londonsurrealist

I desperately want to read issue 13...

I found it slightly 'meh'. Not dreadful, just a bit ordinary.

I'm in two minds whether I'd like it or not, but when we are all practically in lockdown due to the pandemic, and given the proximity of the Hellblazer universe to our own, wouldn't it be odd if it didn't get written in somehow?

It could be very fruitful, but do you think it'd be appropriate?

You don't want to believe that hamsters are strictly vegan. Also, they make rubbish coffee.

I agree with most of what's been said here. I thought at first I wasn't going to like the artwork, especially after the previous issues, where it has been exceptional, but it quickly grew on me. It was the funniest thing I have seen for ages and obviously carried the story arc on a bit. I have met loads of real-world people like Tommy (plus a few who'd really like to be John) but the version of Tommy on the cover, I could swear I know the guy, however unlikely it is that it's really based on somebody I know!

I'll give it an 8.

To be honest, I found Ian Rankin's book less than whelming. Not horrible, not great, a few good moments along the way, but too superficial.

This is going to be one of those "Never mind, just take my money!" moments, isn't it?

So far I'd call it a note-perfect rendition of Hellblazer as it should be. Nothing strikingly new, but not horribly derivative either, possibly paving the way for something quite special, but I won't bet too much on that yet.

That whole aspect of the thing was a massive pile of wank, to use the technical terminology.

Yeah, I liked the way that Milligan started out, sort of low-key and rather nasty, but, given that we are dealing with a character with one foot in reality and one in quite bizarre fantasy, it all seemed to get very, very silly. I thought The Devil's Trenchcoat was a low point, although like a lot of Milligan's stories, it seemed to start off with a decent idea that just went quickly down the toilet. (I mean that I liked the idea that his coat could have picked up something on its way through Hell, mine does going through Woolwich! - which is almost, but not quite the same thing...) 

I didn't like what he did to either Angie or to Gemma, it seemed out of character in both cases, although one could understand them both suffering a degree of PTSD, you know, demons wrecking your life can do that.

This is proper, isn't it? First time in an age I have felt like writing here because the last few years have been horribly barren. Loved the artwork, sort of like some Manco cross-bred with Jock, trying to get an attitude you see in Sean Phillips' version. (Something about that cocky look, especially when out of his depth.) Good story, that made me think a bit of Andy Diggle's first few issues, before the work pressures made them look slightly perfunctory.

And it seems Boris Johnson is using dark magic to fuck the open wounds of the proletariat. You saw that here first...

I own about 5 trench coats, plus a rather nice duster, seeing as you asked...

Ermmm.... Has somebody not showered?

On topic Demons rule the stockmarket and the only way to make millions is to sell your soul

 

I think you will find this is actually the case...

Just read the thing. In my view not as bad as some people obviously think, but nothing very great or satisfactory either. Too many rushed resolutions of story lines and too many left hanging, Sort of not a cold Big Mac, but definitely not a filet mignon either. A tad depressing, slightly intriguing, not quite good enough. I ahve decided that I WILL try the first issue of Constantine and see if it is every bit as bad as the preview. Just so I can moan, you understand...

I'm all for it. As long as I can make it I will get my trench coat cleaned special-like...

Cigarettes are made illegal. He can't even get contraband ones and dies in agony.

This is a clear step up from the nadir of the last few issues, IMHO. Still not very good, but definitely readable, and the ghost estate was a nice touch. I must say I find that Epiphany and John's relationship just gets creepier every time we get a new tidbit of information about it. There's something deeply unsettling about a 10-12 year-old girl's crush culminating in marriage to a 30 years older man down the road.

 

While the characterisation in his run to date has been so shoddy that I find it hard to reconcile with the fact that it's being written by that Peter Milligan, this is so increasingly, glaringly clear that I'm beginning to hope it might actually be deliberate, and building to something. I'm not holding my breath, though.

 

I've got nothing to say about this issue beyond what's already been said, really - this arc is light-years ahead of most of what we've been given over the past year or two, but still pretty underwhelming. In a better run, this would be an unremarkable filler story - here, it's like a diamond shining in the dirt.

 

His use of the hungry grass in this issue reminded me of a one-shot story from his brief, largely (and unfairly) forgotten early-'90s run on Detective Comics, in which he used the same myth. No more to add, that just seemed worth mentioning.

 

 

Oh, and the cover is fucking hideous. But that's nothing new.

Most of Bisley's covers are hideous as utterly crass. I'm always surprised when I like one. I also tend to like his inside art for HB.

To his nephew's mum, no ?

 

Anyone, not a bad issue all told.

Probably, but it reads ambiguously at best. Glad to hear it is a bit better, probably won't get it until next week.

Just a bit worrying that this blurb has been written by somebody who has not read the comic. Dead mum?

Hmmm... I see where everybody is coming from with their almost universally negative remarks and to some extent agree with them. It WAS a shoddy bit of story-telling and what's more I didn't care for Bisley's artwork here, dreadful werewolf, just laughable really I thought. Now, I have generally felt a bit more positive about much of Milligan's run than many here and am less negative than many on this occasion. I'd also say that I've rarely been as positive as some when the comments have been in that direction, it has too often seemed like some really good ideas, not quite realised to my tastes and of late Milligan has seemed to be losing the plot somewhat.

On the subject of Bisley's art, well, I started by hating his covers and liking the inside art a lot. However, it doesn't quite work here, looks a bit rushed, as I said, I didn't like his idea of a werewolf, except, oddly enough, on the cover, where it seemed humourous.

I'd love to see somebody else have a go at the title. I wouldn't mind seeing Camuncoli staying on for the artwork, but preferably with somebody very different on the covers. I'm probably not as jaundiced as some of you about Hellblazer as I probably read a lot less comics than most of you and some apparently stale ideas seem relatively fresh to me, but it really does feel as if Milligan's tenure should be over soon, and maybe the sooner the better. On the other hand, Suicide Bridge tells me that I'd be happy to see him do a one-off or an OGN.

Doing swell, thanks. Just finished C2. If they make this.. and of course that's a big "if", it could very very cool.. even for the ones here that didn't much care for the first. This one's more my baby so I'm a pretty proud pappa at this minute. Then again, it hasn't gone through the grismill yet... Always remember, wat you see up on screen isn't always what was intended.

 

Have a happy holiday and drink down a pint for ol' Johnny... He may be coming back....

 

Frank, why don't you direct it? You'd do a whole helluva lot better than douchie-mcforeskin who directed the first one. Plus, you have some skins on the wall that douchie didn't have and still does not have.

I'm obviously missing something - everything - here. I take it that TearsInRain is Frank, that Frank is in the movies in some capacity? But being terribly uncool don't know who he is or what he does in movies.

If Frank can do a good C2 movie I'm his fan/chum for life though.

On the synchronicity front, I was looking for some old paperwork last night and set-off one of those promotional beetle-in-a-box screechy things.

Synchronicity eh? Do you by any chance have a dead twin?

Marc Warren. Looks dodgy as fuck, but charming. Good at being dark, can act and is blonde. Would lookd good in a trench coat and knows how to smoke.

Hmm... that's interesting, didn't intend to post that as a thumbnail...

Marc Warren. Looks dodgy as fuck, but charming. Good at being dark, can act and is blonde. Would lookd good in a trench coat and knows how to smoke.