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Hellblazer: New Editions
Hellblazer, Vol. 23: No Future
Constantine lives up to his true punk calling in No Future!
Constantine reluctantly becomes embroiled in a group of anarchic punks who worship a powerful effigy of Sid Vicious. Complicating matters further is an alchemist and a violent group of extreme political fixers. Collects Hellblazer #261-266, Hellblazer Special: Papa Midnite #1-5, Hellblazer: Pandemonium.
Constantine reluctantly becomes embroiled in a group of anarchic punks who worship a powerful effigy of Sid Vicious. Complicating matters further is an alchemist and a violent group of extreme political fixers. Collects Hellblazer #261-266, Hellblazer Special: Papa Midnite #1-5, Hellblazer: Pandemonium.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
13 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Peter Milligan
1,301 books391 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.
He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.
His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.
Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).
Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.
He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.
His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.
Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).
Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 12, 2020
John goes globe trotting again, with an ill-fated trip to India on the cards before a (triumphant?) return to London brings him face to face with his punk rock past. Then, Pandemonium reigns in an original graphic novel, before Papa Midnite takes the stage in his own mini-series.
There's very little of the actual Hellblazer ongoing in this volume, with only six issues collected. That's not to say that there's not a lot of content, just that it's mostly Hellblazer-adjacent.
The four part India story feels like an epilogue for what went on in the previous volume, as John searches for absolution in an effort to resurrect his latest dead love interest. I'm sure there's a lot of commentary about colonialism and the effect Britain has had on India, but I do feel like Peter Milligan might not be the best person to tell the tale (since he's a white English dude). Giuseppe Camuncoli's artwork is, as always, excellent however. He and Marcelo Frusin draw my favourite John.
The following two parter, No Future, feels much more up Milligan's alley since it's about the punk rock scene and the evil of the Conservative Party. Also oddly apt in today's climate. This story could probably have used one more issue to flesh out the ending a little more, but it does the job. Frequent cover artist Simon Bisley drops in to guest pencil these issues, and it's all very Juan Ferreyra (or I guess Ferreyra is very Bisley, but whatever).
Next is the Pandemonium OGN, by original series writer Jamie Delano, with art by Jock. Dear lord, what a slog. This is a two part story, at least, dragged out to over 100 pages, and I could not wait for it to be over by the time it got there. It's a straight forward Constantine story, with very few twists that you won't see coming, which would be fine if it was shorter, but dragged out to the degree it is does not help it in the slightest. The art's fine, which is disappointing by Jock's standards - the colours are especially disappointing, since we go from BLUE to ORANGE to RED back to ORANGE back to BLUE because literally everything is one colour and it gets old fast.
Finally, there's the five part Papa Midnite mini-series, by Mat Johnson with art by Tony Akins. This serves as a flashback origin for Midnite, who has been missing from the Hellblazer series for quite a while (and returns with a brand new look here). It's uncomfortable to read at times given the subject matter, but it's got a good grounding, and the present day storyline manages to rope Constantine himself in for a few laughs as well. It probably didn't need to be five issues, but it's certainly less bloated than Pandemonium so it gets props for that. Akin's art is serviceable but nothing out of the ordinary - there are a few great splash pages in the fourth issue of note, but that's about it.
No Future is great when it's Hellblazer itself, even if the subject matter can feel a bit dated. The supplementary material however leaves a lot to be desired, with an overblown OGN filling out half the page count. Not the best Hellblazer volume overall, but that's likely because it's hardly Hellblazer at all.
There's very little of the actual Hellblazer ongoing in this volume, with only six issues collected. That's not to say that there's not a lot of content, just that it's mostly Hellblazer-adjacent.
The four part India story feels like an epilogue for what went on in the previous volume, as John searches for absolution in an effort to resurrect his latest dead love interest. I'm sure there's a lot of commentary about colonialism and the effect Britain has had on India, but I do feel like Peter Milligan might not be the best person to tell the tale (since he's a white English dude). Giuseppe Camuncoli's artwork is, as always, excellent however. He and Marcelo Frusin draw my favourite John.
The following two parter, No Future, feels much more up Milligan's alley since it's about the punk rock scene and the evil of the Conservative Party. Also oddly apt in today's climate. This story could probably have used one more issue to flesh out the ending a little more, but it does the job. Frequent cover artist Simon Bisley drops in to guest pencil these issues, and it's all very Juan Ferreyra (or I guess Ferreyra is very Bisley, but whatever).
Next is the Pandemonium OGN, by original series writer Jamie Delano, with art by Jock. Dear lord, what a slog. This is a two part story, at least, dragged out to over 100 pages, and I could not wait for it to be over by the time it got there. It's a straight forward Constantine story, with very few twists that you won't see coming, which would be fine if it was shorter, but dragged out to the degree it is does not help it in the slightest. The art's fine, which is disappointing by Jock's standards - the colours are especially disappointing, since we go from BLUE to ORANGE to RED back to ORANGE back to BLUE because literally everything is one colour and it gets old fast.
Finally, there's the five part Papa Midnite mini-series, by Mat Johnson with art by Tony Akins. This serves as a flashback origin for Midnite, who has been missing from the Hellblazer series for quite a while (and returns with a brand new look here). It's uncomfortable to read at times given the subject matter, but it's got a good grounding, and the present day storyline manages to rope Constantine himself in for a few laughs as well. It probably didn't need to be five issues, but it's certainly less bloated than Pandemonium so it gets props for that. Akin's art is serviceable but nothing out of the ordinary - there are a few great splash pages in the fourth issue of note, but that's about it.
No Future is great when it's Hellblazer itself, even if the subject matter can feel a bit dated. The supplementary material however leaves a lot to be desired, with an overblown OGN filling out half the page count. Not the best Hellblazer volume overall, but that's likely because it's hardly Hellblazer at all.
March 28, 2021
I'll confess, the Hellblazer series has been, overall, consistently good throughout it's long run; there are some authors and artists I prefer over others, but this is the first time I feel underwhelmed by one of these collections. This was a little bit of a let-down as we get towards the ultimate end of the series.
(Maybe part of that is because there's only 6 actual Hellblazer issues collected in this large volume; while I appreciate them collecting all the Hellblazer-related material, and I generally enjoy the tangential tie-ins, the supplemental stuff here left me generally cold.)
Moving to VOlume 24 (the most recent volume in print as I write this), which then leaves 2 volumes in the saga left to be printed.
(Maybe part of that is because there's only 6 actual Hellblazer issues collected in this large volume; while I appreciate them collecting all the Hellblazer-related material, and I generally enjoy the tangential tie-ins, the supplemental stuff here left me generally cold.)
Moving to VOlume 24 (the most recent volume in print as I write this), which then leaves 2 volumes in the saga left to be printed.
August 22, 2021
I finished this twenty-third compiled edition of Hellblazer a while ago but couldn’t talk myself into doing any write up for the longest time. Call it the pandemic. Call it near-vegetating in a comfortable yet despairingly dull existence. Call it the sea of sameness that life in 2021, for some, has become. All of this is on me, as this book is actually damned good, but these reviews are becoming increasingly lackluster and any gratification is harder to come by. It certainly feels, at times, like this is just going through the motions.
Which is great, given how cheery John Constantine stories are, right?
But no, the end, so to speak, is looming ever-nearer -Vertigo-cum-DC have announced they will publish the last edition of the original run, volume 26, in March of 2022- and I will review that one, dammit.
Again, the story, writing, ink, coloring, and artwork in general is the high caliber stuff we’ve all come to expect. And for a nineties reader such as myself (late to the eighties game and abandoned the series way before it wrapped up in the late 2000s) it’s certainly been a hell of a ride.
Damned, dammit, hell of a ride. See what I mean by going through the motions?
But no. Again. This is a great compendium, crafted brilliantly once again by Peter Milligan. With great stand ins by veteran Hellblazer Jamie Delano. And colabs by Matt Johnson, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Simon Bisley, Jock, and Tony Akins.
We start right after Phoebe’s demise in volume 23, with John giving it the shot in the Indian subcontinent. And therein lies most of this edition’s innovation- Constantine has always been global and some chapters/monthlies feature a jetlagged street sorcerer up to no good. This tome, however is almost all-international-John.
He knows India won’t solve his conundrum, despite a cameo and support by Epiphany Greaves. We all knew that, best-case, we’d never see Phoebe again. That is somewhat quickly established to lead the way to Djinns even Salman Rushdie wouldn’t have been able to imagine. The artwork is at its peak in the “India” arc (four monthlies), as topics ranging from Imperial “White Man’s Burden” to the caste system to Bollywood sexploitation are given a deft treatment.
Then we’re off to London for the two issues that give the compilation its name, with a somewhat-resurrected Sid Vicious has a say in contemporary British politics.
Then it’s Pandemonium: John’s reluctantly (we know from the get go it won’t end well for his recruiters) made to help the CIA and MI5 in Iraq. This is one of many pinnacles of Hellblazer storytelling. Clocking in at over 120 pages, this is high art graphic novel; historical, political and military criticism; turn-the-page drama and action; gruesome violence both super and unnatural; and a fitting tale of revenge. A casual -and even a non-reader of Constantine would “get” this novella within the broader arc. Satisfying, tight, with minimalistic art, you feel you’re sweating and suffering in the desert.
The volume wraps up with a gem: Papa Midnite’s origin story. John shows up but Papa’s the protagonist in thus five-chapter arc that begins in current day New York, jumps back to pre-revolutionary Manhattan, and features many other locations and spurious, evil, vile, treacherous characters. As typical in Hellblazer, plot, street smarts, more than one double-cross, and unholy (but earthly) alliances weigh in heavier than magic. But plenty of magic is there to be had as well.
So that’s it. A well-balanced, international tale that moralizes on the side of the disenfranchised. I’d say it’d make Jamie Delano proud, but he was part of it.
Which is great, given how cheery John Constantine stories are, right?
But no, the end, so to speak, is looming ever-nearer -Vertigo-cum-DC have announced they will publish the last edition of the original run, volume 26, in March of 2022- and I will review that one, dammit.
Again, the story, writing, ink, coloring, and artwork in general is the high caliber stuff we’ve all come to expect. And for a nineties reader such as myself (late to the eighties game and abandoned the series way before it wrapped up in the late 2000s) it’s certainly been a hell of a ride.
Damned, dammit, hell of a ride. See what I mean by going through the motions?
But no. Again. This is a great compendium, crafted brilliantly once again by Peter Milligan. With great stand ins by veteran Hellblazer Jamie Delano. And colabs by Matt Johnson, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Simon Bisley, Jock, and Tony Akins.
We start right after Phoebe’s demise in volume 23, with John giving it the shot in the Indian subcontinent. And therein lies most of this edition’s innovation- Constantine has always been global and some chapters/monthlies feature a jetlagged street sorcerer up to no good. This tome, however is almost all-international-John.
He knows India won’t solve his conundrum, despite a cameo and support by Epiphany Greaves. We all knew that, best-case, we’d never see Phoebe again. That is somewhat quickly established to lead the way to Djinns even Salman Rushdie wouldn’t have been able to imagine. The artwork is at its peak in the “India” arc (four monthlies), as topics ranging from Imperial “White Man’s Burden” to the caste system to Bollywood sexploitation are given a deft treatment.
Then we’re off to London for the two issues that give the compilation its name, with a somewhat-resurrected Sid Vicious has a say in contemporary British politics.
Then it’s Pandemonium: John’s reluctantly (we know from the get go it won’t end well for his recruiters) made to help the CIA and MI5 in Iraq. This is one of many pinnacles of Hellblazer storytelling. Clocking in at over 120 pages, this is high art graphic novel; historical, political and military criticism; turn-the-page drama and action; gruesome violence both super and unnatural; and a fitting tale of revenge. A casual -and even a non-reader of Constantine would “get” this novella within the broader arc. Satisfying, tight, with minimalistic art, you feel you’re sweating and suffering in the desert.
The volume wraps up with a gem: Papa Midnite’s origin story. John shows up but Papa’s the protagonist in thus five-chapter arc that begins in current day New York, jumps back to pre-revolutionary Manhattan, and features many other locations and spurious, evil, vile, treacherous characters. As typical in Hellblazer, plot, street smarts, more than one double-cross, and unholy (but earthly) alliances weigh in heavier than magic. But plenty of magic is there to be had as well.
So that’s it. A well-balanced, international tale that moralizes on the side of the disenfranchised. I’d say it’d make Jamie Delano proud, but he was part of it.
March 14, 2022
A great collection of stories by different teams. India by Milligan and Camuncoli continues the narrative of the ongoing series, and it’s solid. I’m not sure how well it would stand up to an Indian reader or someone more informed on the culture, but I thought it was pretty respectful and entertaining. No Future is a fun little story with great art from Simon Beasley. Pandemonium written by returning Jamie Delano with art by Jock is the highlight. It feels very much in line with Delano’s original run and does quite a lot with the War on Terror. The last story that focuses on Papa Midnight is probably the weakest but still good. It does a pretty good job of revamping, updating, and correcting the character and some of the stereotypical elements of his original appearances. The story is a little clunky, but it tackles some difficult topics with some nuance.
April 2, 2021
I love seeing John run down, then trying to midlife crisis back into his punk rock days.
I particularly enjoyed his love interests in this book. They challenged him in ways I enjoyed, and it was nice to not have everything end up awful for them for once. At least for now.
I particularly enjoyed his love interests in this book. They challenged him in ways I enjoyed, and it was nice to not have everything end up awful for them for once. At least for now.
April 12, 2022
An interesting collection. Constantine in India, looking for purity. Punk and the Conservatives. Nergal and Bast’s … cousin, maybe? And Papa Midnite backstory. A lot of leaning on the past, but neat stories.
Full review:
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2022/04/11/...
Full review:
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2022/04/11/...
December 31, 2020
Constantine fights a demon in India, gets in touch with his punk roots, and plays cards with gods and demons in the Middle East. Not my favorite collection, but it's decent Hellblazer.
Read
November 3, 2021Three parts to this volume. First we get six issues of Hellblazer proper by Milligan. John goes to India in an effort to resurrect Phoebe, with Epiphany following him there and helping thwart a demon causing trouble. This is a solid, well-paced story that, while predictable, moves Epiphany's plot along nicely. The second arc deals with John's punk days and the spirit of Sid Vicious against conservatives. I see what Milligan is doing here, but it didn't fully come together for me.
Next up is the "Pandemonium" graphic novel by Jamie Delano and Jock. I really liked this one. It's very dark, as with most of Delano's Hellblazer, but I love how he writes John. The moral greys, the black humor, the fiendishly clever plot against a demon... it's all here. War-torn Iraq is an interesting setting too, and the ending is totally satisfying. Occasionally it gets wordy, but Delano is a smart writer so I didn't mind.
The Papa Midnite series is the last part of the book. Papa Midnite has been absent for a long time in Hellblazer, and I can't say he's exactly been missed. I could take or leave this story. It mostly takes place in 1700s New York, showing his gruesome origin. He's making some sort of power play in the present and encounters Constantine. Eh, it's okay.
Next up is the "Pandemonium" graphic novel by Jamie Delano and Jock. I really liked this one. It's very dark, as with most of Delano's Hellblazer, but I love how he writes John. The moral greys, the black humor, the fiendishly clever plot against a demon... it's all here. War-torn Iraq is an interesting setting too, and the ending is totally satisfying. Occasionally it gets wordy, but Delano is a smart writer so I didn't mind.
The Papa Midnite series is the last part of the book. Papa Midnite has been absent for a long time in Hellblazer, and I can't say he's exactly been missed. I could take or leave this story. It mostly takes place in 1700s New York, showing his gruesome origin. He's making some sort of power play in the present and encounters Constantine. Eh, it's okay.
August 31, 2024
Tonto y antisistema, como debe ser Hellblazer. La quintaesencia del punk rock. Me encantaron los issues de Papa Midnite (muy por encima de los anteriores) y los de "No future" (cómo decir "ya no sos igual / ya no sos igual / sos un vigilante y Tori de mierda" en unas páginas nostálgicas). La trama de La India me pareció meh por lo desapovechado de su mitología. "Pandemonium" el segundo punto más alto, donde Hellblazer recupera su ambigüedad moral bien fuerte con un tema geopolítico que otra persona podría haber tratado de forma medio pelotuda. No me convenció cómo está tratado el tema de que John es un viejo choto, lo cual un poco me irrita porque claramente es un tema sobre el que pivotean los argumentos de este último tramo.
Lindo tomo.
Lindo tomo.
March 14, 2025
Hellblazer vol 23.
This collects issues 261 until 266 and the mini series Papa Midnight. I had this trade for a while but was not really in a hurry to read it. Because i cant seem to find the next trade ! I have been collecting these for awhile and all of a sudden they are OOP or out of print. Such a shame! Really hope DC/Vertigo picks reprints these because i want to continue this great series.
This collects issues 261 until 266 and the mini series Papa Midnight. I had this trade for a while but was not really in a hurry to read it. Because i cant seem to find the next trade ! I have been collecting these for awhile and all of a sudden they are OOP or out of print. Such a shame! Really hope DC/Vertigo picks reprints these because i want to continue this great series.
December 2, 2022
So, they renumbered and repackaged some of this. I am going back and reading the ones that I didn't get all of. That means some rereading of stuff that I have read. Sometimes this is a blessing. This time, the extras packaged were worth it.
The main story that I was following fills in a big hole in my previous pass, so all in all this was a decent volume. Not much more to say .
The main story that I was following fills in a big hole in my previous pass, so all in all this was a decent volume. Not much more to say .
November 8, 2023
A mixed bag of side-stories.
I'm not going to lie, the stories were just ok, nothing major.
The punk story felt incomplete and the live interest was not very good.
The artwork is so-so too. Get this one only if it is discounted.
I'm not going to lie, the stories were just ok, nothing major.
The punk story felt incomplete and the live interest was not very good.
The artwork is so-so too. Get this one only if it is discounted.
November 10, 2025
Another underwhelming instalment in the series unfortunately. The stories that bookend the Pandemonium graphic novel are actually really entertaining, but that middle section just dragged the book down for me.
September 25, 2021
Constantine travels to India & Iraq in this volume.
May 24, 2022
Much like its previous volume, its a fun read, but the characterization is well off.
Artwork remains very good.
Artwork remains very good.
December 8, 2022
I dug the main stories by Milligan but didn't really need the Papa Midnite story.
April 26, 2023
Great art. The stories were a little mixed but overall enjoyable.
October 8, 2023
The rating is for the last two arcs. The Milligan stuff was trash.
July 24, 2024
I just love the Constantine stories. Even if he is a scally.
September 11, 2024
The “India” and “Pandemonium” stories were the best. “No Futures” was meh and the Papa midnight origin story started off well but kinda crashed in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2024
Took me a while to finish this one but I finally did it.
It was great by the end, the first story not so much because the art wasn't as good.
It was great by the end, the first story not so much because the art wasn't as good.
October 9, 2020
I really liked the first story arc, but the last one wasn't good at all.
March 16, 2023
Otra vez tenemos dos números dibujados como los dioses por Simon Bisley, quien recibe (otra vez) los mejores guiones de Milligan, totalmente prendido fuego. Otro punto alto de este volumen es la novela gráfica de la dupla Delano-Jock.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews