Hellblazer Volume 4: The Family Man by Jamie Delano

[It completely slipped my mind to review this volume collection last year so here we go]

Comprised of eleven issues, The Family Man has to be my most favorite volume of all the Hellblazer collections so far. The reason is because Delano's story arc concerning the serial killer who targets happy families and his cat-and-mouse game with John Constantine definitely remains as one of the most chilling and memorable things I have read in Hellblazer. I'm currently in Ennis' run, but nothing in Ennis' stories so far can compare as far as unsettling and disturbing goes. This story Delano crafted asked some hard questions about the moral repercussions and emotional decay that entails taking a life, and the writer had something philosophical albeit bleak to offer.

This isn't a perfect collection, however. Grant Morrison contributes two issues (#25-26) for this volume which was...not that great, and this is coming from someone who would defend a lot of Morrison's more complex and ambitious comics like Batman Incorporated which I think tends to be deeply misunderstood by Bat-fans themselves. Neil Gaiman also has a standalone issue (#27) which was as Gaimanesque as one could expect and I really, really hope he'd write for Hellblazer again down the pipeline. Another standalone issue includes the opening issue #23 which was a nonsensical yet delightfully quirky story about a man who has grown to love the fictional worlds he reads and collects that he was becoming less of a real person in his life.

Aside from that, we get a very intimate look concerning John's relationship with his father in issue #31. The poignancy of this issue will unmistakably move readers, that I can guarantee. For his form of bereavement, John makes amends with his father whom he shared a very tumultuous relationship with growing up. He hasn't seen the old man in years and it's quite sad that it was only through his demise that they were reunited. Once again indirectly responsible of the death of a loved one, I thought John would maintain his cowardly ways and just walk away from this. After all, that's the John we met when the series started--and we loathed him for it. But the beauty of being a human being is that we evolve constantly, and John has grown and changed in the course of the many  frightening experiences he faced where the true measure of his character has been tested and eventually refined.

I think The Mourning of the Magician is the perfect follow-up to the grim story arc that was the Family Man. In that story, we see John kill a man for the first time and it has left him questioning everything that was sacred to him, and everything he wanted to stand for. I don't think John ever considered himself a hero but I know he wants to be a good man who chooses the right things. Killing a man, though it was a bastard who deserves it and John did it out of self-preservation, was still a very significant moment because Constantine acknowledges that taking a life is no small potatoes. It will change you in a way you can never come back from. So understandably, I thought we'll get a darker John out of this, suffering from the burden of such an action. But no, Delano decided to provide us something bittersweet and uplifting here in this issue. But I think I'm getting ahead of myself now. The true star of this volume, of course, is the transcendent main story arc that started with issue #24 and continued on from issues #28-30.

For The Family Man, it feels more personal than it should, most probably because serial killings are intimate in some level, especially when crimes against humanity like this can threaten what we know about the safety of social constructs versus the savage inclinations of the human nature. It would be just awesome for Hellblazer to tackle this and with a character like John Constantine who lives and makes decisions left and right with shades of gray. Basically, a serial killer is on the loose and he massacres happy families. That's how the issue begins, showing us a family having a normal day and then shit got real fast. After that, we shift the narrative focus on out titular hero. John's friend from the previous issue, the shop keeper/procurer of rare and priceless things/fictional-character-trying-to-be-a-real-person named Jerry O'Flynn gets taken and so John decides to squat in his mansion for a while. It's worth mentioning that John has great respect for O'Flynn because, judging from their interactions from the previous issue, there is a certain fondness they share for each other. So he feels the need to probe his friend's life just to amuse himself--and ends up discovering a repugnant secret. As it turns out, his friend has been supplying information to this customer who turns out to be a serial killer. I felt John's horror and sickening feelings as the truth creeps its way in. 

Of all the story arcs featured in Delano's run of Hellblazer so far, I think the Family Man had the most solid conclusion and most probably because it stayed true to its core; a grounded psychological drama that explored our main character's ongoing struggle towards forces beyond comprehension, let alone his control, and his conflict with a monster in human form: a serial killer who had committed heinous crimes that spanned for decades which could be interpreted as merely a tragic result of the most common (and often underestimated) suffering of all: a childhood under neglectful and emotionally absent parents.

The old argument of nature vs. nurture definitely plays a vital role in the narrative for this last issue of the Family Man arc entitledFatality. Here we get the climactic confrontation between Constantine and Morris and it was every bit as thrilling, dangerous and heart-pounding as I thought it would be. The collision was both meaningful and absurd, an ill-fated meeting between two men who have been consumed and tortured by their own inner demons for a long time--but only one of them survives the encounter. Understandably, it's John because he is the titular hero of this series, but the victory is not sweet or worth relishing at all. It was yet another rude awakening for Constantine as he eventually embraces the futility of it all. It's been hinting towards that end, actually, since the very first issue of this arc, that John is going to have to murder Samuel Morris (I mean, just look at the goddamn issue cover so me stating this is not a spoiler) because it was the only scenario that could possibly play out where John will get away with his life. But John, in spite of his often reckless and arrogant ways that cost some of his friends' lives, is inherently a good man who cannot imagine taking another human being's life with his own hands. This display of vulnerability makes him more relatable, to be honest.

The resolution of the entire arc was proverbially devastating. As a story and speaking about it objectively, it was predictable yet it did not make the finale act any less powerful and thought-provoking at all. Under the right conditions, anyone can kill another human being. There is a strength to it so brutal and brittle all at once--to be able to make that haste decision that it's either you or that person who must live. It made me think about how I will act in a similar situation and whether I will choose to kill or be killed. In context of all the events that have happened in John's life as I follow him diligently in this series, I think this could be considered a game-changer but one that is on a more intimate level where the pressure will solely rest on John's psyche, and it could determine his succeeding actions in the next cases he will take on. 

I'm glad that Delano approached this sort of story with sensitivity and a deep understanding of the weight it carries. He could have easily wrote a story where killing people is something badass and casual that heroes do, as most action-oriented comics would portray. He didn't completely discard the social and moral impact of such an act, thankfully, which only further elevated the Family Man story arc in my eyes. I think this would be the highest compliment I could give him for his run of Hellblazer because it is the first time that I've read something of his work in this series that does not always have to be a grand spectacle like his Fear Machine arc. He should write more stories like this, and put John in compromising situations that will force his character to grow and evolve.

In a nutshell, the four-issued The Family Man arc is extraordinary and definitely my most favorite of Delano's stories, and this volume is a guaranteed collectible.

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #30

"Executioners are always volunteers. They do it because they want to."

Of all the story arcs featured in Delano's run of Hellblazer so far, I think the Family Man had the most solid conclusion and most probably because it stayed true to its core; a grounded psychological drama that explored our main character's ongoing struggle towards forces beyond comprehension, let alone his control, and his conflict with a monster in human form: a serial killer who had committed heinous crimes that spanned for decades which could be interpreted as merely a tragic result of the most common (and often underestimated) suffering of all: a childhood under neglectful and emotionally absent parents.

That's not to say that this is enough to excuse and exonerate Samuel Morris for the family massacres, for all the devastation he had inflicted towards unsuspecting fathers, mothers and children. It is fucking not, and Delano drives that point home by subtly contrasting him with John Constantine, who had the same type of upbringing in a sense (his father Thomas had believed that John is responsible for his mother's death all because she died during childbirth; we also get hints here and there that John chose to spend most of his childhood discovering the paranormal and occult just to get away from the loneliness of his youth), but he did not become a sadistic killer hellbent on committing atrocities against his fellowmen like Samuel Morris--though he easily could have been, and I think that's what this story arc wants to tackle. 

Human nature is an inexplicable thing that might only be defined by the choices we make, as much as the choices we can't make. And the Hellblazer series does a good portraying the significance and burden of an individual's agency, and the consequences he or she will reap depending on how they decide for themselves which also affect other people.

The old argument of nature vs. nurture definitely plays a vital role in the narrative for this last issue of the Family Man arc entitled Fatality. Here we get the climactic confrontation between Constantine and Morris and it was every bit as thrilling, dangerous and heart-pounding as I thought it would be. The collision was both meaningful and absurd, an ill-fated meeting between two men who have been consumed and tortured by their own inner demons for a long time--but only one of them survives the encounter. Understandably, it's John because he is the titular hero of this series, but the victory is not sweet or worth relishing at all. It was yet another rude awakening for Constantine as he eventually embraces the futility of it all. It's been hinting towards that end, actually, since the very first issue of this arc, that John is going to have to murder Samuel Morris (I mean, just look at the goddamn issue cover so me stating this is not a spoiler) because it was the only scenario that could possibly play out where John will get away with his life. But John, in spite of his often reckless and arrogant ways that cost some of his friends' lives, is inherently a good man who cannot imagine taking another human being's life with his own hands. This display of vulnerability makes him more relatable, to be honest.

But as I predicted earlier on, I've always known that John Constantine will pull the trigger out of self-preservation which he has plenty of. It had taken a toll on him, however, given the last pages where he bemoans how the world just manages to go on even after a man kills another man. It spells out the possibly microscopic impact of our actions in the grand scheme of the universe. Fractured and feeling as if he was marked like the biblical Cain, John Constantine quickly flees the scene of the crime, keenly aware that somewhere, someone must be judging him. I put down the issue and felt  a sense of strange completion after reading. As a story and speaking about it objectively, it was predictable yet it did not make the finale act any less powerful and thought-provoking at all. Under the right conditions, anyone can kill another human being. There is a strength to it so brutal and brittle all at once--to be able to make that haste decision that it's either you or that person who must live. It made me think about how I will act in a similar situation and whether I will choose to kill or be killed.

In context of all the events that have happened in John's life as I follow him diligently in this series, I think this could be considered a game-changer but one that is on a more intimate level where the pressure will solely rest on John's psyche, and it could determine his succeeding actions in the next cases he will take on. I'm glad that Delano approached this sort of story with sensitivity and a deep understanding of the weight it carries. He could have easily wrote a story where killing people is something badass and casual that heroes do, as most action-oriented comics would portray. He didn't completely discard the social and moral impact of such an act, thankfully, which only further elevated the Family Man story arc in my eyes. 

I think this would be the highest compliment I could give him for his run of Hellblazer because it is the first time that I've read something of his work in this series that does not always have to be a grand spectacle like his Fear Machine arc. He should write more stories like this, and put John in compromising situations that will force his character to grow and evolve.

In a nutshell, the four-issued The Family Man arc is extraordinary and definitely my most favorite of Delano's stories.

RECOMMENDED: 10/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #29

I'm really happy that Delano was able to maintain the suspenseful pacing of The Family Man story arc with this third to the last issue entitled Sick At Heart. 

This was just bloody fantastic all throughout as it further escalates the cat-and-mouse game that John Constantine and Samuel Morris are caught up in. The stakes had gotten higher which was only expected when an occultist and a serial killer are trying to outsmart each other. It is worth mentioning, however, that John would like nothing more than to just get it over with, especially since Morris has just killed a loved one he hasn't seen in years, and that was a mighty blow that even I did not expect John to be so visibly affected by. I wanted to hold him myself because he looked so pitiful, cowering there in a corner as he started sobbing. All the more reason to fucking murder that Family Man bastard!

I'm also pleased to see Chas making a memorable appearance here and I appreciate the friendship between him and John a lot because there is a level of trust there that I think had been put to the test before, and only continue to grow stronger. I would also like to mention that Chas' wife has no love for John whatsoever and if she had it her way, John will no longer be a constant presence in Chas' life. 

But Chas is reluctant to let go of his old mate, not when he knows for a fact that John keeps meddling on affairs and gets himself into trouble that are beyond his capabilities. And he wants to help as much as he can, but it has proven dangerous in this issue because Morris is quite determined to destroy John, including the people closest to him.

This issue made me pause every now and then because it was a bit painful to see John suffering in a very intimate level. He never asked to be hunted by a maniac. It was only by accident that he encountered Samuel Morris in the first place. 

But ever resourceful and easy to adapt, John knows he just has to make due of his circumstances. He's still very shrewd and hasn't lost his wits. It's worth noting that, as much as he's used to demons and paranormal confrontations, John does admit that humans can be the worst monsters and that's the irony that encompasses his troubles right now. Skilled in fighting the unknown and supernatural, John is actually struggling to confront this malicious entity in human flesh known as the Family Man. He still hasn't made up his mind whether he should kill him or not, but also knows that the choice has to be made soon or else. A part of me knows he can pull the trigger because John is one hell of a self-preservationist based from what I've seen so far. But good for Delano for always humanizing John when the opportunity presents itself.

I gotta say that John is still coming out strong in spite his grief. He is not giving up. I also love the fact that he doesn't seem angry or vengeful either; I get the sense that he even pities Samuel Morris for being a bloodthirsty killer. Nevertheless, John can't see himself taking a life of another person which was strange when you think about his history (and how his often reckless decisions have cost the lives of his comrades). It's mind-boggling that he hesitates to kill a piece of shit who deserves it the most. But then again, it only makes John Constantine more compelling to read because you just never know what to expect from this bloke. He continues to defy expectations. And my love for him deepens for every single issue!

So this was yet another grand issue that I very much enjoyed reading because this dangerous game that our titular hero is playing is also able to provide a more nuanced and refreshing take on the character. Samuel Morris also makes my blood run cold. What a detestable creature! He doesn't deserve John's mercy at all! And I suppose that's why John has earned my respect (and bewilderment) with the way he keeps hesitating on executing this bastard once and for all.

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #28

The Family Man story arc started in issue #24 but took a backseat to give us two issues written by Grant Morrison and one issue by Neil Gaiman (which were acceptable distractions). Now Delano is back to continue with this arc for the next three issues and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. 

My expectations were already set for The Family Man because issue #24 really took me by surprise of how well-paced and structured it was from the get-go. I'm also a sucker for serial-killer storylines and I've always thought that Hellblazer would be a perfect fit to tell such a tale of woe and gore. 

For the Family Man, Delano has merely taken the well-known formula of the genre and only enhanced the ingredients that made such stories appeal to the masses in the first place. Now after twenty-plus issues into Hellblazer, I also realized that the series truly shines and finds its edge when John Constantine is the center of the story (in fact, the reason why the Fear Machine story arc was uneven was because its titular hero was merely a set piece, a secondary element that had barely anything to do with a rather convoluted plot). I think that it's a good thing that Delano has turned the focus on John again because Constantine is so incredibly dimensional and he captivates the imagination as long as he's in the hands of a capable writer who understands him, and Delano has proven with the Family Man story arc that he does know John Constantine well, and what kind of material works best for the character.

The tonality and atmosphere set by this issue, Thicker than Blood, is a psychological drama-thriller where John and the serial killer Samuel Morris a.k.a the Family Man take turns being the hunter and the hunted. I would just like to state once and for all that I think this is why this story arc was so daring and engrossing; scenes and monologues are equally divided between these two characters as they get more and more involved in each other. Morris is relentless in his pursuit, convinced that John will be his downfall if he didn't find a way to exterminate him. Meanwhile, John has ignored his discovery of the Family Man's identity for three months, but has now come to terms that he has been allowing an evil man to commit heinous acts, which only makes him more responsible than he could ever imagine. 

While all of this is happening, we also get to know Samuel Morris better and the motivation behind his killing sprees that had spanned for decades. He is very interesting to read about even if I literally fear for John's life whenever he's in the pages, scheming away to take down our titular hero in the shadows.

There is a lot to enjoy about this issue. The pacing was just astounding because it kept me on the edge of my seat as I watch and cringe while Morris set his traps to get to John Constantine. For his part, John was still trying to get a sense of what he's up against and carefully sets his own traps, playing it smart as always. However, I also think John is underestimating what his foe is capable of and he could be in a great disadvantage unless he changes his game plan. In fact, Morris is at least three steps ahead and has killed someone significant in John's life. Ignorant of this development, John was forced to contemplate whether or not he has to kill the killer, which was something that admittedly shocked me because John has done some pretty murky things in the past--but then again he battles the supernatural and the human casualties in between are not by his own hand. Sure, John had been indirectly responsible of his friends' deaths but he had never tried to kill someone and it clearly shows in this issue how torn and apprehensive he is if it does get to that point.

I'm pleased that we get that kind of moral exploration for this story arc. After all, Delano never forgets to always write his stories about ghouls and monsters using a realistic backdrop, such as the society and politics of the era Hellblazer was written in, and a morally ambiguous character like John Constantine who is driven by actions that are not always heroic. Nevertheless, by the end of the day, he is a decent man who just takes a while to do the right things. I'm satisfied with the direction this story arc is going so far and there is hardly a dull moment while I was reading. The suspense just keeps building up, and I can't wait for the climax!

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano issue #24

"It's only people with secrets who are interesting"

Where to begin...where to fucking begin on this one?

There are so many things I feel the need to compliment here: the overall appeal and pacing of the writing; Delano's command of language that I haven't seen him handle with such finesse since Go For It issue #3; John Constantine's unexpectedly admirable characterization; and the perfect pitch and tone that established the oncoming story arc. All of these elements have aligned quite excellently for The Family Man. As a reader who grew up reading detective fiction and enjoyed watching formulaic crime shows in my teens, I know a promising serial-killer story when I see one, and Hellblazer is about to serve me some. I can't contain my excitement, especially after I had to withstand the Fear Machine which was ten issues too much for a story arc that had a shaky premise from the get-go, and only gave us a fairly acceptable resolution towards the end. 

I will retain that I will never stop having high hopes for this comic book series, though, because it's such a compelling look at the paranormal while still making some satirical commentary about the society, politics and subculture phenomenons back in the era it was written in. It's always a great added bonus when the reading material can summon up the courage and honesty to explore such themes grounded on the real-world events happening around us. Hellblazer is truly one of those, and even though the eighties and the UK are not my generation or country, I certainly appreciate that Delano wishes to paint portraits of how it was like during those times, and how much influence and impact that era has on Hellblazer in general.

HERE BE SPOILERS. BUT IT'D BE WORTH IT. I MUST ANNOUNCE HERE THAT IF YOU AREN'T READING HELLBLAZER YET THEN THIS STORY ARC MIGHT BE THE BEST PLACE TO START.

"Safety is a relative concept. It needs risk to define it."

For The Family Man, this feels more personal than it should, most probably because serial killings are intimate in some level, especially when crimes against humanity like this can threaten what we know about the safety of social constructs versus the savage inclinations of the human nature. It would be just awesome for Hellblazer to tackle this and with a character like John Constantine who lives and makes decisions left and right with shades of gray. Basically, a serial killer is on the loose and he massacres happy families. That's how the issue begins, showing us a family having a normal day and then shit got real fast. After that, we shift the narrative focus on out titular hero. John's friend from the previous issue, the shop keeper/procurer of rare and priceless things/fictional-character-trying-to-be-a-real-person named Jerry O'Flynn (whose name I forgot to mention in my review of said issue, sorry) gets taken and so John decides to squat in his mansion for a while. 

I love how Delano builds up the tension and suspense of this issue with John having a perfectly normal afternoon himself, inspecting his friend's collection of antiques and whatnot, and then stumbling upon his safe box and uncovering a hefty amount of cash and some cocaine (because, reasons). And hey, of course John decides to keep the cash (and flush the coke when he thought the coppers were at the door). It turns out it was a customer who has some sort of strange arrangement/barter with O'Flynn regarding an envelope. John asserts that he couldn't resist so while the customer was at the loo, John checks out the contents of the envelope which contained some ordinary information like names and an address. As soon as that customer leaves (but not after he gives John a thermos containing his payment for O'Flynn's services), John starts to sift through O'Flynn's other personal items and ends up reading a ledger of his accounts, and even a diary.

It's worth mentioning that John has great respect for O'Flynn because, judging from their interactions from the previous issue, there is a certain fondness they share for each other. So he feels the need to probe his friend's life just to amuse himself--and ends up discovering a repugnant secret. As it turns out, his friend has been supplying information to this customer who turns out to be a serial killer. I felt John's horror and sickening feelings as the truth creeps its way in. But that's not even the most disgusting part of the ongoing transaction between O'Flynn (who's addicted to the trade of exchanging and selling goods) and the serial killer who is the Family Man (and whom John had even shared a pleasant chat with earlier HOLY FUCK!). 

It's the fact that O'Flynn started to require this Family Man to pay him with...souvenirs from his killings. On cue, John tries to open the thermos that was given to him earlier and as soon as he did, blood spilled in his hands which was symbolic, really, seeing as how he might be indirectly responsible now BECAUSE HE GAVE SAID SERIAL KILLER THE ENVELOPE CONTAINING THE INFORMATION OF HIS NEXT TARGET FAMILY.

Ashamed and furious, John Constantine quickly wipes the blood using the cash money he was about to steal earlier, takes a gulp of wine--and BURNS EVERYTHING DOWN in the mansion. This was a symbolic gesture too. It's him making a statement along the lines of "I am not going to take money from someone who has done these terrible things even if he was my friend." Thank fucking god he looked inside the envelope earlier! So now John Constantine, armed with a renewed sense of justice, goes to try whatever it takes to stop from yet another family from being murdered senselessly. Everything about this issue warrants a perfect rating. I have only given one so far in my readings of Hellblazer. And I'm glad to bequeath it this second time around.

[Also, and I don't mean to take the seriousness out of this issue, BUT HOW INSANELY HOT DOES CONSTANTINE LOOK WITH THAT YELLOW ORANGE POLO SHIRT? Anyone? Oh, just me then? Okay.]

RECOMMENDED: 10/10