The Hellblazer: Rebirth (2016) #1

DC Universe: Rebirth

by Simon Oliver (Writer), Moritat (Illustrator/Colorist), Andre Szymanowicz (Colorist)

John Constantine’s lost weekend in New York City was fun, but London’s where his heart is—only a pissed-off demon and a curse on his soul stand in his way. Even Constantine’s questionable ethics are pushed to the limit when he puts eight million souls on the line to get what he wants…

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Comics Manga

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 20, 2016

About the author

Simon Oliver was hatched in South London in 1969. Since that date he has consistently strived for mediocrity in a number of fields of employment, from cooking at the legendary Hacienda Club of Manchester in the late 1980's, scuba diving instructor in the planet's more tropical climes, to a career as a camera assistant in Hollywood. With such a spotty and heterogeneous employment record is seemed only fitting that the comic book would industry welcome him with open arms in 2005 for his writing debut in THE EXTERMINATORS.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 2 out of 5]

(C+) 65% | Almost Satisfactory
Notes: Pretty pathetic, a Tumblr aesthetic, thinks it's smart (it's not), politically bent but just discontent: poor excuse for plot.

*Progress update

[Dr Rashmit Mishra · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK CAN WE PLEASE GIVE ALAN MOORE AND VERTIGO THE RIGHTS TO CONSTANTINE AGAIN ? PLEASE

This was sooo bad , even New 52 didn't do Constantine as bad as this was , i don't even know what to say about this , the story was jumbled up and things just happened out of nowhere with an annoying Ex Machina happening in the end and the actual demon killing part was absent coz apparently Simon Oliver thought that people would be more into listening Constantine through irrelevant and uninspiring PJ and not actually care about the actual Demon Ass Kicking ...

... hopefully Either things look up from next issues with more Ass Kicking action and funnier Jokes instead of all that was wrong here , or else just give Vertigo & Alan Moore their character back

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a massive fan of the art or the storyline, this character deserves to be back at Vertigo where someone can treat him with respect. The dragging storyline sunk this rebirth issue and basically felt like a coming home issue only. I'll probably look at the next issue for interest only, couldn't get much worse.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this "rebirth" of the character is a pretty good starting point...seeing as I'm coming to the comics only having read the first six issues of the old 80s version (after having had the t.v. show bring me to the comics)! Love this character and I hope this new set of comics will bring more fans into the fold.

I think the only problem I had with it was the cursing censorship. I understand *why* it was done...to bridge the gap to a wider audience...but Constantine is a grown-up comic series and he drinks, he smokes, he sleeps around, and he curses. He wasn't censored in the 80s and he shouldn't be now. There are plenty of other more "wholesome" comic book characters for the kiddies to enjoy. :) Skulls to replace the word "fuck" and pentacles to replace "shit"...really?! LOL!

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good! I like Constantine's attitude, and the magic seems pretty cool. I hope Swamp Thing shows up more.

[⋆ asya balmumcu · Rating 3 out of 5]

as much as I love Constantine's character the plot was too dispersed, would normally give a two but since it's my good old friend John and his character being fun to read I am raising a star.

[Solace Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with many on the art. It wasn't bad, obviously the artist knows what they are doing, but it was not quite my cup of tea. There is a Snickers/DC advertisement halfway through that had better art. Though, oddly, my favorite art take in this entire comic was the look they gave Wonder Woman. She looked like she was 19, though.

Now, for the story, it's a better telling of a tale of Constantine than the last comic ever did. The one I had to quit. But I'm not entirely sold. Maybe I'm expecting too much as a Constantine fan? This is a good read, though, and if it can up the pace a hair, and keep away from the narration, it could win me over.

[Marisa Carpico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar. So much fun and a perfect showcase of who the character is.

http://pop-break.com/2016/07/20/revie...

[mike andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reintroduction to John Constantine

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this John Constantine guy hes a nut.Also liked the fact that Wonder Woman,Shazam,and Swamp Thing made a appearance.

[Letande D'Argon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long story short - I liked it. A lot. I really do like the whole Rebirth stuff. But. First of all, artwork. I really hope that Moritat just tried to do something in John Ridgway way. To make it look a bit like the very first Hellblazer issue. But even if he did, he failed miserably. The whole issue looks awful. Like... fanart awful. And not even PIXIV fanart awful, no sir, Deviantart awful. Ew, ew and ew again. Hated artwork here. Simon Oliver's writing was really good, so, it's really sad to have good writing covered by such painfully bad artwork.

Second, don't expect it to be your good old Hellblazer. Technically, this issue will remind you about many classic events. Like what happened with John's father, for example, and, of course, Astra. But. It isn't Vertigo's Hellblazer. Instead, like many other Rebirth stuff, this one looks and feels more like The CW shows. Which, in this case, means much softer Constantine. For example, even though there are swearings, all of them are censored. Even the soft ones. And, of course, it won't be as bloody, dark and depressive as the original Vertigo series. Not so experimental and artistic too. Don't expect something like that Neil Gaiman story here.

And yet... I don't mind. Why? Well, the original Hellblazer was long enough. And we've got a lot of amazing issues there. Do I want more? Maybe. But I also won't mind having a comic series that feel more like great show that NBC started and killed way to early (#BringBackConstantine BTW). I like seeing Matt Ryin in The Legends of Tomorrow. And I totally don't mind something like it in comics. Should we call it Hellblazer Light? Sure. because that's what it is. But should we ignore it just because it isn't as dark, deep and artistic as the original Vertigo series? Don't think so. Yes, it's a pretty much bright and mainstream take on Hellblazer. But as long as writing is right, everything with John can be really enjoyable. Is writing right here? Yep. Should I say more, luv?

[Kash · Rating 3 out of 5]

It certainly feels much more "hellblazer" than the previous efforts since the character left Vertigo to got into the DC universe. I can't say I am an expert, but I certainly know enough about this character to tell there is a big difference from the Constantine of the new 52.
I have to say I fairly enjoyed the issues I read from Constantine: The Hellblazer, the previous series. I specially enjoyed the art and the fact it felt somewhat fresh, but there was something missing for sure.
Here, that thing missing is back. This feels much more like the old John Constantine. And I like that John Constantine. The overall style feels much more similar to that of the character -and first solo series- that people fell in love with so many years ago when it was created.
The art wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it certainly fit the style. The writing was fairly good. I expect that in the next few issues or during this new arc, that tone remains.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 stars

Constantine is cursed by a demon & he has a risky plan to lift the curse off of him that includes damning 8 million innocents souls if he fails. The demon makes Constantine an offer to save the one innocent soul that Constantine always wanted in exchange for London. The offer seems tempting, but a girl name Mercury shows up to help Constantine defeat the demon.

I liked Constantine's wit, but I would have liked more from the plot. Wonder Woman & Shazam were randomly in here talking to Swamp Thing... it was not needed.

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 - High stakes have never seemed so pedestrian as Hellblazer heads back to London to upend an old curse that kept him in the States, nearly dooming all of London’s residents in the process.

I historically don’t love the talky British sensibility of Hellblazer’s comics. Even if I set that aside for this issue, I never once felt like anything significant was at stake. Plus, it doesn’t really explain anything about Constantine, though it makes room for a useless scene of Wonder Woman brow-beating Shazam and Swamp Thing (probably the only scene in the book I loved).

Read More @ http://crushingkrisis.com/2017/01/dc-...

[Fenriz Angelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a die-hard fan of Hellblazer is nice to see DC going for a rebirth issue of the series. Let's be real, one need to be delusional to expected good old days Hellblazer, the past is in the past. I enjoyed this comic for what it is, they tried to bring sassy punk John back and it was close. The art...i'm not sure if i liked it at all, the colors aren't as vivid as your usual Hellblazer comic. My only disappointment is that the story didn't have much magickal action to put very dynamic panels on it, which is something Hellblazer rarely lacked.

[Norrin Shearer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man I expected to be way more interested in Constantine than I was. I was expecting something a bit flashier I think, but it seemed like he's a different sort of magician than I thought he'd be. He's funny, just wasn't as gripped by this introduction as I'd been for others, and this was one I was looking forward to.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smashing introduction to a very underrated DC Comics "superhero"!

This one-0ff combined with the short-lived television series is now making me seek out the original Hellblazer run from the 80's.

Check out this issue if you like supernatural comics and wise-ass heroes similar to Ash Williams.

[Abu Syed sajib · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hellblazer is back but sadly not with a bang.The story was not fascinating for a series starter.The silver lining is, we get to see the glimpse of good old John.Let's see how the series develops...

[Tania Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I like the older comics better, but I'll probably still continue this series.

[Simon Lee (Simon's Bookstagram) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dull

[Meryem · Rating 3 out of 5]

O kadar uzun zamandir baslamak isteyip erteliyordum ki iyi başlangıç olmus

[shania · Rating 1 out of 5]

first time reading a constantine comic, not interesting enough to get issue #2

[A]

Why are you doing this to me DC? Why? This is the third reboot in like three years, and I legitimately liked CtH, if you simply HAD to have John on DC for whatever mysterious reason, it had humor and good art at least . What is this? Justice League ties and generic art? Didn't we just do that in the New 52 release?

I miss you Vertigo, where the swearing can roam free. (sniff)

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Hellblazer: Rebirth #1' by Simon Oliver with art by Moritat doesn't have the classic art or author for this title, which may be tough for some, but I found it to be not too bad.

The book starts with a flashback to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the start of World War I, then moves forward in time where John C. is paying back a favor to an unusual friend. John is back where he wants to be and all would seem right with the world. Except to another old acquaintance who is none to happy to see Constantine. Then there is the matter of 8 million lives on the line...

The art is an interesting choice for this, but I like it. It's definitely not the same as when it was on Vertigo. I'm okay with that. Things do change. There are different eras and writers for characters. This one is just getting started. Not much happens here, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

I received a review copy of this issue from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this comic book.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a decent introduction to Constantine, alluding to his past. This issue made it seem like Constantine wasn't being written as a big enough ass-hole to be satisfying, but I guess we'll see as the series progresses. There's a two-page interlude that was unnecessary to the plot with Shazam, Wonder Woman, and Swamp Thing just to remind us that this title is supposed to include Swamp Thing, since a significant number of readers is probably interested in this Hellblazer title in part because of the promise of Swamp Thing. I was really underwhelmed with the art. There wasn't anything special about the layouts or visual story-telling; the female character literally were hard to tell apart; and the line-work wasn't compelling enough for me to take the Laughing Man seriously as a monster.

[John Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I did not like this book
at all
I am a longtime John Constantine fan
and I do not like what has been done to him
in recent years in the DCU
this story started off as more of the same
rehashed story by
Comic Book Writer #12
yet another hack who did
only got the superficial
elements of Constantine
Then I gave it another go
and while not perfect
I enjoyed it
as with all the REBIRTH books
this is trying to give new readers
a jumping on point
and backstory
never a fan of literary hand holding
I always jump in and if I
cannot suss out the story
then I really wasn't meant to
read it
BUUUUTTTT
I can see how years of
back story can be off putting

All that said
This is a good start to
a new run
Constantine returns to London
and has perhaps become the
bastard conman he was always meant to be

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good "coming home" issue for the Hellblazer, but did we really need it? The most recent James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle's run of 'Constantine: The Hellblazer' had a decent formula of cheeky humor & intrigue. The Rebirth of the series has led to the morally ambiguous character we know & adore from his Vertigo past, but he feels restrained by a more sanitized DC editorial style. As first issues go, this one has a great deal of promise. Hopefully, we will get a chance to see John Constantine stretch his legs in his old stomping grounds & we will see how far the series will push the limits.

[Eugene Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5 stars. Art was very eh. But John Constantine is as shitty and funny as ever and isn't that the only reason you're reading this? Go, shitty heroes, woooooo. And damn, John broke the fourth wall in those last few panels there, pretty cool. Then again, I guess it's to be expected, it's John friggin' Constantine, after all.

[Lorena R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh to this Hellblazer. The art is not the best, the story is not the best, I mean, I'm glad he's back in London but this number was kind of boring... I liked way better the Constantine of The New 52, at least the art was amazing. This is not bad, but is not good either... I'll wait to judge this new era, but the first impression was not so great. :(

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. I feel like the writing was about what I was looking for, but the art is very much not my style.

I'll give the regular series #1 a chance and see where it goes.