Hellblazer: Highwater [Paperback]

Brian Azzarello (Author), Tim Bradstreet (Illustrator), Marcelo Frusin (Illustrator), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Illustrator), Cameron Stewart (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Azzarello's hard-boiled dialogue, twisty plots, and compelling if unsavory characters have made him one of mainstream comics' most popular writers. In Highwater, Azzarello takes on, not for the first time, a character created by others: cynical sorcerer John Constantine, who, despite being out for himself, has saved the world from occult threats more than once. Constantine is based in London, and most other scripters of his exploits have been British. The two stories here have him working his way across the States, exposing the country's seamy underbelly while seeking the person who framed him for murder. In the first, Constantine contacts the widow of the man he supposedly killed only to find her involved with white supremacists. The second opens in an S and M club, with L.A. police investigating what they believe is Constantine's charred corpse. Azzarello's depiction of this sleazy demimonde is particularly shocking because it ascribes perversely sordid appetites to Constantine, whom previous writers portrayed as rather a bastard but not the deviant Azzarello suggests. Further, by slighting Constantine's raffish charm, Azzarello sacrifices much of the series' appeal. Certainly a provocative perspective on this popular character. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401202233
• ISBN-13: 978-1401202231
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.7 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #917,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Azzarello's Hellblazer comes to a close, August 14, 2007

By 

Kevin Oliver (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hellblazer: Highwater (Paperback)

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.

And don't be fooled by those who were shocked by the sex-club story arc. Those who have followed Constantine from the beginning shouldn't be surprised at his masochistic tendencies and/or sexual deviance. Such things are either hinted at or shown outright as early as Delano's run on the series. Sure, one of the stories in this volume takes that theme a bit further (I won't say how, since as written it's obviously meant to be a surprise), but it's perfectly in keeping with Constantine's willingness to do just about anything to accomplish his goals and eliminate a threat. But because of the lack of omniscient narrative, the reader is expected to draw the necessary conclusions.

This volume follows the story arc formed by "Hard Time" and "Good Intentions." Herein we find out what happened to "Lucky" Fermin's wife, as well as who was behind framing Constantine for his murder and why. In all, this volume does an acceptable job of tying up Azzarello's run on the series and paving the way for Carey's (which I also like very much). Be aware that the previous volume "Freezes Over," while it may seem like an unconnected speed-bump in the story, does contain the short but enigmatic bit "Lapdogs and Englishmen" which ends up being crucial to the conclusion in "Highwater."

Marcelo Frusin does much of the art of this volume, providing visual continuity between Azzarello's and Carey's runs. I like Frusin's work, myself, but art style is a matter of taste. Some might find it too "clean"--i.e. not rough or grungy enough for the subject matter. On the other hand, his representation of Constantine is capable of exuding a fair amount of menace when he wants to.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hellblazer: Highwater? Or just plain high?, July 8, 2009

By 

Christopher Geer (Orange, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hellblazer: Highwater (Paperback)

Okay. So I just finished Azzarello's run, and I have to tell ya... lots of ups and downs. Aside from the fact that John Constantine basically says that magic doesn't exist in the middle volumes, and aside from the fact that this volume wraps up horribly and seemingly unexplainable, there is one major problem here: Constantine isn't IN the end of the storyarch. It begins with him "dead," and at the end :SPOILER: he's standing over a body, and someone says, "Is someone smoking in here?" WHAT????!!!! Where is his devilish charm (gone), where is his quick wit (gone), where is his witty banter (gone), and where the hell is John Constantine? Aside from Constantine grinning like a hyena and dribbling like a fool, this story arc just isn't very much fun. Sorry to say it, but I've read all volumes, and though I can appreciate what Azzarello was trying to do with the American storyline, this one just didn't work. Although this arc started promisingly with Hard Time, it quickly devolved into weird perverse, anti-magical sadism, and almost pornographic content. Let's be clear here: it's a comic for adults, and always has been... BUT, this seems like a comic written by a 16 year old. And while I kinda "buy" the twist at the end of this, it still doesn't remedy the fact that the main character was only "talked about" throughout the last four issues. Bummer. At least Azzerello finally worked the magic back in there (even though, yeah Constantine himself says he hates using it- but it's always some part of the story), that was really starting to bug me. I guess my biggest problem with this story was that it felt so small in scope. I mean, when Constantine is sent to prison you expect him to get himself out using his wits, not have a fed bust him out. Too much of the "filth" in these stories. Constantine hates cops, and now he's buddy buddy? I don't know who Azzarello was writing, but it just doesn't feel right. About a three star run total if I'm being honest.

Oh, and this is by far, the most disappointing of the books. But in all honesty, you only really need this one, the first one, and freezes over to have the whole story. In fact, you don't even need freezes over, just the last two comics in there- so read it in a store and save some money. Cheers!

3.0 out of 5 stars Azzarello's arc comes to an end, June 14, 2007

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hellblazer: Highwater (Paperback)

John Constantine's search for the truth behind his imprisonment in Hard Time comes to an end, as does his trek across America, in Highwater; the last arc of 100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello's run on Hellblazer. The TPB begins with John coming across the town of Highwater, and the crew of skinheads that inhabit it. From there on, John comes face tp face with the person behind everything, and things just get plain weird from there (you have to see and read it to believe it). The biggest complaint with Highwater in particular is Azzarello's characterization of Constantine, which finds the chain smoking master of black magic in the middle of things that would otherwise betray the character from previous writer's interpretations. However, you just have to remember that Constantine is every bit the bastard, and Azzarello takes that notion to new heights here. The various art throughout is solid and moody, with regular contributer Marcelo Frusin being the most notable. All in all, Highwater is definitely not the best Hellblazer TPB, and may be too hard to swallow for longtime readers, so proceed with caution.