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Hugo Emanuel is currently reading

Hellblazer, Vol. 8: Rake at the Gates of Hell

by Garth Ennis

bookshelves: owned, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in December 2014

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Hugo Emanuel said: " "Hellblazer, Vol 8: "Rake at the Gates of Hell" collects the issues #72- 84 from the series "John Constantine: Hellblazer", as well as the one-off "Heartland #1", all of which are written by Garth Ennis and pencilled by Steve Dillon.
Garth Ennis has d "Hellblazer, Vol 8: "Rake at the Gates of Hell" collects the issues #72- 84 from the series "John Constantine: Hellblazer", as well as the one-off "Heartland #1", all of which are written by Garth Ennis and pencilled by Steve Dillon.
Garth Ennis has done some pretty seminal and exciting work on "Hellblazer". Hell, the title's most referenced and revered story is, for many, "Dangerous Habits" (I am more partial towards Delano's work from Issues 1 to 12). However, by Issue #62 his work on Hellblazer started to strike me as somewhat exhausted and reashed, if still very enjoyable. Most of the stories contained in this trade follow the same "downwards spyral" that started to become evident since issue #63.
The collection opens with "Damnation's Flame" (that covers Issues #72 to #75) in which Constantine finds himself immersed in a surreal landscape that metaphorically mirrors some of the atrocities and injustices that plague America's history. It wasn't as uninteresting as I feared, as I had heard very poor opinions regarding this particular storyline, but it certainly isn't very arresting. I'd give it a 5.0.
The collection continues with "Confessions of an Irish Rebel", a somewhat uninteresting and perfectly dispensable "characters story" that feels like little more than filler(5.0), followed by "And the Crowd Goes Wild" (6.0), a nice if somewhat lazy one-off ghost story that adds some mystique to Constantine's persona.
After these two one-offs, we are treated with what is the centerpiece of this collection - the highly praised "Rake at the Gates of Hell" (issues #78-83). I had quite anticipated Ennis' closing storyline on the strengh of it's strong reputation, but was considerably let down by it. It was anti-climatic and rushed, despite running for a considerable number of issues. The immaturely blasphemous theological discussions and revelations that formed the bulk of the anti-climatic confrontation between the First of The Fallen and Constantine were somewhat childish and lazy (being an atheist myself I am not at all sensitive towards blasphemous takes on Christianity, but Ennis' considerations regarding the subject were childish and unimpressive). "Rake at the Gates of Hell" was not awfull, just dissapontingly mediocre and scaterred. I can't award it with more than a 6.0 (and I feel that I am being generous here).
Finally the collection closes with "Heartland #1), a one off-story that focuses on Kit's life on Belfast after leaving John. It's not awfull, but it certainly isn't the reason why I read "Hellblazer" and cared little for it. (5.0).
I am glad to be over and done with Ellis'" Hellblazer" because, while his work on the series started off strong, it gradually became somewhat repetitive and riddled with missed oportunities (most notably regarding how The King Of Vampires and The First of The Fallen were disposed of). Something that also dissapointed on Ennis' run was the fact that it was mostly accompanied by mediocre artwork by William Simpson and Steve Dillon. Aside from odd issue, the art was mostly done by Simpson and Dillon. And while William Simpsons art is somewhat unspectacular I still find it to be far better than Steve Dillon's, the latter striking me as old-fashioned (I particularly dislike the way he draws the character's faces).
So overall it was by far the least interesting trade I have read of "Hellblazer" and while it was quite a few noches below the title's usual high standard, I still recommend buying it as it still his a good read and essencial for anyone who, like me, aims to collect all the issues of the title. So read it, it's good enougth to merit your time, but do not expect it to be on par with the title's best collections. ...more "

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(page 310 of 384)
— Dec 02, 2014 02:50AM

Dec 04, 2014 04:27AM · see review

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The Devils of Loudun

by Aldous Huxley

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(page 30 of 400)
— Oct 07, 2025 08:28AM

Oct 07, 2025 08:16AM

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Justice League: Corporate Maneuvers

by Keith Giffen

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(page 150 of 304)
— Oct 10, 2025 02:15AM

Oct 02, 2025 03:38AM

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Hugo’s Quotes

“Writers are the exorcists of their own demons.”
― Mario Vargas-Llosa

tags: books, writing

367 likes

“Ending a novel is almost like putting a child to sleep—it can't be done abruptly.”
― Colm Tóibín

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“Who knows their own story? Certainly it makes no sense when we are living in the midst of it. It's all just clamor and confusion. It only becomes a story when we tell it and retell it. Our small precious recollections that we speak again and again to ourselves and to others, first creating the narrative of our lives and then keeping the story from dissolving into darkness.”
― Nick Cave

tags: creativity, inspirational, life

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“- Falhamos a vida, menino!
- Creio que sim... Mas todo o mundo mais ou menos a falha. Isto é, falha-se sempre na realidade aquela vida que se planeou com a imaginação. Diz-se: «vou ser assim, porque a beleza está em ser assim». E nunca se é assim, é-se invariavelmente assado, como dizia o pobre marquês. Ás vezes melhor, mas sempre diferente.”
― José Maria Eça de Queirós, Os Maias

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“All of our days are numbered; we cannot afford to be idle. To act on a bad idea is better than to not act at all because the worth of the idea never becomes apparent until you do it. Sometimes this idea can be the smallest thing in the world, a little flame that you hunch over and cup with your hand and pray will not be extinguished by all the storm that howls about it. If you can hold on to that flame great things can be constructed around it that are massive and powerful and world changing – all held up by the tinniest of ideas.”
― Nick Cave

tags: creativity, inspirational, life

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