John Constantine Hellblazer #3
DC Black Label 2019
Written by Simon Spurrier
Illustrated by Aaron Campell
Coloured by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Aditya Bidikar
John has found the cause of the magical madness slaughtering gang members on Peckham Rye...and it’s just one guy! How hard can it be to stop him? Well, when the gangs get involved and the source of his power becomes clear, the answer turns out to be “Near impossible, actually!”
There are few characters who I will follow as religiously as I do John. Hero, opportunist, anti-hero there are so many different ways to describe him but most of all he's never lied about who he is. Well maybe to himself from time to time but he'll tell you he's not a bloke to trust more often than not and that honesty along with his lack of gender preference in his sexual partners are to admired. Simon really does hit that latter on the head here with his description of who taught him BSL and honestly I want to see more of that relationship heh.
So John is back and he's a young bloke again though I wouldn't say his mind is as young as his body is. This is like a second chance for him and he's been given that by an older version of himself so I am not entirely sure what kind of muckity muck magic is going on here but I am not going to question it and it is no more difficult to wrap the mind around then any other option in his arsenal of demons, gods and angels that could've done the same thing. The only thing or person I am going to miss is Chaz and that in all this “rebirth” that he wasn't a part of things well that's a little sad.
I am enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is laid out exceptionally well. As John tries to work out his new surroundings and new characters are introduced and older ones making their presence known we are really getting a chance to see how John operates. The character development is phenomenal and seeing how the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they find themselves in shows us the true measure of their character. The pacing here is amazing and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see how it all works together to create this solid ebb & flow.
I am a huge fan of Aaron's work, always have been and always will be. His imagery is a thing of beauty and with Jordie's colouring that first splash page that we see is one of those that should make the most memorable images you've ever seen. The linework is exquisite and how the varying weights are utilised to bring us this level and quality in the attention to detail is just mindbogglingly good. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. In a modern world where folks think artsy is a style it's artists like Aaron who know that it's detail in what we see that keeps us coming back for more as we appreciate this kind of talent. Jordie's understanding of colour and how hues and tones within the colours should be utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. Not just that either but how a white hot flame will cast that orange glow is bloody brilliant.
Nat is now freelancing with John and he's recruited himself a driver and new bestie in Noah who speaks through BSL only, or the notepad hanging round his neck. John's life is half orchestrated and half luck mixed with his screw ups so that the odds may be forever in his favour. This first little arc I this run has done wonders to establish a supporting cast that I hope won't be transient or lead to their premature deaths. Now that we've had that peek behind the curtain I can't wait to see what these folks have in store next and how the old man Constantine figures into all of it.
The writing and the interior artwork are such high calibre quality makes this is the kind of comic book that we want to see more of out of DC, Black Label or no.
DC Black Label 2019
Written by Simon Spurrier
Illustrated by Aaron Campell
Coloured by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Aditya Bidikar
John has found the cause of the magical madness slaughtering gang members on Peckham Rye...and it’s just one guy! How hard can it be to stop him? Well, when the gangs get involved and the source of his power becomes clear, the answer turns out to be “Near impossible, actually!”
There are few characters who I will follow as religiously as I do John. Hero, opportunist, anti-hero there are so many different ways to describe him but most of all he's never lied about who he is. Well maybe to himself from time to time but he'll tell you he's not a bloke to trust more often than not and that honesty along with his lack of gender preference in his sexual partners are to admired. Simon really does hit that latter on the head here with his description of who taught him BSL and honestly I want to see more of that relationship heh.
So John is back and he's a young bloke again though I wouldn't say his mind is as young as his body is. This is like a second chance for him and he's been given that by an older version of himself so I am not entirely sure what kind of muckity muck magic is going on here but I am not going to question it and it is no more difficult to wrap the mind around then any other option in his arsenal of demons, gods and angels that could've done the same thing. The only thing or person I am going to miss is Chaz and that in all this “rebirth” that he wasn't a part of things well that's a little sad.
I am enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is laid out exceptionally well. As John tries to work out his new surroundings and new characters are introduced and older ones making their presence known we are really getting a chance to see how John operates. The character development is phenomenal and seeing how the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they find themselves in shows us the true measure of their character. The pacing here is amazing and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see how it all works together to create this solid ebb & flow.
I am a huge fan of Aaron's work, always have been and always will be. His imagery is a thing of beauty and with Jordie's colouring that first splash page that we see is one of those that should make the most memorable images you've ever seen. The linework is exquisite and how the varying weights are utilised to bring us this level and quality in the attention to detail is just mindbogglingly good. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. In a modern world where folks think artsy is a style it's artists like Aaron who know that it's detail in what we see that keeps us coming back for more as we appreciate this kind of talent. Jordie's understanding of colour and how hues and tones within the colours should be utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. Not just that either but how a white hot flame will cast that orange glow is bloody brilliant.
Nat is now freelancing with John and he's recruited himself a driver and new bestie in Noah who speaks through BSL only, or the notepad hanging round his neck. John's life is half orchestrated and half luck mixed with his screw ups so that the odds may be forever in his favour. This first little arc I this run has done wonders to establish a supporting cast that I hope won't be transient or lead to their premature deaths. Now that we've had that peek behind the curtain I can't wait to see what these folks have in store next and how the old man Constantine figures into all of it.
The writing and the interior artwork are such high calibre quality makes this is the kind of comic book that we want to see more of out of DC, Black Label or no.
RSS Feed
