Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #61

The concluding piece for this arc might be considered a tad anticlimactic but I still liked it any way. Guys and Dolls was all about the grudge that the First of the Fallen have been harboring against John Constantine ever since said mortal had duped him into accepting a dubious contract about his soul which he had to share with his other two brothers. That meant none of them can get John's soul lest they rage a war among each other which is just too darn costly in the long-term. John did all of this just so he can evade dying from terminal lung cancer and I gotta say that he is not wasting his second shot at life. He's making amends and he's in a stable relationship with a woman who loves him simply for who he is and not for what he does. And that's pretty damn comforting!

This issue opens with John watching said woman one quiet afternoon at their place and telling her that he's so lucky to have her in his life. It was a nice moment. I suppose one of the reasons Ennis' run so far hasn't been that enticing for me was because I was so used to all the abusive, poignant and murky stories and characterization that predecessor Jamie Delano has offered in the first forty or so issues. I won't deny that I miss my John walking the dark paths and being such a shitty piece of self-annihilation, but I'm also not complaining to see how much personal growth and development he's showcasing quite splendidly here in Ennis' writing. 

I just have to admit that I'm a masochist and that most of Delano's painful and gritty characterization of Constantine has worked for me that now I can't shake it off and sometimes I find myself struggling to really focus and discuss Ennis' contribution to this series which has been great, really, though I know I don't have much to say about it unlike last year with Delano's run.

I did enjoy Guys and Dolls overall. That being said, there are some parts of this entire arc that weren't completely resolved mostly because they weren't completely explained either. I feel as if this was rushed. The two earlier installments were great pieces but this one had to bear the weight of the climax, falling action and resolution. The climactic part of this issue was simple in execution that it diluted its impact once we reach the supposedly falling action and the ambiguous resolution didn't really help. I just thought that it would have been better if we get another issue to wrap things up more neatly and with more power behind the punch. Ennis is not exactly a risk-taker when it comes to endings. I've noticed that he tends to go for the easier, more predictable route. The bad guys don't win and suffer the consequences, John lives to fight another day--it's a stark opposite to Delano's own approach for this series. Ennis' formulaic style of narrative is still okay for me at this point but if this keeps up in the next issue I may get annoyed. It's only acceptable now because I want to believe Ennis is still finding his stride as well as his definitive voice but Hellblazer is such an exceptional and flexible series and I just feel that he's not making most of its potentials. 

This arc is problematic because its brevity was not the best course of action to tell this story, in my honest opinion. I was only beginning to get interested in Ellie and her circumstances and I sure hope Ennis brings her back again. I also know this isn't the last time Constantine will encounter and get away humiliating the First of the Fallen. I'm sure FotF has something macabre and terrible in store for John later so I suppose I should treat this issue as the calm before the storm. In any case, I'm not as pleased about it but will reserve my final judgments once Ennis touches upon FoTF and his beef with John in the upcoming issues, sooner rather than later.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #60

It needs to be said yet again: JOHN CONSTANTINE MAKES THE WORST ENEMIES.

This second installment for the Guys and Dolls story arc is such a delight. It was a brisk twenty-five-paged flashback piece about dramatic revelations concerning yet another scintillating cornerstone of John's sordid past. 

Ennis as a writer is starting to grow on me too. With the exception of This is the Diary of Danny Drake, he's been giving me average, entertaining stories in the meantime but that was until we get to this one which is proving to be a riveting story.

We discover the connection between John and Ellie by the time the first page starts. Apparently, post-Newcastle during Christmas, John was visited by an odd couple in the most literal sense. They were seeking not only shelter but his help. The woman is with child and the man is anxious to keep her safe. They reveal themselves as the most unlikely pair imaginable; John even dubbed them as "Romeo and Juliet on acid". 

It turns out that the man is an angel named Tali seduced by the pregnant woman in question, Chantinelle (or Ellie, for short) who is a succubus. Their forbidden union was blessed/cursed with a baby on the way. 

They sought out Constantine because he doesn't play favorites and because up to that point he was reckless enough to dare help them. And he was, just because he's curious to see what kind of progeny/abomination is about to be unleashed from Ellie's womb.

He started asking around to see if Hell was privy of this and found out that they weren't at all. After stashing away the lovers in some house protected by spells, he stumbled upon Ellie who is just about to give birth, only for it to be hijacked by a bunch of white-hooded men I am not at all familiar with but they seem to be legitimately powerful enough to take away the baby after brutally obliterating the angel-father and then leaving the succubus-mother to almost bleed to death. John was cowering in a corner while this was all happening, too fearful and out of his depth to even attempt to stop whatever atrocity is being committed. He just closed his eyes, placed his hands on his face and hoped that whatever that thing was, it was disposed of in case its creation is a harbinger of destruction on Earth. Still, a small part of him hopes that it did live because as a human being, he would still look at that monster as an innocent child who didn't ask to be born the way it had been. So he does owe Ellie big.

We then jump back to the present with Ellie trying to seduce John but he just dismisses her and goes off to prepare for the war that is about to smack him in the face courtesy of the First of the Fallen. Speaking of that amusing bastard: he's busy tormenting Nergal, the Newcastle demon enemy of John who condemned the little girl Astra to Hell, for the sole reason that he failed to eliminate Constantine when he had the chance. FotF easily reversed Nergal's demonic nature to render him back into his mortal form just so his tortures would be a thousand times more painful to bear. That was honestly creepy to witness. FotF later claims that, unlike Lucifer, he doesn't get bored with power. He doesn't stall or soliloquy about the unfairness of eternal damnation. He fucking loves being the king of Hell and he is determined to bring down John Constantine because, apparently, he is his main adversary, the only thing standing in his way to...I don't know. 

At this point, FotF's motivation still perplexes me. His ego was wounded so now he's lashing out. That's basically it. He couldn't stand the fact that he was duped by a mortal. Poor sod.

That means he's going to steal John's soul, right? And that would affect the contracts John has with the other two demon kings which really means war will happen...and all because John Constantine got his fingers all lubed up and stuck in those tight asscheeks owned by the most ferocious leaders of Hell itself. It looks like his reputation is catching up to him in such an untimely manner especially now that he's finally wiser and happier with what he does, little by little forgiving himself for the man he once was.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #59

So here we are at the very start of the trilogy story arc by current Hellblazer writer Garth Ennis entitled Guys and Dolls which focuses on John Constantine's battle with the First of the Fallen. This opener issue simply establishes the important points of the plot so this is all just basic exposition but one that unmistakably piqued my interest already. This seems like a big fuss.

In Fallen Women, we get a succinct introduction to the First of the Fallen by immediately abolishing all notions that he is the same person as Lucifer Morningstar, a character whom Neil Gaiman is currently using for another Vertigo title, The Sandman, specifically for his Seasons of Mists storyline. Both series are being written side by side back then so it's best to differentiate between Lucifer and the First of the Fallen who remains nameless at this point save the ominous title.

In fact, there were brief mentions of Gaiman's story concerning Morpheus' travel to hell in search of his helmet. His encounter with Lucifer was not pleasant but around the second time they met so Morpheus could free his former lover after he damned her to hell for rejecting him (and we think John has issues with intimacy and women!), Lucifer was much more forthcoming about things, complaining about his role as one of the kings of Hell and outright quits his post and gives Morpheus the keys to Hell which the dream-lord bequeaths to the two angels from heaven. 

This is the timeline where Guys and Dolls start in. 

The First of the Fallen contemplates about Lucifer's weakness since an angel like him could never really rule Hell wholeheartedly, as well as give hints to whatever grudge he may have against our titular hero. He was supposed to use this woman named Ellie who seemed connected to John somehow (it's a secret though...for now), but she escaped Hell in the brink of time and John finds her easily enough. She proceeds to warn him about his impeding doom.

I wonder what her connection is with John. She could be yet another former flame he doomed or left behind. Whoever she is, John readily helps her, going so far as not telling Kit about it, at least not yet. I wonder how this is going to impact their newfound and stable relationship since I know that this is the first time in a long time John has someone who serves as an anchor that could save him from his own self-annihilation--and he intends to make it work for both of them. There was even a panel earlier where John thought about quitting the occult and the twisted complexities that come with it but decided against it because he knows he has a score to settle with a lot of people, and tons of shit to make up for because of past transgressions. So far I don't have a clue where this plot is going and what was the First of the Fallen's gripe with him. Is it because of the Dangerous Habits arc mishap? It's been seven months since I read Hellblazer so my memory fails me. And yet they never mention this here in this opener but I will go ahead and assume FotF was one of the demons John fooled into claiming his soul and now he's going to do whatever it takes to own Constantine for himself alone without the other Hell-kings getting in the way. And Ellie seems to be the key to that.

Overall, this is a promising issue. I can't wait to see how this unravels in the next two installments ahead.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #55

"What are you gonna do, John?" 

"What I always do: screw them before they screw me."

On that delightful note, let's talk about the conclusion of Garth Ennis' Royal Blood story arc which has been mildly amusing and predictable but still entertaining enough to keep me reading and see through the ending. This wouldn't be an arc I would consider as one of the finest but it definitely marked the new John Constantine who just happens to be more relaxed and optimistic than usual. Whatever personal baggage he may have had in Delano's run was not carried during this case which gave him an advantage because he has operated with a clear head to get himself out of this mess. 

And what a fucking heap of hot mess it was! Johnny sure knows how to pick 'em all right.

The previous issue ended with the possessed royal jerk jumping on John and taking a juicy bite out of his shoulder. Luckily l, Marstan's henchman was quick enough to draw his weapon and he gave the monster the bullet-on-the-kneecaps treatment. Afterwards, very stupid characters making stupid-ass decisions followed. I'm referring to goddamn Marstan, of course, who was the one who performed that satanic ritual to summon Calibraxis in the first place then hires John to clean up the mess. Marstan thinks he can control the demon and put a crowned prince in the British throne who also happens to be demonically possessed. Marstan has lofty ambitions to rule England the archaic way; by absolute evil monarchy and some shit like that. For some reasons, he thinks he can scare Constantine to submission. Just because Marstan had some experience with the occult he think he knows what he's up against.

John does and so, in a twist that everyone saw coming, he exorcises Calibraxis from the crowned prince (I'm assuming at this point that he is next in line for the throne but we never really got names) and commands Calibraxis to possess Marstan instead as John handcuffs him to a post and the rest watch Marstan eat himself. My favorite part was when he went for his fucking cock. That was a nice touch, Mr. Ennis because god knows we don't have enough sick stuff in this series. John didn't do this horrible thing out of some sadistic impulse. Marstan deserves to die via self-cannibalism while under demonic possession, okay? That's poetic justice at work. The clincher is when his soul was taken to hell and is now roomies with Sir William Gull, who we know from the last two issues as Jack the Ripper himself. That is the scrumptious cherry on top of this crap sundae that was Marstan's face. Good on you, John. You did the public a hefty service for punishing that disgusting bastard.

Really, though, did it not occur to Marstan that John fucking Constantine is no ordinary man and can unwittingly condemn him in hell just for being a vulgar jerkface cunt? Well, now he learned that lesson the hard way. John may be in a healthy relationship right now with a woman and has stopped hating himself but he's still the same sly motherfucker who will not hesitate to commit a heinous act to put a monster down. So, yeah, good on you, Johnny. This ends the Royal Blood arc with the knowledge and comfort that the bad guys got their due. Can you believe that the actual demon Calibraxis is the least evil character here? I can. This is Hellblazer after all.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #54

Wait, hold the fucking Satanic bible for a sec, is this really John Constantine I'm reading?  The man has been so helpful since this arc began. He actually gives a damn about people in this story even if said people are worthless pieces of shit who deserve what's coming to them, in my own brutally honest opinion. I think this positive change of attitude may have something to do with the fact that John has thankfully also cut back the self-loathing and self-harming habits for once, and is now focused on doing his job sans personal baggage dragging him now. And it's obviously because he's in a healthy relationship with a woman who actually understands where he comes from and how damaged he is. I like this John Constantine. He's personable and sharper than ever. 

Continuing with the second to the last installment or the Royal Blood arc, John invites us for some drink as he tells us a story about the Jack the Ripper; only this version of the tale is grittier and much more unsettling than the public accounts released by the media. Apparently it all started with yet another royal jerk-off who got it on with a prostitute. This jerk-off happens to be one of the grandsons of Queen Victoria herself, if you can believe it. She was displeased about this proclivity and so had the entire affair covered up with the help of a doctor named Sir William Gull who lobotomized said whore so she won't reveal the dirty and then they confined her in a loony bin. Her other prostitute friends tried to blackmail the government about this secret so some Freemasons got together for the ultimate circle jerk and summoned a demon, as most sane people ought to do. They then bound this demon to Gull because he was such a candy-ass and they needed someone with balls to kill, and this demon got that job done and compelled Gull to become the Ripper and slash and hack whores all across London. Because, Victorian era.

Now this sounds an awful lot like a mouthful of mere conspiracy theory, I know, but John knows what he's talking about. After all, he got this story from a necrophilic senior Freemasoner whom John caught sexing up a corpse one time. He had pictures of said class act. With that trustworthy resource, John's psychic friend insisted that they reveal this to the British public but John outright refuses. He only cares about stopping the demon Calibraxis from murdering people, especially when he just had the royal prick he possessed freaking bite a chunk of a child's face last time they checked. Some confrontations occur with John being back in Caligula to talk to Marston about how to find Calibraxis and the unfortunate sod he possessed. Oh, and we also just read that Marston totes is gonna have John killed once he solved the case because he's an ungrateful bastard. Kill John Constantine? Like that's ever gonna happen.

Calibraxis, however, decided to crash the Caligula Club with some handy and old-fashioned cannibalism so he can confront Constantine for himself. He doesn't care that killing John would mean raging a war in hell since three hell-lords have a legitimate claim on John's soul after that whole Dangerous Habits ordeal went down last time. And then the issue ends in a cliffhanger where he jumped John and the land on the floor. He apparently was biting John by the shoulder while this happened. I am definitely gonna read the next issue to see what happens next, but right after I post this review.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #53

There's an exclusive hedonistic club for the affluent called the Caligula Club where general sick fuckos who also happen to be people who can afford to indulge in unusual and disturbing cravings flock together to let off a little steam and be disgusting about it as possible. During a botched satanic ritual one night, a very powerful demon possessed a member of the royal British family and said jerk-off starts going on a killing spree like he's suddenly the leading role for a darker and more heftily twisted version of The Hangover.

If drunken negligence is mixed with horrific cannabalism, that is. Our titular hero was hired by one of the Caligula clients named Marstan and John decided to help out because nothing pisses him more than rich dickheads getting their rocks off via bloody mayhem. It's a simple act of public service, really. It's only natural for John to feel obliged.

In this issue, as the second installment of the arc known as Royal Blood, we continue with the investigation of the case in the most formulaic way conceivable. John interviews some of the suspect's chums, gets confronted by the suspect's asshole brother and then he hires a psychic to help them contact the souls of the poor sods who were mutilated and eaten by the demon who possessed the suspect. It went as well as anyone would hope. The seance performed by John's psychic acquaintance brought forth the souls, all right, who named the demon that took them to Hell.

The demon's name is Calibraxis and it's one proud motherfucker. After all, he had bragging rights on Jack the Ripper. Yep, Calibraxis claims to have a hand on the infamous string of Whitechapel murders back in the day. If John is impressed, it doesn't show. What did show is the stupid, silly grin he gets on his face right after meeting his girlfriend Kit who is just awesome and makes him very happy. Kit may not approve of his vocation but she's someone he comes home to, and when your life consist of demon hauntings and the worst filth and scum humanity has to offer, it helps to have a loved one to hold your hand through it all, and that's what John has with Kit Ryan. So this issue was okay. I was amused the entire time. Not exactly top-shelf quality, storyline-wise, but it will do for now.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #52

Garth Ennis takes the reigns full-time starting with this issue. In this issue of Hellblazer, John Constantine wakes up happy. He was actually freaking happy. Seeing a smile on Johnny's face is odd for me because I was so used to him being such a complete downer in the past issues, what with damning a girl's soul to hell, getting a few of his chums killed and almost dying because of terminal lung cancer and all that. Such shitty events are enough to get someone depressed for a lifetime. But now, my baby has got something to smile about. And it's a lady. He's been shacking up with the lovely Kit who also happens to be the former lady-love of his late close friend. 

John was at first hesitant to get it on with her, given his track record of getting his girlfriends into trouble but Kit proves to be worth that risk. So now John has someone to look forward to seeing and enjoy spending time with. Good for Johnny. The man could use the break from the darkness and pain.

Speaking of darkness and pain: John Constantine once again has trouble finding him, this time in a form of an acquaintance named Marstan; some wealthy motherfucker who participates in questionable and depraved activities in an exclusive club for fellow money-spenders who have bizarre appetites and can afford to indulge in the debauchery of such. John was taken to said establishment and has to see for himself the extent of these indulgences which quickly puts him in a sour mood. 

Marstan seeks to employ him because of his expertise in the occult and he took John to a crime scene with turned out to be a botched summoning ritual of some sort. Nothing more annoying than some stuck-up priveleged asshole trying his hand on satanic rituals, that's what I find and John looked pissed about this current predicament. Upon discretion, Marstan wants to hire him to secure the location of one of their clientele who turned out to be a member of the royal family.  Whoope-doo?

This client has been involved in gruesome murders for this story. He's been hacking his way through the city, leaving entrails and other disgusting mutilated body parts and possibly feeding on them too while he's at it. I think John is sort of intrigued as to the identity of this illustrious client which is probably the only reason he is agreeing to the job. Cleaning up scum is a civil duty for this paranormal detective. Unfortunately, Kit is not a supporter of John's proclivities. She loves him and is totes cool about him moving in with her but she's not having any of the bad juju that entails being with John Constantine. I wonder how this is going to affect their relationship. I'm hoping there's a compromise because I like Kit and she makes John happy. Freaking John Constantine is happy and that in itself is a noteworthy accomplishment. So, yeah. John is looking for a royal prince or duke or something who happens to be serial-killing around and may or may not be possessed by a demon. Yay? Sounds interesting enough and not exactly a bad start for Garth Ennis' run after Dangerous Habits arc. 

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis issue #49

"How can you order a man to feel good? Or legislate for a woman's delight? For that's where their power lies--in making rules. We had taken their power from them just by dancing and that was our crime."

 

We get an unexpected Christmas special in the 49th issue of Hellblazer entitled Lord of the Dance which was interesting in a sense that this is probably THE VERY FIRST TIME I read something uplifting and sweet from the series. Sure, I suppose The Mourning of the Magician was positively moving but that issue was as depressing as fuck as well which was thankfully saved by the great message the ending has imparted. So I don't know what to say about this issue aside from the fact that I wish to express the gnawing suspicion that's been eating at me since the Dangerous Habits story arc ended. I think Garth Ennis as the new series writer is just beginning to flex his creative muscles at the moment which is why we have gotten serviceable plots in the meantime. Issues #47 and #48 had merely been light readings for me where I don't really bother analyzing much of the plot elements present because they weren't exactly appealing or memorable, let alone worthy of deeper reflections.

I was also more invested in Ennis' writing of John and Kit's relationship so everything that is happening around that character subplot has been mere background noise, I suppose, but then again I must say that their relationship is probably the only interesting thing that the writer is unfolding in his stories so far. This issue was a fluff piece that made me feel warm and nice inside. In this story, while John was deciding on what gift to get Kit, he encounters a ghost called Lord of Dance who turns out to be the ancient spirit of Winter Solstice before organized religion turned its festivities into a celebration of the birth of Christ and labeled it as Christmas. Touched by his tale of woe, John decided to show him that the meaning of the holiday--of living to the fullest during this time of the year--has not been lost, and that the Lord of Dance has simply stopped looking for it. It's an amusing take on Christmas because it tackled its pagan roots as well as the constricting conformity of a lot of organized religions. I was raised a devout Catholic and I used to be a stickler for religious rituals growing up, but these days I've learned to accept that I have a lot of agnostic inclinations which is why I stopped adhering to Catholicism and embraced my own freedom of personal worship as oppose to what is expected of me as a believer. I think this is why I enjoy supernatural and quasi-religious/occult-ish stories present in a series like Hellblazer, and why I relate to John Constantine as strongly as I do because I do get glimpses of myself when I compare it to his own brand of ambiguous yet open-minded belief system pertaining to having faith in a higher power or in the general forces of the universe.

So this issue made me feel giddy especially since it ended with Kit and John FINALLY hooking up. It was rather sweet too because I have never seen John so conflicted and nervous about a woman before. He genuinely wants her but not just out of lust but mostly because she gets him and he feels like he doesn't have to pretend around her or push her away so he can guard himself from whatever real or imagined pain he usually expects from people he cares about. I'm glad that it was Kit who made the first move too and that John has finally accepted something good and worthwhile at this time in his life. He has survived chasing down so many storms. He has literally been to hell and back. So hey, you deserve this, old Johnny boy. Go kiss the girl and celebrate the yuletide cheer with her! Still, I guess that's what's disconcerting about these last previous issue. I've been so used to the emotional abuse and schizophrenic madness and gore that Hellblazer inflicts and on me for every issue that when it finally does start treating me normally and making me feel like everything is safe and secure, I understandably lose my shit and feel like something is wrong. And this is probably what John Constantine feels right now after having Kit back into his life.

But let us enjoy the calm before the next storm, mate. There's more to life than looking for the next fight.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10