John Constantine: Hellblazer, Vol. 2: The Best Version of You

John Constantine: Hellblazer

by Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell (Illustrator), Matías Bergara (Illustrator)

John Contantine, Hellblazer, is back! As one of DC's and the Sandman Universe's most iconic characters, he is just as you remember him, in volume two of this brand-new series!
In London, John Constantine is up to his usual antics. The adventures continue, quite dark and still twisted. Will he protect a group of British fishermen from an ancient merwoman? Or stop a disgraced royal from unleashing a bloodthirsty horror? There's really only one way to find out...

The original Constantine is back in this series from Si Spurrier (The Dreaming) and Aaron Campbell (Infidel), collecting John Constantine: Hellblazer #7-12.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Dc Comics, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2021

Reviews

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second and final collection of the Sandman Universe's Hellblazer is exactly what you want it to be, and everything you wish it wasn't.

As John travels all over London on the tail of his mysterious doppleganger, the truth behind him comes to light in some horrific ways. While the early part of the volume is mostly one and done or short two part stories, they all have a throughline that ties them together, not to mention Si Spurrier's trademark sarcasm and biting wit that flows out of John's mouth like it was born to be there.

It all culminates in a final two part story that closes down this phase of the story with more than a few great reveals, all of which contribute to the horrible realisation that the series is over and we're never going to get to see them play out even with the bumper sized page count for the final issue.

Aaron Campbell bookends this volume by drawing the opening and closing stories, while Mattias Bergara reunites with Spurrier once again for the middle two issues. They're a proven art team, and Campbell's early 90s Vertigo style is the perfect fit for this book as he has been since it started.

Books this good deserve better than this, they really do. Seeing the back of this one really hurts, because not only was it fantastic, but it had so much more story to tell. As John would put it - what an absolute fucking travesty.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read not a lot of the pre-New 52 Hellblazer, upon reading the relaunched series, written by Simon Spurrier and illustrated by Aaron Campbell, this feels like a return-to-form for the beloved creation that is the Liverpudlian street magician, John Constantine. Set in the present-day 2019, where he feels like a fish-out-of-water, Constantine roams the streets of London, where he confronts supernatural horrors that seem to be rooted from different facets of hate, a narrative that continues in this second and final volume of the run.

The first two issues focus on Constantine investigating an unconventional love story between a mermaid and a poor British fisherman, who is trying to rid the competition that is the French out of their waters. Poetic and tragic, Spurrier explores how someone can exploit another’s love for their own personal gain and what happens when one’s love served its purpose.

Considering the xenophobia that runs through the arc, there is also the sense that Constantine hates humanity in general and certainly through his own comics history, he can be seen as an anti-hero. As the predominant artist of the book, Aaron Campbell – along with colourist Jordie Bellaire – presents a bleak atmosphere through scratchy illustrations that fits well with the fantasy horror that has defined Hellblazer.

The third issue marks the return of Matías Bergara, who again along with Bellaire, has a brighter palette compared to Campbell’s, but that doesn’t negate the need to show some truly disturbing visuals, such as a horse exploding its guts to reveal a distorted black unicorn. However, what is perhaps more horrific is that the issue is an exploration of the horrors committed by those in power behind closed doors. In light of movements such as Me Too, the subject matter is absolutely relevant, through Constantine does have the final say against those awful people and it’s glorious.

Issue #8 marks the return of a familiar face, which is the older Constantine, whose plan finally starts to come into focus as he confronts his younger self. This issue is once again drawn by Bergara, who beautifully mixes the fantasy and the reality together with a lot of the pages, whilst evoking other DC titles such as The Sandman with a stunning splash page of the Dreaming. Spurrier also does a brilliant job of showing how different the two versions of Constantine are through their dialogue, as well as showing how messed up our protagonists.

The sad thing about John Constantine: Hellblazer is that DC cancelled it after twelve issues, due to a certain pandemic. And thus its premature conclusion is felt within the final two issues, in which the older Constantine sets his plan in motion and how does the younger one resolve the conflict. I won’t go into the spoilers, but along with the other established characters from this run, you do get the sense that Spurrier can rush all the arcs before the book ends, which doesn’t feel so much a sense of closure, but just stops.

All twelve issues of this run are worth reading, from Simon Spurrier’s strong characterisation to Aaron Campbell’s moody artwork, but clearly this creative team had more stories to tell, but what we got instead, it was a glorious return for the true John Constantine.

[Clint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad to see the back half of this prematurely cancelled series still manages to pay off what the first arc setup for a much longer run. The fact that it’s so good makes the oblivious Warner corporate shuffling that led to its demise that much more tragic and frustrating, but thank god what got published is so great.

Spurrier has been one of my favorite comic writers in recent years, and these issues make an argument for putting him at the very top. He writes weird and fantastical stories that are so natural at showing and not telling, focusing on memorably inventive characters I can’t help but find charming and wickedly humorous. There’s definitely a daring edge to a lot of these stories, but I never feel like he’s being edgy or provocative just for the sake of it. He also has an uncommon talent for suffusing his comic stories with a heartfelt progressive spirit that never feels preachy or rooted in a specific partisan battle of the moment.

The stories here include a mermaid 2-parter, a unicorn one-off, and then a mind blowing 3 issue wrap-up to the series’s overarching story, all alongside a thoughtful take on Brexit and a humorous allusion to Prince Andrew’s real-life ties to Epstein. Campbell draws most of the issues in his fittingly rough and scratchy style, but importantly keeps each scene perfectly comprehensible instead of devolving to overwhelming scrawls like some similarly drawn books do. Bergara draws the middle two issues and lightens the mood with his more playfully cartoony style that I love. Bellaire colors every issue here with her usually adept choices.

[Frédéric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a shame the series was cancelled. We were rightly back on tracks with the original run with social comments, sarcasm and irony, guilt, fear and downright horror.
At least Spurrier managed to decently close his run, leaving doors open for later I hope.

Any fan of the original series must have a looksee on this one.
Lest the Devil comes for you.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Зверски добра графична новела, в която сценарият на Саймън Спъриър по скромното ми мнение достигна висотите на творба от Клайв Баркър, а няколко привидно рехаво споени истории в крайна сметка се увенчаваха с великолепен и разтърсващ финал. Имаме съвременна трактовка на приказката за рибаря и русалката, мярка се персонаж – прототип на бившия принц Андрю, херцог на Йорк, загубил кралските си титли, заради сексскандала около Джефри Епстийн, изобщо – абсолютна благина… Артът на двамата художници също ми допадна, но рисунките на Арън Кембъл бяха доста "по-хорър" от тези на Матиас Бергара и изпъкнаха с едни гърди напред в личната ми класация.

[Popcar2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great series, but it never quite reached its potential and the story was disjointed at times. The one-offs were good, but just didn't wrap around the main plot like I was hoping. All things considered, Simon Spurrier wraps up the story surprisingly well considering it suddenly got canceled when it was meant to be a long-running series.
DC Comics disappoints everyone once again with its poor management...

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really the only worthwhile comic to come from this whole re-ordered Sandman universe, and a book that does the Hellblazer name justice. Spurrier was born to write this character and the artwork throughout is consistently strong. So what does DC do? They cancel it...

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite version of Constantine. This series was amazing overall. But volume 2 is the best of the run in my opinion. Hands down one of my favorite trades out there

[Gavin Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

That conclusion...! It opens everything up and DC go and fucking cancel the series.
Jesus. Such potential.
This has been the best ongoing I've read in years, and I hate that it ended. Incredible stuff.

[Max's Comic Reviews and Lists · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted Glass of Wine
Like the last volume, this was solid. Simon Spurrier has proven himself a fantastic Constantine writer. Although still in the shadow of Delano and Ennis, I prefer Spurrier’s stories a lot more than Mike Carey’s. Even tho these stories are very politically charged, that to me is classic Hellblazer. I know a lot of comic fans who can’t get into Hellblazer through Original Sins. And to that I say, this is definitely not a good run to start with. If you don’t like Original Sins this is just as acquired of a taste. But I’m just speaking generally here. If you’re a Hellblazer fan this is a very compelling run. DC’s black label was meant to be an avenue for mature readers. And if I remember correctly they kicked it off with the very tame Superman Year One. Well holy shit. This THIS is black label material. Even tho I’ve seen worse from the Ennis era, this was brutal. Brutal and uncomfortable.
The conclusion, This Sceptred Isle is the best Hellblazer finale I’ve read in quite sometime. It’s no Dangerous Habits or Haunted, but after all the puzzle pieces from the previous stories come together, it hit. It hit good. John Constantine’s grimy legacy has been layered even more by this run and that’s the best praise I can give it.
Aaron Campbell rocks man. He is the Alex Maleev of this era of Hellblazer. His gritty and messy style is so perfect for this run and I wish he had drawn all of it.
Grade: (B+)

Stories Ranked:
1. This Sceptred Isle,
2. Quiet
3. The Green and Pleasant Land
4. Britannia Rule the Waves
5. The Wake Up Call
6. Scrubbing Up
7. The Best Version of You
8. Bad Influence
9. The Favourite

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this series was picking up a bit at the end of the first volume but this one just seemed like a bit of a mess. I'm not sure if the author was originally planning to draw this story out more or what but the last four issues here seemed to just rush through to the end. The first two issues with the mermaid were pretty good though.

[Eni Gajanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nakon drugog toma i najbrutalnije scene sa divom (ne bih da otkrivam više da ne pokvarim užitak) mogu da kažem da je ovo jedno remek - delo političke filozofije i sirovo sagledavanje savremenog društva u stripu. Stvarnost sa licem užasa.

Ovo je jedna mračna, sirova, brutalna i tamna priča protkana sjajnim humorom sa moralno sivim likovima bez jasne podele na dobro i zlo, što se meni jako dopada. Spurijer nam je u ovom stripu priredio pogled na našu teskobnu stvarnost. Od rasizma, ksenofobije, trulog krivičnog zakonodavstva do klimavosti ”velikih ideja” koje nam prodaju političari koristeći jezik mržnje zarad nekoliko minuta moći i eksploatacije sopstvene zemlje.

Pored Konstantina će vam se pod kožu uvući sjajni likovi poput meni omiljene, opasne i inteligentne Nat❤, Tomija hipstera koji meditacijom razbija zlikovce😁, Nou koji je oličenje dečaka koji odrastaju u sirom

Ovaj strip bih preporučila starijim tinejdžerima i odraslim stripadžijama koji su već navikli na tamno i bizarno jer su neke scene zaista brutalne kao i jezik koji Spurijer koristi.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Spurrier é um daquele roteiristas em que os quadrinhos que você lê dele rendem pelo menos um sorriso de uma boa sacada narrativa. Foi assim no primeiro volume de John Constantine: Hellblazer que faz parte da iniciativa O Universo de Sandman e também foi neste segundo e (acho que) último volume da série. Neste encadernado, Spurrier traz algumas novas visões sobre lendas como a das sereias, dos unicórnios, dos gigantes amorfos, com uma pegada bastante macabra e de horror, trivial das histórias de John Constantine. As artes de Aaron Campbell e de Matías Vergara trazem essa dimensão suja, sombria e de assombração necessária para complementar uma trama de terror bem orquestrada. Contudo o arco final de duas histórias, ao meu ver, não me pareceu tão bem resolvido quanto as histórias iniciais, mesmo assim ele traz alguns momentos importante e uma boa adição a mitologia de John Constantine. Como falei no review do volume anterior essa fase parece ter limpado um pouco o gosto azedo que as fases de Os Novos 52 e de Renascimento trouxeram para o mago canalha inglês.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

And that is how you bring this all to a close. One more side story before a string of issues to wrap things up.

This run was my first Constantine title read. I'll need to be in the right mood for more of his stories, but I'm fully on board to take in more of the history of John Constantine, Hellblazer.

[Alex Sarll]

This too-short run was always suffused with fury at the hatred and puffed-up pride fuelling Brexit, but the first two issues here pick an especially telling representative for that – a fisherman, part of that tiny heritage industry so often discussed as beneficiaries ahead of times, and the first to be thoroughly and visibly screwed once our bold new dawn of liberty arrived. But rather than just point and think the job's done like some modern Pat Mills slop, Spurrier has the artistry (and viciousness) to really twist the knife, starting the villain of the piece off as a voice of reason among his elders ("I think fishing's fucked because we fucked up the fish"), only to show him worn down by their taunts and bitterness until he's as bad as them, and worse. Weaving that together with old mermaid folklore feels like it might stretch the mood envelope for a Constantine comic too far, but unlike the previous run's botched handling of John/genies, Spurrier finds an excellent way to have his cake and eat it, enabling him to put Constantine up against various mythological beasties without it ever feeling like he's gone full fantasy and lost that crucial Hellblazer grime.

It's not perfect by any means; certainly by the back half of the book, there are places where you can tell a story that was meant to unfold at a more leisurely pace is being rushed through ahead of the series' short-sighted cancellation. And it felt like typical modern DC cowardice that the story about a ruthless royal nonce who is very obviously Prince Andrew went to such lengths to make him look nothing like Prince Andrew (yes, I appreciate they couldn't go for a full likeness, but compare and contrast the far less heavily obscured Prince Charles in the classic Royal Blood storyline from the original Hellblazer run). Still, how many comics are there when the protagonist, plotting his enemy's strikes on a map, finds not a pentagram but a cock and balls? The art catches the battered note perfectly, especially in the Campbell issues, where he'll sometimes drop a moment of clarity in which you can see every horror and betrayal down the years etched on John's face, and in the climax comes bloody close to showing us how Hellblazer might have looked as rendered by Francis Bacon. And the script...ah, Spurrier catches Constantine far more surely than any demon's trap ever could have.
"Do you think he ever really loved me?"
"Ah, now. Listen, you can go back and forth about what's genuine, what's lies. None of it matters. You take it from me, all love's magic. And all magic has a price. It's just some kinds're steeper than others."

[Danilo Otašević · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sjajna kulminacija, nažalost, otkazanog serijala. Crtež je u završnim brojevima prelep, a obrt u radnji je neočekivan i dobro osmišljen. Čudo što ova priča nije dobila svoju ekranizaciju.

[James Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cancellation of Spurrier's Hellblazer - the best comic John Constantine had starred in since issue 215 of the original run - was nothing short of criminal, but it's a testament to the man's talent that this second and final volume doesn't feel rushed or cramped at all.

Following on from Marks of Woe , Constantine and his allies - including a demon trapped in his smartphone and a two-fisted Glaswegian bouncer - have found themselves entangled in a rising tide of British jingoism, xenophobia and racism infused with dangerous magic. Yes, it's John Constantine Vs Demon Gammons!

To say any more would probably spoil the fun, so I'll just say that if you ever enjoyed the classic Hellblazer run, these two books are entirely worth your time, and I really hope Spurrier is given the opportunity to return to Constantine sooner rather than later.

[Abdullah Jahed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would've given it a 5 star if the last two issues hadn't been so rushed. From what I understand, the premature cancellation of the series is the cause, so Spurrier & team have my sympathy. They certainly earned it. Even Bergara whose art in the first volume was completely out of place, did not feel like such a jarring choice this time around, although Campbell's work is vastly superior. Spurrier seems to be much more adept at the 1/2 issue arcs than telling a long, overarching story... or maybe he would've pulled that off too if he hadn't been rushed. Either way, it's the more self-contained first three issues that makes this volume a must-read for me. Especially the Mermaid story arc consisting of issues 7-8 will go down as one of my favorite comics arc of all-time.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Spurrier truly gets John Constantine, and so this is the first great Hellblazer we've had since the conclusion of the Vertigo series ... so it's a damned shame this one only got 12 issues, not 300.

Nonetheless, we get terrific one-offs that truly evoke horror, supported by horrific art (in the best possible way). The mermaid story is deeply evocative, while the stories about Prince Andrew and the Brexiters reflect the cracks in modern British society just as well as Ennis did when he revealed that Prince Charles was possessed by Jack the Ripper, 'lo these many years ago.

The ending is slightly rushed, and the usually evocative art makes it a bit hard to read the finale, but still it's a good, worthwhile conclusion to a great series.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the one-off issues in this collection are surprisingly strong, dealing with... distinctive takes on mermaids and unicorns among others, I'm still not sold on the ultimate villain of the series, although it does allow for a pretty intense climax here, in which not everyone gets out alive. How do you defeat an enemy who knows your every move? John thinks he has an answer, and puts it to the test, at least somewhat successfully. The art is more consistent here, which helps the cohesion of the story. It's still not John at his very best, but it feels a step or two closer than the first volume did.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, just not quite as much as the first one. Maybe it's being a year into the pandemic but it seems like horrific things imagined in horror stories just aren't as bad as reality. It was social commentary in the all the right ways, the horrible Brexit and racism and nationalism on the rise. But it all felt a little unreal and not as personal or emotional as the first volume. Still very good though and the artists do a wonderful job with it. I wish this series could have lasted much, much longer.

[Milan Konjevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fenomenalan strip sa fenomenalnim prevodom Draska Roganovica. Svaka preporuka.

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series by Spurrier. This one is filled with ideas made flesh and nothing is sacred. From sex with mermaids, forced teens and giants to unicorns ripping their moms a new one. Buckle up, its a black label for sure.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really quite good, much more what I expect from Hellblazer and that end- I need to know what that brings to the table for John! I'm still going to jump into the original Vertigo and the New 52 Constantine series. I hope to find out about John's demon blood there!

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spurrier’s run is easily the best since the Hellblazer Vertigo Days, but I’d argue it’s the best since Mike Carey’s run.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A darker turn with shots taken at politics and national villains. A quick but rushed end.

Less fun than volume 1. Kept a consistent art style, which I found hard to parse at times. The big bad is revealed at the end but it all felt a little bit rushed.

[Ian Roditi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necesito más Constantine de este equipo creativo ❤

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

EPIC

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was depressingly interesting, morbid but cool. I'm definitely mad that there's no more to read.

[Hilda BL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh snap girl, I think you dropped something….my jaw✨