crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
3.0
After a strong start, this volume becomes pretty much every previous Hellblazer story. It's even referenced within the story that this volume follows a similar trajectory to Ennis's run. The computer guy is killed, Constantine falls in love (though he handles it differently, and it's someone new, as opposed to someone from his past, it still feels familiar), his magic puts all of his friends at risk, etc.
One of the reasons I love most Vertigo books is that they don't end up as cyclical as Marvel or DC. titles. I don't mind Good Guys Overcome Adversity And Win cycles, but Magneto becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, ad infinitum. While we do have new characters here, it just feels incredibly familiar, but not as fun.
I also loathe plunking Arthurian legends into comics. and the crux of this storyline is modern Merlin jealous of Arthur and blah blah blah blah. I hated it as part of Delano's run, and I hate it more here. But if you love the idea of Albion fantasy being used in modern comics, you can throw this book on your stack of Claremont Excalibur books and have a really good wan....a really good week or so of reading.
This isn't by any stretch a terrible run of comics. Jenkins is a good writer, and some of the shorter stories surrounding the Arthurian legends is intriguing. I wouldn't put this volume on a Must Read Hellblazer list, but if you're interested in reading about a character invested in soul searching why his life keeps repeating, this book may be for you.
One of the reasons I love most Vertigo books is that they don't end up as cyclical as Marvel or DC. titles. I don't mind Good Guys Overcome Adversity And Win cycles, but Magneto becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, becomes a good guy, is questioned, becomes evil, has second thoughts, ad infinitum. While we do have new characters here, it just feels incredibly familiar, but not as fun.
I also loathe plunking Arthurian legends into comics. and the crux of this storyline is modern Merlin jealous of Arthur and blah blah blah blah. I hated it as part of Delano's run, and I hate it more here. But if you love the idea of Albion fantasy being used in modern comics, you can throw this book on your stack of Claremont Excalibur books and have a really good wan....a really good week or so of reading.
This isn't by any stretch a terrible run of comics. Jenkins is a good writer, and some of the shorter stories surrounding the Arthurian legends is intriguing. I wouldn't put this volume on a Must Read Hellblazer list, but if you're interested in reading about a character invested in soul searching why his life keeps repeating, this book may be for you.
vicinalgwen69's review against another edition
5.0
Most of it is a 4, but that last story was really cool, never seen that done before
craicerjack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
myceliumgirl's review against another edition
Phew. The Paul Jenkins run is a very mixed bag. As many others have already said, there are a lot of great ideas here, but the writing feels obtuse and clumsy. I do appreciate John's connections to his friends being very lovingly and intricately captured.
I will read on through the Jenkins and the Azzarello run, in a rush to get to Mike Carey. Something tells me I should have no qualms about skipping ahead though.
I will read on through the Jenkins and the Azzarello run, in a rush to get to Mike Carey. Something tells me I should have no qualms about skipping ahead though.
devon_marie's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't realize there were more of these until the library got them. Enjoyed it.
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
This one was pretty great. Whenever Jenkins tries for "socially relevant," things fall flat, but when he's just trying to tell a good horror or dark fantasy story, he's great.
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
3.0
ellioth's review
4.0
Loved the last issue about breaking the fourth wall. The arch about Arthur was a bit improbable and cheesy.
samstephens's review
3.0
Liked it. The ten year anniversary story is entirely self-indulgent though.
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