John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author), Steve Dillon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

From Garth Ennis, the award-winning writer of Preacher, and acclaimed artist John Higgins (Sandman, Pride & Joy) comes another terrifying tale of the chain-smoking mystic, John Constantine. Constantine is visited by an old friend and suddenly his world is turned upside down as he is reminded of a dark deed he performed many years ago - which has now come back to haunt him. Soon South London mobsters and bent coppers are the least of his worries...Featuring a cover gallery by Glenn Fabry (Preacher, Just a Pilgrim) this is another peek beneath the filthy blanket of Constantine's supernatural and seedy London life.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Cynical sorcerer John Constantine practices the mystic arts and stirs up trouble in London's back alleys in the comic book Hellblazer. In this collection, his usual necromantic demimonde intersects with the criminal underworld when his hapless mate, Chas, is implicated in the botched murder of crime boss Harry Cooper's brother. As often happens, Constantine's past resurfaces to haunt him: 16 years ago, Cooper forced the young magician to raise his five-year-old son, Ronnie, from the dead. Now, just as Ronnie prepares to unleash an unimaginable evil upon the world, Constantine reenters the picture. This story arc reteams writer Ennis and artist Higgins, his collaborator on the crime-noir graphic novel Pride & Joy [BKL Mr 15 04]; Higgins' slightly cartoony art accentuates the tale's broad, over-the-top aspects but undermines its horrific elements. Still, the denouement and the fate of the gangsters are genuinely chilling. A prospective film based on hellblazer starts with two strikes against it--Keanu Reeves miscast as Constantine and transplantation to L.A.; prepare for boosted interest in his print adventures, anyway. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Garth Ennis is best known for his work on Preacher, Hitman and Hellblazer, but has also worked on titles like 2000 AD and Pride & Joy. John Higgins has worked for 2000 AD in the UK and has also worked on titles including Hellblazer, Pride & Joy and Sandman. He was also colourist on the groundbreaking Watchmen series. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401202020
• ISBN-13: 978-1401202026
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.3 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garth Ennis is the award-winning writer of Hellblazer, Hitman, Punisher, Preacher, Pride and Joy and War Stories. He is much in demand for his hard-edged, wickedly humorous style.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff! Ennis Rocks!, April 17, 2004

By 

Ryan Thiessen (Winnipeg, MB Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man (Paperback)

I've read a couple of Hellblazers here and there, but Son of Man was the first complete story arc I read. I picked it up because I love Ennis's work on Preacher. I have to say that I was throroughly entertained and could not put it down till I read the whole thing. Ennis is a great writer. The story was really twisted but flowed nicely. This book is worth the money.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Going down, all the way down..., September 28, 2005

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man (Paperback)

Preacher creator Garth Ennis' brief return to writing Hellblazer wound up being this storyarc collected here, which why it may not be his best work on Hellblazer, it's certainly an admirable work. Son of Man finds chain smoking, master of black magic John Constantine struggling to save the life of his best mate Chas Chandler when he's wrongfully implicated in a botched murder, and soon enough Constantine is left to fend off a demonic child, who he resurrected years earlier, with the fate of the world in the balance. Don't pay too much attention to the negative reviews here, Son of Man is worth reading for fans of Hellblazer and Ennis, just don't expect another Dangerous Habits or anything influential (bits and pieces of the overall storyline were supposedly used in the recent, and pretty much not well received, big budget adaptation), but despite all that it's still a more than solid and horriffic tale in the Hellblazer mythos. The only other downpoint of Son of Man is that the art (by Ennis' Pride & Joy partner John Higgins) doesn't suit it too well, but if you can get past that, you'll find some enjoyment here.

4.0 out of 5 stars "Son of Man" a pretty good read, March 28, 2007

By 

T. Hudson (Orange Park, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man (Paperback)

As far as the trade editions of "Hellblazer" go, "Son of Man" is a reasonably strong entry. As always, everyone has their own preferences as to the best writers in the series, but Garth Ennis usually ranks pretty high in general regard. This may not be his strongest entry in the series, but he still manages to write, and with John Higgins' artwork, conjure up some pretty disturbing imagery. Perhaps not quite as strong story-wise as Ennis' work in the Hellblazer trades "Fear and Loathing", "Tainted Love", "Damnation's Flame" or "Rake at the Gates of Hell", especially if you really like the way that Ennis and artist Steve Dillon work together (and, if you do, you should really check out the "Preacher" series by these two. There isn't a bad one in the bunch, and it equals or surpasses their work in "Hellblazer")but a pretty good read, nonetheless.