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Hellblazer (Single Issues)
Hellblazer #6
The Resurrection Crusade marches on as John Constantine is forced to face the ultimate fascists and the very real horrors of prejudice in present-day England. In deep cover, the Damnation Army gnaws at the roots of life--with deeply horrific results.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Jamie Delano
464 books353 followersJamie Delano aka A. William James began writing comics professionally in the early 1980s. Latterly he has been writing prose fiction with "BOOK THIRTEEN" published by his own LEPUS BOOKS imprint (http://www.lepusbooks.co.uk) in 2012, "Leepus | DIZZY" in April 2014, and "Leepus | THE RIVER" in 2017.
Jamie lives in semi-rural Northamptonshire with his partner, Sue. They have three adult children and a considerable distraction of grandchildren.
Jamie lives in semi-rural Northamptonshire with his partner, Sue. They have three adult children and a considerable distraction of grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 16, 2024
There is some words that I don't understand that throw me off, translating isn't helping either, jamie delano writing British isn't helping either.
Also the break I took didn't help matters, there were many names that were said, as if I should know them but I didn't.
This is annoying I take way more time reading this than other comics, but this is a comic I want to finish, I feel there is good stories eventually in this series, I just need to keep reading.
Also the break I took didn't help matters, there were many names that were said, as if I should know them but I didn't.
This is annoying I take way more time reading this than other comics, but this is a comic I want to finish, I feel there is good stories eventually in this series, I just need to keep reading.
August 9, 2014
It's really taking me a long time to read and review Hellblazer this week due to needless distractions. It also didn't help that the last issue was alienating and baffling for reasons that just disappointed me. This Extreme Prejudice issue, however, was right up the alley with what I'm used to when reading this comics but not exactly a stellar story that I ate up readily.
There are great elements of gore and grim that I think effectively served the plot. We get to see another dimension of Hell which to me are aspects of this comics that I couldn't help but consider to be socio-political representations of the times Hellblazer was written in. There are strong religious overtones so far since issue #4 Waiting for the Man that are hard to miss by now, and this issue provided us not just with literal demonic entities but also zealots bent on oppressing and attacking the marginalized in society, and who are eager to impose their own self-righteous crusade. These are the true villains we face every day, and John Constantine is aware of this.
True to its title, this issue has subplots which bear that thematic resonance I just described. Delano's writing has painted England with bold brushstrokes composed of dark hues and hard-edged lines. It's a portrait you don't exactly enjoy looking at but also can't turn away from. I liked that even though the humor is scarce in this issue, we still get gems of it along the way, particularly when John Constantine monologues like he couldn't be bothered by the atrocities escalating around him.
One would believe that our supposed hero is a callous, self-absorbed asshole who doesn't care about humanity in general but that's an erroneous interpretation of the character. Constantine requires deeper reflection than that. Personally, I believe what he has is manufactured apathy. I think he's been in the game long enough to understand that getting too emotionally involved with both the victims and villains of this macabre charade will only make him lose sight of the important things. Seemingly laidback and snarky, John wants everyone to believe he doesn't care enough when in reality he is putting himself in danger because he knows he is called upon for a mission, as reluctant and begrudging he may be in fulfilling such a burdensome role. There is a devotion in which he surrenders himself upon that role. I don't think he ever complained about it. I don't think he ever wanted to seriously quit. It's a suffocating lifestyle which is why it's always great to see John take breaks here and there just to take the edge off.
Speaking of which, what gets him in a good mood is his relationship with Zed. The two are lovers by now though I think every relationship with a woman John gets caught up in is a matter of convenience and tragic circumstances. His rendezvous with Zed falls on the former category which is quite nice. A perfectly cathartic shag is fine every now and then, especially when the rest of John's world is unfolding into madness and chaos. This issue reveals that the stakes are higher than what he anticipated and that he is much of an inconvenience to the demons as they are to him. They want Constantine to join them, enticing him quite a pragmatic proposal ("Your interests are best served with the Army of the Damned"). There are also the enigmatic Damnation Army and Resurrection Crusaders. My theory is that the first one is a military infantry from hell and the second is a faction of quasi-religious zealots. And that there's going to be a war and John Constantine is going to have to choose sides or fuck them both. It's in everyone's best interest that he would opt for the latter.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
DO READ MORE OF MY HELLBLAZER REVIEWS
There are great elements of gore and grim that I think effectively served the plot. We get to see another dimension of Hell which to me are aspects of this comics that I couldn't help but consider to be socio-political representations of the times Hellblazer was written in. There are strong religious overtones so far since issue #4 Waiting for the Man that are hard to miss by now, and this issue provided us not just with literal demonic entities but also zealots bent on oppressing and attacking the marginalized in society, and who are eager to impose their own self-righteous crusade. These are the true villains we face every day, and John Constantine is aware of this.
True to its title, this issue has subplots which bear that thematic resonance I just described. Delano's writing has painted England with bold brushstrokes composed of dark hues and hard-edged lines. It's a portrait you don't exactly enjoy looking at but also can't turn away from. I liked that even though the humor is scarce in this issue, we still get gems of it along the way, particularly when John Constantine monologues like he couldn't be bothered by the atrocities escalating around him.
One would believe that our supposed hero is a callous, self-absorbed asshole who doesn't care about humanity in general but that's an erroneous interpretation of the character. Constantine requires deeper reflection than that. Personally, I believe what he has is manufactured apathy. I think he's been in the game long enough to understand that getting too emotionally involved with both the victims and villains of this macabre charade will only make him lose sight of the important things. Seemingly laidback and snarky, John wants everyone to believe he doesn't care enough when in reality he is putting himself in danger because he knows he is called upon for a mission, as reluctant and begrudging he may be in fulfilling such a burdensome role. There is a devotion in which he surrenders himself upon that role. I don't think he ever complained about it. I don't think he ever wanted to seriously quit. It's a suffocating lifestyle which is why it's always great to see John take breaks here and there just to take the edge off.
Speaking of which, what gets him in a good mood is his relationship with Zed. The two are lovers by now though I think every relationship with a woman John gets caught up in is a matter of convenience and tragic circumstances. His rendezvous with Zed falls on the former category which is quite nice. A perfectly cathartic shag is fine every now and then, especially when the rest of John's world is unfolding into madness and chaos. This issue reveals that the stakes are higher than what he anticipated and that he is much of an inconvenience to the demons as they are to him. They want Constantine to join them, enticing him quite a pragmatic proposal ("Your interests are best served with the Army of the Damned"). There are also the enigmatic Damnation Army and Resurrection Crusaders. My theory is that the first one is a military infantry from hell and the second is a faction of quasi-religious zealots. And that there's going to be a war and John Constantine is going to have to choose sides or fuck them both. It's in everyone's best interest that he would opt for the latter.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
DO READ MORE OF MY HELLBLAZER REVIEWS
October 29, 2023
3.5/5
May 9, 2025
Seems that the groups John has been missing are finally starting to catch up to him. The resurrection crusaders and the damnation army…two sides of the same coin with John sitting right on the edge and now both sides are looking to land on top. In this issue John’s night started as normal, he noticed those Nazi punks, that he once spray painted in the face, prowling around the streets. But this time he noticed then follow a supposed gay man into a bathroom, no doubt to beat his head in, and John decided he was not going to stand by and watch. But what those nazi’s found a as a lot more than the bargained for, as they happened to follow the demon Nergal into the bathroom. By the time Hohn walked in the walls were covered in blood and “Damnation Army” was spelled out on the ceiling. The demon had taken the bodies and retreated into the sewer below where his damnation army resides. There is also where he can take the bodies and rip them apart to fit his image and join them to his cause.
But the last thing John is looking to do is jump onto the sewer in his nice coat, and he makes his way to a nearby pub to make a call to a crime reporter named Tony. Through this contact he is able to get more info on the damnation army activities. And it’s much worse than he thought with buzzard suicides, assassinations, and even cannibalism popping up all over the place. And the government is keeping it quiet to rose pro panic and have stuck their anti terrorism squad on it. “They’re on the wrong track there. This isn’t anarchy, it’s chaos.”
John then proceeds to make his way over to Zed’s place, where he finds that she is not alone. A small group of resurrection crusaders have come to retrieve Zed, it seems that they need her for something and she promised to help them…but she isn’t moving at their pace. But once Constantine showed up and showed his face, they quickly shuffled out. This is still not something she wants to talk about and he doesn’t need her to, he embraces her in a hug and lets her know he is on her side.
Meanwhile in the dark sewer the demon Nergal, who apparently tortured Sunderland (swamp thing reference!) in hell, continues to rip the Nazi bodies apart to form a new grotesque creature to serve his purposes and kill Zed. He somehow also knows that Constantine is with her, so instead of simply sending four agents…he decides it would be funnier to form something new and even hopes that Constantine “gets the joke.” I’m not exactly sure why, but apparently the new creature is a mindless extension of the demon. So in order to guide its hunt he utilizes his other followers to surround and pleasure himself so he can focus his brain on the creature and the hunt. No clue how that works lol.
So all the while as Constantine and Zed lay in bed and try and ignore the forces of the world working against them, the resurrection crusaders sitting outside are met with a very unpleasant death and the hands of a creature with four heads, arms, and legs sent by the damnation army. Constantine wakes up in the night, as Zed is still sleeping, to try and go through her stuff and figure out more about this situation. But as he finds her journal, he no sooner feels a disturbing presence and believes it is coming after him. So he decides to grab a knife and get away from zed so he can attack it immediately…this proves to be a bad move as the creature was scaling the building to kill Zed! And suddenly Constantine finds himself running back to protect her. But as he runs into the room and sees the grotesque monster…he can’t help but laugh. The monster actually gets self conscious and the muscle headed football hooligans ask what is so funny. John then points out that an arm on one side is an Arsenal fan and the arm on the other is a fan of Chelsea. As soon as he points this out the primal tribal urges built inside their minds cause the two sides of the body to turn on each other and rip itself apart!! All while John and Zed slipped away into the night.
As the issue comes to a close John was able to call Chas for a ride and he was able to take Zed to Ray’s store as a safe house. One interesting thing I want to point out is how quickly Constantine’s mood can change. One second you can be appalled and confused at how Constantine can laugh at the grotesque monster, seemingly getting the joke the demon hoped he would appreciate. But then we get a solemn and caring moment from John as he comforts Ray after he finds out that his friend has aids. As John sits in the shop, he suddenly receives a call. It’s the demon Nergal, calling for Constantine to give him a warning not to aid Nergal’s enemies any further and that his true interests lie in those of the damned. John can only find this statement quite curious.
But the last thing John is looking to do is jump onto the sewer in his nice coat, and he makes his way to a nearby pub to make a call to a crime reporter named Tony. Through this contact he is able to get more info on the damnation army activities. And it’s much worse than he thought with buzzard suicides, assassinations, and even cannibalism popping up all over the place. And the government is keeping it quiet to rose pro panic and have stuck their anti terrorism squad on it. “They’re on the wrong track there. This isn’t anarchy, it’s chaos.”
John then proceeds to make his way over to Zed’s place, where he finds that she is not alone. A small group of resurrection crusaders have come to retrieve Zed, it seems that they need her for something and she promised to help them…but she isn’t moving at their pace. But once Constantine showed up and showed his face, they quickly shuffled out. This is still not something she wants to talk about and he doesn’t need her to, he embraces her in a hug and lets her know he is on her side.
Meanwhile in the dark sewer the demon Nergal, who apparently tortured Sunderland (swamp thing reference!) in hell, continues to rip the Nazi bodies apart to form a new grotesque creature to serve his purposes and kill Zed. He somehow also knows that Constantine is with her, so instead of simply sending four agents…he decides it would be funnier to form something new and even hopes that Constantine “gets the joke.” I’m not exactly sure why, but apparently the new creature is a mindless extension of the demon. So in order to guide its hunt he utilizes his other followers to surround and pleasure himself so he can focus his brain on the creature and the hunt. No clue how that works lol.
So all the while as Constantine and Zed lay in bed and try and ignore the forces of the world working against them, the resurrection crusaders sitting outside are met with a very unpleasant death and the hands of a creature with four heads, arms, and legs sent by the damnation army. Constantine wakes up in the night, as Zed is still sleeping, to try and go through her stuff and figure out more about this situation. But as he finds her journal, he no sooner feels a disturbing presence and believes it is coming after him. So he decides to grab a knife and get away from zed so he can attack it immediately…this proves to be a bad move as the creature was scaling the building to kill Zed! And suddenly Constantine finds himself running back to protect her. But as he runs into the room and sees the grotesque monster…he can’t help but laugh. The monster actually gets self conscious and the muscle headed football hooligans ask what is so funny. John then points out that an arm on one side is an Arsenal fan and the arm on the other is a fan of Chelsea. As soon as he points this out the primal tribal urges built inside their minds cause the two sides of the body to turn on each other and rip itself apart!! All while John and Zed slipped away into the night.
As the issue comes to a close John was able to call Chas for a ride and he was able to take Zed to Ray’s store as a safe house. One interesting thing I want to point out is how quickly Constantine’s mood can change. One second you can be appalled and confused at how Constantine can laugh at the grotesque monster, seemingly getting the joke the demon hoped he would appreciate. But then we get a solemn and caring moment from John as he comforts Ray after he finds out that his friend has aids. As John sits in the shop, he suddenly receives a call. It’s the demon Nergal, calling for Constantine to give him a warning not to aid Nergal’s enemies any further and that his true interests lie in those of the damned. John can only find this statement quite curious.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2023
I honestly found myself slightly confused by some small details (things happen and John has his inner monologue, but the two run pretty independently), but I do appreciate how raw and expressive all of it is, in both art and writing. Like, there is clearly almost no topic this book is afraid of exploring, and I think that's great.
I feel like I'm still sort of waiting for this world to come together in a deeply compelling way, but I'm enjoying everything regardless. I think that one thing I'm sort of struggling with is how passive John has seemed, which hasn't been a huge problem so far but it's definitely something I've noticed and would like to see change.
I feel like I'm still sort of waiting for this world to come together in a deeply compelling way, but I'm enjoying everything regardless. I think that one thing I'm sort of struggling with is how passive John has seemed, which hasn't been a huge problem so far but it's definitely something I've noticed and would like to see change.
April 19, 2026
Constantine torna in Inghiterra e si scontra con il demone Nergal, o meglio, la versione che ne dà Delano di questa divinità sumera.
Una storia dell'orrore buona in se stessa, e che affronta l'atteggiamento degli hooligans neonazisti inglesi verso chiunque non sia come loro, nonché tra loro stessi in quanto tifosi di squadre avversarie.
Sempre più che sufficienti i disegni di Ridgway che credo renda bene la storia di Delano.
3 stelle
Una storia dell'orrore buona in se stessa, e che affronta l'atteggiamento degli hooligans neonazisti inglesi verso chiunque non sia come loro, nonché tra loro stessi in quanto tifosi di squadre avversarie.
Sempre più che sufficienti i disegni di Ridgway che credo renda bene la storia di Delano.
3 stelle
April 12, 2025
An improvement over issue 5.
March 28, 2015
The one with the demon football hooligans...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews