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Hellblazer #185

J. White

22:36 / 25.06.03

Anyone else catching up on John Constantine in Mike Carey's new arch of "Third Worlds"? From what I've tried to gather there's not that much of a fanbase for Hellblazer anymore...atleast not around these parts. I'll wait for my take of the story until anyone else responds with theirs.

Murray Hamhandler

23:08 / 25.06.03

I don't know about the majority of Barbelithers, but I'm a huge Constantine fan. I'm still re-plowing through the whole run at the moment (about halfway through Ennis' run now), so I'll chime in on curren Carey stuff when I get there.

J. White

01:26 / 26.06.03

From digging up old topic here I noticed no one seems to discuss the current issue of Hellblazer. The last time I checked it was people jumping to conclusions about what Mike Carey's run would consist of after the first issue.

Hieronymus

03:15 / 26.06.03

Eh?

Haven't picked up the very latest issue myself. But we've certainly tackled Carey's run on it.

The Photographer in Blowup

07:04 / 26.06.03

Still haven't picked Hellblazer #185, but Carey's run has been a relief so far...

He's not being as complex as he can be - Hellblazer is so many light years behind Lucifer - but it seems he's building an uber-arc with his run, and it's nice to finally see Constantine have a sense of purpose for a while, instead of just jumping from arc to arc every three months bearing no connection with the last one...

J. White

14:32 / 26.06.03

Oh I meant this one.

There is alot of continuity built up around Carey's arch so far. Every issue is connected and follows up on the last. This is one of the positives about having Carey as a writer on the title.

Gary Lactus

15:48 / 26.06.03

Like Carey so much more than Azzzzzzzarello. It's just a good, consistant comic at the moment. Nothing special but it brightens up my bathtimes.

penitentvandal

20:34 / 26.06.03

Yeah, same here. It's good, and it's okay, but...it doesn't reach the heights of the Ennis/Ellis runs for me. It reminds me actually of a lot of the earlier, more plot-oriented Delano issues.

Marcello Frusin's JC is always fun to look at, though. If there was a 'Best Evil Grin in Comics' award...

J. White

14:55 / 27.06.03

I wouldn't have thought Ellis reached any kind of height. Even though I consider his work on the title the best, he still only had ten issues published (not counting 'Shoot).

ghadis

22:17 / 29.06.03

Just got 184 and 185 after a long stretch of absence from Hellblazer. Missed all the Azzarello stuff and a lot before but judging from what i've read i havn't missed much. It's pretty good. The poker switch in 184 is great. Constantine back as his sleazy not to be trusted self. Being the trickster again in the next issue swizzing the keepers of Eden. A total bastard basically.

I havn't read much of Careys' stuff before but i guess i should check out Lucifer expecially as he used to teach me at university (name-dropping fucker that i am!!)

A good recommendation for anyone enjoying Hellblazer is Dark Horses' The Devils' Footprints. Bought the last couple of issues along with the Hellblazers and it's pretty good. Lovecraftian, Magicky spookiness which looks like it could get really good...

NezZ the 2nd

08:23 / 30.06.03

I have just got into hellblazer and I really like it. I have been drawn into the Azzarello run. I have seen people knock him for being too much of a crime writer because John Constantine should be a horror character. But from what I have read - Freezes over, good intentions and ashes and dust - it all seems to be good storytelling. And the art is pretty damn good.

Mr Tricks

17:34 / 30.06.03

I dug it...

While I was initially disappointed with Carey's start to the Series, After the Poker issue last month & this issue now I'm soo glad JC is back to form.

I'm particularly enjoying his treatment of the JC Swamp Thing relationship. I've been rereading the original Alan Moore run and taking that as history, SW's guest appearances is such a nice turn. The Art continually gets better, creating such a perfect mood.

So let me ask, it that woman traveling with JC the young aspiring magician he met briefly at the onset of Carey's run?

The Photographer in Blowup

17:40 / 30.06.03

Yep, that's Angie...

iconoplast

22:35 / 30.06.03

I read this the same day I read the Planetary / batman thing, and I have to say - Tubers was way funnier than he's your special bat-friend.

I'm also pleased to see John back to the lying bastard i've always thought of him as.

J. White

01:28 / 01.07.03

For those of you who haven't read the previous issues of I'd check them out. Especially the Red Sepulchre arch and issue 181 - probally the best stand alone issue ever. Black Flowers was the two parter right before issues 184 and 185 and although there alot of questions that arose between the happenins set inbetween each issue, its still a great story.

I agree that Azzarello had some good stories. I hated his endings (or lack there of), but Ashes and Dust as a very gritty story even if John wasn't really in it as much.

Issue synopis for the previous issues can be found at http://www.insanerantings.com/hell/comics/ongoing/index.html
but I wouldn't recommend reading them if your going to buy the issues yourself - Major Spoilers.

penitentvandal

11:44 / 01.07.03

Okay, calling the Ellis run a 'height' may be overdoing it a bit, but I did feel Ellis really had a nice handle on Constantine as a character: a nasty, sleezy, lying bastard, yes, but fundamentally a sentimental old fool (and vice versa). 'Haunted' was vintage Constantine, playing the horror/crime crossover in the way it should be played (as opposed to Azarello's overplayed whodunnit), and with a nice understanding of the mythos of the London underworld (in both senses of the term).

Carey seems to be warming up now, though, which is good.

J. White

14:22 / 01.07.03

I agree totally that Ellis had captured Constantine's character perfectly and yes Haunted balanced the two elements of horror and crime realistically. His one shots were perfect.'Locked' and 'The Crib' are my two most favorite storys from Hellblazer. I would've been very interested to see how he would have conducted his run if he stayed on board.

He must have done something right, since Mike Carey has brought back supporting characters from the Ellis run (ie: Map, Clarice, and Josh Wright).

sleazenation

15:29 / 01.07.03

Ellis didn't really get far enough into his run to kill off his supporting characters ala Delano and Ennis...

J. White

15:45 / 01.07.03

True, but I would have liked this think those characters weren't as focused Ennis's were. He built an entire new line of friends for Constantine were as Ellis created them for Constantines own personal use in his plan in 'Haunted'. I haven't read the Delano run in a long while but to my knowledge he never really killed off anyone. Constantine's father is an exception but the whole Merc and Marj crew were still alive at the last issue.

guernica

17:11 / 01.07.03

Question for the masses: I read the first 50 or so issues of Hellblazer back in high school and haven't touched it or considered it since, but do find the current run intriquing. Is there a good "jumping on point" in Carey's run?

Murray Hamhandler

17:23 / 01.07.03

Yes. The beginning. From what I've read so far (and judging by his work on Lucifer), Carey will be making one large story out of his run. So there's a good chance that you'll be lost if you don't start from the start. Although I, of course, would recommend just buying the entire series, as there's very little of it that isn't worth your while.

J. White

18:13 / 01.07.03

Or even further back is the 'Haunted' TPB which first introduces the characters used in Carey's run. Its a good read and worth the money.

Makes me think that if Carey had taken the title before Azzarello John wouldv'e been in the same place and without the trip to America we wouldn't have missed much.

Regrettable Juvenilia

19:07 / 02.07.03

Well, Azzarello wasn't giving the fanboys what they wanted. Carey is, so Azzarello's run is being looked on from a weirdly distorted perspective: people who didn't read the Azz run talking about how Carey has made Constantine a sleazy, duplicitous bastard again? Jeez, Azzarello's John Constantine slept with hookers, cracked jokes about incest and happily manipulated people into terrible fates - he also fucked up as often as he won. That's the lowlife Constantine I prefer - although, I wasn't a huge fan of those stories either, but largely because I think Hellblazer is a story/idea/character that has run its course... Just another franchise.

J. White

00:35 / 03.07.03

As mentioned before on another message board: Azzarello should write the comic book adaption of the film 'Constantine'.

Regrettable Juvenilia

06:54 / 03.07.03

Ah, those comic book message board wags! Did they say why?

J. White

14:50 / 03.07.03

Take a look at his turn on the title, and given the film's cast and crew having no real similarities to the previous history of Hellblazer the two should go hand in hand. If Azzarello couldn't write a belivable Constantine than he should do well in writing the very same for a movie that portrays an unbelivable Constantine.

Regrettable Juvenilia

18:55 / 03.07.03

I've read his run on the title - why not read my post prior to the last one? There were no fancy cars for John in the Azzarello run on Hellblazer, nor was the character himself American, nor did he have a feisty female sidekick. Nor do I expect to see Keanu sleeping with hookers, cracking jokes about incest and happily manipulating people into terrible fates. The two takes on Constantine may well have in common the fact that they differ from your own interpretation, but that's it.

If you're going to criticise Azzarello's run, at least do it with some degree of rationality and intelli - oh, hang on, this is the Comics forum. I should just bail out, right?

This guy summed it up best.

J. White

20:29 / 04.07.03

And as I stated before it was mentioned on another message board. I did not post this as my own opinion. Maybe my post was vauge but the fact that the two characters will have completley different structures than previously seen WAS the only similarity. I neither said nor thought Azzarello's Constantine and the films would be of equal likeness.

J. White

00:20 / 05.07.03

Sorry, didn't follow the link until after I posted.

Yea, I've read that post before. I think that was the best interpritation of each run I've seen. Very indepth. Although I wander why Jenkin's run isn't mentioned much around the discussion of Hellblazer. He had some excellent one-shots and 'Critical Mass' ranks as one of the best arch's I've seen. The last arch did kind of bore me, especially the art.

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