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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
7.5/10
Didn't care much for the poetry BS the writer keeps using to describe shit.
Now I get why people hate the Keanu Reeves movie.
Didn't care much for the poetry BS the writer keeps using to describe shit.
Now I get why people hate the Keanu Reeves movie.
To start off with, I didn't realize how old this series was. Like I knew it was old but it never registered in my mind for some reason?
The art reflects the time period that it's from - that 80s comic art style with the somewhat simple coloring, the distinctive linework and heavy shadows. At first the art style seemed a bit off-putting but it grew on me and even seemed to fit the gritty narrative.
I wasn't sure what to expect when going into the Hellblazer series. I've always been curious about the Hellblazer series yet haven't had any chance to really get into it. I'm not much of a DC fan, but I figured this could serve a stepping stone to maybe branch out into more of their stuff (granted I know this series among a few of the other series I read are or use to be Vertigo so that might make a difference). With Constantine the only other portrayals I've seen of him are the Keanu Reeves movie and the bits and pieces of other DC Media he's been in that I haven't fully gotten to watch such as Legends of Tomorrow and the few animations. Seeing this version of John was a real treat.
The volume is a collection of somewhat interlocked stories but they're all separate from each other. Each story is different with some factor that sort of ties them together. I love the writing and narration style. And I really enjoyed the darker and more horror based feel of the comics. It's not the darkest thing I've read but it's a lot darker than what I was expecting. There's not a whole lot of backstory hashing, which may be confusing to some but I liked how we just jump right into everything and I think it works with the writing style. Along the way you do get hints of John's past or how he met certain people. I did find it neat that in his dialogue they actually wrote out his accent. It was a delightful touch. Though it's to be noted they didn't overdo it with writing out his accent in the dialogue.
The only thing that threw me off was the Swamp Thing Issues that were thrown in at the end. It confused me because it was such a jump from where the last story left off. However, I will say that it did leave me curious to find out more about Swamp Thing and maybe even start that series.
Overall I really liked the start of this series and plan on reading as many of these volumes as possible as well as some of the other comics/series featuring John Constantine or that are associated with the Hellblazer series.
The art reflects the time period that it's from - that 80s comic art style with the somewhat simple coloring, the distinctive linework and heavy shadows. At first the art style seemed a bit off-putting but it grew on me and even seemed to fit the gritty narrative.
I wasn't sure what to expect when going into the Hellblazer series. I've always been curious about the Hellblazer series yet haven't had any chance to really get into it. I'm not much of a DC fan, but I figured this could serve a stepping stone to maybe branch out into more of their stuff (granted I know this series among a few of the other series I read are or use to be Vertigo so that might make a difference). With Constantine the only other portrayals I've seen of him are the Keanu Reeves movie and the bits and pieces of other DC Media he's been in that I haven't fully gotten to watch such as Legends of Tomorrow and the few animations. Seeing this version of John was a real treat.
The volume is a collection of somewhat interlocked stories but they're all separate from each other. Each story is different with some factor that sort of ties them together. I love the writing and narration style. And I really enjoyed the darker and more horror based feel of the comics. It's not the darkest thing I've read but it's a lot darker than what I was expecting. There's not a whole lot of backstory hashing, which may be confusing to some but I liked how we just jump right into everything and I think it works with the writing style. Along the way you do get hints of John's past or how he met certain people. I did find it neat that in his dialogue they actually wrote out his accent. It was a delightful touch. Though it's to be noted they didn't overdo it with writing out his accent in the dialogue.
The only thing that threw me off was the Swamp Thing Issues that were thrown in at the end. It confused me because it was such a jump from where the last story left off. However, I will say that it did leave me curious to find out more about Swamp Thing and maybe even start that series.
Overall I really liked the start of this series and plan on reading as many of these volumes as possible as well as some of the other comics/series featuring John Constantine or that are associated with the Hellblazer series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Normally I'd give this a five. A hard and straight beautiful five. The writing is damn near poetic, the characters and structure of the panel flow so beautifully from one scenario to the next. They're episodic which aren't bad at all, linked together by one pretty strong thread it would seem.
No, any other time I would have given this a five out of five. However, the one star knock off is for the actual product. I don't normally judge a book based on the product it is. I grew up on yard sale buys, second hand reads, and the like. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled for having bought my books new as of late. Thing is though, this is the only Vertigo title I've had a problem with. You see, there are sections of this where the art goes smoothly from one page to the next. Except I can't see that transition because the binding pretty much folds it. So there are bits of dialogue and action that i missed and had to go off of context clues. I didn't have this problem with Swamp Thing, Lucifer, Sandman or the others, so I don't know what happened here. But it was a bit of a let down. Add to the fact that there aren't really many extras, just cover art. There's no introduction no nothing really. But all that is nitpicking and gets thrown into the one star off. Other than that everything is freaking amazing and I will keep reading this series.
No, any other time I would have given this a five out of five. However, the one star knock off is for the actual product. I don't normally judge a book based on the product it is. I grew up on yard sale buys, second hand reads, and the like. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled for having bought my books new as of late. Thing is though, this is the only Vertigo title I've had a problem with. You see, there are sections of this where the art goes smoothly from one page to the next. Except I can't see that transition because the binding pretty much folds it. So there are bits of dialogue and action that i missed and had to go off of context clues. I didn't have this problem with Swamp Thing, Lucifer, Sandman or the others, so I don't know what happened here. But it was a bit of a let down. Add to the fact that there aren't really many extras, just cover art. There's no introduction no nothing really. But all that is nitpicking and gets thrown into the one star off. Other than that everything is freaking amazing and I will keep reading this series.
Glad to finally be buying and reading this highly influential series (which I sort of read online several years ago but that's not really READING, is it). I have to keep in mind the context of the series among DC's other pre-Vertigo output (Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol) and Constantine's other appearances. I wonder if he was more of a bastard then, or less. We'll see!
Lost interest. I'll have to return to this one at some point
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked the Constantine parts, but I think I was expecting this to read like a graphic novel instead of a hodgepodge with Swamp Thing at the end. It's like a whole bunch of arcs started, but none of them ended. I suppose then I must continue my Constantine search elsewhere.