Graphic SF Reader Rather than a consecutive run of issues, this trade is more of an anthology selection.
Actually, there is one two issue run with 25-25, but th eothers are 11, 36, 56 and 84.
Issues range from town destructions, death of friends, to getting magical monkeys off backs.
A nice addition at the end is a timeline of Constantine's life, and also an overview of various areas of London and the nasty and sordid stuff that goes on there Hellblazer-stye.
3.5 out of 5
My favorite Heaven/Hell series Many books try to go with the whole angels/demons thing. But these books deliver. So rare do the characters and writing reach such a high caliber. I wish the director of the movie had actually READ all the series before making the film. Nuff said.
Constantine's early scrapbook. Garth Ennis et al., John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rare Cuts (Vertigo, 2005)
Perhaps the best thing about movie adaptations of comic books is that they dredge up new printings of old work. In this case, the old work hadn't been collected in graphic novel form before; this series of Constantine-flavored vignettes, published in Hellblazer between 1988 and 1994, were things that slipped through the cracks, or perhaps weren't considered important enough to publish in the collections at the time. We get tales from Grant Morrison (whose two here are the book's strongest), Garth Ennis (oddly, the weakest of the lot), and Jamie Delano.
This probably isn't a book for beginners; a lot of things are bound not to make a good deal of sense until you've got more of a feel for the established characters (Chas, especially). One that does stand on its own, though-- and I realize that every other reviewer has singled this out, as well, and I don't care-- is Morrison's wonderful two-parter, "Early Warning" and "How I Learned to Love the Bomb." This would've made a great movie, actually (a better one, probably, than what we got).
If you're already a Hellblazer fan, pick this one up for the Morrison tale and some good background on Constantine's character. Othwerwise, head back and start somewhere else (preferably at the beginning of Morrison or Ennis' run as writer). *** ½
It's about time these issues were re-printed Ignore the one star review below, and make no mistake that Rare Cuts is essential Hellblazer reading. Mainly published to coincide with the release of the Constantine movie from Warner Bros., it has been long overdue for these issues to be re-printed in TPB form. Consisting of stories written by Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis, and Grant Morrison, with various art from Sean Phillips, Mark Buckingham, Richard Piers Rayner, and V For Vendetta artist David Lloyd; Rare Cuts is a gem. Delano scripts the infamous "Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come", an important story that remains a pivotal event in the Hellblazer mythos to this day, while Morrison provides a great two part story involving John and some very blood curdling going's on's in a small town. Ennis' story isn't up to par with his other Hellblazer material, but it's still a solid story. The real standout here is Delano's "In Another Part of Hell" which examines the long relationship between John and his best mate Chas Chandler, and just what John did for him way back when. All in all, Rare Cuts is a gem for Hellblazer afficiondos, although newcomers may want to check out older titles first before digging into this.
Some of the best Hellblazer work Collecting a variety of Hellblazer comics that never made it to graphic novel print, this is the perfect start for someone who has never touched the comic in the past. Collecting Delano's "Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come," Dead-Boy's Heart," and "In Another Part of Hell," Ennis' "This is the Diary of Danny Drake," and Morrison's "Early Warning" and "How I Learned to Love the Bomb," some of the best stories by these authors are written here (in fact, "In Another Part of Hell" arguably Delano's best Constantine story ever-detailing the reason Chas remains such a good friend to John).
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