Customer Reviews

John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Constantine gets himself in deep with some gangsters, when he pulls a mystical fast one to replace the dead son of a local crime lord.

Demon replacement, really not too bright. This leads to some considerable nastiness later on, when the demon wants its own offspring and rule.

Ready many stories and buying comics and graphic novels in bulk makes it hard to pick exactly what to read, but once you open this one you cannot put it down till your done.

this book is what the movie could've been nasty and gory and most definitely not for kids

Garth Ennis, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man (Vertigo, 1999)

Son of Man is not your normal Hellblazer title. For one thing, it's got a strong story arc going all the way through it, and its distractions actually end up being part of the storyline. Go figure! The almost obsessive focus on the story (which comes from a good portion of it being told in flashback) makes this one of the strongest titles in the Hellblazer series, at least during the Ennis-and-Dillon reign.

Chas appears at John's door one evening looking for a place to hide. He is followed all too soon by a pair of very bent cops. Once John's gotten rid of them, he pulls the story out of Chas: he was hired as a getaway driver in an attempted hit on a very powerful crime boss-- one Constantine has had dealings with before.

The Ennis-and-Dillon run of Hellblazer was always a fun series, but it never approached the greatness of, say, Sandman (or Ennis and Dillon's own Preacher). Still, it's always been above average, and Son of Man stands out as one of its strongest moments. Worth it. *** ˝

Jhon Constantine: Hellblazer is probably the best comic book title out there. Constantine is the ultimate antihero, a chainsmoking, trenchcoat wearing, cinical con-man / warlock who can outsmart the devil himself. In this collection we find him (as we often do) confronting sins from his past and trying to save his skin using the trademark amoral methods that define him. I'm a huge fan of the book's writer, Garth Ennis, who captures the essence of the character and builds once again a tale that'll keep you turning page after page. I strongly recommend this book and encourage new readers to look past the commentaries of those who dare write a review after reading a few Hellblazer issues just because they heard there's a movie being made about it. Pick it up, it's a must have. Trust me, you won't regret it unless you have a weak stomach.

Not to get personal or anything, but I sincerely have to wonder about some of the people who thought that this was such a great book. I'm an Ennis fan--read all of Preacher and all of Ennis' collected Hellblazer work to date--and so I was especially disappointed at this dreadful bit of work, which reads like bad fan fiction written by someone who is trying to emulate Ennis but really can't write. In fact, I would be relieved (although still peeved about buying this book sight unseen without reading it first) if it turned out that it was ghosted by someone else and published under Ennis' name.

This is the worst Hellblazer I read so far.
It is disappointing because I read two other volumes written by the same author ---Garth Ennis--- (Dangerous habits and Fear & loathing) and both were very good. Unfortunately Son of Man is written like a parody: as if the author tried to ridicule its own work. The attempts at humour are lame (e.g. a demon insults Constantine's by telling him that his dad is sucking c**** in hell. To which Constantine replies "does he swallow?"....umm, really? I stopped this kind of jokes when I turned 16.)
Despite these lame moments, the story itself is interesting. However the art is of poor quality. Especially if you compare with the runs illustrated by Leonardo Manco.
I regret spending money on this graphic novel...