A review by crowyhead
Hellblazer: Bloodlines by Garth Ennis

4.0

Some good early Hellblazer that I hadn't had a chance to read before. "The Pub Where I Was Born" is a solid story with a really great beginning that shows Ennis understands what makes a good pub a crucial part of life, but it's horribly marred by Mike Hoffman's art for the second installment -- seriously flat, awful stuff, and the coloring's bad, too. All I can think is that Will Simpson must have missed his deadline and Hoffman came in and did a rush job. The art's otherwise good; classic stuff from Will Simpson and Steve Dillon, although the coloring will be jarring for folks accustomed to today's shiny paper and brilliant colors. Of particular note is Simpson's art for Hellblazer #50, "Remarkable Lives" -- it's just beautiful. "Royal Blood" is a delightful four-parter that involves demon possession, the Royal Family, and one solution to the mystery of Jack the Ripper. And "Guys & Dolls" is definitely worth noting, not only because it's a great story and important to the Constantine storyline, but also because it's clear Ennis already had some of the seeds of Preacher percolating around happily in his brain here.