Customer Reviews

Hellblazer: Good Intentions (John Constantine, Hellblazer)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i'm writing this review because every other opinion of this story i've heard has been negative, and i feel obligated to say that i think this is one of the better hellblazer tales, particularly when taken as part of the larger azzarello/frusin run. i think brian azzarellos' writing is excellent here, bleakly funny, horrifying and quirky, with twists you couldn't have predicted without a working crystal ball.
the characters of richie and dickie are unforgettable, cold psychotic killers reminiscent of the classic 'jody and t.c.' in garth ennis' 'preacher' but with more gritty realism. this story is not without it's flaws, sometimes veering dangerously close to unintentional ridiculousness, but always manages to redeem itself with vicious humour, quirky characterizations, and brutal action.
and another thing: marcelo frusin is not given even a fraction of the praise he deserves. his dark, heavily stylized art is like a bastardization of (azzarellos' '100 bullets' partner) eduardo risso and ('hellboy' virtuoso) mike mignola. every panel displays his masterly sense of composition, his thick black linework radiating a sense of otherworldly menace and danger which rivals that of the aforementioned mike mignola, charles burns, and thomas ott, all masters of horror comics. frusins' run on hellblazer has, to my mind, cemented his place as one of the best artists in horror comics, and maybe comics in general.

This is a rather confusing and preposterous story, incompatible with other depictions of Constantine, and not particularly interesting or internally consistent.

The art is very cool; great shading and restrained color. However, it also seems a bit inappropriate for Constantine; he's made to look like a Joker-style madman. His face seems to be stuck in a permanent long-chinned cackle of craziness. It doesn't help that the script gives him a few Constantine-worthy lines, but none of Constantine's wit or attitude. In addition to that, he first acts as a villainous jerk, than as a naive lost boy. Constantine is certainly a deeply divided character, but this seems to me a pretty literal and sloppy way of depicting his complexity. His motives are as muddled here as anyone else's, and the punchline to the story is quite ridiculous. A very strange failure of a storyline.

If you're looking to start with Hellblazer, consider John Constantine, Hellblazer: All His Engines, Hellblazer: Setting Sun, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits, or the brilliant Saga of the Swamp Thing: Volume 1 in which Alan Moore first introduced Constantine.

The story told here is engaging, and Frusin's art is a delight as usual. Constantine, hitch-hiking through the backwoods of America, is at his best: cunning, devious, and sarcastic; more of a conman and a trickster in this volume than a magician (though he does play a rather satisfying trick on some nasty little boys).

The plot is as disturbing as Azzarello's plots usually are; there is deviant sex, corruption, explicitly ugly happenings, and naturally, a good deal of pain and death. Interestingly, Constantine turns out to be the least morally bankrupt of any of the main characters, though the other characters are displayed as pitiable desperate individuals with no choice but to behave in hideous and exploitive ways. I disagreed-- I found them repellent, and their actions seemed unnecessary and a little gimmicky at times. I was a little bothered by the author's treatment of their roles and left wondering how he himself felt about them.

All in all, an enjoyable book, but I prefer the following paperback by the same author-artist team, Freezes Over.

I avoided the Azzarello run of Hellblazer for quite some time, having heard some negative things about it. But after giving it a chance, I'm happy to say that this run belongs up there with those of Delano, Ellis & Carey. Sure, Azzarello doesn't have a native's ear for English dialect. For this reason, it makes sense for him to set the main story arcs in America. Perhaps for this reason, he also has Constantine talk quite a bit less, with fewer internal monologues of the sort that earlier authors indulged in. This adds to the disturbing air of mystery, but long-time readers may miss the sharp political commentary, etc.

But when it comes down to actions, Azzarello has Constantine down perfectly. This volume shows how our dear anti-hero's good intentions are just as misguided and potentially destructive as ever, particularly when he doesn't know half as much as he thinks he does. Azzarello's good sense of pacing works well with this sort of mystery, as does his use of the American Gothic backdrop.

On the visual level, this volume also makes a return to a more standard (and, to me, more appealing) style of art than that found in the previous one. But Those who have read "Hard Time" will have a better understanding of where Constantine stands in relation to his present situation with the Fermin family and why he is torturing himself over Lucky's death.
Likewise, the events in this volume are a step leading up to the conclusion in "Highwater."

Brian Azzarello, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Good Intentions (Vertigo, 2002)

Good Intentions is not only Brian Azzarello's finest work on Hellblazer, it may be the single finest story arc to ever appear either in the comic's covers or under Azzarello's name. If you've not been introduced to John Constantine (except by the rather laughable movie "based" on it), you could either start here and be prepared for a minor letdown with any other book you pick up, or save this one till last. Because Good Intentions will absolutely ruin you. It will have its way with you in the dingy back alley of a nameless slum, dull blade pressed to your neck, and you, God (or whatever deity you believe in) help you, and you will like it. Because Brian Azzarello, and this story arc, are just that good.

Azzarello starts us off with Constantine wandering through some of backwoods America, seemingly just looking to catch up with some old friends, one of whom happens to be an old girlfriend. Standard Hellblazer stuff, right? But things get very, very weird very quickly. And once you've uncovered the true identity of the monster, you're going to feel kind of let down, because, really, it's so cliché. But then you realize there are a few pages left, a bit too long for a standard Hellblazer denouement. And this, folks, is where Brian Azzarello will grab you by the stones and heave. Not just twist, but heave. All the sudden everything's turned on its head, and you look at it all and realize you should've seen it coming all along, and Brian Azzarello has completely outfoxed you, and whoa.

I've read a lot of graphic novels over the past couple of years, and a lot of them have been very, very good. Some of them have been bordering on great. A very few of them have been. Good Intentions borders on great, with quite a few toes over the line. You need this. **** ½

i'm writing this review because every other opinion of this story i've heard has been negative, and i feel obligated to say that i think this is one of the better hellblazer tales, particularly when taken as part of the larger azzarello/frusin/corben run. i think brian azzarellos' writing is excellent here, bleakly funny, horrifying and quirky, with twists you couldn't have predicted with a working crystal ball.
the characters of richie and dickie are unforgettable, cold psychotic killers reminiscent of the classic 'jody and t.c.' in garth ennis' 'preacher'. this story is not without it's flaws, sometimes veering dangerously close to unintentional ridiculousness, but always manages to redeem itself with vicious humour, quirky characterizations, and brutal action.
and another thing: marcelo frusin is not given even a fraction of the praise he deserves. his dark, heavily stylized art is like a bastardization of (azzarellos' '100 bullets' partner) eduardo risso and 'hellboy' virtuoso mike mignola. every panel displays his masterly sense of composition, his thick black linework radiating a sense of otherworldly menace and danger which rivals that of the aforementioned mike mignola, charles burns, and thomas ott, all masters of horror comics. frusins' run on hellblazer has, to my mind, cemented his place as one of the best artists in horror comics, and maybe comics in general.

unlike other reviewers I think this tale was very possible it fit together fantastic. It was like a great terror suspense film and had a great atmosphere. Azzarello shines again

Hm. How can I tell you my opinion about this book without spoiling it? Hmm. Let's try like this.

Hellblazer is not about this kind of stories. Not normally.
This is a very dark tale about desperate men and women in a desperate town - and the impossibility of saving them from themselves.

Sounds good, isn't it?

Unfortunately, John Constantine (the main character) really doesn't fit in this tale, and all the efforts to turn the story into something "Hellblazerish" repeatedly fail. Worse than that, they turn the tale into pastiche with all that forced and unnecessary imagery of disturbing, dead and corrupted stuff.

Oh. And the basic premise for the story is waaaay improbable, as soon as you stop to ponder it, and really just a gimmick to inject some (well, quite a lot of) shock value in the book.

Not excessively bad, but Hellblazer is another kind of stuff.