Hellblazer, Vol. 4: The Family Man
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- Create Date：2021-04-26 11:57:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jamie Delano
- ISBN：1401236901
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Summary
Collected for the first time in chronological order and featuring stories by fan-favorite writer Grant Morrison （Batman， Inc。， Final Crisis） and the legendary Neil Gaiman （Sandman， American Gods）， Family Man continues the arcane adventures of Vertigo's chain-smoking magician John Constantine。 In this volume， Constantine attempts a vacation after recent events， but as usual， things don't go as planned。 Plus， Constantine must uncover the mystery of the murderous Family Man。
Collecting: Hellblazer 23-33
Collecting: Hellblazer 23-33
Reviews
Lucas Peres
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 É engraçado ler quadrinhos de 80 principalmente pela construção da história ser IDÊNTICA aos episódios de arquivo X。 Tem um monstro da semana e uma história maior por trás。 Esse fascículo tem bastante filler， mas de uns nomes brutos como Grant Morison é Neil Gaiman。 Minhas 5 estrelas vai mais pelo final do Family man e como isso me impactou nesse momento。
Laurla2
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Collecting: Hellblazer 23-33Hellblazer # 23 - Larger than life - jamie delano/ron tiner - constantine shows up at jerrys house and learns his friend is really a character from books， living illegally in flesh form。Hellblazer # 24 - The Family Man - jamie delano/ron tiner - constantines friend jerry had also been setting up deals with a serial killer named the family man， and a collector who liked souvenirs from such killings。 he traded victim names to the serial killer， and constantine has seen Collecting: Hellblazer 23-33Hellblazer # 23 - Larger than life - jamie delano/ron tiner - constantine shows up at jerrys house and learns his friend is really a character from books， living illegally in flesh form。Hellblazer # 24 - The Family Man - jamie delano/ron tiner - constantines friend jerry had also been setting up deals with a serial killer named the family man， and a collector who liked souvenirs from such killings。 he traded victim names to the serial killer， and constantine has seen the name and address of the next victim。Hellblazer # 25 - Early Warning - grant morrison/david lloyd - i dont care for this artist。 its all shadows， not a lot of detail。 i thought from the title this would be a continuation from the last issue where constantine was determined to track down the next victim before they died， but nope。 - during a town parade everyone loses their inhibitions and becomes deadly。 a scientist has bombarded the town with microwaves and set them 'free'。Hellblazer # 26 - How I learned To Love The Bomb - grant morrison/david lloyd - the scientist from the nuclear facility set the peoples repressed desires loose and they've gone to the airbase。 una helps constantine block out the microwave noise with music and he manages to stop most of the people， but one escapes in a plane。Hellblazer # 27 - Hold Me - neil gaiman/dave mckean - sarah tries to get pregnant by constantine。 when he figures it out and leaves， he runs into a little girl whose mother has died。 a spirit wants to be held and ends up killing everyone who doesnt want to hold him。 Hellblazer # 28 - Thicker Than Water - jamie delano/ron tiner - picks up where #24 left off， with constantine trying to track down the serial killer named the family man。 the killer doesnt like loose ends and kills constantines father when he cant get to constantine。Hellblazer # 29 - Sick At Heart - jamie delano/ron tiner - the family man tracks constantine to chas' place and beats him up。 john buys a gun and tries to lure the family man in。Hellblazer # 30 - Fatality - jamie delano/ron tiner - after some cat and mouse constantine finally faces off with the family man who goads john to kill him。Hellblazer # 31 - Mourning of the Magician - jamie delano/sean phillips - gemma lee is being haunted by her newly dead grandfather。 when her uncle constantine comes home for the funeral he realizes its his fault。 when he was younger he cast a spell on his dad， but changed his mind and did what he could to stop the spell。 he'd thought it had worked， but instead it stopped his dad from passing on。 now he has to undo that。Hellblazer # 32 - New Tricks - jamie delano/steve pugh - a man bitter about not getting further ahead in life casts a spell but ends up in a dog。 he starts eating humans and gaining power， and constantine has to stop him。Hellblazer # 33 - Sundays Are Different - jamie delano/dean motter - constantine wakes up happy and has a great sunday， until he goes to the bathroom and things get weird。 then they go back to normal。 i dont understand this one。Vertigo Secret Files Hellblazer # 1 - The Gangster， The Whore， And The Magician - jamie delano/tim bradstreet - this was mainly print with only a couple pictures。 a woman tries to collect ingredients for a spell to fix her captor who is turning into a toad because constantine cursed him and promises to free her if she does this。 in the end constantine helps her find another way to get free。 。。。more
Emma
，
Didn’t enjoy this issue much at all。
Alex Fyffe
，
3。5
Ruchita Nemade
，
I can't even on this arc。 This just derailed off I can't even on this arc。 This just derailed off 。。。more
Sam
，
Consider this one a 3。5。 The Family Man story is good， with several interesting turns。 That’s where my extra half a star came from。 It has elements of a good old fashioned noir story， which I personally enjoyed， but it has a gaping hole where the supernatural should be。 Rounded down to 3 stars for this review because I think this volume really should’ve concluded with the end of the Family Man arc。 Anything else after that， in this volume， is mediocre at best and detracts from the Family Man arc Consider this one a 3。5。 The Family Man story is good， with several interesting turns。 That’s where my extra half a star came from。 It has elements of a good old fashioned noir story， which I personally enjoyed， but it has a gaping hole where the supernatural should be。 Rounded down to 3 stars for this review because I think this volume really should’ve concluded with the end of the Family Man arc。 Anything else after that， in this volume， is mediocre at best and detracts from the Family Man arc。 The art styles are inconsistent throughout， and most are unappealing。 。。。more
Maria Calugaru
，
One of my least favourite books in the hellblazer series。 Some of the art was just wrong。 The story seemed to drag。 The end was fantastic and we got some closure for Constantine but that was about it。
Linda
，
Actual rating: 3。5 starsThis contained the best story arc I've read so far in Hellblazer; such a step up from the last volume。 The main storyline centered around a serial killer and Constantine's cat and mouse chase with the madman。 The writing substantially improved in terms of pacing and cohesion， making this volume fast-paced and actually readable。 There an accountability that John was finally held to， which has been mostly glossed over or brushed aside。 Most of the time， Constantine just cas Actual rating: 3。5 starsThis contained the best story arc I've read so far in Hellblazer; such a step up from the last volume。 The main storyline centered around a serial killer and Constantine's cat and mouse chase with the madman。 The writing substantially improved in terms of pacing and cohesion， making this volume fast-paced and actually readable。 There an accountability that John was finally held to， which has been mostly glossed over or brushed aside。 Most of the time， Constantine just casually walks away from the lives he inadvertently destroys or turns upside-down。 But this time you actually see the man own up to what he does and deal with the consequences head on。 。。。more
Dickie
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Loved it just like the previous volumes。 I dig the art work， storyline and points made about society that are strangely （or not） pertinent to the current climate。
Sam Morley
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What a fantastic showcase of talent
ダンカン
，
This is probably one of the best Jamie Delano run stories ever written。 I enjoyed The Family Man story， and there are some parts of the stories included that really makes me understand who John Constantine is 。 The story of Family Man is actually nothing supernatural; no demons or ghosts or even unnatural sort in it but a tale of redemption， forgiveness and the epilogue story of Constantine's father was well written too。 There are two other stories not written by Jamie Delano that is good - one This is probably one of the best Jamie Delano run stories ever written。 I enjoyed The Family Man story， and there are some parts of the stories included that really makes me understand who John Constantine is 。 The story of Family Man is actually nothing supernatural; no demons or ghosts or even unnatural sort in it but a tale of redemption， forgiveness and the epilogue story of Constantine's father was well written too。 There are two other stories not written by Jamie Delano that is good - one story by Grant Morrison （Early Warnings & How I Learned to Love the Bomb） and the other by Neil Gaiman （Hold Me） - both stories are well-written in a way that expands the universe of John Constantine。 A short story written also by Jamie Delano called "The Gangster and the Whore" was an interesting read as well， published like a graphic novel sort that is every bit good to read。 I finally appreciate what Jamie Delano can do compared to his previous written works of Hellblazer and I can't wait to finish up his run before I read Garth Ennis works on Hellblazer。 。。。more
Ronald
，
That was just so horribly mediocre。 Military science experiments gone wrong？ Constantine playing detective yet not using magic making him always one step behind the "Family Man。" This collection just reeks of someone ripping off old 1960's horror movies and not the good ones。 The mind control one is the worst part， amazing a ray that brings out the worst in people。 We have that now it is called Facebook。 It was never bringing out the best in people。 The Family Man story is downright boring， it i That was just so horribly mediocre。 Military science experiments gone wrong？ Constantine playing detective yet not using magic making him always one step behind the "Family Man。" This collection just reeks of someone ripping off old 1960's horror movies and not the good ones。 The mind control one is the worst part， amazing a ray that brings out the worst in people。 We have that now it is called Facebook。 It was never bringing out the best in people。 The Family Man story is downright boring， it is just Constantine floating along as if he has not control of the story watching the horror unfold。 Like he had no connections or information or supernatural powers。 。。。more
Chad
，
The main thrust of these stories is The Family Man。 John inadvertently encounters a serial killer and there's a game of cat and mouse between the two of them as they try and hunt each other down。 There's a break after the first issue of The Family Man where Grant Morrison writes a two part Wicker Man type story and Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean do a one off。 I was disappointed in both stories given both writers' pedigrees。 There's a few other Delano one issue stories， none of which thrilled me。 Af The main thrust of these stories is The Family Man。 John inadvertently encounters a serial killer and there's a game of cat and mouse between the two of them as they try and hunt each other down。 There's a break after the first issue of The Family Man where Grant Morrison writes a two part Wicker Man type story and Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean do a one off。 I was disappointed in both stories given both writers' pedigrees。 There's a few other Delano one issue stories， none of which thrilled me。 After reading all these Delano John Constantine stories I realized that I don't care much for Jamie Delano's writing。 It's boring and meandering， circling any kind of point for pages and pages with flowery exposition。 Just get to the goddamn point。 。。。more
David
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First to state the obvious - the main arc is awesome。 Not just very good， but great， gripping and very well narrated。 This collection would get 5* for that。But the others are so effin incosistent！ The short story is bad， the Learn to Love the Bomb is dragged out bore with a clear political message but horrible narrative。 Hold Me works on the other hand quite well - and then you meet "Sundays are Different"， which is basically a weird lyrical poem in comics and it。。。well， is so off that it´s real First to state the obvious - the main arc is awesome。 Not just very good， but great， gripping and very well narrated。 This collection would get 5* for that。But the others are so effin incosistent！ The short story is bad， the Learn to Love the Bomb is dragged out bore with a clear political message but horrible narrative。 Hold Me works on the other hand quite well - and then you meet "Sundays are Different"， which is basically a weird lyrical poem in comics and it。。。well， is so off that it´s really hard to review it or have any feelings towards it。 It was there。 I read it。 That´s it， nothing more。On the other hand - Family Man storyline is really great reading。 。。。more
Antonomasia
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I zipped through #23-33 in one day and it never occurred to me once to think "serial killer story = clichéd"。 After all， common though they may be in crime fiction， it is a break from John Constantine's usual manor， the supernatural。 But it wasn't just that， it was the way the story was woven around him， fitting the character's world and what we know of him， while also introducing new features of his backstory。 Ergo 5 stars。Right from the first Constantine storylines in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing， I zipped through #23-33 in one day and it never occurred to me once to think "serial killer story = clichéd"。 After all， common though they may be in crime fiction， it is a break from John Constantine's usual manor， the supernatural。 But it wasn't just that， it was the way the story was woven around him， fitting the character's world and what we know of him， while also introducing new features of his backstory。 Ergo 5 stars。Right from the first Constantine storylines in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing， he's been a protagonist who evidently has a whole life going on beyond the page。 We just read some highlights。 The main device used to create this impression is that Constantine already knows so many people the reader has either never seen him with before （existing characters in the DC universe in Swamp Thing） or who are newly introduced to the story。 As Constantine's mates tend to come a cropper fairly quickly once they are drawn into a case， the writer has to keep inventing new， interesting characters all the time， who are nonetheless not new to JC himself。 One of my favourites among these （even if he has been doing something truly dreadful） is eccentric antiques-warehouse owner and general wheeler-dealer Gerry in issue 23。 Based in Northampton， with a big beard like a wizard from a fantasy story， a larger-than-life chap on whom a number of his writer acquaintances have based fictional characters， I get the impression that in Gerry， Jamie Delano was saying in recursive metafictional fashion， "this is what it feels like being friends with Alan Moore"。 （And because of Moore， who recommended Delano to write Hellblazer， Delano ended up on quite an epic mission - as， in a more troubling and hazardous way， JC does because of Gerry。） The panoramas of Gerry's antique storage rooms and accounts books are delightful， like a puzzle game to spot as many references to mythology， classic stories and late 20th century current affairs as you can。 And I think Jasper Fforde owes Delano an apology， at least。 The characters from classic novels policing Gerry - a man who， by being featured， thinly disguised in too many novels， has crossed the line between real life and fiction - read like something straight out of the Thursday Next series。 The first book in which was published over ten years after this comic。 The conceit is more amusing here too - speaking as one of those who thought it wore thin when used for entire novels - it was perfect for a few pages of a comic。 Fforde's novels are even， likewise， based in a notoriously humdrum English locale （Swindon） known to the rest of the country chiefly for business correspondence and train stations。 （And， not Fforde， but what reused the 'convention for serial killers' idea found later in this story？）One of the many little things I like about Delano's Constantine is the character's ambivalent relationship with the world of what would now be called normies。 Just as a usage of the word "cloying" sparked， for me， a disproportionate glow of recognition in an earlier issue （in The Fear Machine I think， so here with his describing as "tacky" a series of entries for a putative TV show about 'Britain's Happiest Families'。 This is not his world， and the examples shown on earlier pages by Delano are rather suffocating （and written for an audience who'd find them that way）。 Regardless， letting someone get away with murdering them - as does the serial killer of the title， 'The Family Man' - is utterly unacceptable to JC and so he has to get on with stopping him。 Even when it gets personal， and even though 'serial killer getting personal with a detective' is such a massive cliché of crime fiction， it makes complete sense here because it springs naturally from both their lives and stories， as if it had never had anything to do with hackneyed tropes。 And because JC is not police， it isn't that old thing of 'serial killer taunts police' that has happened thousands more times in fiction than it ever did IRL， it's a prolonged battle of wits between two shady characters。 （My only complaint is that the conclusion creates another potential loose end。 An awful lot of loose ends build up around Constantine。 However， I've never read this many serial comics before， and mostly read standalone litfic and classics， so perhaps that's simply characteristic of the form， and they have a purpose as potential inspiration for future writers。） Although Delano's 'Family Man' storyline is interrupted for three issues by guest stories from other writers， and that seems to frustrate some readers of this collected edition， I was glad to read the comics in original release order here， and for me it also created extra suspense。I can't believe this is the first time I've read something by Grant Morrison。 He's such a familiar name， and one of those writers who's been in the background of my life for so long， that this is just incongruous。 Round about twenty years ago， and lasting through the 00s， there was a forum called Barbelith， which started out as discussion for Grant Morrison fans， but covered many other topics。 In the early-to-mid 00s， it was the only place I knew of where there was high-quality online discussion of several topics that interested me， but I was intimidated about joining in （which I now see is because of how tired and at-least-low-level ill I was most of the time then， and I had so little energy left after work or study）。 Most of the really interesting people I ran into in other communities seemed to count Barbelith as one of their main hangouts。 Then it turned out my old flatmate， the only person I've ever really been comfortable living with， had also been on it and it was where he met his partner; they are still together。 And then I got to know another bunch of people， including fans of Grant Morrison's comics， and since I joined GR I've been seeing reviews of his work at least a few times a year in the feed。 Obviously two decades of build-up is a lot to live up to。 The writing in #25-26 / 'Early Warning' was sharp， but I didn't find it as different from Delano's as I was expecting。 （Though in #27， Neil Gaiman sounded thoroughly Neil Gaiman。） Rather it was David Lloyd's art， which I'd already encountered in The Horrorist （in collected HB vol 2） that was most distinctive here。 He conveys greyness and alienation superbly。 The storyline was well done， topical for its time and in tune with the series' outlook （Yorkshire ex-pit village hollowed out by Thatcherism， also has a nuclear airbase nearby） but not very original。 It basically transposes to another part of the country， and scales up， an incident from Delano's Fear Machine story。 It takes advantage of one of the aforementioned loose ends， that the Fear Machine project hadn't been totally closed down。 One detail stood out as particularly amenable to contemporary young readers with high expectations of representation of marginalised people in comics: JC's old flame Una， who was in the Ravenscar psych hospital with him， has a good job as a magazine photographer and this isn't a big deal - kind of reminiscent of a very personal Guardian column by Hannah Parkinson a year or two ago。 （Conversely， in #29 there's a consent issue that seems unlikely to pass muster with the same audience。） Folk horror has become fashionable again in recent years， another aspect of this story which has aged well - although it's been a long time since the nuclear issue was a major focus for protests the way it was in the late 1980s。 The angle of the folk horror is perhaps what differentiates Morrison's take most from Delano's。 Delano seems very positive about paganism （in The Fear Machine） to an extent I can't really see him writing such a sinister spin on folk traditions as this。In #26 there was an eerily prescient reference， sandwiched as it is between instalments of a story about a serial killer who'd been active since the 1970s and not been caught: Cromwell Street。 （British serial killers Fred and Rose West， caught in 1994， lived on Cromwell Street， Gloucester， and if you were old enough to take in news at the time， the months of reports about investigations at that address will have stuck with you。）Forward-looking in a more subtle way is 'The Family Man's minor theme of how the elderly aren't always as harmless as they seem （complete with barbed placement of an Age Concern ad in one panel）。 In the Thatcher years， pensioner poverty was a serious issue and there was quite a lot of sympathy and respect for the elderly， many of whom had fought in WWII。 Yet that is invisible now to readers who don't remember 80s-90s Britain， as what's here merely looks like it's in tune with the present， （in the UK） where pensioners are the only group who receive reliably secure welfare benefits that are just about adequate for quite a lot of people to live on， and （internationally） with "OK Boomer"。 I've heard tell in reviews and blogs about the small problems Constantine sometimes addresses， just local ghosts and things， and have been looking forward to reading these， when they turned up。 Gaiman's 'Hold Me' story （#27） is one such， which includes a social connection via a character from the very first HB comics， and a theme of homelessness （which is more meaningful than it would be with many protagonists， as Constantine himself often only has a place to stay via sofa surfing or squatting）。 #32 is another of these 'small' stories， which I liked for its alternative spin on what initially looked like a common type of monster。Otherwise， this collection is notable mostly for its fleshing out of Constantine's background。 The time in which these comics were written （1989-90） is ever-present: references to BSE， a headline 'PM to sack entire cabinet' alongside a pic of Thatcher; his niece's posters of the Happy Mondays and James - and old Cockneys who still admire the Krays。 But they dig into the past， when teenage JC got expelled from school during the Summer of Love and his father "wanted a son who was one of the boys -- not some freak who locked himself in his room with weird music， incense and books about magic"。 His dad burnt some of the books。 When a policeman looks him up illicitly and says what he found， the status of some things from earlier issues fall into place。 "No current trace or wanted tags on him -- but he's always in the background。 He did two years in Ravenscar after a highly dodgy accidental death of a minor。 Known associates？ Plenty - but they nearly all check out dead。 Credit cards， social security， Inland Revenue？ You're joking， he's the invisible man。 We have got a father listed， though。"But when Constantine Snr。 says to his son "You always were a pussy when it came to fighting，" I figure that's going to be retconned pretty rapidly。 And already at this point in the series， maybe JC doesn't do many fistfights， but he certainly has balls of steel as far as some other types of fights are concerned; though quite often it's the sort of bravery where he doesn't feel he has a choice， it just has to be done。Constantine says， reminiscing about Gerry after finding out how low his old friend had fallen， so low that even JC was shocked: "He had a verve， a recklessness which I admired -- emulated if I'm honest。" It's a very modern moment: the fall of a former hero。 （Albeit said by a character who's pretty unreconstructed himself by today's standards。） Though it's also maybe an age thing that a lot of people go through as they get older - JC would be in his late thirties at this point。 But it was nice to run into just a few weeks after a conversation with an ex from many years ago whom I'm still friends with where we talked about various hellraisers and crazies we'd each thought it was cool to imitate in our late teens & early twenties。 The art in 'The Family Man' story， by Ron Tiner and Sean Phillips， has nice clean lines like traditional comics art and I like it a lot better than the messier art of some of the earlier issues。 （Also bonus of JC being better looking more often， or at all。）Unfortunately this otherwise very good sequence ends with the damp squib of issue #33， which seems meant to show that even vagabond magicians from comics experience boring days。 That should be a funny concept， in the hands of the right writer， but instead it's boring itself。 If I were ranking individual issues through the whole series （which I'm mostly not because that would take ages） it would be bottom - with #23 at the top。 It was kind of interesting in the way it covered early 90s trends like organics， new age spirituality， and faux-ethical entrepreneurship via JC's old bandmate Martin Peters （but only because I was in my early teens then， and what was here expanded on my limited observations from an expensive suburb where there were boutiques that sold bales of of beige clothing to well-off women who spent less time at work and more on fashion than my mother did）。 A succession of panels in which every word of conversation was an anagram proved too much hard work to be fun。 And one of Delano's minor themes is arguably too overt here when JC gets a stomach upset in reaction to overly fancy food paid for by pretentious fake people。 Through the series so far， he has made Constantine embodied by giving him a lot of literal gut reactions: Delano's Constantine feels almost every physical-emotional or instinctive reaction， in his gut， rather than some being experienced there and some in his spine or his legs or skin or as headaches or other sensations。 Agreeing with or criticising a character feature like this is always going to be personal， as individuals are physically wired to feel these things differently。I didn't read the final inclusion in this collection， Vertigo Secret Files as this is a lot of character background material from 2000 - ten years after these issues were published。 I've already given myself enough spoilers via reviews， wikis and articles from comics sites and didn't want any more。 It's a strange item to put here。 Don't know why they didn't put it in a later collection including issues from that time。But the rest of what was here was so good， as far as I'm concerned， that these two pieces near the end didn't seriously detract。 There's a poignant theme here in which two or three times over， Constantine wants to， and tries to， undo the consequences of his previous actions， but there's only a small amount he can do; the best he can manage is to stop things getting ever worse。 That is likely to strike a chord with many readers of a cynical comic - and it's also a very Dark Age retort to traditional superheroes and their extensive powers。 Even if grimdark itself became a cliché after a while， this conclusion feels powerfully satirical once again， a bump back down to reality， when read after Avengers: Endgame。（read & reviewed August 2020） 。。。more
Kathryn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because some of the one-off stories didn't work for me， Neil Gaiman's in particular。 Gaiman's installment， Hold Me， had the bones of an interesting short story， but the subplot of a lesbian trying to trick Constantine into sex to get pregnant was just a weird bit of paranoid lesbophobia that didn't add anything and dragged down the story。I gave it as many stars as I did because the Family Man arc was really good。 I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because some of the one-off stories didn't work for me， Neil Gaiman's in particular。 Gaiman's installment， Hold Me， had the bones of an interesting short story， but the subplot of a lesbian trying to trick Constantine into sex to get pregnant was just a weird bit of paranoid lesbophobia that didn't add anything and dragged down the story。I gave it as many stars as I did because the Family Man arc was really good。 。。。more
Joey
，
The Titular arc is compelling， though it is a bit strange they didn’t reorder the trade to have it all together and have the fill-in issues before and after it。 The Grant Morrison issues are very interesting， and the David Lloyd art is chilling， but the highlight of this collection is the Neil Gaiman fill-in issue。 It is a great mostly standalone issue that has lovely art by Dave McKean。 Unfortunately， my copy of the trade is misprinted only for that issue， so I had to read it separately to get The Titular arc is compelling， though it is a bit strange they didn’t reorder the trade to have it all together and have the fill-in issues before and after it。 The Grant Morrison issues are very interesting， and the David Lloyd art is chilling， but the highlight of this collection is the Neil Gaiman fill-in issue。 It is a great mostly standalone issue that has lovely art by Dave McKean。 Unfortunately， my copy of the trade is misprinted only for that issue， so I had to read it separately to get the full experience。 Not the best Jumping on point for Hellblazer， but definitely worth the read once you have a grasp on John Constantine。 。。。more
Arya Amirsoleimani
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The Family Man arc。 Thankfully Delano eases on his self indulgent narration and story works so much better for it。 I wasn’t expecting a Hellblazer story with no demons or monsters but I liked the detour into crime noir and issue #31 with Constantine and his father was my personal favorite from this collection。 There are a random assortment of one shots in here as well。 They were okay。
Adam Stone
，
If you're not super into continuity， this is actually an excellent first Hellblazer story to read as it starts weird， settles into realistic， and then veers a bit at the end。There's a nice balance in this volume for the Delano stories。 We get a serial killer villain attached to one of Constantine's more mythical friends， and then we get him revisiting his sister and her family， who deal with a haunting of their own。 It's the most human （so far） story in Hellblazer。 There's no demon possession or If you're not super into continuity， this is actually an excellent first Hellblazer story to read as it starts weird， settles into realistic， and then veers a bit at the end。There's a nice balance in this volume for the Delano stories。 We get a serial killer villain attached to one of Constantine's more mythical friends， and then we get him revisiting his sister and her family， who deal with a haunting of their own。 It's the most human （so far） story in Hellblazer。 There's no demon possession or psychic powers， it's just an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place， at the wrong time， that sets everything in motion。There's no real political statement， other than the serial killer being a retired police officer。The Neil Gaiman one-shot is well-fleshed out， and provides an excellent coda for Ray， by focusing on the people and the disease around him more than focusing on his character。 It reads like a full Delano arc distilled into a single issue。The Grant Morrison issues read like 。。。 well， early Vertigo Grant Morrison issues。 If you enjoy Morrison's magic writing in Invisibles， this might be for you。 I found it fell on the Tedious Side of Morrison's writing for me。 I enjoyed the covers for his two issues more than the story， even though it does stay fairly true to both Delano's sense of magic and his techno-paranoia。It's not a bad collection， but if you just want to read The Absolute Best of Hellblazer， this volume is skippable。 。。。more
Nate
，
I read the first three books of Delano’s run a while ago。 I remember liking them fine but I’ve forgotten most of the stories， to be honest。 Finally I was able to get my hands on the next volume， and I have to say I really enjoyed it。 The titular “Family Man” is fantastic; it’s unique in that Constantine fights a mundane （for him） threat in the form of a serial killer。 No demons， no magic: just sleuthing， intuition， and regular ol’ human bravery。 The final issue had me on the edge of my seat。 Del I read the first three books of Delano’s run a while ago。 I remember liking them fine but I’ve forgotten most of the stories， to be honest。 Finally I was able to get my hands on the next volume， and I have to say I really enjoyed it。 The titular “Family Man” is fantastic; it’s unique in that Constantine fights a mundane （for him） threat in the form of a serial killer。 No demons， no magic: just sleuthing， intuition， and regular ol’ human bravery。 The final issue had me on the edge of my seat。 Delano’s writing here is very good throughout， with more than a few stand out passages。 You can really feel John struggling in this one。 Well done。The rest of the book is nearly as good。 I like issue 23 where Constantine’s friend inhabits both reality and fictional worlds - a bit forgettable， but fun。 Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman’s fill-in stories are terrific little pieces of horror， with art from David Lloyd （one of my favorites） and Dave McKean， respectively。 You couldn’t ask for better talent to briefly take over Hellblazer。 Issue 31 is a coda to “Family Man” that captures Constantine’s bastard nature while exposing his human side。 The last two are the weakest in the book: a dull fill-in story about a demon dog， and a bizarre standalone where John reconnects with an old friend。 I didn’t care for these。Overall， a very good collection。 This might be my favorite of the Delano books。 。。。more
Corey Florucci
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Hellblazer continues to be one of my favorite if not my favorite graphic novel series。 Everything about it is stand-out and spectacular。 I'm hoping the quality stays the same when the series changes main writer from Delano to Ennis。 5/5 hogs Hellblazer continues to be one of my favorite if not my favorite graphic novel series。 Everything about it is stand-out and spectacular。 I'm hoping the quality stays the same when the series changes main writer from Delano to Ennis。 5/5 hogs 。。。more
C。 Varn
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Mixed While in many ways more coherent than some prior Delano arcs， the problem with both the Family Man and Grant Morrisan and Neil Gaiman guest issues is that Constantine is rendered passive。 He seems increasingly a man abreast walking through carnage more than being involved。 This is not as true in the some episodic comic issues， but they also feel a bit monster or meta-narrative of the week。 The art is all over the place in this volume， there isn't a lot of consistency of face and atmosphere Mixed While in many ways more coherent than some prior Delano arcs， the problem with both the Family Man and Grant Morrisan and Neil Gaiman guest issues is that Constantine is rendered passive。 He seems increasingly a man abreast walking through carnage more than being involved。 This is not as true in the some episodic comic issues， but they also feel a bit monster or meta-narrative of the week。 The art is all over the place in this volume， there isn't a lot of consistency of face and atmosphere。 It's not bad just radically inconsistent in tone。 。。。more
Scott Rhee
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John Constantine， the Hellblazer， the British antihero who dabbles in black magic， battles demons， and occasionally saves the world from supernatural disasters that don’t get reported on in The Guardian， in “The Family Man” （the fourth compilation volume， featuring issues #23-33）， is a bit out of his league， as he attempts to stop a very human， non-supernatural serial killer。Someone is killing entire families， and the police are having a hard time in their investigation。 The killer is very caref John Constantine， the Hellblazer， the British antihero who dabbles in black magic， battles demons， and occasionally saves the world from supernatural disasters that don’t get reported on in The Guardian， in “The Family Man” （the fourth compilation volume， featuring issues #23-33）， is a bit out of his league， as he attempts to stop a very human， non-supernatural serial killer。Someone is killing entire families， and the police are having a hard time in their investigation。 The killer is very careful， as if he knows a lot about what the police are looking for: fingerprints， fibers， blood samples， hair。 It’s clear that the killer is either a former or currently active cop， which makes the case potentially even more difficult to solve。 An outsider like Constantine， one with a penchant for rooting out evil， is exactly the right person for the job。All of this is very new to Constantine。 He’s used to reading tea leaves or tarot cards， not wiping for prints。 But he also knows that evil is evil， regardless of whether it has horns and a tail or wears a three-piece suit。Writer Jamie Delano has fashioned another dark， suspenseful mystery noir dripping in gore and saturated in cigarette smoke。While Delano’s “Hellblazer” was wont to tell multi-issue story arcs， there were occasional stand-alone stories。 “Family Man” featured two， written by familiar names in the comic book industry。Grant Morrison wrote a two-issue series （issues #25 and 26） entitled “Early Warning” and “How I Learned to Love the Bomb”， about a small town in northern England that is reeling from unemployment and tough economic times in Thatcher’s England。 The town’s only employer is a nearby missile base that houses nuclear weapons。 While there to visit a friend， Constantine gets caught up in the town’s annual festival that has roots in ancient pagan rituals。 A dark force soon envelops the town， and Constantine is stuck in the middle of it all。With beautiful monochromatic artwork by David Lloyd， Morrison’s strange tale is a frightening examination of the all-too-real fear and fascination of nuclear war。 As anyone who lived through the ‘80s will tell you， it was palpable。Issue #27 is a story written by Neil Gaiman entitled “Hold Me”。 It is an incredibly disturbing and sad ghost story about the homeless， drawn by Dave McKean。 Fans of the “The Sandman” will， of course， love it。There is also a short story by Jamie Delano entitled “The Gangster， The Whore， and the Magician”。“Hellblazer” is fast becoming my new favorite comic book series of all time。 。。。more
Traummachine
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3。5 starsI enjoyed this， but I miss the demons。 I mean， there’s undead， there are spirits that stoke your secret dark desires until they’re impossible to resist， there are ghosts， and there’s a serial killer。 But no demons， and maybe that helped me to feel this volume was a little scattered。The main thread is a human serial killer called The Family Man， who kills families。 Actually he often leaves a witness alive， but always kills all the children。 I didn’t really find this all that engaging。 It 3。5 starsI enjoyed this， but I miss the demons。 I mean， there’s undead， there are spirits that stoke your secret dark desires until they’re impossible to resist， there are ghosts， and there’s a serial killer。 But no demons， and maybe that helped me to feel this volume was a little scattered。The main thread is a human serial killer called The Family Man， who kills families。 Actually he often leaves a witness alive， but always kills all the children。 I didn’t really find this all that engaging。 It was nice to have a common thread in an otherwise random set of stories， but it didn’t grab me。I tend to agree with Delano’s politics but they felt pretty heavy-handed here。 Still， we do learn a lot about Constantine’s background， and there are some solid emotional scenes。 Overall I wasn’t blown away， but I did enjoy it， and I would even re-read it。 。。。more
Astrid Terese
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John Constantine er hovedperson i tegneserien Hellblazer， men gjør også gjesteopptredener i andre forfatteres arbeid。 Han er best beskrevet som en okkult detektiv og anti-helt。 Han er opptatt av at den vanlige mann skal ha rett på et vanlig liv， og han håper dette inkluderer ham selv。 Men der kommer til stadighet magi， demoner og mord i veien。 Constantine opptrer i tegneserier utgitt av DC Comics， for det meste under forlaget Vertigo。 Første gang han dukket opp var i The Saga of the Swamp Thing John Constantine er hovedperson i tegneserien Hellblazer， men gjør også gjesteopptredener i andre forfatteres arbeid。 Han er best beskrevet som en okkult detektiv og anti-helt。 Han er opptatt av at den vanlige mann skal ha rett på et vanlig liv， og han håper dette inkluderer ham selv。 Men der kommer til stadighet magi， demoner og mord i veien。 Constantine opptrer i tegneserier utgitt av DC Comics， for det meste under forlaget Vertigo。 Første gang han dukket opp var i The Saga of the Swamp Thing i 1985。 Han ble skapt av Alan Moore， Steve Bissette， John Totleben og Rick Veitch。Hele min omtale finner du på bloggen min Betraktninger 。。。more
Paul
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Constantine should go to Silent HillRead three of these in a day。 Go me。 I still love Constantine the character， but he's very much an antihero， and overly political。 Half the time he didn't need to be in his own stories。 Constantine should go to Silent HillRead three of these in a day。 Go me。 I still love Constantine the character， but he's very much an antihero， and overly political。 Half the time he didn't need to be in his own stories。 。。。more
Ross Alon
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Meh。 Felt like the writer search for a major plot and got lost along the way
J
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One of Delano's better storylines and it barely even touches magic， staying rooted in plain old human horror， which is bad enough as it is。 One of Delano's better storylines and it barely even touches magic， staying rooted in plain old human horror， which is bad enough as it is。 。。。more
Hans
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'Strewth， this is an odd and dismaying story collection。 Reminder: if you value your life， do not befriend John Constantine。 'Strewth， this is an odd and dismaying story collection。 Reminder: if you value your life， do not befriend John Constantine。 。。。more
James DeSantis
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