The Hellblazer #3

[JohnMcMahon 599]

THE HELLBLAZER #3

Written by SIMON OLIVER

Art and cover by MORITAT

Variant cover by JOHN CASSADAY

 

 

 

“THE POISON TRUTH” part three! In Constantine’s world there are old friends, useful friends, dangerous friends…and then there’s Chas, whose screw-up threatens them all.

 

Five page preview

[Christian 827]

I was sort of bored by the issue. The first part was quite good, then it went on for pages and pages of stuff (Johnny C and Friends), and then at the end, I started to enjoy the book again. Oliver does pack quite a bit of story in to each issue, with all the different scene jumping he's been using in this story-arc. However, outside of John Constantine's story, I couldn't really care much for the other scenes. I know they're all connected, but I find it all boring.

OK, so they weren't angels, exactly. Nor demons exactly. Related, but not exactly either of the two.

There was a jarring scene shift at the end though, where Map reveals the identity of the beings to John, and he laughs it off, acting as if his knowledge doesn't extend beyond fairy tales. Then, in the next scene, he's inner monologuing a pretty good history of the beings in question. Seeing that John is a master of the occult, it seems he'd have such basic knowledge anyway, but it was a bit strange. Like Oliver needed to info drop for the reader, and since the book is being told in first person narration by John, Oliver had to put the words in to John's thoughts. It doesn't make much sense that John would try bluffing Map with his routine, although John did admit that he didn't take the history seriously, so maybe John was just joking with Map. It still didn't come off right to me in the reading.

I did laugh at John's line of "outside of racist Disney films". Too right!

So, I guess I'll give it a 6. It was ok, but didn't do a lot for me.

[JohnMcMahon 599]

Delano himself would be proud of the subtle political commentary on that opening page.

 

Again, another decent-but-not-great issue, a solid 7 for me on the arbitrary numbers scale. Mercury's science-magic spiel and pseudo steampunk look (might as well be goggles on her head) are pure Wozza Ellis bait! Plenty of Brit-centric inner monologuing from John means that you're half-way there to winning me right over and I liked that a whole issue of magicy bits ended with a more mundane threat to John.

 

Art was a little off in places, especially some of the Map pages, maybe Moritat is starting to feel the pace of a monthly schedule. The facial expressions on that last page...

 

Ending on a positive, I really liked the panels where Clarice gets a makeover.

[lady_constantine 35]

Pacing is good,things are happening,I actually give a shit.I think maybe things are picking up now--I'll stay along for the ride I think.And it did it's job of making me wanna read the next issue

[Dave 285]

Don't I feel like an asshole for complaining about a young sexy Clarice.

[JohnMcMahon 599]

Eagerly awaiting JasonT's post in this thread about Clarice

[GottaGetAGrip 81]

A six for me. Not firing on all cylinders yet, but I'm generally enjoying what I'm reading.

 

If anyone's interested, there's an interview Oliver did right before this issue came out. There's behind-the-scenes stuff as well as info about the next two arcs at the end...

http://www.comicsbea...the-hellblazer/

[JohnMcMahon 599]

Interesting read and another twist in the Hot Clarice Saga, thanks for sharing the link.

 

I think he’s definitely got into the groove more in the last few issues. Let me think. I love this bit in issue #3 with Clarice. I originally wrote her as being the older version, but in her first appearance, he drew her young, and I was wondering why he did that. Then, in this issue, when Marid attacks her she starts to age again.

 

That was totally not me at all. That came from him. I thought was a really interesting way of doing it. It’s one of those things that make you realize the artist’s job is so much harder than anyone thinks it i

 

The Swamp Thing stuff in a bummer and a reminder of the nonsense that comes with a shared universe.

 

Warning, there's a fairly big spoiler in there for the current arc.

[Mick 12]

Im loving the return to past grounds, i dont mind the swamp thing bits if uts relevant in the end but they do drag.

 

I didnt put my two cents in for the rebirth, overall its a big step back to hellblazer but i hated the super hero cameos

[JohnMcMahon 599]

Good to see you Mick, agreed on the Swamp Thing bits feeling a bit out-of-place and that interview linked above confirms that he was told to include Swampy in his first arc and then had him taken off him as he was starting to enjoy writing him!

[Mick 12]

Ah that make sense, i've not read the interview does it say why? I wouldnt imagine swampy is a big draw for extra readers.

[dogpoet 513]

Perhaps because the character was first introduced in Swamp Thing, and as DC's management appear to be backtracking on the last series they think that referring to that will stress that this is a comic about the proper authentic John Constantine, rather than a younger version who tucks his strides into his boots?

[JasonT 460]

Eagerly awaiting JasonT's post in this thread about Clarice

 

I liked the re-aging, it was encouraging to learn that her youthfulness wasn't a retcon to make the character kewler. Other than that I don't know what you're referring to.

 

This issue was a preorder for me, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered after issue 2. Has it really taken three issues to tell this much story?

[dogpoet 513]

It took the last version twelve issues...

[Dave 285]

Boom. Roasted.