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Hellblazer: New Editions
Hellblazer, Vol. 11: Last Man Standing
John Constantine has been lots of things in the course of his long and lurid life—a life spent uneasily balanced on the fault line between the everyday and the supernatural. Sorcerer. Chain-smoker. Con man. Aging punk. Incorrigible bastard. But a knight of the bloody Round Table? That’s a new one.
It’s not as far-fetched as it might seem, however, considering that all of England is quickly descending into an inferno of mystical chaos. Albion is burning, and someone is breaking the bonds that have held the ancient isle together since the dawn of time. Dragon, wizard, demon—whatever you call it, the power of Merlin has risen again, and he’s determined to take an immortal lifetime’s worth of vengeance against God himself.
There’s only one man who can stop him: the legendary king whose soul is pledged to defend his realm throughout the ages.
No points for guessing who the unlucky sod is that has to dig him up.
Legendary talents Paul Jenkins, Sean Phillips, Charles Adlard and Warren Pleece drag comics’ most notorious rogue kicking and screaming into the mists of Avalon in HELLBLAZER VOL. 11: LAST MAN STANDING, collecting the never-before-reprinted issues #108-120 of the signature VERTIGO series and featuring the character’s special 10th anniversary celebration, bursting with special guests and capping off Sean Phillips’s historic run on the title.
It’s not as far-fetched as it might seem, however, considering that all of England is quickly descending into an inferno of mystical chaos. Albion is burning, and someone is breaking the bonds that have held the ancient isle together since the dawn of time. Dragon, wizard, demon—whatever you call it, the power of Merlin has risen again, and he’s determined to take an immortal lifetime’s worth of vengeance against God himself.
There’s only one man who can stop him: the legendary king whose soul is pledged to defend his realm throughout the ages.
No points for guessing who the unlucky sod is that has to dig him up.
Legendary talents Paul Jenkins, Sean Phillips, Charles Adlard and Warren Pleece drag comics’ most notorious rogue kicking and screaming into the mists of Avalon in HELLBLAZER VOL. 11: LAST MAN STANDING, collecting the never-before-reprinted issues #108-120 of the signature VERTIGO series and featuring the character’s special 10th anniversary celebration, bursting with special guests and capping off Sean Phillips’s historic run on the title.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2015
49 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Paul Jenkins
1,260 books154 followersPaul Jenkins is a British comic book writer. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, he has had a big part shaping the characters of the company over the past decade.
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January 18, 2022
The first half of these issues deals with the return of Merlin to Britain's shores. He's using politicians to destroy ancient mystic sites that are meant to protect Britain. It's an interesting take on the King Arthur mythos and who hasn't wanted to see John Constantine take on Merlin?
The second half of the book is mainly one off stories of various quality. I like how Jenkins uses Constantine's friends in his stories, making Constantine more human. He only uses them when he has no other choice and actually feels some remorse about it. Mostly though, he's just palling around with his friends. Sean Phillips ends his run with the 10th anniversary issue and it's great. Phillips and Jenkins appear in the story as Constantine takes the two around his usual haunts while telling them about his adventures which they then put in the comic. I love the meta nature and the shadowy cameo of Alan Moore.
The second half of the book is mainly one off stories of various quality. I like how Jenkins uses Constantine's friends in his stories, making Constantine more human. He only uses them when he has no other choice and actually feels some remorse about it. Mostly though, he's just palling around with his friends. Sean Phillips ends his run with the 10th anniversary issue and it's great. Phillips and Jenkins appear in the story as Constantine takes the two around his usual haunts while telling them about his adventures which they then put in the comic. I love the meta nature and the shadowy cameo of Alan Moore.
November 23, 2020
Another Jenkins jumble.
Yes, there should absolutely be a Hellblazer story involving Merlin and Arthur. And this one - in the title story 'Last Man Standing' - you have to admit is creative in the way it approaches them, but it's mostly a bit off, and not just because comics always change ttraditional mythology more than I would like. (I would love to see a skilful use of old myths as handed down historically that also fits them around newer fictional characters; it needs quite a lot of thought to do well.) This one is tonally weird (other than featuring a comically inane direct descendant of Arthur's line, which you really have to have in something like this) - and after Ennis' creation of the First of the Fallen, adds yet more to a litany of newly invented beings that the Christian god created before humans. It's also an annoying retcon /twist, given that Merlin was also, in one of the early Delano stories, a head kept by John Constantine's post-Roman warlord ancestor for magical purposes, in much the same manner as Odin kept the head of Mimir. I would have far more respect for the skill that would be involved in incorporating that constraint into one's own take on an Arthurian Constantine story than in ignoring that and pretending it was never in the backstory and blurting this stuff out. (Literary fiction and Oulipo gives one a respect for working with constraint, which so far as I'm aware doesn't have much role in fantasy other than fanfic and similar tributes.) And then what's with these newly invented Arthurian knights who also get no discernibly personality, e.g. Sandda? Am I missing something? The Monty Python and the Holy Grail references don't fix it, either. It seems like there should be some deeper meaning in having hippies and crusties worried that ancient sacred sites are having bypasses built over them, whilst one of the agents behind this is a being from an ancient sacred tradition - but aside from sheer contrariness or a lecture about 'meant to be', I am not picking up any implications, let alone interesting ones. Jenkins seems to lack the intellectual depth that can be mined from Delano's and Ennis' writing. Plenty of space for thoughts to creep in like "what was actually so special about Arthur and his time that a natural force like Jack-in-the-Green would see him and his as ideal?" And a memorable sceptical phrase from GR friend Rob Adey for fantasy stories about royals and their descendants "because he's got magic blood". (Which, whilst "magic blood" has other applications in John Constantine's world, this usage highlights the conservative absurdity and fantastical-ness of this particular story's Arthurian heir.) Despite its faults, 'Last Man Standing' has something of a farcical caper rhythm to it, which I liked.
Incorporation of Drake's Drum gave something to think about - now that Drake's involvement in the slave trade is a more prominent part of his reputation, the drum is probably a less acceptable device to use in fantasy writing.
Character differentiation in dialogue has improved here over volume 9. Though there are more of the punching-down casual insults as banter which make this feel a grubbier, less charming world, than when the series was in the hands of Delano and Ennis. They many not have quite fit strict contemporary standards on the left, but seemed more culturally aware and progressive than Jenkins, in a way that was in tune with the series' countercultural politics yet still convincingly blokeish. (And back in #67, Ennis even way overdid Chas' reaction to the sort of insult that some men use to friends when drunk, which would have had negligible consequences IRL among people I hung out with in my twenties.)
So it may be better that Jenkins hasn't tried to address what it might be like being an African-American woman tabloid journalist living in London, in the story of John's girlfriend Dani, because he'd probably be characteristically clumsy about it. As it is, she talks like she's English, never uses any Black British or AA slang, and we've not really seen her hanging out with anyone except John and his white crusty mates. The main connection she gets with other black characters in this volume is when John, alone, visits a Brixton hoodoo practitioner for assistance in scaring off Dani's stalky (white) ex.
Sean Phillips' art includes a couple of fun cameos from a priest who looks a lot like Father Ted, and for the most part it's fine, albeit there are minor off-notes like JC carrying a suitcase in the way you'd carry a large box in #118. (#118 - a singularly boring story. You know some of us are reading this stuff because we don't like mundane family scenarios any more than Constantine does? So don't give us a birth episode from a TV soap, thanks.)
Mostly, I just don't like the way Phillips draws Constantine himself, and much prefer Steve Dillon's version. Phillips' Constantine manages to look like a scruffy oik who couldn't fit anything high-society if he tried, whereas Dillon's square-jawed chameleon has hair that convinces me he is actually in his 40s and could walk in there and convincingly decide to be one of them (in line with the intimations in the Jenkins' run that Constantine inveigled himself years ago into some gentlemen's club). Interestingly for the one issue in this volume where Constantine is in a high society scenario, #108, it's a different artist, Charles Adlard, whose version of the character is closer to Dillon's.
#108 was a typical Jenkins production: excellent idea - Constantine at a posh sex party performing a bullshit magical ritual he invented - but awkward in execution. Firstly this missed an opportunity for John to be gloriously, flagrantly bi. And Jenkins seemed to have been trying to create one of the split-screen stories Delano wrote, showing a troubled ordinary household whilst Constantine was up to something elsewhere, then the two would converge and a supernatural problem would be messily and miserably resolved. However the connection was tenuous at best and the story didn't wrap up properly. From GR reviews, it seems as though one reason readers like Jenkins is because the endings aren't necessarily as nihilistic as Delano's. Yet to me that means the stories lose most of their emotional punch - the sense of deep catharsis, moral quandary and subversion of typical superhero narratives that made the earliest stuff so very much worth reading. Jenkins is like a colouring-book version of a piece of real art. When he does subvert, it's often by leaving loose ends (e.g. #109) or a sense of flatness, but overall, he's pretty bad at endings, especially last lines. He needed someone else to write those for him.
#119-120, rounding off this volume, are apparently trying to be clever but miss the mark. #119's sense of the connectedness of all disasters, whilst there's a mood to it which kind of works, plenty of stoned teenagers have come up with sharper, better-explained insights than this waffle. And who would really be fool enough to think John Constantine would be any good at looking after your pet goldfish while you were away? Not, I think, the same woman who had the sense to say to him in #111 "I'm not your responsibility -- neither is anyone else here".
#120 is, I suspect one of those things that might look clever enough to readers who've had little contact with literary metafiction. (Ever sat watching a self-referential film with someone who hasn't, who's going on about how clever it is, whilst you're inwardly rolling your eyes at the movie's clichéd lack of imagination and general basic-ness?) As is his wont, Jenkins has a good idea and makes a mess of the detail for the Hellblazer 10th birthday edition in which the reader is supposed to be an invisible mate of JC's at a party in the pub, who gets a whistle-stop tour of some grubbily magical people and places mostly never featured before, much of it with a general sense of unlikeability. Where's Ennis' Lord of the Dance when you need him? Where's the sly wit and charm that shows how JC pulls off the cons? The flashback to a young Constantine, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Julian Assange circa 2009, and working at a casino, was one of the few bit that had anything like enough back story to work, and even then it didn't quite. #120 was a rather unconvincing 'behind the scenes' which other writers could have done better, both in choice of scenes and in words. But those who know better than I do what various comics writers look like, will have some fun spotting who's who in the pub scenes.
Only eight more Jenkins issues to go after this - but I'm not looking forward to Azzarello either.
(November 2020)
Yes, there should absolutely be a Hellblazer story involving Merlin and Arthur. And this one - in the title story 'Last Man Standing' - you have to admit is creative in the way it approaches them, but it's mostly a bit off, and not just because comics always change ttraditional mythology more than I would like. (I would love to see a skilful use of old myths as handed down historically that also fits them around newer fictional characters; it needs quite a lot of thought to do well.) This one is tonally weird (other than featuring a comically inane direct descendant of Arthur's line, which you really have to have in something like this) - and after Ennis' creation of the First of the Fallen, adds yet more to a litany of newly invented beings that the Christian god created before humans. It's also an annoying retcon /twist, given that Merlin was also, in one of the early Delano stories, a head kept by John Constantine's post-Roman warlord ancestor for magical purposes, in much the same manner as Odin kept the head of Mimir. I would have far more respect for the skill that would be involved in incorporating that constraint into one's own take on an Arthurian Constantine story than in ignoring that and pretending it was never in the backstory and blurting this stuff out. (Literary fiction and Oulipo gives one a respect for working with constraint, which so far as I'm aware doesn't have much role in fantasy other than fanfic and similar tributes.) And then what's with these newly invented Arthurian knights who also get no discernibly personality, e.g. Sandda? Am I missing something? The Monty Python and the Holy Grail references don't fix it, either. It seems like there should be some deeper meaning in having hippies and crusties worried that ancient sacred sites are having bypasses built over them, whilst one of the agents behind this is a being from an ancient sacred tradition - but aside from sheer contrariness or a lecture about 'meant to be', I am not picking up any implications, let alone interesting ones. Jenkins seems to lack the intellectual depth that can be mined from Delano's and Ennis' writing. Plenty of space for thoughts to creep in like "what was actually so special about Arthur and his time that a natural force like Jack-in-the-Green would see him and his as ideal?" And a memorable sceptical phrase from GR friend Rob Adey for fantasy stories about royals and their descendants "because he's got magic blood". (Which, whilst "magic blood" has other applications in John Constantine's world, this usage highlights the conservative absurdity and fantastical-ness of this particular story's Arthurian heir.) Despite its faults, 'Last Man Standing' has something of a farcical caper rhythm to it, which I liked.
Incorporation of Drake's Drum gave something to think about - now that Drake's involvement in the slave trade is a more prominent part of his reputation, the drum is probably a less acceptable device to use in fantasy writing.
Character differentiation in dialogue has improved here over volume 9. Though there are more of the punching-down casual insults as banter which make this feel a grubbier, less charming world, than when the series was in the hands of Delano and Ennis. They many not have quite fit strict contemporary standards on the left, but seemed more culturally aware and progressive than Jenkins, in a way that was in tune with the series' countercultural politics yet still convincingly blokeish. (And back in #67, Ennis even way overdid Chas' reaction to the sort of insult that some men use to friends when drunk, which would have had negligible consequences IRL among people I hung out with in my twenties.)
So it may be better that Jenkins hasn't tried to address what it might be like being an African-American woman tabloid journalist living in London, in the story of John's girlfriend Dani, because he'd probably be characteristically clumsy about it. As it is, she talks like she's English, never uses any Black British or AA slang, and we've not really seen her hanging out with anyone except John and his white crusty mates. The main connection she gets with other black characters in this volume is when John, alone, visits a Brixton hoodoo practitioner for assistance in scaring off Dani's stalky (white) ex.
Sean Phillips' art includes a couple of fun cameos from a priest who looks a lot like Father Ted, and for the most part it's fine, albeit there are minor off-notes like JC carrying a suitcase in the way you'd carry a large box in #118. (#118 - a singularly boring story. You know some of us are reading this stuff because we don't like mundane family scenarios any more than Constantine does? So don't give us a birth episode from a TV soap, thanks.)
Mostly, I just don't like the way Phillips draws Constantine himself, and much prefer Steve Dillon's version. Phillips' Constantine manages to look like a scruffy oik who couldn't fit anything high-society if he tried, whereas Dillon's square-jawed chameleon has hair that convinces me he is actually in his 40s and could walk in there and convincingly decide to be one of them (in line with the intimations in the Jenkins' run that Constantine inveigled himself years ago into some gentlemen's club). Interestingly for the one issue in this volume where Constantine is in a high society scenario, #108, it's a different artist, Charles Adlard, whose version of the character is closer to Dillon's.
#108 was a typical Jenkins production: excellent idea - Constantine at a posh sex party performing a bullshit magical ritual he invented - but awkward in execution. Firstly this missed an opportunity for John to be gloriously, flagrantly bi. And Jenkins seemed to have been trying to create one of the split-screen stories Delano wrote, showing a troubled ordinary household whilst Constantine was up to something elsewhere, then the two would converge and a supernatural problem would be messily and miserably resolved. However the connection was tenuous at best and the story didn't wrap up properly. From GR reviews, it seems as though one reason readers like Jenkins is because the endings aren't necessarily as nihilistic as Delano's. Yet to me that means the stories lose most of their emotional punch - the sense of deep catharsis, moral quandary and subversion of typical superhero narratives that made the earliest stuff so very much worth reading. Jenkins is like a colouring-book version of a piece of real art. When he does subvert, it's often by leaving loose ends (e.g. #109) or a sense of flatness, but overall, he's pretty bad at endings, especially last lines. He needed someone else to write those for him.
#119-120, rounding off this volume, are apparently trying to be clever but miss the mark. #119's sense of the connectedness of all disasters, whilst there's a mood to it which kind of works, plenty of stoned teenagers have come up with sharper, better-explained insights than this waffle. And who would really be fool enough to think John Constantine would be any good at looking after your pet goldfish while you were away? Not, I think, the same woman who had the sense to say to him in #111 "I'm not your responsibility -- neither is anyone else here".
#120 is, I suspect one of those things that might look clever enough to readers who've had little contact with literary metafiction. (Ever sat watching a self-referential film with someone who hasn't, who's going on about how clever it is, whilst you're inwardly rolling your eyes at the movie's clichéd lack of imagination and general basic-ness?) As is his wont, Jenkins has a good idea and makes a mess of the detail for the Hellblazer 10th birthday edition in which the reader is supposed to be an invisible mate of JC's at a party in the pub, who gets a whistle-stop tour of some grubbily magical people and places mostly never featured before, much of it with a general sense of unlikeability. Where's Ennis' Lord of the Dance when you need him? Where's the sly wit and charm that shows how JC pulls off the cons? The flashback to a young Constantine, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Julian Assange circa 2009, and working at a casino, was one of the few bit that had anything like enough back story to work, and even then it didn't quite. #120 was a rather unconvincing 'behind the scenes' which other writers could have done better, both in choice of scenes and in words. But those who know better than I do what various comics writers look like, will have some fun spotting who's who in the pub scenes.
Only eight more Jenkins issues to go after this - but I'm not looking forward to Azzarello either.
(November 2020)
October 17, 2021
The 11th Volume of Hellblazer was overall very good. The story has it's strong points with the various stories centered on JC's issues with the world of the Green. The volume faces issues when dealing with JC's personal stories. While I understand the need to "flesh out" a character, I think that has been very well in the past. JC's friends leave much to be desired and his choices in females are, if anything, much worse. So now, we have to deal with his latest "love", a narcoleptic tabloid journalist from America- this is where the volume tends to miss a beat. You'd think after 11 volumes of horror and death, JC could just stay single. Nope.
Now to the strengths- there is a problem with the world. The Fey are in trouble as the Ley Lines of England are being destroyed. This drags JC into a bout against Merlin, where JC must find a resurrected King Arthur to solve the mystery. This is excellent. This was the major story arc for this volume and it was quite good.
There are a few stories dealing with random supernatural events and these tend to be rather good as well. In fact, the only weakness are the stories focused only on his "crew". Sorry, character development aside, I could care less about these muppets.
Even including those boring, "character development" stories, this is a 4 star volume. JC's attempts to stay away from magic and trouble are pipe-dreams. He is who he is. Either way you look at it, this stuff is far better than that awful tv show.
Now to the strengths- there is a problem with the world. The Fey are in trouble as the Ley Lines of England are being destroyed. This drags JC into a bout against Merlin, where JC must find a resurrected King Arthur to solve the mystery. This is excellent. This was the major story arc for this volume and it was quite good.
There are a few stories dealing with random supernatural events and these tend to be rather good as well. In fact, the only weakness are the stories focused only on his "crew". Sorry, character development aside, I could care less about these muppets.
Even including those boring, "character development" stories, this is a 4 star volume. JC's attempts to stay away from magic and trouble are pipe-dreams. He is who he is. Either way you look at it, this stuff is far better than that awful tv show.
October 12, 2015
Days of Wine & Roses (108). One of Jekins' best one-off stories because it nicely combines human problems, Constantine hi-jinks, and foreshadowing of oncoming danger — all with a wry ending [8+/10].
The Wild Hunt (109). This one calls back to some of Delano's rural adventures, but its main purpose is to (again) foreshadow the coming dangers. The result is good [7/10].
Last Man Standing (110-114). I have mixed feelings about this Jenkins arc. On the one hand, I love the integration of the Arthurian mythos and the continued focus on the magic of Britain. I also quite like its ties to Rich, while Dani is a great addition to the cast, and a nice (and necessary) move past Kit.
On the other hand, the plotting feels muddled. Isn't John just doing God's work with his special stew, and won't there be big problems when any of them die, and isn't this a repeat of the trick he played in "Dangerous Habits"? And how exactly does the return of the fay in 108+109 tie with their attempted extermination here? I feel like I'm missing a bit. (Which I often felt in Delano stories too, until I read them a few times, which leaves Jenkins in good company.) Interesting, but hard-to-interpret [6+/10].
In the Red Corner (115). An amusing bit of what-will-John-do-to-get-what-he-wants and a nice continued look at his relationship with Dani [7/10].
Widdershins (116-117). A nice little ghost story with an explanation that's in the end too simple. I mean, it's sort of classic Constantine, but after spending two issues on this it doesn't seem enough. [6+/10].
Life & Death & Taxis (118). This is a nice bit of slice-of-life, the sort of thing Constantine needs to make the magic so magical. But ohhhh the life-death dichotomy is cliched [6+/10].
Undertow (119). This strangely told story of disasters reads like some of Delano's best weird stories, such as "On the Beach" (13). It's rather magnificent [8+/10].
Desperately Seeking Something (120). This anniversary issue does its best to offer a unique experience, but it's desperately seeking something all right: a plot. It just doesn't go anywhere interesting [5/10].
Overall, this is definitely a weaker volume that quickly loses any momentum it had thanks to all its one-off and two-off stories (which don't even have much thematic continuity, unlike Jenkins' excellent one-offs in the previous volume). Still, they're mostly enjoyable reads and Hellblazer worth having.
The Wild Hunt (109). This one calls back to some of Delano's rural adventures, but its main purpose is to (again) foreshadow the coming dangers. The result is good [7/10].
Last Man Standing (110-114). I have mixed feelings about this Jenkins arc. On the one hand, I love the integration of the Arthurian mythos and the continued focus on the magic of Britain. I also quite like its ties to Rich, while Dani is a great addition to the cast, and a nice (and necessary) move past Kit.
On the other hand, the plotting feels muddled. Isn't John just doing God's work with his special stew, and won't there be big problems when any of them die, and isn't this a repeat of the trick he played in "Dangerous Habits"? And how exactly does the return of the fay in 108+109 tie with their attempted extermination here? I feel like I'm missing a bit. (Which I often felt in Delano stories too, until I read them a few times, which leaves Jenkins in good company.) Interesting, but hard-to-interpret [6+/10].
In the Red Corner (115). An amusing bit of what-will-John-do-to-get-what-he-wants and a nice continued look at his relationship with Dani [7/10].
Widdershins (116-117). A nice little ghost story with an explanation that's in the end too simple. I mean, it's sort of classic Constantine, but after spending two issues on this it doesn't seem enough. [6+/10].
Life & Death & Taxis (118). This is a nice bit of slice-of-life, the sort of thing Constantine needs to make the magic so magical. But ohhhh the life-death dichotomy is cliched [6+/10].
Undertow (119). This strangely told story of disasters reads like some of Delano's best weird stories, such as "On the Beach" (13). It's rather magnificent [8+/10].
Desperately Seeking Something (120). This anniversary issue does its best to offer a unique experience, but it's desperately seeking something all right: a plot. It just doesn't go anywhere interesting [5/10].
Overall, this is definitely a weaker volume that quickly loses any momentum it had thanks to all its one-off and two-off stories (which don't even have much thematic continuity, unlike Jenkins' excellent one-offs in the previous volume). Still, they're mostly enjoyable reads and Hellblazer worth having.
August 23, 2015
Paul Jenkins and Sean Phillips wrap up their run on Hellblazer with this volume, collecting the Last Man Standing 5 parter, as well as numerous done-in-one stories, and the 10th anniversary double-sized issue #120.
Last Man Standing itself is a decent little arc but it's about 2 issues too long. The ultimate conclusion is very much in line with how Constantine operates, but it takes too long to get to the point, and doesn't really flesh out Merlin or the Knights of the Round Table, instead relying on Constantine's numerous interchangeable friends to fill in the gaps.
Most of the done-in-ones are much better, such as 'In The Red Corner' in which Constantine gets revenge on his girlfriend's ex in a deliciously evil manner, and 'Life and Death and Taxis' which looks at the three inevitabilities in life according to Constantine.
The 10th anniversary issue is a special one, breaking the fourth wall into pieces and bringing Jenkins and Phillips' run to a close as well as ending the volume.
The pair enjoyed a good run on the title, with a few ups and downs but mostly keeping the quality high and enjoyable. Onwards to volume 12!
Last Man Standing itself is a decent little arc but it's about 2 issues too long. The ultimate conclusion is very much in line with how Constantine operates, but it takes too long to get to the point, and doesn't really flesh out Merlin or the Knights of the Round Table, instead relying on Constantine's numerous interchangeable friends to fill in the gaps.
Most of the done-in-ones are much better, such as 'In The Red Corner' in which Constantine gets revenge on his girlfriend's ex in a deliciously evil manner, and 'Life and Death and Taxis' which looks at the three inevitabilities in life according to Constantine.
The 10th anniversary issue is a special one, breaking the fourth wall into pieces and bringing Jenkins and Phillips' run to a close as well as ending the volume.
The pair enjoyed a good run on the title, with a few ups and downs but mostly keeping the quality high and enjoyable. Onwards to volume 12!
January 12, 2016
OVERALL RATING: 3.5*
A Touch of Heaven: 3*
In The Line Of Fire: 3.5*
Days of Wine & Roses: 2.5*
The Wild Hunt: 2.5*
Last Man Standing: 4.5*
In The Red Corner:3*
Widdershins: 3*
Life and Death & Taxis: 3.5*
Undertow:3*
Desperately Seeking Something: 3*
This was rather lengthy, and took a long while navigating the one shot stories before coming to the core story, but all in all, it was cool. Refreshing even. It's cool to see JC giving relationships another go, and Dani is a keeper, definitely, though she's no Kit. But for now she seems to have JC on his best manners. The main storyline, Last Man Standing, wow, what a refreshing take on a familiar story. Constantine versus Merlin. Hmmn, now we know.
A Touch of Heaven: 3*
In The Line Of Fire: 3.5*
Days of Wine & Roses: 2.5*
The Wild Hunt: 2.5*
Last Man Standing: 4.5*
In The Red Corner:3*
Widdershins: 3*
Life and Death & Taxis: 3.5*
Undertow:3*
Desperately Seeking Something: 3*
This was rather lengthy, and took a long while navigating the one shot stories before coming to the core story, but all in all, it was cool. Refreshing even. It's cool to see JC giving relationships another go, and Dani is a keeper, definitely, though she's no Kit. But for now she seems to have JC on his best manners. The main storyline, Last Man Standing, wow, what a refreshing take on a familiar story. Constantine versus Merlin. Hmmn, now we know.
July 4, 2018
Look, I just hate Jenkins so much lol. Actually that's probably a bit of an over-statement because nothing he writes really makes me angry, but it's just soooo booooring and I need for him to leave now. Looks like I have one more volume til I get to Ellis and I am SO READY.
Anyway, I don't really remember what happened in this ...because nothing much has happened his ENTIRE RUN. Uh ...it started with a random issue with our good friend 'pedophilia for shock value' [rolls eyes] and there was some weird thing where John's friend is the descendant of King Arthur and I have no idea what the POINT of any of that was ...and there was some other crap too I guess. I don't know. What is the over-arching plot of this run supposed to even be? I mean there are recurring characters but it seems like every issue just happens in an vacuum and I hate it.
Anyway have a few panels of John getting kissed by King Arthur because ...reasons? I mean I just read the damn thing and I still have no idea why:
And then also a cute little Death cameo:
Anyway, I don't really remember what happened in this ...because nothing much has happened his ENTIRE RUN. Uh ...it started with a random issue with our good friend 'pedophilia for shock value' [rolls eyes] and there was some weird thing where John's friend is the descendant of King Arthur and I have no idea what the POINT of any of that was ...and there was some other crap too I guess. I don't know. What is the over-arching plot of this run supposed to even be? I mean there are recurring characters but it seems like every issue just happens in an vacuum and I hate it.
Anyway have a few panels of John getting kissed by King Arthur because ...reasons? I mean I just read the damn thing and I still have no idea why:
And then also a cute little Death cameo:
December 18, 2018
This was one of my favorite collections so far; widely varied, and overall great. I feel like Constantine and I are old friends so that last issue, cheeky as it was, spoke to me.
June 28, 2017
Paul Jenkins continues to take Hellblazer in fresh new directions, and it's all very intriguing, although he maybe falters just a little bit with this collection.
Spoilers follow.
"Last Man Standing" starts with a couple of one-offs, but they aren't entirely self-contained because each carries some portents of things to come. The first one features guest art from Charles Adlard (I think he's the guy who, many years later, would be the initial artist on The Walking Dead?): while Constantine attends an orgy in order to get blackmail material on powerful people, a young gymnast struggles with an eating disorder and a cruel father; the two stories intersect, but more importantly Constantine gets a message from Jack of the Green that the fairies are "coming back". Sean Phillips is back for the next tale, involving werewolves, although they're werewolves related to the Wild Hunt of British mythology more than the old Universal monster movie type thing. This one is pretty cool, and again portends the coming disaster in "Last Man Standing". Also, Constantine meets Danita Wright, an American tabloid journalist who very quickly becomes his first serious relationship since Kit. I actually liked her right away, although it takes a while for her to feel like a fully developed character.
"Last Man Standing" is the central story arc in this volume, and it's definitely one of the stranger tales in the Constantine canon, drawing very heavily on the British folkloric tradition of Arthurian myth. Merlin (Meardon) has returned, working within the government to stifle the earth's mystical power lines, in search of the "Grail"-- God's great secret of the universe. As England begins to falter and fall ill, Constantine is approached by the immortal knights of Arthur to help their cause, and they reveal to him who the new embodiment of their King is-- turns out it's wacky ole' Rich the Punk, a revelation that made me very happy, it was so unlikely.
This got a little muddled at times, so forgive my sloppy synopsis: with the help of Jack of the Green, Constantine finds the Grail, which turns out to be a box containing the head of Bran the Blessed, one of Arthur's people. Bran has been cursed with all the secret knowledge of God, via Arthur, and the living head and Constantine work out a plan to bamboozle Merlin. Unfortunately, it involves all of Constantine's friends.
Despite a saggy middle, the last chapter brings everything together really nicely. Merlin has Dani, Rich, Michelle, and Syder hostage, and Constantine pulls yet another excellent scam, having utilized Bran's head in a way that Merlin would never have expected (a very gross way that might turn you off stew for a while!), cleverly assuring that Merlin would only destroy himself if he killed any of them. In the end, Arthur shows up at long last and initiates a reconciliation with Merlin, and off they go together. Constantine and his friends totter off, England heals, and Constantine is left to ponder the wisdom of allowing himself to get too close to anyone.
This was a very dense story with a lot jammed into it, and I have to admit there were parts where I was a bit lost. But still, the ending was very well done.
Warren Pleece is guest artist in the stand-alone story "In the Red Corner," (you'd have to read this one to know what that title means, I'm not saying a damn thing) which gives some much-needed focus on the relationship between Constantine and Dani (Pleece very soon becomes the regular penciller on Hellblazer, and he has a solid, unique style that's not unappealing, only following on the heels of Phillips it's a little jarring. More about Pleece's art in the next volume). But anyway, the story: when Dani's ex shows up and abuses her, Constantine's masculine pride won't allow it to go unanswered, and pays a voodoo witch to deal with the guy for him. I like that this story touches on Constantine's somewhat misogynistic impulse to be the white knight, even if doing so entails risks to his relationship that aren't worth it.
"Widdershins" is a solid two-parter in which a local graveyard is disrupted and the restless spirits of the dead buried there grow angry and begin exerting a negative influence on the living. Constantine figures out that the new path through the cemetery runs counter-clockwise-- widdershins-- and that's what has caused the problem. He fixes it with some good old vandalism.
"Life and Death and Taxis" is a great, very personal story and probably my favorite in this collection. Michelle is about to give birth; Constantine and Rich and Dani rush her to the hospital, but on a brief respite at home, Constantine and Dani are interrupted by upstairs neighbor Straff at a, um, inopportune moment because his mother has had a heart attack. Again, they enlist Chas and rush her to the hospital. While Straff's poor mother is dying, Rich and Michelle's baby is being born. Later, at the funeral, the baby cries, and Constantine catches a whiff of "old lady perfume"... Nicely played, Paul Jenkins.
A melancholy and thoughtful meditation on huge disasters, and their effect on our collective unconsciousness, follows with "Undertow". In a weirdly banal slice of life bit, Constantine is desperately trying to find new fish for Dani's fish tank before she comes home and finds that he's accidentally killed them. This mini-disaster is juxtaposed against huge historical tragedies in a number of snippets, until finally Constantine is sort of astral projected into an airplane that is about to crash. This ghostly Constantine can only bear witness to the last desperate moments of life of the passengers. This is an odd story that left me feeling kinda contemplative.
And finally, "Desperately Seeking Something," the tenth anniversary issue of Hellblazer, and one of the weirder and more memorable stories in the long-running series. This one breaks the fourth wall, as you, the reader, join John as you do every month at the pub so he can regale you with another crazy-ass tale. But this time, he decides to take you along with him to see what he does, resulting in near-disaster. We get a peek behind the scenes, sort of, and also meet some of the writers and artists who've created Constantine's adventures. It's a fun and appropriate tenth birthday party. Cheers again, Jenkins.
This volume started out a bit rougher and confused than previous Jenkins volumes, but the last half felt more even-keeled and assured again, and I'm having a lot of fun re-reading these stories. Jenkins is vastly under-rated as a Hellblazer writer, and I hope these volumes help him get his proper due, at last.
Spoilers follow.
"Last Man Standing" starts with a couple of one-offs, but they aren't entirely self-contained because each carries some portents of things to come. The first one features guest art from Charles Adlard (I think he's the guy who, many years later, would be the initial artist on The Walking Dead?): while Constantine attends an orgy in order to get blackmail material on powerful people, a young gymnast struggles with an eating disorder and a cruel father; the two stories intersect, but more importantly Constantine gets a message from Jack of the Green that the fairies are "coming back". Sean Phillips is back for the next tale, involving werewolves, although they're werewolves related to the Wild Hunt of British mythology more than the old Universal monster movie type thing. This one is pretty cool, and again portends the coming disaster in "Last Man Standing". Also, Constantine meets Danita Wright, an American tabloid journalist who very quickly becomes his first serious relationship since Kit. I actually liked her right away, although it takes a while for her to feel like a fully developed character.
"Last Man Standing" is the central story arc in this volume, and it's definitely one of the stranger tales in the Constantine canon, drawing very heavily on the British folkloric tradition of Arthurian myth. Merlin (Meardon) has returned, working within the government to stifle the earth's mystical power lines, in search of the "Grail"-- God's great secret of the universe. As England begins to falter and fall ill, Constantine is approached by the immortal knights of Arthur to help their cause, and they reveal to him who the new embodiment of their King is-- turns out it's wacky ole' Rich the Punk, a revelation that made me very happy, it was so unlikely.
This got a little muddled at times, so forgive my sloppy synopsis: with the help of Jack of the Green, Constantine finds the Grail, which turns out to be a box containing the head of Bran the Blessed, one of Arthur's people. Bran has been cursed with all the secret knowledge of God, via Arthur, and the living head and Constantine work out a plan to bamboozle Merlin. Unfortunately, it involves all of Constantine's friends.
Despite a saggy middle, the last chapter brings everything together really nicely. Merlin has Dani, Rich, Michelle, and Syder hostage, and Constantine pulls yet another excellent scam, having utilized Bran's head in a way that Merlin would never have expected (a very gross way that might turn you off stew for a while!), cleverly assuring that Merlin would only destroy himself if he killed any of them. In the end, Arthur shows up at long last and initiates a reconciliation with Merlin, and off they go together. Constantine and his friends totter off, England heals, and Constantine is left to ponder the wisdom of allowing himself to get too close to anyone.
This was a very dense story with a lot jammed into it, and I have to admit there were parts where I was a bit lost. But still, the ending was very well done.
Warren Pleece is guest artist in the stand-alone story "In the Red Corner," (you'd have to read this one to know what that title means, I'm not saying a damn thing) which gives some much-needed focus on the relationship between Constantine and Dani (Pleece very soon becomes the regular penciller on Hellblazer, and he has a solid, unique style that's not unappealing, only following on the heels of Phillips it's a little jarring. More about Pleece's art in the next volume). But anyway, the story: when Dani's ex shows up and abuses her, Constantine's masculine pride won't allow it to go unanswered, and pays a voodoo witch to deal with the guy for him. I like that this story touches on Constantine's somewhat misogynistic impulse to be the white knight, even if doing so entails risks to his relationship that aren't worth it.
"Widdershins" is a solid two-parter in which a local graveyard is disrupted and the restless spirits of the dead buried there grow angry and begin exerting a negative influence on the living. Constantine figures out that the new path through the cemetery runs counter-clockwise-- widdershins-- and that's what has caused the problem. He fixes it with some good old vandalism.
"Life and Death and Taxis" is a great, very personal story and probably my favorite in this collection. Michelle is about to give birth; Constantine and Rich and Dani rush her to the hospital, but on a brief respite at home, Constantine and Dani are interrupted by upstairs neighbor Straff at a, um, inopportune moment because his mother has had a heart attack. Again, they enlist Chas and rush her to the hospital. While Straff's poor mother is dying, Rich and Michelle's baby is being born. Later, at the funeral, the baby cries, and Constantine catches a whiff of "old lady perfume"... Nicely played, Paul Jenkins.
A melancholy and thoughtful meditation on huge disasters, and their effect on our collective unconsciousness, follows with "Undertow". In a weirdly banal slice of life bit, Constantine is desperately trying to find new fish for Dani's fish tank before she comes home and finds that he's accidentally killed them. This mini-disaster is juxtaposed against huge historical tragedies in a number of snippets, until finally Constantine is sort of astral projected into an airplane that is about to crash. This ghostly Constantine can only bear witness to the last desperate moments of life of the passengers. This is an odd story that left me feeling kinda contemplative.
And finally, "Desperately Seeking Something," the tenth anniversary issue of Hellblazer, and one of the weirder and more memorable stories in the long-running series. This one breaks the fourth wall, as you, the reader, join John as you do every month at the pub so he can regale you with another crazy-ass tale. But this time, he decides to take you along with him to see what he does, resulting in near-disaster. We get a peek behind the scenes, sort of, and also meet some of the writers and artists who've created Constantine's adventures. It's a fun and appropriate tenth birthday party. Cheers again, Jenkins.
This volume started out a bit rougher and confused than previous Jenkins volumes, but the last half felt more even-keeled and assured again, and I'm having a lot of fun re-reading these stories. Jenkins is vastly under-rated as a Hellblazer writer, and I hope these volumes help him get his proper due, at last.
January 9, 2022
Continuing Paul Jenkins run and the end of Sean Phillips run as artist. It's Philips run on this book that made me a fan of his for life. Jenkins continues his run with perhaps the weakest group of stories overall. Last Man standing is good along with the one and two offs before and after but nothing too special. The anniversary tale at the end is fun, but overall this falls short compared to what has come before in previous volumes.
December 4, 2025
In the eleventh volume of Hellblazer, “Last Man Standing”, John Constantine goes up against: bulimia; fathers who overstep the bounds with their daughters; Scottish werewolves; a psychotic Merlin; a punk-rock King Arthur; abusive ex-boyfriends who are cursed with transgenderism*; widdershins (angry ghosts who haunt cemetaries—-I had to Google this); pregnancy; airplane crashes; and reality.
You know, the same ol’ same ol’.
* And, yes, this IS as politically incorrect as it sounds. Keep in mind, these issues originally came out in the less-enlightened mid-'90s.
You know, the same ol’ same ol’.
* And, yes, this IS as politically incorrect as it sounds. Keep in mind, these issues originally came out in the less-enlightened mid-'90s.
November 14, 2017
The dialogue is more humorous than ever in this volume, but the atmosphere darkens in the main story given the threat on Britain.
Myrddin or Merlin from King Arthur's time is responsible for a great deal of spiritual destruction on sacred sites along dragon lines. John refuses to go against him, but Merlin forces John to find the Holy Grail for him.
Dani's ex-boyfriend comes back in the picture. They ended their relationship because he was manipulative and violent given his complexes. John wants to hurt him and resorts to paying a voodoo witch to curse him.
A new residential area over an old graveyard is disturbing the spirits of the dead whose screams of anguish start to affect the living. They build up to posessing the living until John figures out that an old British tradition can pacify the spirits.
The cycle of life and death is beautiful in the next one-shot. As Straff's mother dies, Rich's baby is born. Then it's a connection through space and time of disaster victims. Their suffering connects them and John experiences their final moments.
The final, longer issue has John break the fourth wall. There are even Hellblazer comics in his house, written by the character he speaks to, the one from whose point of view we see the story. John's life still has magic, but he admits that some stories are exaggerated.
Myrddin or Merlin from King Arthur's time is responsible for a great deal of spiritual destruction on sacred sites along dragon lines. John refuses to go against him, but Merlin forces John to find the Holy Grail for him.
Dani's ex-boyfriend comes back in the picture. They ended their relationship because he was manipulative and violent given his complexes. John wants to hurt him and resorts to paying a voodoo witch to curse him.
A new residential area over an old graveyard is disturbing the spirits of the dead whose screams of anguish start to affect the living. They build up to posessing the living until John figures out that an old British tradition can pacify the spirits.
The cycle of life and death is beautiful in the next one-shot. As Straff's mother dies, Rich's baby is born. Then it's a connection through space and time of disaster victims. Their suffering connects them and John experiences their final moments.
The final, longer issue has John break the fourth wall. There are even Hellblazer comics in his house, written by the character he speaks to, the one from whose point of view we see the story. John's life still has magic, but he admits that some stories are exaggerated.
April 28, 2018
This trade contains a wonderful arc written and illustrated by Paul Jenkins and Sean Phillips, respectfully, where Camelot is alive and (er, not really) well in London with a doomsday-scale scuffle between King Arthur, Merlin, and God himself. Con-man is recruited to settle the battle, but whose side will he land one?
Also notable is standalone issue, Undertow, in which John Constantine fights and accepts the reality of parallel events and the overwhelming idea that we can not change a thing; that all things must and will happen. It is a tightly packed, classic musing spear-headed by Jenkins that had me reading it again as soon as it ended.
Also notable is standalone issue, Undertow, in which John Constantine fights and accepts the reality of parallel events and the overwhelming idea that we can not change a thing; that all things must and will happen. It is a tightly packed, classic musing spear-headed by Jenkins that had me reading it again as soon as it ended.
November 27, 2020
Both funny and moving. A nice run in the series.
August 20, 2021
This volume had a few weaker passages towards the end, but I'm still a simp for this character, aren't I? Can't believe I've now read 10 years worth of John Constantine. That is both terrifying and amazing. Cheers, my love.
July 30, 2022
Most of it is a 4, but that last story was really cool, never seen that done before
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2021
Aquí me ven releyendo a Constantine en las nuevas ediciones, llenando espacios que dejé en blanco de cuando compraba las revistas sueltas, etc.
June 13, 2024
Gotta love John-con
June 30, 2016
Another Hellblazer collection I really liked. The majority of the book deals with the return of Merlin and King Arthur in a story that puts a modern spin on the Albion mythology. Then there are some shorter tales that include a graveyard giving up its ghosts, a spirit transference tale that is probably going to come up again in later volumes, a very dark tale about death and disaster, and then a gem of a story that breaks the third wall and features Constantine meeting with his "writers." That story was the tenth anniversary issue, and was very entertaining.
The art in Hellblazer is usually decent. The title has never really been known of its art specifically, and in that respect I think the art is underrated. But the art almost always fits the story, which is all that's needed in some cases.
This was a strong Hellblazer collection, and once again one of the last to be collected. I wonder why they waited so long!
The art in Hellblazer is usually decent. The title has never really been known of its art specifically, and in that respect I think the art is underrated. But the art almost always fits the story, which is all that's needed in some cases.
This was a strong Hellblazer collection, and once again one of the last to be collected. I wonder why they waited so long!
May 22, 2016
I didn't realize there were more of these until the library got them. Enjoyed it.
July 19, 2016
A very lengthy collection of stories. I don't particularly like the new turn of events. It seems as if Constantine was just wandering aimlessly without having a substantial plot.
June 18, 2017
Jenkins' run continues with mostly middle of the road stories.
#108 Days of Wine and Roses 1.5/5
A one parter that foreshadows the next big arc. It tries to be a PSA about abuse and bulimia, but it takes a standard horror turn and loses the message. It is entirely skippable and a little offensive.
#109 The Wild Hunt 2/5
Werewolves that don't really do much but foreshadow. Also, like the last few stories, Jenkins just kind of cuts away from the ending to foreshadow his next big plot! It's like Jenkins saw horror movies that end with the main character in a bleak place and then cut away and decided he was just going to do that. Except, this is an ongoing story, so plots and characters just end up disppearing. Unfortunately this pattern continues later...
#110-114 Last Man Standing 3.5/5
Aside from being slightly oblique as to how the mcguffin actually works, this is a pretty decent story that melds Arthurian lore into the Hellblazer universe. I'm actually kind of sad that none of Constantine's big trick seems to come back or be addressed in the remainder of Jenkins' run, but, alone, this is pretty okay.
#115 In the Red Corner 4/5
Dani's abusive ex-boyfirend returns, and Constantine is havong none of that shit. That's right it's Constantine/Dani relationship building time! It's a brief read, and, while not essential, is a great one-off that builds the characters. It has the lack of conclusion on the magic side of the plot again, but it is used to better effect than the last couple one-shots.
#116-117 Widdershins 2.5/5
Like "In the Line of Fire" last volume, this is another weird two parter that feels like it should be one part. However, asider from the quickly written off cliffhanger, there is plenty to leave out. Hanuted cemetary next to houses and pissed off ghosts affect people; most of it doesn't really matter. It's fine, but very skippable
#118 Life and Death and Taxis 2/5
A one-off that has an interesting atmosphere, but the story and the characters didn't have any payoff. In fact, the entire thing feels as if it is all for a lame joke.
#119 Undertow 3.5/5
A disaster story that explores the costs of life and death. This one feels like it could have been part of a larger story, but Jenkins is more interested in the cold cruelty of it. It would likely be average in another volume, but it stands out in this one.
#120 Desperately Seeking Something 2/5
Depth, it's desparately seeking depth. This weird mishmash of events in Constantine's life is meant to be celebratory, but it just ends up menadering. Jenkins should've spent less time on foreshadowing the next big multi-parter and more on fleshing out the interesting facets introduced here.
This volume makes very clear that long story arcs are not Jenkins' strong suit. His one-off are great, and he can really weave a nice character narrative, but, when he tries to do something big, it just seems forced. Next volume contains the two longer stories that finish his run, and they are not that great. Also, Sean Phillips finishes his run on Hellblazer, and I will miss him so much. Phillips could capture the feel of the Hellblzer universe much like the grimy feel that Ridgway, Alcala, and Lloyd began the series with. I really should've spent more time prasing them then because the era of big eyes begins next volume.
#108 Days of Wine and Roses 1.5/5
A one parter that foreshadows the next big arc. It tries to be a PSA about abuse and bulimia, but it takes a standard horror turn and loses the message. It is entirely skippable and a little offensive.
#109 The Wild Hunt 2/5
Werewolves that don't really do much but foreshadow. Also, like the last few stories, Jenkins just kind of cuts away from the ending to foreshadow his next big plot! It's like Jenkins saw horror movies that end with the main character in a bleak place and then cut away and decided he was just going to do that. Except, this is an ongoing story, so plots and characters just end up disppearing. Unfortunately this pattern continues later...
#110-114 Last Man Standing 3.5/5
Aside from being slightly oblique as to how the mcguffin actually works, this is a pretty decent story that melds Arthurian lore into the Hellblazer universe. I'm actually kind of sad that none of Constantine's big trick seems to come back or be addressed in the remainder of Jenkins' run, but, alone, this is pretty okay.
#115 In the Red Corner 4/5
Dani's abusive ex-boyfirend returns, and Constantine is havong none of that shit. That's right it's Constantine/Dani relationship building time! It's a brief read, and, while not essential, is a great one-off that builds the characters. It has the lack of conclusion on the magic side of the plot again, but it is used to better effect than the last couple one-shots.
#116-117 Widdershins 2.5/5
Like "In the Line of Fire" last volume, this is another weird two parter that feels like it should be one part. However, asider from the quickly written off cliffhanger, there is plenty to leave out. Hanuted cemetary next to houses and pissed off ghosts affect people; most of it doesn't really matter. It's fine, but very skippable
#118 Life and Death and Taxis 2/5
A one-off that has an interesting atmosphere, but the story and the characters didn't have any payoff. In fact, the entire thing feels as if it is all for a lame joke.
#119 Undertow 3.5/5
A disaster story that explores the costs of life and death. This one feels like it could have been part of a larger story, but Jenkins is more interested in the cold cruelty of it. It would likely be average in another volume, but it stands out in this one.
#120 Desperately Seeking Something 2/5
Depth, it's desparately seeking depth. This weird mishmash of events in Constantine's life is meant to be celebratory, but it just ends up menadering. Jenkins should've spent less time on foreshadowing the next big multi-parter and more on fleshing out the interesting facets introduced here.
This volume makes very clear that long story arcs are not Jenkins' strong suit. His one-off are great, and he can really weave a nice character narrative, but, when he tries to do something big, it just seems forced. Next volume contains the two longer stories that finish his run, and they are not that great. Also, Sean Phillips finishes his run on Hellblazer, and I will miss him so much. Phillips could capture the feel of the Hellblzer universe much like the grimy feel that Ridgway, Alcala, and Lloyd began the series with. I really should've spent more time prasing them then because the era of big eyes begins next volume.
July 6, 2024
Behold the King of England... Constantine, where did he go?
The titular Last Man Standing arc involves Constantine being recruited by the immortal Knights of the Round Table to fight the equally immortal Merlin by finding the long lost heir to King Arthur. That's right. No demons this time. Merlin himself was a great antagonist, who oddly enough didn't use a lot of magic, much like our mage protagonist... Still, he was a great foil as both played the chess game of trying to out plan the other. Think of it as Constantine fighting an immortal evil version of himself, hen enjoy! Weirdly enough, Chas was also absent from this major story (this might be why people don't like Jenkins' run, Chas is me mate). Still, it was fun seeing Constantine be forced back into the game after a brief retirement. I wasn't a particular fan of who ended up being the heir to the throne, but I can appreciate the twist and humor within said twist. Overall, this was a solid story with both intensity and humor balanced with some pretty gnarly scenes #canabalism. The climax was also topnotch!
Then the rest of the volume is filler. Luckily, only two were 'meh.' One being a weird story where Constantine recruits a voodoo priestess to hex his girlfriend's ex, turning this dude into a woman. So... yeah. The other "meh" story was the 10th anniversary issue. The fourth wall is shattered in a poorly composed first-person story where we follow Constantine around as someone he tells his stories to in a pub. There were some familiar faces, including one of the Endless, but otherwise this was a largely pointless story.
Luckily, the rest of the filler was enjoyable with a weird mix of humor and horror. Ghosts from a nearby graveyard begin haunting the suburbs. This was fun seeing Constantine casually stumble upon some horror story and immediately solve it. "Life, Death, and Taxes" was a more lighthearted story (despite the titular death) as we get to see Chas shine as a taxi driver, immediately know how far into labor his passenger is. The last noteworthy filler involves Constantine killing his girlfriends fish, then astroprojecting into a plane crash, because why not?
In short, great main story that thrusts Constantine back into the magic game, but we are then forced to watch him continue to do more mundane filler shenanigans.
The titular Last Man Standing arc involves Constantine being recruited by the immortal Knights of the Round Table to fight the equally immortal Merlin by finding the long lost heir to King Arthur. That's right. No demons this time. Merlin himself was a great antagonist, who oddly enough didn't use a lot of magic, much like our mage protagonist... Still, he was a great foil as both played the chess game of trying to out plan the other. Think of it as Constantine fighting an immortal evil version of himself, hen enjoy! Weirdly enough, Chas was also absent from this major story (this might be why people don't like Jenkins' run, Chas is me mate). Still, it was fun seeing Constantine be forced back into the game after a brief retirement. I wasn't a particular fan of who ended up being the heir to the throne, but I can appreciate the twist and humor within said twist. Overall, this was a solid story with both intensity and humor balanced with some pretty gnarly scenes #canabalism. The climax was also topnotch!
Then the rest of the volume is filler. Luckily, only two were 'meh.' One being a weird story where Constantine recruits a voodoo priestess to hex his girlfriend's ex, turning this dude into a woman. So... yeah. The other "meh" story was the 10th anniversary issue. The fourth wall is shattered in a poorly composed first-person story where we follow Constantine around as someone he tells his stories to in a pub. There were some familiar faces, including one of the Endless, but otherwise this was a largely pointless story.
Luckily, the rest of the filler was enjoyable with a weird mix of humor and horror. Ghosts from a nearby graveyard begin haunting the suburbs. This was fun seeing Constantine casually stumble upon some horror story and immediately solve it. "Life, Death, and Taxes" was a more lighthearted story (despite the titular death) as we get to see Chas shine as a taxi driver, immediately know how far into labor his passenger is. The last noteworthy filler involves Constantine killing his girlfriends fish, then astroprojecting into a plane crash, because why not?
In short, great main story that thrusts Constantine back into the magic game, but we are then forced to watch him continue to do more mundane filler shenanigans.
April 7, 2020
A bit of a step down from Volume 10, but still overall an enjoyable read. Jenkins' adeptness at finding deeply English, metaphorical demons and ghouls for Constantine to face gets tamped down a little here, and the premises for stories are starting to feel a little thin. Also, Jenkins relies heavily on his newly-created supporting cast this time around, but hasn't done much work to build them out or differentiate them. As such, it feels difficult to care about pretty much anyone except Constantine, which is a bummer.
It seems hard for anyone to write this character in a way that stays constantly thrilling. Over time, Delano, Ennis and now Jenkins have all started to taper off the demon-slaying, ghost-hunting elements of Constantine in favor of stories about him palling around with the gang. That works well when it's paired equally with the supernatural elements, but when it starts to take over (particularly when you can barely tell the supporting cast apart except for their haircuts), the series starts to drag. That's been the case in this volume, unfortunately.
That said, there are some standout stories in this volume that save it from being too slow. The titular "Last Man Standing" is a pretty fun romp that pits Constantine against characters from the Arthurian Legend. The ending doesn't really land, but the journey itself makes for a good time.
Then "Undertow," a surrealist abstraction about people who've died in disasters, is affecting and impactful even though it's relatively story-free.
So, not the best Hellblazer book by any means, but not the worst either. Sean Phillips' art, as always, elevates everything about this, as well. I'm sad this is his final volume on the character, though I'm excited to keep going and see what future writers and artists bring to the table. Hopefully more conflict!
It seems hard for anyone to write this character in a way that stays constantly thrilling. Over time, Delano, Ennis and now Jenkins have all started to taper off the demon-slaying, ghost-hunting elements of Constantine in favor of stories about him palling around with the gang. That works well when it's paired equally with the supernatural elements, but when it starts to take over (particularly when you can barely tell the supporting cast apart except for their haircuts), the series starts to drag. That's been the case in this volume, unfortunately.
That said, there are some standout stories in this volume that save it from being too slow. The titular "Last Man Standing" is a pretty fun romp that pits Constantine against characters from the Arthurian Legend. The ending doesn't really land, but the journey itself makes for a good time.
Then "Undertow," a surrealist abstraction about people who've died in disasters, is affecting and impactful even though it's relatively story-free.
So, not the best Hellblazer book by any means, but not the worst either. Sean Phillips' art, as always, elevates everything about this, as well. I'm sad this is his final volume on the character, though I'm excited to keep going and see what future writers and artists bring to the table. Hopefully more conflict!
June 25, 2020
After a strong start, this volume becomes pretty much every previous Hellblazer story. It's even referenced within the story that this volume follows a similar trajectory to Ennis's run. The computer guy is killed, Constantine falls in love (though he handles it differently, and it's someone new, as opposed to someone from his past, it still feels familiar), his magic puts all of his friends at risk, etc.
One of the reasons I love most Vertigo books is that they don't end up as cyclical as Marvel or DC. titles. I don't mind Good Guys Overcome Adversity And Win cycles, but Magneto becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, ad infinitum. While we do have new characters here, it just feels incredibly familiar, but not as fun.
I also loathe plunking Arthurian legends into comics. and the crux of this storyline is modern Merlin jealous of Arthur and blah blah blah blah. I hated it as part of Delano's run, and I hate it more here. But if you love the idea of Albion fantasy being used in modern comics, you can throw this book on your stack of Claremont Excalibur books and have a really good wan....a really good week or so of reading.
This isn't by any stretch a terrible run of comics. Jenkins is a good writer, and some of the shorter stories surrounding the Arthurian legends is intriguing. I wouldn't put this volume on a Must Read Hellblazer list, but if you're interested in reading about a character invested in soul searching why his life keeps repeating, this book may be for you.
One of the reasons I love most Vertigo books is that they don't end up as cyclical as Marvel or DC. titles. I don't mind Good Guys Overcome Adversity And Win cycles, but Magneto becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, ad infinitum. While we do have new characters here, it just feels incredibly familiar, but not as fun.
I also loathe plunking Arthurian legends into comics. and the crux of this storyline is modern Merlin jealous of Arthur and blah blah blah blah. I hated it as part of Delano's run, and I hate it more here. But if you love the idea of Albion fantasy being used in modern comics, you can throw this book on your stack of Claremont Excalibur books and have a really good wan....a really good week or so of reading.
This isn't by any stretch a terrible run of comics. Jenkins is a good writer, and some of the shorter stories surrounding the Arthurian legends is intriguing. I wouldn't put this volume on a Must Read Hellblazer list, but if you're interested in reading about a character invested in soul searching why his life keeps repeating, this book may be for you.
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June 9, 2020The high points in this book aren’t as frequent as in the previous two Jenkins collections. In fact, there was only one issue here that I loved, the last one. Jenkins and Phillips follow Constantine around for a day instead of listening to him talk about his adventures in a pub every month for their comic. Nicely meta, pretty damn funny, doesn’t take itself seriously, and a surprisingly good character spotlight for John. Sadly, the rest of the book is forgettable to me. I think the problem is that Jenkins tries to be deep but his observations either fall flat or don’t really make sense in the context of the story. “Undertow” for instance - what exactly is he trying to say here? Something about the inevitability of death, or decrying machines? I don’t know, it’s weird. And the Dani storyline feels too similar to Kit. I can probably guess where that’s going to go.
Jenkins has eight issues to go and I hope he finishes on a high note. He’s proven with arcs like “Critical Mass” that he can write powerful Hellblazer stories, and has a good handle on Constantine’s character. After this book though, I worry he’ll get too far up his ass like Delano did towards the end of his run.
Jenkins has eight issues to go and I hope he finishes on a high note. He’s proven with arcs like “Critical Mass” that he can write powerful Hellblazer stories, and has a good handle on Constantine’s character. After this book though, I worry he’ll get too far up his ass like Delano did towards the end of his run.
January 28, 2018
Paul Jenkins starts to repeat himself mid-way through his run, turning in a set of rather run of the mill folk-horror stories which fail to give Constantine's supporting cast any room to breathe or develop beyond their 2D constraints. Add to this that he keeps ending each story with an anticlimax, endlessly foreshadowing what's to come, and it was hard for me to care about the characters. It's no surprise that the excellent 10th Anniversary story "Desperately Seeking Something", which breaks the 4th wall to enquire why the reader is still following this title, reads as if the writer acknowledges his own narrative weaknesses.
January 12, 2020
Hellblazer volume 11 was a blast. Paul Jenkins is a great writer who gets the character, and Sean Philips gets better and better as an artist. In this trade also the celebration of the tenth anniversary of Hellblazer with a fantastic issue giving tribute to the creators and artists, and giving you, the reader a experience that your with them and John in the bar he always visit. Really excellent how the did it ! That was a wild issue and i wast just reading it with a big smile. I getting to know the character better and better with each issue and i am still amazed how fresh it remains after all those issues.. Well i am only half way so we will see, but i have a good feeling about it.
October 26, 2024
An uneven collection of stories for our favorite Hellblazer.
The first story is a dark twisted tale of a father pushing his daughter to her limits while also going to abuse her. He gets his, in a twisted way. There's also a really funny story of how an abuser ex-boyfriend gets his due.
The main story here has Arthur and the roundtable mythos come and it's not bad. Pretty good, with a very solid ending, but it feels a bit longwinded in the end. The last couple of stories didn't do much for me, and didn't care for them as much.
A 3 out of 5.
The first story is a dark twisted tale of a father pushing his daughter to her limits while also going to abuse her. He gets his, in a twisted way. There's also a really funny story of how an abuser ex-boyfriend gets his due.
The main story here has Arthur and the roundtable mythos come and it's not bad. Pretty good, with a very solid ending, but it feels a bit longwinded in the end. The last couple of stories didn't do much for me, and didn't care for them as much.
A 3 out of 5.
August 15, 2018
I'm on vacation and just plowing some of these volumes. I am not about to write a dissertation. I can say that Jenkins tends to have less words than many of his predecessors. I like some of the shorter bits and the fourth wall breaking stuff. Not sure about the less magicky focus but hey, at least it is entertaining. Really enjoyed Desperately seeking something. So there is that. And Widdershins was a nice little ghost tale...
What can I say? Already half done the next volume.
What can I say? Already half done the next volume.
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