Union (75). Nice to see a young John, Kit, and Brendan, but there's no actual story here [5/10].

Confessions of an Irish Rebel (76). Nice to see Brendan again (again!), but this story has the same problem as the last one: it's very plot light. At least here we get a bit of silliness about the Ace of Winchesters and also a nice mixing of friends from different eras of the book [6/10].

And the Crowd Goes Wild (77). This last issue meanders quite a bit, but it's got an interesting story and an interesting story-within-a-story, and it actually feels like it advances the plot of the book past the last volume [6/10].

Overall, this volume is totally skippable. It's not Ennis' finest hour. I think he was just treading water before heading into his big finale.

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me, but the Constantine graphic novels have gone a touch random lately; more and more of the issues at this point in the series are one-offs. Thankfully the stories are usually entertaining, and it's nice to finally get some of the backstory that's constantly alluded to. In this case we bear witness to the first time John and Kit meet (a booze-fueled get together at Brendan's) besides the regular disjointed plotline. Even back then Kit was a piece of work and kept John in place, so it's no wonder he had a thing for her.

As for the regular story, Constantine takes a journey through almost-hell just when he thinks he's got his life back together after his last big meltdown. Life doesn't stop when your drama catches up to you Constantine, and when you have as many enemies as Constantine does it miight be a good idea to keep an eye on them even when things are looking up. John also takes a rather random walk with Branden (now dead), and winds up waking up on a bridge, and he finally meets up with Chas again and they patch things up. hopefully the next volume will actually have some proper action instead of all this set-up.

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, dark and somewhat hallucinatory read. John Constantine, the main character of the Hellblazer series, skirts hell on earth and elsewhere. Conflict with soul supposed to be in the middle of the pack as far as this long lived series goes...this is one I just happened to find at my favorite used bookstore (Reader's Corner in Raleigh, NC) Have found the Graphic Novel movement of interest as it seems a vivid mixture of two things I love....books...movies. It is no accident that the movies seem to love comic books. The value of the human soul seems to be a recurrent theme in this series....also something I find of interest.

[Grant Talabay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hellblazer may be one of the all time greatest comics..... And I mean the entire run of books. This series was horribly made into the film Constantine.... but don't let that be a deterrent. The protagonist John Constantine is the ultimate anti-hero. He's a punk rock loving, foul mouth, whiskey swilling trickster and magician. Mostly centered in London, John uses his wylish Cockney charm (and magic) to get what he wants. Constantine is a lover of the Clash and most notably The Pogues (many quotes and chapter titles are directly from Pogues lyrics) you cannot go wrong with these books. He's a horrible bastard you can't help but love!

[Printable Tire]

Some juvenile, heavy-handed, though no less entertaining, romps through a hallucinatory america, then back to pubs and britspeak chats with friends full of recollection and remorse. This is good solid writing for the most part, a fine collection of various genres and styles. I'm really enjoying these Hellblazer books, young Ennis does character development the right way, I feel, in little gists of in-jokes and banter. I might not agree with the overwriting cynical philosophies of the story, and maybe not enough actual action/adventure happens, but the narrative as a whole is pretty enjoyable.

[Marko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the character of Constantine from the film and the TV series, but I've never read the comics before I found this one at the local library. Unfortunately, I must say that I'm not very impressed. The first story in the volume has the protagonist drifting in hallucinations and the rest of the book is filled with sort of aimless discussions between various characters while they guzzle beer and other drinks in various situations.

Luckily, I read other reviews saying that this was the worst of the series, so I may give the series another chance.

[Astrid Terese · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Constantine er hovedperson i tegneserien Hellblazer, men gjør også gjesteopptredener i andre forfatteres arbeid. Han er best beskrevet som en okkult detektiv og anti-helt. Han er opptatt av at den vanlige mann skal ha rett på et vanlig liv, og han håper dette inkluderer ham selv. Men der kommer til stadighet magi, demoner og mord i veien. Constantine opptrer i tegneserier utgitt av DC Comics, for det meste under forlaget Vertigo.
Hele min omtale finner du på bloggen min Betraktninger

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't that into this installment the first time I read it, but having read the story arcs leading up to it, it makes a lot more sense and is more enjoyable. I would still only rate the larger story in this volume, "Damnations Flame," maybe a 3.5/5, but the shorter stories (particularly the one told from Chas's point of view) are completely excellent.

[Isaac Timm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other Hellblazer Graphic Novels and comics I've read so far it's a mix bag, it has some entertaining elements, but also some that are very dull and muddled. Like many other "independent" comics I've read the writer seems to lose focus, setting his or her aim to shock the reader rather then tell a story, but its pushing the envelope that some times creates the best work.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole thing is disjointed. The American arc, while cool in concept doesn't really pay-off (and really Shade did the whole thing much better). Sadly, that is the most exciting thing that happens in the book. There is some fun character development but mostly it is just pub-crawling and drunken yammering.

[One Flew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag really, the first story arc is good Ennis shenanigans, from there it is all rather so-so. Lacking in weight or intensity, not much to the subsequent one off stories. Feel free to take a pass on this one, it doesn't really add much to the Hellblazer series.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issues #72 - 77.

Bit of a slow start, I must say, the dream sequence thing was a bit over the top, and really didn't do much for J.C.'s character, or the story, but Garth redeems himself at the end of issue #77 with a much required reconciliation with Chas.

[Julien V · Rating 3 out of 5]

The damnation's flame story arc was great, but the rest of it was confusing and boring. Hard to keep the quality up all the time! It's like they need once in a while to do a boring pub story with a ghost. Maybe it's filled with inside jokes, who knows?