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kateapatton's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
marinamia's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fangsfirst's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Massive improvement over Garth Ennis's detour that I remain convinced is primarily fondly remembered because of those who started with it. Which is totally fair, don't get me wrong at all, but isn't where I started so I absolutely detested it for having so very little connection to the character Delano had written, or even the style of book.
I quite liked Delano returning and Campbell's brief run, and came to appreciate Jenkins's even with my trepidation given my introduction to him included the stellar-until-closer Civil War: Frontline (think 4.0/5 average until the last issue which somehow, mathematically impossibly, dragged the whole series average down to 0.5/5).
This feels like it's Hellblazer again' more like a different take than a different character, which is what the Ennis run felt like. There's a more sensible awareness of John's punk youth and the sharp, wounded, guilty man I saw in previous stories that I honestly saw none of for the last forty issues.
It isn't as horrific as Delano (even his own return issue), but it's metaphysical again, and has horror again, and John's shittiness is him getting people directly entangled in things he can't stop or control without harming someone else in a way they're completely blindsided by and innocent of.
I hear I'm going to hate Azzarello's run, but for now Ennis is easily still the bottom of the heap for me. What a relief this was: an actual pleasure to read, even if not earth-shattering.
I quite liked Delano returning and Campbell's brief run, and came to appreciate Jenkins's even with my trepidation given my introduction to him included the stellar-until-closer Civil War: Frontline (think 4.0/5 average until the last issue which somehow, mathematically impossibly, dragged the whole series average down to 0.5/5).
This feels like it's Hellblazer again' more like a different take than a different character, which is what the Ennis run felt like. There's a more sensible awareness of John's punk youth and the sharp, wounded, guilty man I saw in previous stories that I honestly saw none of for the last forty issues.
It isn't as horrific as Delano (even his own return issue), but it's metaphysical again, and has horror again, and John's shittiness is him getting people directly entangled in things he can't stop or control without harming someone else in a way they're completely blindsided by and innocent of.
I hear I'm going to hate Azzarello's run, but for now Ennis is easily still the bottom of the heap for me. What a relief this was: an actual pleasure to read, even if not earth-shattering.
ro_se12's review against another edition
3.0
6/10
Dunno, the whole set up felt a bit too convenient for me.
Dunno, the whole set up felt a bit too convenient for me.
lynnelovesbooks's review against another edition
3.75
Really disjointed storytelling in this volume.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
Oof.
Nobody should have had to follow [a:Garth Ennis|14965|Garth Ennis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242438038p2/14965.jpg]'s run on Hellblazer. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it really defined someone a character who'd been muddled its creators. Ennis had a focus and a story with a definitive (but by no means final) ending.
On paper, allowing the original Hellblazer writer, [a:Jamie Delano|6153795|Jamie Delano|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1346323839p2/6153795.jpg], to come back and set the tone for the future of the series is a good idea. But the series didn't get the creative [b:Hellblazer, Volume 3: The Fear Machine|13228111|Hellblazer, Volume 3 The Fear Machine|Jamie Delano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1342415620l/13228111._SY75_.jpg|63155921] Delano, instead it's the preachy, unfocused plotting of [b:Hellblazer: The Devil You Know|320814|Hellblazer The Devil You Know|Jamie Delano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309221042l/320814._SX50_.jpg|311550]. It's a shame. I just put down the book and remember nothing about his issue except that I didn't enjoy it. It felt like when Claremont came back to the X-Men in the 21st century. The magic was just gone.
[a:Eddie Campbell|5122|Eddie Campbell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261253995p2/5122.jpg]'s run wasn't much better for me. It Was more focused than Delano's, and it did have a message, and followed the pattern of something magical trying to trick Constantine, but failing in the end. But the dialogue seemed hokey and unrealistic after so many issues of Ennis, and I didn't care about the villains.
The beginning of the Jenkins run was eventually more promising. His first issues were shaky, and when he both reintroduced Satan (not Lucifer, he has his own book), and completely telegraphed the "Uncle Con Job has to save some widdwe babeees" nonsense, I wanted to throw the book across the room. But he, at least, seems to be building to something, even if it is just retelling the Ennis run with a few different supporting characters.
This is a Throughly Skippable collection. If you're not invested in reading the full run of the book, I wouldn't waste my time on this one, even though there are some impressive names on the cover. Maybe if you buy it as an early [a:Sean Phillips|22671|Sean Phillips|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565044514p2/22671.jpg] Art Book, it would be more satisfying. I have never seen a badly drawn issue of a comic with his name on it, and he drew most of the issues in this collection.
Nobody should have had to follow [a:Garth Ennis|14965|Garth Ennis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242438038p2/14965.jpg]'s run on Hellblazer. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it really defined someone a character who'd been muddled its creators. Ennis had a focus and a story with a definitive (but by no means final) ending.
On paper, allowing the original Hellblazer writer, [a:Jamie Delano|6153795|Jamie Delano|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1346323839p2/6153795.jpg], to come back and set the tone for the future of the series is a good idea. But the series didn't get the creative [b:Hellblazer, Volume 3: The Fear Machine|13228111|Hellblazer, Volume 3 The Fear Machine|Jamie Delano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1342415620l/13228111._SY75_.jpg|63155921] Delano, instead it's the preachy, unfocused plotting of [b:Hellblazer: The Devil You Know|320814|Hellblazer The Devil You Know|Jamie Delano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309221042l/320814._SX50_.jpg|311550]. It's a shame. I just put down the book and remember nothing about his issue except that I didn't enjoy it. It felt like when Claremont came back to the X-Men in the 21st century. The magic was just gone.
[a:Eddie Campbell|5122|Eddie Campbell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261253995p2/5122.jpg]'s run wasn't much better for me. It Was more focused than Delano's, and it did have a message, and followed the pattern of something magical trying to trick Constantine, but failing in the end. But the dialogue seemed hokey and unrealistic after so many issues of Ennis, and I didn't care about the villains.
The beginning of the Jenkins run was eventually more promising. His first issues were shaky, and when he both reintroduced Satan (not Lucifer, he has his own book), and completely telegraphed the "Uncle Con Job has to save some widdwe babeees" nonsense, I wanted to throw the book across the room. But he, at least, seems to be building to something, even if it is just retelling the Ennis run with a few different supporting characters.
This is a Throughly Skippable collection. If you're not invested in reading the full run of the book, I wouldn't waste my time on this one, even though there are some impressive names on the cover. Maybe if you buy it as an early [a:Sean Phillips|22671|Sean Phillips|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565044514p2/22671.jpg] Art Book, it would be more satisfying. I have never seen a badly drawn issue of a comic with his name on it, and he drew most of the issues in this collection.
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
I was pretty excited to read this collection, because it's once again stuff that hasn't previously been collected. I wasn't wild about the first couple story arcs collected here, but I really enjoyed the last long one, Critical Mass. It was a nice way of resolving some of the lingering plot from Ennis's run, while also opening up a new story.
alleyrobot's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
magicalmartha's review against another edition
3.0
I took a pretty long hiatus from reading Hellblazer after I finished Garth Ennis' run - I'm not a fan of Ennis and his Hellblazer was pretty much everything about his storytelling conceits that I dislike. I was finally ready to come back and I'm glad that, when I did, Paul Jenkins was ready to bring back everything about John Constantine that I love. The first half of the book is a pretty ephemeral story set in the Australian outback against Aboriginal myth, which I found a little too mysterious; the second half, however, was a return to classic Constantine (but with the wisdom and cunning he's gained over the course of the series). It's dark, frightening, tense, and ultimately victorious - in that way that makes you wonder if Constantine has really thought through the consequences of his actions. I'm finally excited to get to volume 10.
fatalamelia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5