By: Jamie Delano Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vertigo Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: October 01, 1997 Release Date: October 01, 1997
Classic Constantine I admit I picked this one up because I really liked the movie. I'd been warned that the movie was nothing like the actual comic, but all the elements of the movie that I enjoyed most were present.
The art is dated and doesn't add much, but the writing is amazing, especially in the middle story, a supernatural tale of war life and rural reality colliding most violently, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". "Waiting for the Man" also features some very disturbing sections, but like the rest of this volume it's full of loose ends and set ups for later plot lines.
A lot of the imagery in the movie did come straight from the comic, as did large portions of the plot. In fact, I have to wonder, other than the comic Constantine being blond and English rather than Keanu Reeves, what the complaint is. The same callous, ballsy Constantine finds himself dragged into paranormal threat after paranormal threat, often by a damsel in distress. While it's made clear that he's neutral and not on the side of heaven, hell or the ethereal, most of the plots in HellBlazer: Original Sins have Constantine coming up against the demonic side of things more than anything else.
It's definitely a good read, filled with strong, emotional writing and gritty, interesting characters. But beware, this volume leaves off, literally, in the middle of a scene so you might want to buy volumes one and two together.
Old horror comic charm... Delano takes a deeper look into the world of John Constantine. This first take on the character since introduced by Allen Moore (comic-diety) isn't as crisp as later versions, but the edginess is what gives it the old horror comic charm. A great launch from once-supporting character (that at times overshadowed the main character in Swamp Thing) to a lead that can hold his own, plus some.
Delano stinks I started reading Hellblazer from the beginning recently. And I have to tell you...the first 40 issues suck root. I kept plodding through thinking it had to get better. And it did. As soon as Garth Ennis took over writing duties. The first 40 issues were quite literally painful. I can't even begin to tell you all the things I hated about this book until Delano went away. After that, it actually starts to get interesting. Save your money and invest in some of the later books.
Politically aware horror comic With the new film soon out I thought that I should defend this comic book. I fear that the film will remove everything that is good, which is not unusual for Hollywood anyway! First of all I have serious doubts about Keanu Reeves as Constantine. Why not Jude Law? John Constantine, is a punk-gothic anti-hero. He has a conscience, but it is hidden behind too much cynicism, alcohol, and tobacco. He has seen too much. His world is not the cosy world of nine-to-five jobs, or simple cause and effect. He is a mage, albeit a minor one. In the comics he is first and foremost a facilitator. He is one of the few that can move freely in both 'normal' and supernatural society. Of course, that leaves a twisted mind. What really made this comic stand how it delivered its political message. All stories in this collection are very political, but they deliver their message in a very allegorical form. They chill me out because they capture so well the atmosphere of the 1980s, or the 2000s for that matter! The portray a spiritual poverty that opens up doors for forces both from heaven and hell to enter and exploit. Some stories deal with the people that are just out to make money, other, more frightening stories, deal with the forces of hell and heaven that are trying to take over our daily lives. Yuppies are created by demons from hell and satan worshippers sacrifice runaway children. By far the most dangerous threat is posed by the well-organised and fanatical christian fundamentalists. Try the truly shocking story "When Johnny comes marching home" which deals with the scars left by the Vietnam war on the US. This is my favourite since it really transcends the classical horror genre and creates something truly new. It is not rotting corpses coming back - it is something so much worse that comes back... The drawings can be very evocative, capturing extremely well the grime and filth of industrial England. Sometimes they are bland, but sometimes they are extremely evocative and powerful. I just want to add that this review is for the first book only; the other ones are not half as good. John Constantine is also a minor character in the comics Swamp Thing, Books of Magic, and Sandman.
Meet John Constantine Originally a supporting character brought to life by visionary comic scribe Alan Moore in his legendary run on Swamp Thing, the hard drinking, hard smoking, bad luck magic mage named John Constantine got his own series with Hellblazer. Collecting the first nine issues of the series written by Jamie Delano and drawn by John Ridgeway, Original Sins is really nothing special compared to the following volumes helmed by various creators. Delano's story is sufficient enough, albeit sometimes incoherent, while Ridgeway's art is nothing more than average at best. However, Original Sins is a nice starting point for newer Hellblazer readers (of which there possibly will be more with the upcoming release of the feature film entitled Constantine with Keanu Reeves in the starring role) and it only gets better from this point forward. Future volumes which feature work by future Preacher creators Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Transmetropolitan creator Warren Ellis, 100 Bullets scribe Brian Azzarello, and current writer Mike Carey, are much better and amazing comic work, and are more than worth your time.
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