Hellblazer

[Trout]

In my re-read, I've passed and very much enjoyed the Delano story with the monkey and Chas. It was mental but not too unbelievable.

But I hated the Eddie Campbell stuff. Outback Johnny? A cat demon and a ghost? What the fuck is going on? And why do I not care?

I'm just into the Paul Jenkins run and, although kind of dull in places, it's far from as bad as I remembered.

All IMO.

Interesting pages there, but that "How about a light?" joke's been done in Hellblazer before.

- Trout

[Art]

I quite like the Neil Gaiman one shot, Grant Morrisons mentalist nuke themed one, and some fine and nasty work from Warren Ellis before he got kicked off the title for suggesting Americasn like guns too much.

[SamuelAWilkinson]

The Rare Cuts TP contains some really good one-offs, including the monkey one, the mentalist nuke themed one, and the one with the bloke with the diary one.

[Ignatzmonster]

Delano is a hard one to place. He wrote some of the best stories, set up a great deal of Constantine's world, and mucked it all up by writing some of the most self impressed didactic nonsense. That said, the first two issues set the bar at a height even he had a hard time surpassing. And he had a great sense of shame. Contantine had ALOT to be ashamed of during his run. It seemed very real. I always wondered if that was a reflection of the writer's self image or of someone he met, hated, and half admired.

Love Eddie Campbell, which issues did he write?

[TordelBack]

And he had a great sense of shame. Contantine had ALOT to be ashamed of during his run.

Nice observation, Ignatz.

[Adrian Bamforth]

"But I hated the Eddie Campbell stuff. Outback Johnny?"

Surely though there is a certain logic or inevitability for John to explore aborigional magic?

ADE

[Trout]

Ade - fair point, but I think it lost a huge amount by putting Constantine in such an unfamiliar environment.

He was wandering around the jungle, still in his shirt and tie! It grated for me. It just seemed wrong, and went on for too many issues.

That said, I just read Last Man Standing, the King Arthur/Jack-in-the-Green stuff, and it proves Constantine doesn't need to be an an urban environment to work as a character. It had some nice touches, I think, despite a slightly nonsensical ending.

- Trout

[TordelBack]

He was wandering around the jungle, still in his shirt and tie!

Just like when we first met him, eh?

I haven't actually read the Campbell issues, but I rate the man as a living god of modern comics, and he seems to hate his Hellblazer days with a passion.  He was apparently 'going somewhere' with his Walkabout run, but never got the chance.  

[Trout]

Just like when we first met him, eh?

LOL! I'd forgotten! I'll shut up. :-D

[Adrian Bamforth]

That was when I started reading it, drawn in by Sean Phillip's art, and I really liked some of the touches - the way he figured out what was really going on by overhearing 2 guys talking about Murder She Wrote, the urban myths coming true, John doing a bit of Derren Brown mind control (before we all knew about that kind of thing) and that they bothered to explain how he manages to fly akll the time without a ticket (mug a yuppie).

ADE

[Byron Virgo]

"It just seemed wrong, and went on for too many issues."

It was four issues - and he's only in Oz for two of 'em! It was certainly a lot better than the extended American visit undertaken during Azzarello's rather painful run on the title.

Btw, I believe that in the case of Cambell's story, it was Alan Moore who came up with the central story concept, on the QT.

[I, Cosh]

Inspired by this thread, I ventured into the Big Box of Comics to look at some Hellblazers and discovered that one of the few early ones I'm missing is number 10: the first part of the Newcastle storyline. Bummer.

Anyway, I was in the library today and spied the first TPB of Denise Mina's brief run, so I'll be having a look at that this weekend.

Re: Campbell/Oz. This is my only experience of Campbell's writing and I wasn't impressed. I remember sticking it out as I knew he was only filling in for a few issues. To be fair to him, that story isn't half as much of a stinker as the one near the end of Ennis' run about John having lost his "edge." That was piss poor and no mistake.

I have no recollection whatsoever of Paul Jenkins run, but I couldn't have been happy about it as his fourth issue is the last one I have.

[JOE SOAP]

I thought Brian Azzarello's run was the best thing that happened to Constantine.

[I, Cosh]

It's been a good year for JC with trades of The Fear Machine and The Family Man and I've just seen this very interesting news on Comics Should Be Good:

Peter Milligan begins writing Hellblazer (page 118; 21 January). Hmmmm. Might have to pick that up.

I bought the first half dozen of Andy Diggle's run on Hellblazer and while it certainly wasn't bad it didn't really pump my 'nads the way I hoped. I'll definitely be giving this incarnation of the title a try though.

[Colin YNWA]

I haven't read Hellblazer in years (in fact since the Ennis run) but the news that Milligan is coming on board has caught my imagination and I'll be picking it up and hoping the fit is as perfect as it seems, if you'll excuse the pun, on paper.