crowyhead's review
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 against another edition
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
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 against another edition
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
notagreatreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another solid volume of Hellblazer. Although I'm pretty bad at critically evaluating comics, I enjoyed the twists and turns of the stories in this volume.
Warped Notions was just a bit of a lark.
In Dreamtime, the writers were treading a very fine line and dipped their toes into the 'white savior' trope, but at least it appeared self-aware and even called the trope out a few times. So, it all comes out as a wash, I guess.
Critical Mass was back to the typical Constantine story - his past bullshit and mistakes are catching up to him and he's got to weasel his way out again. I felt like this one was quite light on self-pity/manpain which I appreciated. I always love seeing Constantine go toe-to-toe trying to outsmart demons. While he is always a trash fire of a human being and often a jerk, demons are still worse and it's fun xD
Warped Notions was just a bit of a lark.
In Dreamtime, the writers were treading a very fine line and dipped their toes into the 'white savior' trope, but at least it appeared self-aware and even called the trope out a few times. So, it all comes out as a wash, I guess.
Critical Mass was back to the typical Constantine story - his past bullshit and mistakes are catching up to him and he's got to weasel his way out again. I felt like this one was quite light on self-pity/manpain which I appreciated. I always love seeing Constantine go toe-to-toe trying to outsmart demons. While he is always a trash fire of a human being and often a jerk, demons are still worse and it's fun xD
Spoiler
It's also hilarious and appropriate that while John manages to apparently have his cake and eat it too, he's back to mucking things up again like two hours after his fresh start. I mean, there wouldn't be anymore Constantine comics without that driving force.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.
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