John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author), Steve Dillon (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The popular comic book Hellblazer chronicles the exploits of cynical con-man and magus John Constantine, who traffics in the occult in London's demimonde and whose mystic chops save the world more than once. Ennis and Dillon are one of the more popular writer-artist teams who have limned Constantine during the past 15 years, and in their final Constantine stories, collected here, before they moved on to Preacher, he confronts the prince of darkness himself, out for revenge after Constantine bested him in an earlier encounter. As frequently occurs in his exploits, Constantine's actions bring inadvertent misfortune to friends; this time, he even sparks a cataclysmic race riot. Ennis gave Constantine cheeky irreverence, especially evident here in his confrontation with Satan, and perfectly captured the character's mordant charm. Dillon's understated drawing style puts a chilly edge on the story's horror and bestows believability on the characters. Constantine will soon be portrayed on the big screen by (badly miscast?) Keanu Reeves, so libraries may want to stock up on his print adventures. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401200028
• ISBN-13: 978-1401200022
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic find, January 2, 2012

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J. Curme "jonnyc13" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell (Paperback)

Been looking for a copy at a reasonable price for years. Condition was like new. One of the two best Hellblazer stories written by Ennis

5.0 out of 5 stars Ennis does it again, January 3, 2007

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Z. March "Morgenstern" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell (Paperback)

More masterful writing by Garth Ennis. You really should read the ealier stories to be up on whats happening in this one, but Garth puts his signiture shine on it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Steve and Garth's touching farewell to Constantine., November 30, 2005

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Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell (Paperback)

Garth Ennis, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell (Vertigo, 2003)

And finally, after all these years, the venerable team of Ennis and Dillon are done with their part in the ongoing saga of John Constantine. As such, it's to be expected that Rake at the Gates of Hell is a book for tying up loose ends, and so it does. Constantine has to face down Satan one more time and, more fearsomely, meets up with Kit again. Meanwhile, a depressed suburb in London, in which Constantine has no end of acquaintances, is on the verge of an all-out race riot between the inhabitants and the police. The book also contains a bonus story, "Heartland," about Kit's post-fleeing-to-Belfast adventures.

It's Ennis and Dillon, so you know it's going to be good. It answers lots of small, nagging questions. It's full of the mental gymnastics Constantine has to go through to rationalize his behavior. What more could you want? *** ½