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Constantine: The Hellblazer
Constantine: The Hellblazer, Volume 2: The Art of the Deal
The Hellblazer is back and he's settled in New York City!
Now that he's rid himself of the ghosts that have haunted him for years, John Constantine finds himself face-to-face with an even scarier spectre: himself. With all the time he's freed up not having to constantly deal with sins of the past, Constantine takes to the internet to connect with the poor souls that could use his particular brand of help. But while the Hellblazer's making house calls, danger is lurking inside his own home.
Collecting: Constantine: The Hellblazer 6-12
Now that he's rid himself of the ghosts that have haunted him for years, John Constantine finds himself face-to-face with an even scarier spectre: himself. With all the time he's freed up not having to constantly deal with sins of the past, Constantine takes to the internet to connect with the poor souls that could use his particular brand of help. But while the Hellblazer's making house calls, danger is lurking inside his own home.
Collecting: Constantine: The Hellblazer 6-12
184 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2016
32 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Ming Doyle
127 books64 followersMing Doyle was born in 1984 to an Irish-American sailor and a Chinese-Canadian librarian. Since earning her BFA from Cornell University in 2007, she has depicted the sequential exploits of zombie superheroes, demonic cheerleaders, vengeful cowboys, and dapper mutants. TANTALIZE marks her first full-length graphic novel as well as her first encounter with a were-opossum. She lives in Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
September 9, 2018
It's better than the previous series but still nowhere as good as the original Hellblazer series. John Constantine belongs in London written by a British writer. Doyle and Tynion completely give up on making John in anyway British. Even the dialogue is just generic English. There's nothing in this book to at all care about. Riley Rossmo's art is terrible. Included is the rebirth issue which shows a lot of potential. It feels like a return to the Constantine of old.
November 1, 2016
Closes out Oliver's story, started in the previous volume. As expected, it doesn't end happily. I ended up liking the overall story, but it started to drag halfway through this volume.
September 18, 2016
[Read as single issues]
After the previous run of Constantine, his first as part of the New 52, I was prepared to dislike anything else DC tried to do with John since they looked like they wanted to play it safe with the character. And then along came James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle who wrote the most wonderful 13 issue series, the second half of which is collected here.
As John finds himself at the mercy of the soul-purchasing demon Neron, everything mounts against him as he loses his boyfriend, his city, and his magic. It all builds up into a very clever Constantine-esque twist that flips the story right at the end, exactly as Hellblazer used to. This is also the second Constantine story since he joined the DC Universe proper to focus on his bisexuality which is always appreciated, and very well handled (probably since Tynion IV is bisexual).
Riley Rossmo, Travel Foreman, and Tynion's Boom! collaborator Eryk Donovan share pencilling duties here, and whilst they have their own distinct styles, they're all sketchy and able to play with proportions to make things work between them. Foreman's at home with all the fairy monsters he gets to draw, whilst Donovan's Constantine always has a smirk on his face, which is appropriate.
Take my advice: Ignore the first New 52 Constantine series and go straight for this one, it's about as Vertigo as you're going to get without reading the old Hellblazer stuff (although the Rebirth Hellblazer is off to a good start too).
After the previous run of Constantine, his first as part of the New 52, I was prepared to dislike anything else DC tried to do with John since they looked like they wanted to play it safe with the character. And then along came James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle who wrote the most wonderful 13 issue series, the second half of which is collected here.
As John finds himself at the mercy of the soul-purchasing demon Neron, everything mounts against him as he loses his boyfriend, his city, and his magic. It all builds up into a very clever Constantine-esque twist that flips the story right at the end, exactly as Hellblazer used to. This is also the second Constantine story since he joined the DC Universe proper to focus on his bisexuality which is always appreciated, and very well handled (probably since Tynion IV is bisexual).
Riley Rossmo, Travel Foreman, and Tynion's Boom! collaborator Eryk Donovan share pencilling duties here, and whilst they have their own distinct styles, they're all sketchy and able to play with proportions to make things work between them. Foreman's at home with all the fairy monsters he gets to draw, whilst Donovan's Constantine always has a smirk on his face, which is appropriate.
Take my advice: Ignore the first New 52 Constantine series and go straight for this one, it's about as Vertigo as you're going to get without reading the old Hellblazer stuff (although the Rebirth Hellblazer is off to a good start too).
January 23, 2018
I wish DC would stop rebooting everything because I really enjoyed this run, short as it was, but at least they managed to get through a whole story arc in the few issues they had. Anyway, as with the last volume, this was just very fun [well, up until it wasn't because it's not Hellblazer if other people aren't paying for John's mistakes!] and I get why a lot of people who really loved the original wouldn't like the tone or setting of this, but I'm definitely less of a purist in that regard so anyway, some highlights:
John and Oliver! And John ...watching him sleep ...this isn't Twilight, John
Midnite's ...basilisk? thing? making ...a very good point. I mean #same Oliver, but really...
John and Midnite in their ridiculous demon disguises
Obligatory Swamp Thing appearance
Uh ...this ...
And I like how the series starts with John naked and covered in blood and ends up with him naked again and soon to be covered in more blood [thumbs up]
John and Oliver! And John ...watching him sleep ...this isn't Twilight, John
Midnite's ...basilisk? thing? making ...a very good point. I mean #same Oliver, but really...
John and Midnite in their ridiculous demon disguises
Obligatory Swamp Thing appearance
Uh ...this ...
And I like how the series starts with John naked and covered in blood and ends up with him naked again and soon to be covered in more blood [thumbs up]
September 8, 2018
Not as good as volume 1. Things aren't explained clearly, resolutions are made hastily. And for some reason people keep trusting Constantine even though they had a terrible past with them and then act shocked when he announces that he's gonna screw them over (and then do nothing to prevent it).
Pretty disappointing.
Pretty disappointing.
February 1, 2018
I really enjoyed this run of Constantine and I m UBER glad that they brought back the Bisexual Constantine (where was all these cool, handsome gay/bisexual characters when I was growing up 20 years ago? 🧐).
Overall, this was a fun and engaging read. The art-work and the color scheme was godly, the dialogue was witty and the character/creature designs were top-notch. However, as fun as the story was, it really didn’t have much going on below the surface. The story kinda ended abruptly on a sad note and I thought the conclusion of the story was very very rushed. But. Besides these issues, it was still a very entertaining comic!
I really hope DC continues to publish quality comic featuring Gay/Bisexual men. I m a HUGE Marvel fan, but (for me) I think DC does a better job at portraying Gay characters(Midnighter being my favorite Gay character).
Fingers crossed for the return of Gay/Bisexual Constantine!!!! 🤞
Overall, this was a fun and engaging read. The art-work and the color scheme was godly, the dialogue was witty and the character/creature designs were top-notch. However, as fun as the story was, it really didn’t have much going on below the surface. The story kinda ended abruptly on a sad note and I thought the conclusion of the story was very very rushed. But. Besides these issues, it was still a very entertaining comic!
I really hope DC continues to publish quality comic featuring Gay/Bisexual men. I m a HUGE Marvel fan, but (for me) I think DC does a better job at portraying Gay characters(Midnighter being my favorite Gay character).
Fingers crossed for the return of Gay/Bisexual Constantine!!!! 🤞
May 20, 2021
Metro/Bi-sexual John Constantine is back in “The Art of the Deal”, the second volume of Ming Doyle/James Tynion IV’s Constantine, the Hellblazer.
The tone is all over the place in this one. At times, it’s played for laughs, and at other times it’s super-dark. Occasionally, it doesn’t really know what tone to strike. My interest, I have to admit, kind of waned a bit in this one.
The villain in this is a demon that is a thinly-veiled Donald Trump. His name is Neron, and he is the wealthiest demon in Hell, buying up the most souls of any demon. He owns half of New York City alone.
Constantine just wants two, the young daughters of John’s new boyfriend, Oliver. He’s willing to strike any deal, no matter how crazy, to save them.
Like the first volume, I had problems with this, John’s metro/bisexuality not being one of them.
Other than the afore-mentioned irregularities in tone, my biggest problem was with the lack of any character depth. I know Constantine is a well-established character, but he seems to be more of a wise-cracking cartoon in this. Constantine is many things, but a two-dimensional buffoon he has never been.
Also, his boyfriend Oliver is given the shortest shrift possible. We learn nothing about him other than he seems like a nice guy who has two little girls. He does something noble at the end and, as a result, suffers a horrible fate.
I understand the point that Doyle/Tynion are trying to make. It’s the same point that numerous writers in this series have made: Constantine is a good magician but a bad date. It just feels like very little effort was put into fleshing these characters out beyond “asshole demon”, “wise-cracking magician”, and “really nice guy”.
Overall, this wasn’t the best of the Hellblazer series that I’ve read, and it wasn’t the worst. It was, for the most part, meh…
The tone is all over the place in this one. At times, it’s played for laughs, and at other times it’s super-dark. Occasionally, it doesn’t really know what tone to strike. My interest, I have to admit, kind of waned a bit in this one.
The villain in this is a demon that is a thinly-veiled Donald Trump. His name is Neron, and he is the wealthiest demon in Hell, buying up the most souls of any demon. He owns half of New York City alone.
Constantine just wants two, the young daughters of John’s new boyfriend, Oliver. He’s willing to strike any deal, no matter how crazy, to save them.
Like the first volume, I had problems with this, John’s metro/bisexuality not being one of them.
Other than the afore-mentioned irregularities in tone, my biggest problem was with the lack of any character depth. I know Constantine is a well-established character, but he seems to be more of a wise-cracking cartoon in this. Constantine is many things, but a two-dimensional buffoon he has never been.
Also, his boyfriend Oliver is given the shortest shrift possible. We learn nothing about him other than he seems like a nice guy who has two little girls. He does something noble at the end and, as a result, suffers a horrible fate.
I understand the point that Doyle/Tynion are trying to make. It’s the same point that numerous writers in this series have made: Constantine is a good magician but a bad date. It just feels like very little effort was put into fleshing these characters out beyond “asshole demon”, “wise-cracking magician”, and “really nice guy”.
Overall, this wasn’t the best of the Hellblazer series that I’ve read, and it wasn’t the worst. It was, for the most part, meh…
June 29, 2021
I was hoping to get more focus on Constantine and his relationship with Oliver, but I just didn’t care about them. I needed more. The plot was a bit too all over the place for me, as was the art. The ending was extremely unsatisfying and feels like it ended quickly because it got cancelled. 3/5 stars
February 7, 2017
I liked this, but I didn't care for the art in the last 2 chapters. This series has also been cancelled, just like Spidey.
March 30, 2024
Oh well. I guess it was worth a try. At least the good Hellblazer stuff still exists. I did like the depiction of faerie. That much was cool.
March 9, 2019
"we're going to make hell great again"
oh, early 2016 jokes
oh, early 2016 jokes
May 26, 2023
Great representations of Hell and Faerie. Deals and betrayal. It's not a good idea to be John's friend.
November 1, 2016
Like the first volume of Doyle's Hellblazer, this one feels a bit more like classic John. But this second volume is unfortunately more flawed than the first.
On the one hand, we have a nice magical mystery tour of places beyond and a fun relationship for John and the type of ending that would have fit right into the original Hellblazer. On the other hand we have Dr. Strange-like magical powers and a literal super-villain team-up (that feels just like it were a Marvel comic) and pretty mediocre plotting and dialogue.
The result fails to dazzle.
Fortunately, the Rebirth at the end of this volume suggests that DC is bringing back even more of John's classic characterization and even some of his missing backstory. I'm hoping that next volume will be more of what we've loved for the last few decades.
On the one hand, we have a nice magical mystery tour of places beyond and a fun relationship for John and the type of ending that would have fit right into the original Hellblazer. On the other hand we have Dr. Strange-like magical powers and a literal super-villain team-up (that feels just like it were a Marvel comic) and pretty mediocre plotting and dialogue.
The result fails to dazzle.
Fortunately, the Rebirth at the end of this volume suggests that DC is bringing back even more of John's classic characterization and even some of his missing backstory. I'm hoping that next volume will be more of what we've loved for the last few decades.
Read
October 2, 2016So yes, there's that title, and demon lord Neron re-envisioned with a stupid bouffant and a pledge to 'Make Hell great again', but sadly his dialogue is all far too coherent for the satire to really land. Even so, and even if this isn't quite full fat Hellblazer, it's not ever so far off. John's devious, bisexual and leaving carnage in his wake; the other realms have been tweaked but not sold out*; the encounters with DC's other heroes avoid anything too incongruous. It's just a shame that the fairly leaden Rebirth issue slipped in the end suggests this glimmer of a renaissance won't last into the next sodding reboot.
*Though why they undermined the greatest Constantine story ever by featuring Gabriel is beyond me; you could as easily have used another archangel and had no problems.
*Though why they undermined the greatest Constantine story ever by featuring Gabriel is beyond me; you could as easily have used another archangel and had no problems.
October 12, 2016
I still really liked this, although I honestly think it would have been stronger on Vertigo. Having to censor the swearing is awkward and sort of begged the question of why they were doing it. It wraps up it's on going story and I'm glad I picked it up for both the art and the overall quality, although I'm sad to see it go.
I'll keep an eye out for anything these artists or writers work on next, they were a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, as strong as this title was, DC is relaunching it yet again. This makes the third reboot since Vertigo's Hellblazer was cancelled and honestly I've completely lost any trust that DC will keep a comic going. Why would I want to start something just to see it get canceled?
I'll keep an eye out for anything these artists or writers work on next, they were a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, as strong as this title was, DC is relaunching it yet again. This makes the third reboot since Vertigo's Hellblazer was cancelled and honestly I've completely lost any trust that DC will keep a comic going. Why would I want to start something just to see it get canceled?
November 18, 2016
Had not read a recent volume of Constantine in while. Even though this was volume 2, I felt I could manage jumping into story. Felt bit of a mixed magick bag. Sleek stylized manga-esque art was quite different than the seedy more grounded shall we say seedy artwerke of the past. Was not put off by that though it was a little more difficult reconciling the character of Constantine with this current incarnation. Discover he has been dating a muscular black guy with two young girls. Alright. Suppose I can reconcile that with the boundaries breaking punk though is it likely ? Towards ending of graphic novel the art became even more cartoonish and simplistic which put right off. Was alright read but a bit disappointing in general.
November 6, 2018
Really? Okay, I guess I should have expected this. JC becomes a superhero. Most issues are black and white. Details are skipped until they aren't. (Dating for three months and we didn't know.) Villains standing around talking about evil plans, good guys talking about how hopeless it is. Nope.
Everything being only on JC. C'mon. The head demon as Trump then Trump being referenced in a different way. Weird juxtapositions that don't have the same tortured truth and gritty reality that the old one did.
NY being dark and LA being light. Ignoring the whole seediness history for a simple tale. Nope.
I am going to finish off the new series but it is milk souring in my mouth instead of sourpatch kids.
Everything being only on JC. C'mon. The head demon as Trump then Trump being referenced in a different way. Weird juxtapositions that don't have the same tortured truth and gritty reality that the old one did.
NY being dark and LA being light. Ignoring the whole seediness history for a simple tale. Nope.
I am going to finish off the new series but it is milk souring in my mouth instead of sourpatch kids.
December 31, 2016
This second and last volume didn't disappoint story-wise.
John's still a cunning bastard who tricks his way out of problems.
With consequences.
Typical Hellblazer bitter conclusion to Doyle and Tynion's run; at least these 2 knew how to handle our wily magician. I just hope Simon Oliver will have the same craft with the new series.
Art-wise, this book is a more of a let down. The Level/Rossmo team does the trick at first before being replaced. If Travel Foreman's pencild are ok, they're spoiled by Joseph Silver's poor inking. Then, Eryk Donovan concludes with a more cartoony style and a sometimes awkward sense of proportions...
John's still a cunning bastard who tricks his way out of problems.
With consequences.
Typical Hellblazer bitter conclusion to Doyle and Tynion's run; at least these 2 knew how to handle our wily magician. I just hope Simon Oliver will have the same craft with the new series.
Art-wise, this book is a more of a let down. The Level/Rossmo team does the trick at first before being replaced. If Travel Foreman's pencild are ok, they're spoiled by Joseph Silver's poor inking. Then, Eryk Donovan concludes with a more cartoony style and a sometimes awkward sense of proportions...
February 3, 2017
I enjoyed Volume 1 of this series, a bit more than this one - I liked the dark humor in the first one better; this volume had a more melancholy ending. Though I still really enjoyed the sections illustrated by Riley Rossmo, his art is just so gritty and fits the darker themes of Constantine.
February 12, 2020
"We shouldn't have let him go so easy. We should have locked him up, or, better yet, killed him. [...] to my very great regret, I know the man. He may seem foolish and laughable, but he is a calamity. Strange powers gather around his head, breathe evil luck into his empty chest. He has no care for his place in this realm, and he doesn't respect anything but himself! Even if you say there's no kind of way, the plan is airtight and the bonds are unbreakable, John Constantine will still prove you wrong. He'll find the angle we've overlooked, because we want things. John Constantine, he doesn't want anything, but he wants it forever and all to himself." --Papa Midnite
I begin with this very long quote because I like it. Papa's got John summed up nice and neat.
My partner was surprised I picked up the second volume of Constantine: The Hellblazer, since I had a rough go of the first one. In my defense, did you know that libraries have books in them, just laying around, and they're FREE? Fascinating.
Volume two picks up three weeks after the first left off. John and Oliver are dating. Oliver is hilariously blasé about the magic thing, and John hasn't met the kids yet. Oliver's unimpressed reaction to Swamp Thing in the shower is juxtaposed to his utter horror of "is that an answering machine???" It is a delight. In non-domestic news, we find out who was behind all that background craziness from last volume: the demon Neuron, who has stolen Papa Midnite's business empire and wants to set New York City up as a fast-track to hell.Joke's on him though because New York is already hell.
With this volume, I think I found my footing more in John Constantine's character. He's an idiot, but he's a very powerful, heart-of-gold-with-a-side-of-black-lung idiot. As Oliver puts it, he tries to do the right thing, but the right thing is hard to do. Sometimes there are no good choices. The art in the previous volume was spectacular, and this one takes it up another notch to spell-binding. Like, can I have that as a poster? Damn.
In contrast to John's clearer character, the plot got (un)holy. In the first volume, John's reaction to the tame demon Blythe confused me, and this volume's continued antagonism confused me more. A lot of the ending didn't make sense, from what I know of the DC universe from Sandman. Demons can't imprison souls higgly piggly, and the breaking of lore made the resulting queer tragedy seem all the more shoe-horned in. Like the author got three-quarters into the story and declared, "oh wait, we can't let John have nice things! What's a good deux ex machina?!" It might have been better if Oliver was more fleshed out. As is, his character does a 180° so fast my head spun.
Overall, Constantine: The Hellblazer was a middle-of-the-road experience. It was kind of pleasant, in the way having fish nibble the dead skin off your ticklish feet is kind of pleasant, somewhat spine-tingling, but also irritating. That's probably the only kind of joy DC Comics allows their gritty heroes to have.
I begin with this very long quote because I like it. Papa's got John summed up nice and neat.
My partner was surprised I picked up the second volume of Constantine: The Hellblazer, since I had a rough go of the first one. In my defense, did you know that libraries have books in them, just laying around, and they're FREE? Fascinating.
Volume two picks up three weeks after the first left off. John and Oliver are dating. Oliver is hilariously blasé about the magic thing, and John hasn't met the kids yet. Oliver's unimpressed reaction to Swamp Thing in the shower is juxtaposed to his utter horror of "is that an answering machine???" It is a delight. In non-domestic news, we find out who was behind all that background craziness from last volume: the demon Neuron, who has stolen Papa Midnite's business empire and wants to set New York City up as a fast-track to hell.
With this volume, I think I found my footing more in John Constantine's character. He's an idiot, but he's a very powerful, heart-of-gold-with-a-side-of-black-lung idiot. As Oliver puts it, he tries to do the right thing, but the right thing is hard to do. Sometimes there are no good choices. The art in the previous volume was spectacular, and this one takes it up another notch to spell-binding. Like, can I have that as a poster? Damn.
In contrast to John's clearer character, the plot got (un)holy. In the first volume, John's reaction to the tame demon Blythe confused me, and this volume's continued antagonism confused me more. A lot of the ending didn't make sense, from what I know of the DC universe from Sandman. Demons can't imprison souls higgly piggly, and the breaking of lore made the resulting queer tragedy seem all the more shoe-horned in. Like the author got three-quarters into the story and declared, "oh wait, we can't let John have nice things! What's a good deux ex machina?!" It might have been better if Oliver was more fleshed out. As is, his character does a 180° so fast my head spun.
Overall, Constantine: The Hellblazer was a middle-of-the-road experience. It was kind of pleasant, in the way having fish nibble the dead skin off your ticklish feet is kind of pleasant, somewhat spine-tingling, but also irritating. That's probably the only kind of joy DC Comics allows their gritty heroes to have.
June 10, 2017
Wow - that ended with a poopy thud. The best thing this reboot of Hellblazer (starring John Constantine) had going for it was the inventive art of Riley Rossmo and (like the last volume) Rossmo apparently apparently didn't have it in him to stick through for the entire volume and what we end up with is some very sloppy, uninspired art. Which fits right along with the sloppy, uninspired story.
A GOOD story will have one part lead naturally to the next part and then to the next part. This one feels like the writers had their clever twist of an ending (when John pulls one over on a demon) and then were going to spend 6 issues having no idea how to get there. We start with John's old enemy Papa Midnight needing John's help because a demon has taken over his club (gee - wasn't that the same idea as the first issue?), so he takes Oliver (John's new lover) hostage and forces John to help. Aside from the fact "being friends with John means you are doomed" is a cliché by this point, it's a nice start to a story...but then it drags on, as we end up in Hell...and on...as a demon rescues John and he betrays her for no reason...and on...into Fairy land...and on...John begs Oliver to leave him and take care of his daughters...and on..to Hollywood...and on....Oliver pays the price for not listening (cliché!!) ...John pulls off the final con which landed like a thud instead of me thinking "how clever". And really? The final ending of Oliver? *eye roll* It's a character the writers desperately wanted us to like so we would care what happened to him but he was such a illogical character I couldn't even believe in him.
One final critique...the original run on Hellblazer lasted 300 issues...it had highs and lows but mostly it was a fun ride because MOST writers focused on John the con, John the flawed human - and the magic was used sparingly. This latest reboot (and future ones it seems) are turning him into Dr. Strange with a trench coat - too magical. That's a shame. Yes, it allows him to play with the DC superheroes more but the reason why his other run lasted 300 is because his universe was separate from the super heroes - he was unique. When you try to change him like this you might as well create a new character - or else you will have reboot after reboot after reboot and none of them will catch on.
The first volume wasn't great but it was readable, this one will be banished into comic book hell for how mediocre and poorly written it is. The final nail in its coffin was it couldn't even get its star artist to hang around until the end.
A GOOD story will have one part lead naturally to the next part and then to the next part. This one feels like the writers had their clever twist of an ending (when John pulls one over on a demon) and then were going to spend 6 issues having no idea how to get there. We start with John's old enemy Papa Midnight needing John's help because a demon has taken over his club (gee - wasn't that the same idea as the first issue?), so he takes Oliver (John's new lover) hostage and forces John to help. Aside from the fact "being friends with John means you are doomed" is a cliché by this point, it's a nice start to a story...but then it drags on, as we end up in Hell...and on...as a demon rescues John and he betrays her for no reason...and on...into Fairy land...and on...John begs Oliver to leave him and take care of his daughters...and on..to Hollywood...and on....Oliver pays the price for not listening (cliché!!) ...John pulls off the final con which landed like a thud instead of me thinking "how clever". And really? The final ending of Oliver? *eye roll* It's a character the writers desperately wanted us to like so we would care what happened to him but he was such a illogical character I couldn't even believe in him.
One final critique...the original run on Hellblazer lasted 300 issues...it had highs and lows but mostly it was a fun ride because MOST writers focused on John the con, John the flawed human - and the magic was used sparingly. This latest reboot (and future ones it seems) are turning him into Dr. Strange with a trench coat - too magical. That's a shame. Yes, it allows him to play with the DC superheroes more but the reason why his other run lasted 300 is because his universe was separate from the super heroes - he was unique. When you try to change him like this you might as well create a new character - or else you will have reboot after reboot after reboot and none of them will catch on.
The first volume wasn't great but it was readable, this one will be banished into comic book hell for how mediocre and poorly written it is. The final nail in its coffin was it couldn't even get its star artist to hang around until the end.
December 30, 2025
A weird mix of seeming like a potential improvement from the previous volume, and then sinking into more mundane.
This volume starts off seeming like it might be heading into an interesting direction, less about overcompensating for New 52 Constantine and more about forming its own character (even if the sudden move to L.A. really didn't work for me). That said, it jumps around a little, reminiscent of what happened with the previous one or two volumes of John's stories, where it was driven by crossovers that were not fully replicated in the trades, but here there isn't that excuse.
In the end, there is a lot of telling, but not a lot of showing. Constantine tells us about all of the mages brought in, about all of the effort expended, about what a big deal it all was... but we don't see any of it. It all just happened somewhere off-panel, and there is zero evidence of anything impressive occurring other than the reader being told that is was a big deal.
Similarly, Neron has gone throughout his incarnations at DC alternating between being scary demonic and just a supervillain, and somehow here he is less than everything before. He's just a pompous guy in a suit with silly hair, and, uh, trust us, he's a big deal, but he seems just silly.
In the previous volume, despite there being two authors, it seemed like Tynion IV was doing the writing. Now, we SEEM to transition to a very different, less mature writing, as though Doyle has taken over entirely. It isn't for the best. Sure, Constantine is allegedly being the classic conman... but not. It just doesn't have any real depth to it. Similarly, the art in this volume gets cartoony and more exaggerated, but not in a good, impressionistic way.
Get this to complete the story and series, but it just isn't very good. This entire volume of Constantine is just a surface illusion of edginess, while having no depth to it at all, and being caricature.
This volume starts off seeming like it might be heading into an interesting direction, less about overcompensating for New 52 Constantine and more about forming its own character (even if the sudden move to L.A. really didn't work for me). That said, it jumps around a little, reminiscent of what happened with the previous one or two volumes of John's stories, where it was driven by crossovers that were not fully replicated in the trades, but here there isn't that excuse.
In the end, there is a lot of telling, but not a lot of showing. Constantine tells us about all of the mages brought in, about all of the effort expended, about what a big deal it all was... but we don't see any of it. It all just happened somewhere off-panel, and there is zero evidence of anything impressive occurring other than the reader being told that is was a big deal.
Similarly, Neron has gone throughout his incarnations at DC alternating between being scary demonic and just a supervillain, and somehow here he is less than everything before. He's just a pompous guy in a suit with silly hair, and, uh, trust us, he's a big deal, but he seems just silly.
In the previous volume, despite there being two authors, it seemed like Tynion IV was doing the writing. Now, we SEEM to transition to a very different, less mature writing, as though Doyle has taken over entirely. It isn't for the best. Sure, Constantine is allegedly being the classic conman... but not. It just doesn't have any real depth to it. Similarly, the art in this volume gets cartoony and more exaggerated, but not in a good, impressionistic way.
Get this to complete the story and series, but it just isn't very good. This entire volume of Constantine is just a surface illusion of edginess, while having no depth to it at all, and being caricature.
March 17, 2017
Solid but not the highs of the last arc.
World: The art is fantastic when the main artist is on the book. It's good when the others are on it. This book is lovely to look at. The world building is also very solid with pieces from the series past and present coming into play and John being a good guide for the pieces of the DCU he lives in. A lot was touched upon setting up the stage for future stories...oh wait the series is over.
Story: I absolutely adored the Swamp Thing story, it was utterly fantastic as a one shot and I want more. The final arc was also solidly written with the stakes and emotions hitting their target. The tone was good the pacing spot on and the pieces for John to cheat and lie and steal making sense. I did find the end to be a but abrupt and a think 2-3 more pages would have done well, but overall it was a very solid story. Plus the end was very Hellblazer.
Characters: This creative team gets John. He's well fleshed out, this personal voice is strong, and he's able to tow the line between hating him and rooting for him. The rest of the cast of characters was also done well with Blyth, Oliver...and the rest. Good stuff.
I like this team and I think more issues would have been wonderful. Oh well, let's see what REBIRTH brings.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is fantastic when the main artist is on the book. It's good when the others are on it. This book is lovely to look at. The world building is also very solid with pieces from the series past and present coming into play and John being a good guide for the pieces of the DCU he lives in. A lot was touched upon setting up the stage for future stories...oh wait the series is over.
Story: I absolutely adored the Swamp Thing story, it was utterly fantastic as a one shot and I want more. The final arc was also solidly written with the stakes and emotions hitting their target. The tone was good the pacing spot on and the pieces for John to cheat and lie and steal making sense. I did find the end to be a but abrupt and a think 2-3 more pages would have done well, but overall it was a very solid story. Plus the end was very Hellblazer.
Characters: This creative team gets John. He's well fleshed out, this personal voice is strong, and he's able to tow the line between hating him and rooting for him. The rest of the cast of characters was also done well with Blyth, Oliver...and the rest. Good stuff.
I like this team and I think more issues would have been wonderful. Oh well, let's see what REBIRTH brings.
Onward to the next book!
May 11, 2022
Druga część eksperymentu na Constantine'ie, która ukazuje bohatera jako biseksualnego gościa, zagubionego nieco w relacjach z ludźmi, których potrzebuje, ale sama jego obecność stanowi też dla tych osób śmiertelne zagrożenie. Bo John lubi igrać ze złem, a takie igranie zazwyczaj kończy się tragicznie. Źli być może nie mogą sięgnąć po niego, ale sięgną po jego bliskich. I tak dzieje się tutaj.
John zadziera z siłami, z którymi zadzierać się nie opłaca. Końcowa wygrana jednak jest gorzka lub wręcz cierpka i przynosi konsekwencje działań z pierwszego tomu. A co my tu mamy? Elfy, dziwne światy, demony, różnorodną magię i okultyzm. Sentencja życia bohatera. Na plus zaliczę historię Olivera, która jest tragiczna i miejscami komiczna.
Riley Rossmo prezentuje nam plansze, do których mam ambiwalentne odczucia. Niestety tak jak poprzednio, tak i tutaj zdarzają się miejsca, gdzie całość wygląda zwyczajnie brzydko, nawet jeżeli staram się naprawdę docenić kunszt rysownika. Jednak koniec końców tego nie potrafię. Dlatego też ta niższa ocena niż dostał pierwszy tom. Był czymś świeżym. Tutaj ponownie mamy znany wachlarz zagrań i elementów towarzyszących postaci. A ja bym chciał, aby John zwyczajnie zjadł sobie śniadanie z tym gościem i przeżył spokojnie dzień.
Nie jest mu to jednak dane. Jak to zwykle przy tej postaci.
John zadziera z siłami, z którymi zadzierać się nie opłaca. Końcowa wygrana jednak jest gorzka lub wręcz cierpka i przynosi konsekwencje działań z pierwszego tomu. A co my tu mamy? Elfy, dziwne światy, demony, różnorodną magię i okultyzm. Sentencja życia bohatera. Na plus zaliczę historię Olivera, która jest tragiczna i miejscami komiczna.
Riley Rossmo prezentuje nam plansze, do których mam ambiwalentne odczucia. Niestety tak jak poprzednio, tak i tutaj zdarzają się miejsca, gdzie całość wygląda zwyczajnie brzydko, nawet jeżeli staram się naprawdę docenić kunszt rysownika. Jednak koniec końców tego nie potrafię. Dlatego też ta niższa ocena niż dostał pierwszy tom. Był czymś świeżym. Tutaj ponownie mamy znany wachlarz zagrań i elementów towarzyszących postaci. A ja bym chciał, aby John zwyczajnie zjadł sobie śniadanie z tym gościem i przeżył spokojnie dzień.
Nie jest mu to jednak dane. Jak to zwykle przy tej postaci.
July 6, 2019
This volume gives a bit of a grand tour, going from Dis to Faerie to Los Angeles, but it really gravitates around New York City, as John is dealing with broken promises and abandoned deals, and a demon who is taking over the city.
Constantine is his usual self, slipping his way from disaster to disaster, always half a step ahead of destruction, but managing to come out on top. And every action he takes leaves another broken promise (or broken body) on the ground behind him. It's something that takes its toll on him (in this volume specifically with Oliver), but even when he gives up, he doesn't really give up. The main plot is very strong, and some of the individual pieces (the Swamp Thing crossover, the visit to Faerie) are good as well. The art is a little weak - it's a bit light on detail in the later issues, but that's my only real complaint. It wasn't the longest lived series, but while it existed, it did its progenitor series proud.
Constantine is his usual self, slipping his way from disaster to disaster, always half a step ahead of destruction, but managing to come out on top. And every action he takes leaves another broken promise (or broken body) on the ground behind him. It's something that takes its toll on him (in this volume specifically with Oliver), but even when he gives up, he doesn't really give up. The main plot is very strong, and some of the individual pieces (the Swamp Thing crossover, the visit to Faerie) are good as well. The art is a little weak - it's a bit light on detail in the later issues, but that's my only real complaint. It wasn't the longest lived series, but while it existed, it did its progenitor series proud.
July 1, 2022
This concludes the run and continues and completes the story that began in the first trade. It’s more or less the same, but the art does change with just about ever issue, making for a pretty uneven visual experience. The other artists struggle to maintain the Saturday morning cartoon look created by Reilly Rosmo. I typically love Travel Forman’s work, but his distorted anatomy feels out of place here. The story continues to be a bit too silly, and John’s trademark clever solution is one of the more nonsensical in the character’s history. This run was an improvement over the previous one, but it’s still only for the completionists.
July 26, 2018
The second volume was a little better than the first. Constantine still doesn't look [physically] as big of a mess as he really is. Though he's still getting into the same big dumb situations due to his own big dumb decisions. It still feels like we're flying through certain adventures, reading through them just feels like we're going from point A to B to C really fast plot wise. I do like that the story itself is getting darker, much darker much quicker. That's what I was expecting.
So far it's getting a strong 3.7, but there's still quite a bit of room for improvement.
So far it's getting a strong 3.7, but there's still quite a bit of room for improvement.
October 8, 2024
It is extremely rare that I don’t finish a comic - this is one of those times. I wouldn’t necessarily say this is HORRIBLE story but it’s a Horrible Constantine story, much like if you order a salad and are served fried wontons- it just misses the point.
Not what I expect from a Constantine story- he’s too positive, too cheerful with no cheek and just doesn’t read like John Constantine - a reinvention that makes it feel less enjoyable and just so off. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it just doesn’t feel like Hellblazer at all.
Not what I expect from a Constantine story- he’s too positive, too cheerful with no cheek and just doesn’t read like John Constantine - a reinvention that makes it feel less enjoyable and just so off. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it just doesn’t feel like Hellblazer at all.
February 24, 2024
This is Constantine in top form. Dark, realistically human. And with a grim and disgusting background of demons. The Donald Trump references are a little on the nose - the demon king is orange, with ridiculous hair and says 'make hell great again'. But this came out before he was elected (bleaurgh), so people didn't realise that stating the obvious didn't work.
Disregarding that, some a well-developed through story that cuts you at the end.
Disregarding that, some a well-developed through story that cuts you at the end.
November 30, 2025
Doyle & Tynion's Constantine series ends here and it leans a little more into the DCU magical aspects and it was pretty good. There was a decent antagonist with a lame plot but some serious ramifications for John and his people. I sadly love that John's life always falls apart. I once again loved the dialogue here. The big bad here was too easily defeated. Riley Rossomo's art was really good for this series. Overall, another decent DC magical entry.
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