Customer Reviews

Hellblazer: Hard Time (John Constantine Hellblazer)

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

 

 

I started collecting Hellblazer TPB's mostly to complete my Garth Ennis collection, but the character of John Constantine got me hooked. Unfortunately I missed some of the arcs by past writers, but I slipped into the current Azzarello run pretty easily with this paperback.

"Hard Time" is a pretty fun story. The whole prison motif intrigued me when I first heard about it, and I really enjoyed seeing the hardcore Constantine deal with it. Azzarello handles the story pretty well, and although it's far too early to judge his handling of the main character, "Hard Time" remains a good read.

Some of the story elements, though, seemed a tad cliched. The whole story seemed like an episode of Oz. I wasn't sure if he was paying homage or blatantly stealing.

Those who're already fans of the series and missed this arc should pick it up, but if you're new to Hellblazer, start off with "Original Sins". It's a great way to be introduced to the series.

Brilliant crime-author Brian Azzarello has done the unthinkable. He's taken John Constantine past where even Garth Ennis had darred. Azzarrello, once attacked for being and American on what was a very English book, showed us that of all the demons and monsters that a magic man like John Constantine has to face, the scarriest buggers out there are still just humans. In prison for murder, on his own, haunted by the ghosts of his past, John must work his way through the 'system' at place, and in pure Constantine fashion, bring it all down around his head. The art could be better, but the writing is some of the best graphic-fiction to come out in years.

Brilliant crime-author Brian Azzarello has done the unthinkable. I liked the interior art of this book i read this book in collegeit was an intersting take on constaine.

Brian Azzarello, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Hard Time (Vertigo, 2001)

Brian Azzarello's forays into the world of John Constantine are always fun, and this one is no exception. Hard Time opens with Constantine being sentenced to a very long time in prison. Being Constantine, of course, he makes fast friends and works his way up the food chain. Faced with a type of authority he can't con, ignore, or simply make go away makes him not a happy camper, though, and the results are disastrous...

This is not your mama's Hellblazer. It almost seems like a story idea from another series that Azzarello didn't know what to do with, so he ended up using it for Hellblazer. This is not necessarily a bad thing; whatever Azzarello writes is generally going to be worth reading, and it certainly fits Constantine's character to get himself into this sort of mess. Still, there's something not quite right about it, as if it's a puzzle piece an one of the edges had been chewed off.

Likable, but not quite right, if you get my meaning. ** ½

100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello set a landmark when he became the first American writer to work regularly on Hellblazer, and Hard Time, his first, and best, arc during his run on the series, remains one of the best Hellblazer stories available. As the TPB begins, our favorite hard drinking, chain smoking, cynical magus finds himself in America, and sentenced to 35 years in prison for murder. As John Constantine meets all the players and big names of this hell, he must rely on his wits and abilities to stay alive, sane, and become the master of his new domain. Azzarello's storytelling is sharp and it's made all the better by superb art by the legendary Richard Corben, whom it's always a treat to see work from. All in all, if you're looking for a great Hellblazer story, look no further.

The story was ok. A bit of Constantine goes to Oz, I could have easily missed this four episode story but my beef was with the illustration. While the color was well done the characters looked like hobbits with a touch of Grave's disease. Very cheeky, short in stature and a bit bug eyed. Keep Corben away from Constantine they don't mix well.

This was the strongest arc in Azzarello's run. My overall problem with Azzarello's run was not that it was set in America but that the magical elements of the series receded into the background for most of it. This is an excellent story and well worth reading, as is most of Azzarello's run--IF you have the extra money. After this arc though, Marcelo Frusin comes on and I wish that two or three of the stories had used fill in artists.