John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

(For mature audiences.) Garth Ennis, who is also known for his popular Vertigo series Preacher, always manages to weave together the dark and horrific with the commonplace to epitomize the graphic-novel medium. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame collects issues 72 to 77 of the DC Comics series in a volume that is really composed of four short stories. In the primary tale of the collection, Constantine, a trench-coated magus, wanders the streets of New York City. Reeling from the loss of his lover, Kit, he literally falls under the spell of a minor magician. Constantine's physical body is abused in a homeless shelter while his soul travels the barren roads of a tiny slice of hell. His companion on the journey is President John F. Kennedy, who has been trapped in this limbo world since moments after his assassination. The site of the ever-suffering Kennedy will be difficult for many readers, but through Constantine's interactions with the President on their journey to hell's White House, Ennis punctures many of the myths that have shaped late-20th-century America. Kennedy is shown to be all too human, and the ruler of this hell, a ghostly Abraham Lincoln, reveals himself as the only bigger myth-figure able to free Kennedy with a heavy dose of reality. "Act of Union," the second story, flashes back to 1980 with a quotidian narrative about Kit and Constantine's first meeting. This is a small, beautiful story that demonstrates Ennis's impressive range as a writer (especially when compared to the bloody opening selection). William Simpson's sketchy artwork perfectly captures the mood of Ennis's word balloons. "Confessions of an Irish Rebel" is another tale with a smaller and less mystical scope than the opening, but, as Constantine becomes mixed up with his old friend Dublin, things take a turn toward gore and violence. Finally, "And the Crowd Goes Wild" is actually a frame narrative, a story told in a bar that again moves back over a decade, to the night Chas Chandler gave John a ride in his cab and ended up being involved in a terrifying case that touched hell itself. --Patrick O'Kelley

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

(For mature audiences.) Garth Ennis, who is also known for his popular Vertigo series Preacher, always manages to weave together the dark and horrific with the commonplace to epitomize the graphic-novel medium. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame collects issues 72 to 77 of the DC Comics series in a volume that is really composed of four short stories. In the primary tale of the collection, Constantine, a trench-coated magus, wanders the streets of New York City. Reeling from the loss of his lover, Kit, he literally falls under the spell of a minor magician. Constantine's physical body is abused in a homeless shelter while his soul travels the barren roads of a tiny slice of hell. His companion on the journey is President John F. Kennedy, who has been trapped in this limbo world since moments after his assassination. The site of the ever-suffering Kennedy will be difficult for many readers, but through Constantine's interactions with the President on their journey to hell's White House, Ennis punctures many of the myths that have shaped late-20th-century America. Kennedy is shown to be all too human, and the ruler of this hell, a ghostly Abraham Lincoln, reveals himself as the only bigger myth-figure able to free Kennedy with a heavy dose of reality. "Act of Union," the second story, flashes back to 1980 with a quotidian narrative about Kit and Constantine's first meeting. This is a small, beautiful story that demonstrates Ennis's impressive range as a writer (especially when compared to the bloody opening selection). William Simpson's sketchy artwork perfectly captures the mood of Ennis's word balloons. "Confessions of an Irish Rebel" is another tale with a smaller and less mystical scope than the opening, but, as Constantine becomes mixed up with his old friend Dublin, things take a turn toward gore and violence. Finally, "And the Crowd Goes Wild" is actually a frame narrative, a story told in a bar that again moves back over a decade, to the night Chas Chandler gave John a ride in his cab and ended up being involved in a terrifying case that touched hell itself. --Patrick O'Kelley

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563895080
• ISBN-13: 978-1563895081
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The least of Hellblazer., May 18, 2006

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame (Paperback)

Garth Ennis, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame (DC Comics, 1999)

I love Garth Ennis. Preacher remains one of my favorite comic titles ever. But I really have to wonder what on Earth was going through his mind during most of his Hellblazer run, much of which is disjointed, fragmentary, and unsatisfying. (Not all of it, I rush to add; just most of it.) Damnation's Flame is very much in this mold.

There are four stories to be found here-- the title story, which deals with John's sojourn in America after the break-up, two stories involving the late Brendan, and a fourth involving Chas. If it all sounds rather like Ennis was running around trying to figure out how to get a number of folks into the stories he'd been neglecting, well, that's because it is. There are certainly some amusing moments to be found here (most of them involving John F. Kennedy, who is portrayed as an egotistical, question-dodging jerk-- the accuracy of which I'll leave to the individual reader to decide), but if you're looking for coherence, you're liable to find yourself at a loss. For collectors only. **

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Debunking America, January 3, 2003

By 

Sean Whitmore (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame (Paperback)

I have to believe that whoever didn't like this collection either doesn't get it or refuses to accept it. To be fair, the opening story is a little out of the ordinary for the usually London-based Constantine. Whereas Garth's other spectacular book PREACHER embraces the American Myth, "Damnation's Flame" thouroughly reveals it for what it is...a myth. Caught in a sliver of Hell, John encounters slaughtered Indians, soldiers who died for nothing, streets covered in crack, and a positively wanker of a president.

The other stories aren't earth-shattering, but they are enjoyable. John visits his old friend Brendan and meets Kit in a flashback to his days at Ravenscar (the mental hospital he was in and out of for three years). John also meets Brendan, now a hard-drinking ghost, in the present. And back in London, Chas tells his mates about one of the many times Constantine was apparently killed, and how this time there was even a funeral for him. The entire Ennis cast was present (Header, Kit, Brendan, Rick the Vic) as well as the Delano cast (Ray, Chas, Ritchie, Cheryl), and Moore's little-seen Emma.

By the way, if the sight of John F. Kennedy walking around with his hand pressed against the hole in his head to keep his brains from falling out isn't enough incentive to buy this book, check out his best line from the story:

"To be seen in a historical context as the conscience of the United States is not the honor one might think. It is, in fact, a burden, and one that I was...at the time...loath to shoulder. My chief concerns were, to set the record straight, immediate political survival, and regular extramarital sex with as many women as possible.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A weak album, only for the die hard Hellblazer-fans, January 8, 2000

By 

Hampus Eckerman (Sweden) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame (Paperback)

This album is a collection of issues 72-77 Hellblazer comic book, all written by Garth Ennis, of Preacher fame. The first part of the book is a story takes us to New York where John Constantine, trenchcoated magician and fasttalker, is trying to recuperate after some time as a drunken homeless in the streets of London, driven there by a broken heart.

Of course he wouldn't be Constantine if nothing happened. This time it is Papa Midnite that tries to put a spell on John in a very confusing story with Indians, JFK and a dead skull. The artwork by Steve Dillon is adequate, but the story leaves much to wish for.

The next two stories features Constantines now dead friend Brendan. The stories are pretty boring, nothing really happens. One of the stories is drawn by William Simpson, who also created the graphic novel Vamps.

The last part is some kind of origin story of how John Constantine first met Chaz, friend and Taxi-driver and how they make up for the last meeting where Chaz baptized John in a toilet. The artwork by Peter Snejberg is horrific, almost like caricatures, but the story is better than the others.

All in all, this is a weak album, nothing really happens and the stories are to confusing and jumpy to pay attention to. Still, if you are a Hellblazer fan, you should buy this anyhow, as you get some peeks on the background of Constantine. If you are new to Hellblazer, try albums 1-4 instead.