{"id":4666,"date":"2010-03-02T06:00:46","date_gmt":"2010-03-02T06:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=4666"},"modified":"2010-02-27T12:39:47","modified_gmt":"2010-02-27T12:39:47","slug":"john-constantine-hellblazer-son-of-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2010\/03\/02\/john-constantine-hellblazer-son-of-man\/","title":{"rendered":"John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Garth Ennis<\/strong> & John Higgins<\/strong> (Vertigo)
\nISBN: 978-1-84023-830-3<\/p>\n

Garth Ennis ended a spectacular run on the urban wizard and all-around nasty-piece-of-work John Constantine in grand manner with Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell<\/a><\/strong>. By wrapping up all his loose ends and eradicating almost everything built during his tenure Ennis gave the regrettable impression that he was never coming back, but to every fan’s delight he returned with frequent collaborator John Higgins (see Pride and Joy<\/a><\/strong>) to craft this terrifying and pitiless tale of urban horror and twisted heritage set in the darkly charismatic London underworld.<\/p>\n

During the Falklands War, when John Constantine was still in and out of criminal asylums, gang boss Harry Cooper asked a favour. Already well acquainted with the worst that Hell housed, the cocky young wizard knew true evil when it stuck a gun up his nose and was wise enough to comply.<\/p>\n

With a few of his friends – for they weren’t all dead back then – he successfully resurrected Cooper’s dead son, and counted himself lucky to escape with his life and knees intact. No one, especially Cooper, needed to know just how he’d accomplished the impossible.<\/p>\n

Twenty years later an older wiser man, he’s being harassed by Copper’s thugs and their bought coppers again. The kid’s all grown up now and taking over the family business, but his actions don’t make sense. Rather than making money, all his efforts seem destined to turn the city into a seething cauldron of race-hate and gang warfare: a literal Hell on Earth.<\/p>\n

Now Constantine has to deal with the thing he brought back before it settles with him and all London too – but the outlook is far from rosy\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Collecting issues #129-133 of the monthly comicbook, this is an excellent blend of crime-thriller a la<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cool Britannia\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with the signature black comedy-horror that Ennis has made his own, and the expressive, boldly subtle art of John Higgins perfectly captures the brutality, hilarity and sheer fear generated in this terrific thriller.<\/p>\n

Grown-up comics simply don’t get better than this and both crime fans and horror lovers can pick this book up with no prior familiarity and still have the time of their lives…<\/p>\n