By: Brian Azzarello Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 264 Publication Date: July 01, 2004 Release Date: July 01, 2004 Studio: Vertigo
Product Description: Brian Azzarello, the writing genius behind the smash-hit, award-winning crime thriller 100 Bullets, brings his own unique spin to John Constantine: Hellblazer, mystical troubleshooter and aging, low-life punk. Continuing his aimless American occult odyssey, Constantine encounters the beauty of nature and the horrors of humanity. From the Nazi-raddled neartlands to the S&M pits of LA, he finds you don't have to be supernatural to breed hatred, perversity, religious intolerance and seething racism - but it helps. With the Hellblazer-based Constantine movie in the pipeline, this new graphic novel is must-have, surefire, wall-to-wall brilliance! Warning: Adults only!
Hellblazer: Highwater? Or just plain high? ^ Okay. So I just finished Azzarello's run, and I have to tell ya... lots of ups and downs. Aside from the fact that John Constantine basically says that magic doesn't exist in the middle volumes, and aside from the fact that this volume wraps up horribly and seemingly unexplainable, there is one major problem here: Constantine isn't IN the end of the storyarch. It begins with him "dead," and at the end :SPOILER: he's standing over a body, and someone says, "Is someone smoking in here?" WHAT????!!!! Where is his devilish charm (gone), where is his quick wit (gone), where is his witty banter (gone), and where the hell is John Constantine? Aside from Constantine grinning like a hyena and dribbling like a fool, this story arc just isn't very much fun. Sorry to say it, but I've read all volumes, and though I can appreciate what Azzarello was trying to do with the American storyline, this one just didn't work. Although this arc started promisingly with Hard Time, it quickly devolved into weird perverse, anti-magical sadism, and almost pornographic content. Let's be clear here: it's a comic for adults, and always has been... BUT, this seems like a comic written by a 16 year old. And while I kinda "buy" the twist at the end of this, it still doesn't remedy the fact that the main character was only "talked about" throughout the last four issues. Bummer. At least Azzerello finally worked the magic back in there (even though, yeah Constantine himself says he hates using it- but it's always some part of the story), that was really starting to bug me. I guess my biggest problem with this story was that it felt so small in scope. I mean, when Constantine is sent to prison you expect him to get himself out using his wits, not have a fed bust him out. Too much of the "filth" in these stories. Constantine hates cops, and now he's buddy buddy? I don't know who Azzarello was writing, but it just doesn't feel right. About a three star run total if I'm being honest.
Oh, and this is by far, the most disappointing of the books. But in all honesty, you only really need this one, the first one, and freezes over to have the whole story. In fact, you don't even need freezes over, just the last two comics in there- so read it in a store and save some money. Cheers!
Why the heck did this get terrible reviews? ^ I will never understand why people tend to dislike this portion of the Azzarello run. I adore it, primarily because Constantine himself explains WHY he behaves "differently" (read: becomes a deviant) in America: he explains the British vision of America as a place created "so we'd always have a place to be young and hard again". The devint communities through which he travels are fascinating studies on the "underbelly of America", and clearly Constantine's behavior would be altered by a different locale and a set of strange circumstances.
I'm not entirely sure that people understood the message behind this segment--Azzarello wasn't trying to rework a well-beloved character, but trying to develop the possibilities in a different set of circumstances. In addition to being an excellent post-colonial critique of the British and American mindsets, it also works in the American brand of Apocalypticism, and allows Constantine to explore a sexual dimension most male comic book readers are probably uncomfortable with--what makes the story (in conjunction with Frusin's art) brilliant is how it invites you into a disturbing story and forces you to confront some of those problematic things that lay malignant in Constantine's persona.
Azzarello's Hellblazer comes to a close ^ I avoided the Azzarello run of Hellblazer for quite some time, having heard some negative things about it. But after giving it a chance, I'm happy to say that this run belongs up there with those of Delano, Ellis & Carey. Sure, Azzarello doesn't have a native's ear for English dialect. For this reason, it makes sense for him to set the main story arcs in America. Perhaps for this reason, he also has Constantine talk quite a bit less, with fewer internal monologues of the sort that earlier authors indulged in. This adds to the disturbing air of mystery, but long-time readers may miss the sharp political commentary, etc.
And don't be fooled by those who were shocked by the sex-club story arc. Those who have followed Constantine from the beginning shouldn't be surprised at his masochistic tendencies and/or sexual deviance. Such things are either hinted at or shown outright as early as Delano's run on the series. Sure, one of the stories in this volume takes that theme a bit further (I won't say how, since as written it's obviously meant to be a surprise), but it's perfectly in keeping with Constantine's willingness to do just about anything to accomplish his goals and eliminate a threat. But because of the lack of omniscient narrative, the reader is expected to draw the necessary conclusions.
This volume follows the story arc formed by "Hard Time" and "Good Intentions." Herein we find out what happened to "Lucky" Fermin's wife, as well as who was behind framing Constantine for his murder and why. In all, this volume does an acceptable job of tying up Azzarello's run on the series and paving the way for Carey's (which I also like very much). Be aware that the previous volume "Freezes Over," while it may seem like an unconnected speed-bump in the story, does contain the short but enigmatic bit "Lapdogs and Englishmen" which ends up being crucial to the conclusion in "Highwater."
Marcelo Frusin does much of the art of this volume, providing visual continuity between Azzarello's and Carey's runs. I like Frusin's work, myself, but art style is a matter of taste. Some might find it too "clean"--i.e. not rough or grungy enough for the subject matter. On the other hand, his representation of Constantine is capable of exuding a fair amount of menace when he wants to.
Azzarello's arc comes to an end ^ John Constantine's search for the truth behind his imprisonment in Hard Time comes to an end, as does his trek across America, in Highwater; the last arc of 100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello's run on Hellblazer. The TPB begins with John coming across the town of Highwater, and the crew of skinheads that inhabit it. From there on, John comes face tp face with the person behind everything, and things just get plain weird from there (you have to see and read it to believe it). The biggest complaint with Highwater in particular is Azzarello's characterization of Constantine, which finds the chain smoking master of black magic in the middle of things that would otherwise betray the character from previous writer's interpretations. However, you just have to remember that Constantine is every bit the bastard, and Azzarello takes that notion to new heights here. The various art throughout is solid and moody, with regular contributer Marcelo Frusin being the most notable. All in all, Highwater is definitely not the best Hellblazer TPB, and may be too hard to swallow for longtime readers, so proceed with caution.
Ugh....This One Hurts the Eyes.... ^ After reading this, I actually have newfound respect for the poorly-rated Ennis arc of "Hellblazer" that I just finished.
This is vile crap. Azzarello is a good writer...but after reading this I can't help but worry about the guy's mind. It starts out pretty good with "Highwater", which has a phenomonal ending, and then it falls into the last two storyarcs, which aren't confusing and full of holes---but are disgusting and full of irrelevant garbage.
Oh and maybe everyone else knew this...because I certainly didn't until reading this but...John Constantine has a boyfriend? Not just a boyfriend but a boyfriend that he attends deviant sex clubs with?
I understand this is a graphic book, with heavy subject matter---but people like Azzarello (and sometimes Ennis) need to realize that these are still "heroes" to some extent.
Frank Miller made heroes out of some borderlining scumbags in "Sin City"...and by all means Constantine is supposed to be a character that the reader likes, and essentially roots for.
In the last storyarc, when Constantine's burned corpse is found in the sex club---you actually end up rooting for the cops investigating the case and in a lot of ways---hoping that Constantine IS dead.
Azzarello is an excellent writer, and I'm a fan of most of his work---but this book is going on Ebay.
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