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stephanieanneauthor's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While working my way through my Hellblazer collection I had to give this one a re-read. And I think I enjoyed it even more the second time. I also realized that this is the graphic novel I've compared all other Hellblazer stories to.
After my mom and I got hooked on the TV series, I immediately went out and bought this at my local comic book store and read it in one sitting. From then on, I was a fan of John Constantine.
I love the darkness and grittiness of both the story and the artwork in this collection. I think what makes the horror so effective is that these stories don't just tackle the supernatural, but also the very real horrors of the 80s (some of which are still relevant today).
I'm so glad I re-read this.
After my mom and I got hooked on the TV series, I immediately went out and bought this at my local comic book store and read it in one sitting. From then on, I was a fan of John Constantine.
I love the darkness and grittiness of both the story and the artwork in this collection. I think what makes the horror so effective is that these stories don't just tackle the supernatural, but also the very real horrors of the 80s (some of which are still relevant today).
I'm so glad I re-read this.
unladylike's review
3.0
I read as many Hellblazer collections as I could get my hands on from the library years ago, and after years of them persisting to rattle around in my head, I'm finally attempting to collect the whole series.
A few things about the first volume of John Constantine, Hellblazer:
1. You may feel as though it can't possibly be the first issues, as it dives in with various references to past events in his life. Don't worry about that. John's dead associates, Newcastle, and other connections and life events will be fleshed out further into the series.
2. Trigger warnings for rape, racist language, and other brutal atrocities linked to war in the issue titled "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." You can totally skip this story without missing much. Some of the other issues depict white supremacists stalking and assaulting people, but the Vietnam soldiers coming back in Iowa bothered me much more.
3. It gets better.
The new NBC series Constantine premieres this month, and it will be interesting to see how they write such a despicable antihero as Constantine. Also, how will they pronounce his name, will he be chainsmoking, and how spot-on will his accent be?
A few things about the first volume of John Constantine, Hellblazer:
1. You may feel as though it can't possibly be the first issues, as it dives in with various references to past events in his life. Don't worry about that. John's dead associates, Newcastle, and other connections and life events will be fleshed out further into the series.
2. Trigger warnings for rape, racist language, and other brutal atrocities linked to war in the issue titled "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." You can totally skip this story without missing much. Some of the other issues depict white supremacists stalking and assaulting people, but the Vietnam soldiers coming back in Iowa bothered me much more.
3. It gets better.
The new NBC series Constantine premieres this month, and it will be interesting to see how they write such a despicable antihero as Constantine. Also, how will they pronounce his name, will he be chainsmoking, and how spot-on will his accent be?
arf88's review
3.0
A promising start, with some very good stories, but also some not so great stories. The Swamp Thing story in particular was a bit off, with Constantine apparently being raped(?!) for his sperm in one issue and not really minding all that much the next. All in all, not the best thing I've ever read, but it's definitely left me wanting more.
moirawho's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alostarre's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
runjohnnyrun845's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ro_se12's review
3.0
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.
sweetopheliac's review
5.0
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.
moscatel's review
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
4.0