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Hellblazer (Single Issues)
Hellblazer #23
In the aftermath of the horrors of the Fear Machine, Constantine leaves Britain for what he thinks will be a well-deserved vacation. But a whimsical twist turns this vacation into a nightmare populated by literary heroes.
25 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Delano
463 books349 followersJamie Delano aka A. William James began writing comics professionally in the early 1980s. Latterly he has been writing prose fiction with "BOOK THIRTEEN" published by his own LEPUS BOOKS imprint (http://www.lepusbooks.co.uk) in 2012, "Leepus | DIZZY" in April 2014, and "Leepus | THE RIVER" in 2017.
Jamie lives in semi-rural Northamptonshire with his partner, Sue. They have three adult children and a considerable distraction of grandchildren.
Jamie lives in semi-rural Northamptonshire with his partner, Sue. They have three adult children and a considerable distraction of grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 23, 2025
This was just delightful, and it would actually be even more delightful if you read more classics than me.
You could tell there was too many literary references that you don't know.
And in the end we see, Alice in wonderland, The queen from Alice in wonderland, The invisible man, The hunchback of Notredam, that kid feels like he is out of a Charles Dickens novel but I am not familiar with them I actually barely own 3 or something.
The Chinese doctor, I feel I should know him but I can't place him, but probably didn't read the novel where he made an appearance.
Reading stories like this makes you want to read a classic. I think I'll read treasure island next and maybe even an Ibsin play right after.
We lost so much by losing Vertigo guys, their comics might be harder to read but they were the best ever made.
You could tell there was too many literary references that you don't know.
And in the end we see, Alice in wonderland, The queen from Alice in wonderland, The invisible man, The hunchback of Notredam, that kid feels like he is out of a Charles Dickens novel but I am not familiar with them I actually barely own 3 or something.
The Chinese doctor, I feel I should know him but I can't place him, but probably didn't read the novel where he made an appearance.
Reading stories like this makes you want to read a classic. I think I'll read treasure island next and maybe even an Ibsin play right after.
We lost so much by losing Vertigo guys, their comics might be harder to read but they were the best ever made.
September 17, 2014
"Life is much more fun when you pretend that it's fiction."
I was relieved that right after The Fear Machine storyline thankfully wrapped up last issue, we got a break from all that macabre stuff and read something fun for once in Hellblazer and Larger than Life delivered exactly that. It was clever and light-hearted which, in hindsight, is a proper route to go when you need to prepare the readers for what comes next (I'm referring, of course, to yet another dark storyline in the horizon that is coming after it. It's going to be very exciting!).
In Larger than Life, John Constantine visits an old friend who turns out to be a very curious old man who has a penchant for making deals and procuring rare items. He's mean and grumpy but clearly has affections for John, and John definitely enjoys his company. They do verbally pick on each other quite a lot, and the old man is suspiciously enigmatic, but hey, that's just the kind of company Constantine keeps. At this point I'm no longer surprised of John's ability to bounce back, no matter the shitty scenarios he keeps getting entangled with. He has lost so much and so many people along the way and yet, as a lone creature, he has seen the pointlessness of looking back from the carnage, so all he can manage to do now is to look forward to things and there's something quite heroic about such a can-do attitude.
This issue was just pure fun; nothing heavy or depressing like the usual lot of Hellblazer tales I've been served with lately--and I am so grateful, at least, that I was allowed to gather my bearings and get ready for yet another fucked-up story (again, I keep hinting about it because it's actually a pretty cool story unlike Fear Machine that I wasn't particularly invested in as a whole). Larger than Life is a lovely play at the concept of fictional characters and literary devices where John's friend turns out to be a character in stories who rebelled against his original form and started acting like a real person from outside the books. That's my understanding.
It's an amusing plot twist, and seeing John doing something fun to help out a friend was refreshing. That's not to say that this issue is devoid of gore because there are some scenes that are violent and grim but overall the humor is more pronounced and therefore Larger than Life manages to be a relaxing story than a vexing one. Even the ending was a punchline to a joke and it left me grinning after I finished it. But don't be deceived. Hellblazer is going to start mind-fucking again with us, especially now that we are facing yet another new story arc.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
DO READ MORE OF MY HELLBLAZER REVIEWS
I was relieved that right after The Fear Machine storyline thankfully wrapped up last issue, we got a break from all that macabre stuff and read something fun for once in Hellblazer and Larger than Life delivered exactly that. It was clever and light-hearted which, in hindsight, is a proper route to go when you need to prepare the readers for what comes next (I'm referring, of course, to yet another dark storyline in the horizon that is coming after it. It's going to be very exciting!).
In Larger than Life, John Constantine visits an old friend who turns out to be a very curious old man who has a penchant for making deals and procuring rare items. He's mean and grumpy but clearly has affections for John, and John definitely enjoys his company. They do verbally pick on each other quite a lot, and the old man is suspiciously enigmatic, but hey, that's just the kind of company Constantine keeps. At this point I'm no longer surprised of John's ability to bounce back, no matter the shitty scenarios he keeps getting entangled with. He has lost so much and so many people along the way and yet, as a lone creature, he has seen the pointlessness of looking back from the carnage, so all he can manage to do now is to look forward to things and there's something quite heroic about such a can-do attitude.
This issue was just pure fun; nothing heavy or depressing like the usual lot of Hellblazer tales I've been served with lately--and I am so grateful, at least, that I was allowed to gather my bearings and get ready for yet another fucked-up story (again, I keep hinting about it because it's actually a pretty cool story unlike Fear Machine that I wasn't particularly invested in as a whole). Larger than Life is a lovely play at the concept of fictional characters and literary devices where John's friend turns out to be a character in stories who rebelled against his original form and started acting like a real person from outside the books. That's my understanding.
It's an amusing plot twist, and seeing John doing something fun to help out a friend was refreshing. That's not to say that this issue is devoid of gore because there are some scenes that are violent and grim but overall the humor is more pronounced and therefore Larger than Life manages to be a relaxing story than a vexing one. Even the ending was a punchline to a joke and it left me grinning after I finished it. But don't be deceived. Hellblazer is going to start mind-fucking again with us, especially now that we are facing yet another new story arc.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
DO READ MORE OF MY HELLBLAZER REVIEWS
December 5, 2024
It's just unsatisfying and goofy.
Compare this with Morrison's Animal Man from around the same time, in which the self-reflexivity doesn't feel like as much of an unearned non-sequitur.
Compare this with Morrison's Animal Man from around the same time, in which the self-reflexivity doesn't feel like as much of an unearned non-sequitur.
April 7, 2016
A Hellblazer tale which is actually light-hearted and doesn't make you feel cynical and depressed about the whole world? Colour me impressed!
Of course, the ending was in typical Hellblazer style, no happiness, sunshine and roses here, no sire, and yet it was a fun read, less macabre and scary than what I'm used to getting from these books. A welcome change which keeps with the theme and tone of Hellblazer, but with more elements of fun here. Brilliant!
Of course, the ending was in typical Hellblazer style, no happiness, sunshine and roses here, no sire, and yet it was a fun read, less macabre and scary than what I'm used to getting from these books. A welcome change which keeps with the theme and tone of Hellblazer, but with more elements of fun here. Brilliant!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews