Scan barcode
A review by sweetopheliac
Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Original Sins by Jamie Delano
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.