Jackstarr

Well, it's still pronounced "Constanteen"...

must...resist...prevent...burning...and requesting...free...copies of JLD...from Ade...for sake...of....constantine...completionism....

One of the things I initially liked about Hellblazer was the grounding in reality (social, political, real-time aging, downtime) and the continuity arising from such a reality. This becoming more irrelevant to the title, and the continuity has been buggered up in so many ways over the years. Note I said "irrelevant to" rather than "ignored by", as there's now a tendency to use the use the title's history as a playbox to bring back characters and situations just for the sake of it.

I was reading an interview with the creator of Breaking Bad where he talked about the way the writing team approached the series, and how this differs from many other shows - by always starting with character, and letting situations happen as a result of character actions - and to make sure that character is always the main focus of the writing. On the downside, it means they don't always have a tight plotline to focus to, but on the upside, it takes them places they don't always expect, and they have Emmies and WGA awards to back up their approach. Anyway, I'm rambling again...it's not even as though Milligan's plots are that tight in the first place so maybe he does take this approach after all! I just wish I could believe a lot of his character motivations.

Maybe we should just switch to a Legends of the Dark Knight style series about Constantine - let creators go wild with continuity-based or apocryphal tales about Constantine and don't worry about the day-to-day title. That way we can get a fix of the con-job Constantine, the mopey Constantine, the social constantine (both in terms of having a social conscience as well as spending time with mates), etc. Some stories can be standalone, others can be multiple parts, but there would always be something new around the corner if you start to get bored with that creator's approach. I'd even like to see an anthology a la Batman Black and White.

Heh, maybe I should! But each time I've not bothered buying regularly I only relapse 6 months down the line and batch-buy the missing issues anyway.

I don't go to comic stores any more (none left near me) so I need to remember for check ebay to see if a new issue is out.

At least I'm not picking up any of the DCU Constantine appearances - I saw enough of The Search for Swampy to make me weep. Maybe this was Vertigo's plan - to make the main title look like a gem in comparison.

On the plus side it's nice to see you and so many of the old guard still here on the forums despite the comic itself.

I picked up 289-290 this week, but I fear I'm only buying for the sake of completionism.

A non-comics reading friend of mine mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he'd picked up one of The Walking Dead graphic novels - he'd never heard of Hellblazer before, but had watched Constanteen. I lent him Original Sins and Dangerous Habits which he read in a weekend and really enjoyed, so I ended up lending him a few more - he's now read them all up to #50, and still seems keen on reading more. I wondered to myself at what point will he start to tire of reading?

This got me to thinking - is Hellblazer really so poor nowadays, or is our nostalgia for the earlier issues masking their true quality in comparison? I started rereading a few issues myself. The earlier issues have really dated, but the writing, particular in Delano's era, just seems more polished, and still works well despite its age.

John nowadays seems a Millar-esque parody of himself, and while I approve in general of the Epiphany relationship, I just wish they had a little more downtime to explore character outside of plot. Something just isn't hitting the mark right now.

Any more news on Rankin's Hellblazer?

Where's me shades?

Actually, it's a nice and attention-grabbing cover, and I can imagine this jumping out at prospective readers in a way that recent covers (nice as they are) haven't been.

As for whether it suits Hellblazer - as Lou pointed out it does have a Sean Philips/Glenn Fabry vibe, so despite my initial reservations I'm going to give this one the thumbs up.

I bought it at the time, but have completely forgotten what it was about - that's how strong an impression it made on me.

Having said that, I can't seem to forget the Papa Midnite mini, no matter how hard I try...

Hmmmm.... not too sure on this one.

From "The Times" website (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2319460,00.html):

He told The Times that he had sent Vertigo a six-line plot outline that would give Constantine a new set of cases to solve. “The beauty of comic books is that you can do new things with the same character and the readers don’t seem to mind,” he said. “In my version he is going to be much more of a pulp fiction-style private eye who happens to deal with supernatural characters rather than ordinary cases like divorcing couples.

“I will do stories for five or six issues, but DC might do it as a complete graphic novel.”

He suggested that he might weave his love of horror films into the plot.

Cracking cover, lovely interior art. I've no problems with the occasional guest artist to give Leo a breather, but the guy really belongs here.

I feel there's still a little too much exposition in the dialogue - but overall I'm really pleased with the way this is progressing.

Looks like these might be pencils from the issue itself:

Ok, opening with a disclaimer - I own every single Swamp Thing comic from all volumes (except the House of Secrets, which I have as a reprint) and thus may be slightly biased to the old bog god. I continued buying the new series, but mainly out of (misplaced) loyalty.

I voted yes, but only if something radically different is done with the character. If we're going to stick with the "Alec" version then we need someone to come along and shake things up a bit - not just put a new spin on old Moore ideas.

Someone here suggested putting Swamp Thing back into the DCU - the more I think about it, the more I think it may work. Anything other than retreads of his more recent history. And after infinite crisis, there may even be room for a return. Just one simple request: No John Byrne.

If the title is going to continue to be published under the Vertigo imprint, then I vote for a non-Alec Swampy. There's plenty to choose from, and the lineage goes far back, so no problem in creating a new one. A completely new cast, preferably in a different timeline (think Jack-In-The-Green, Lady Jane etc. in their original settings).

Or, in a cruel twist of fate - JC becomes the new elemental, with Tefe as his human manipulator as he rediscovers who he once was.

Nah, just kidding.

While it's true that the horse armour is a little underwhelming to say the least, we are promised more in-depth official mods a little further down the line.

As for the lack of graphics importer/exporter, that's a little trickier.

I'm no programmer, but here's how I understand it:

An unofficial texture import/export has already been released, so new textures can be created over existing models/meshes.

All Oblivion items have Havoc physics properties associated with them, which determine how they react in the gameworld. Havoc is a 3rd party program that the developers licensed to create the game. Giving the public the ability to create new items means giving public access to parts of Havoc code, which the developers are simply not licensed to do.

At least that's how I understand it anyway.

Rumours on the official boards suggest that an official 3d mesh and texture import/export will be on its way as soon as lawyers for Bethesda and Havoc finish ironing out the issue.

TomC - you want to recommend any decent mods to Hagren or myself?

Tribunal and Bloodmoon are worth playing when you run out of things to do on the mainland - they're not as freeform as Morrowind, and more scripted.

I'd be tempted to mod the main game first - you'll get more value out of it (and it means you don't need to pay for more stuff!)

The main problems with mods is that there are so many of the darn things, and the quality can vary. The best of the mods are invaluable, but it means searching through a load of mediocre mods, or going on recommendation :D

Mods are simple to install - just download the files and unzip/extract them to the morrowind Data Files directory (there are readmes in the zipped folders explaining it).

For starters:

Water Life and Where are the Birds Going can be found at: http://abot.silgrad.com/guppy/download.php...:Creatures&dn=1

Mage's Guild Rewards can be found at: http://www.thelys.org/mods.php?a=MaGISTraT...s_Guild_Rewards

Dynamic Magicka Regeneration is at: http://home.wi.rr.com/cairnterrier/

Download one or two of these and see how you get on with them. If you need any help installing just let me know and I'll talk you through it.

Have a look at http://elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_plugins.htm for the official mods, and scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to sites that have unofficial mods. Many of the unofficial mods are as good as if not better than the official mods!

Yeah, Morrowind is great.

Still playing that as well!

Are you playing Morrowind with any mods?

At the moment I'm playing with:

Magistrate's Mage's Guild Rewards - when you become head of mage's guild it gives you a key to the archmage offices and sleeping quarters, accessible through all of the mages guilds.

Dynamic Magicka Regeneration - just like in Oblivion. It regenerates slowly.

Cait's Crittur's Unleashed - atmoshere mods, adds loads of animals

Abot Waterlife - adds sealife to the otherwise ridiculously empty seas. Fish, dolphins, sharks, you name it. Adds sea-life ingredients for alchemy too.

Travelling Merchants - buy and sell from merchants who travel on the roads.

Smoother Bodies - for better models of characters.

Pacifier - stops the darn Cliff Racers, Slaughterfish and Rats attacking you. I tweaked it so no animal will attack unless attacked first.

Teliporter Mod - instant fast travel

Dwemer Skyglider - To take the scenic route by air.

Plus dozens of quest mods that I've played over the years.

I've been hibernating for the past year or so, and have just woken up and groggily returned to the forums.

Actually I've been travelling quite a bit (work and play), and am now spending time in France. Visited a French comic shop the other day, trying in vain to find any English language comics. Might give the local fare a try, although my language skills aren't 100% just yet. Any recommendations?

To those with old PCs which don't meet Oblivion system requirements - it may be possible.

I've got an unsupported on-board Intel graphics chip, and have managed to get it running (albeit with low frame rate) using 3D-Analyse (http://www.tommti-systems.com/main-Dateien/files.html)

I've started the game, but am waiting for patches and mods before I get much further - there are several UI interface mods already which avoid the consoley nature of the interface and apparently make it much more like Morrowind. And there's even a Levitate mod out already!

What a cracking issue! I haven't felt so strongly about Hellblazer for a long while now - probably since Ward 24. Mina has taken a couple of issues to warm up, but mid-way through she seems to be settling in.

The script seems tighter than before, and the art - I've always liked Leo's work, but this issue seems stronger than ever. Hellblazer oozes atmosphere once again.

I can't get enough of the monks - and finding out that it's all based on historical fact just makes it even more intriguing.

Still not sure about JC being a pawn in someone else's game - after Mike Carey's run I thought we might have a chance to see John taking the reins himself again, and I do miss this side of the character.

The cover was decent - a nod to the days of Glenn Fabry covers at first glance. Maybe it's just nostalgia kicking in, but it feels like the Hellblazer of old.

I gave it a 9 out of 10 - keep up the good work!

Is that shit about Chaz and the fucking angel wings true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ummm.... yeah, I'm afraid it is...

But at least it's post-credits.

Unfortunately it's Keanu chewing some gum and trying to look cool...

That got a laugh from most of the audience.

Actually the scene starts with him giving Angela the Spear on a rooftop and telling her to hide it. Then there's some dialogue along the lines of "I'd like to see you again"..."so would I", they almost kiss, and she turns away. Then there's a small bit of voiceover and the gum.

Please shoot me now.

Well, sooner than expected I got to see a preview screening...

I'll post a full review when I've fully recovered, but initial thoughts are a mixture of extreme disappointment and relief that it could have been a lot worse.

Keanu was Keanu, the dialogue was pretty awful, the CG was ok in places but some of the demons looked silly, but it definitely wasn't a Hellblazer film. At least the holy shotgun didn't play as large a role as I had feared.

In the meantime, if you've got any questions you want answered or spoilers you want spoiled, feel free to ask.

Shall do....

I know she's interested in reading the Neil Gaiman issue, as she's a big fan of Good Omens (although she's never read the original English language version), and is familiar with Neverwhere, but I'm not sure if it's the best issue to start with.

I think maybe I'll suggest she reads them in order.

Thanks for your thoughts - I still couldn't decide, and brought with me a larger bundle than planned:

#12 (newcastle)

#27 (hold me)

#34-35 (boogyman/dead boy's heart)

#41-46 (dangerous habits)

#60 (nativity infernal)

#63 (forty)

Plus #203, which I still haven't read myself yet.

Of course, it meant that there wasn't room in my suitcase for the essentials (clothes, toiletries, etc.) - but who needs those when you have such quality reading material.

An interesting note - customs/security opened all the poly bags, so maybe I managed to recruit some new readers...

Thanks for the advice - after speaking to said girlfriend again, she says she'd prefer to read something where nobody gets killed - any thoughts?

I've just packed my case and can only fit about 5 issues in there, plus I'm taking them to an extremely security-conscious place and expect them to to get mauled by customs anyway...

I've been absent from the boards recently because I've gotten myself a girlfriend.

The upside - she's expressed an interest in reading an issue of Hellblazer.

The downside - I've got a complete collection of single issues 1-203 and not sure which is the most representative issue to start with! She lives overseas, and I can only pack a couple of issues in my suitcase.

I was mulling over issues 1, 11, or maybe the start of Dangerous Habits - but wonder if it would be better to take something more current. She's an intelligent lass, and I think she'd prefer something more cerebral than most of Garth's run, and I think Mike's run would be too action-packed and continuity heavy for her to enjoy. I'd imagine character development and relationships would be of great interest to her, but I'm struggling to think of anything appropriate. I'd also like to find an issue that highlights the difference between the comic and the movie, since she also appears to be a Keanu fan...

What do the girls (and guys) here think would be a good issue to start with?

Thanks for your advice!