Hellblazer: The Devil
You Know is the second trade collection of the John Constantine- Hellblazer title. This is an interesting volume
to read, because it is a mish mash of stories, collecting issues 10 through 13
of the series, plus the first annual, and The
Horrorist miniseries. What makes this
collection a diverse read is that, while Delano wrote all of the main stories,
the tone shifts heavily between regular issues, the annual, and the miniseries.
They do not flow together, and feel like different animals entirely, which
isn’t a problem, but because of this, it seems to read better if you take
breaks throughout your time with the book.
Overall, the stories were all well written, but that is to be
expected, and as such, not a surprise. Even the annual, which I didn’t care
for, was still a strong piece, and my only issue with it was I didn’t care for
the events being told, no matter how well it was put together. The art was done
by a number of different artists, but of course, the art that stood out most
was David Lloyd’s work on The Horrorist.
Lloyd’s work on the book perfectly depicts numbness and detachment, one of the key themes of the story.
The book opens with what should have been the conclusion of
the first volume; Constantine manages to get back into his body after the Swamp
Thing takes it over, and we learn what happened to the Resurrection Crusaders’
plans to recreate another immaculate conception after Constantine taints their ‘Mary’.
Overall, I thought this issue was fantastic. It had the payoff I wanted after
reading the first volume, and at the same time, sets the scene for the next few
issues, as a demon taunts Constantine with his past.
The next issue is a backstory issue that really helps flesh
out the character of Constantine: ‘Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come’. It shows
a young, cocky Constantine and his friends planning on dealing with a
supernatural event, and due to Constantine’s assumptions on how much control he
could have over supernatural forces, leads to the eventual death of all his
friends, and the death of an innocent girl. The well-executed story and pacing
puts this pretty high up on the pile of great Hellblazer stories that I have
read so far (right up there with the delightfully fun “Dangerous Habits”
storyline issue where Constantine manages to trick a demon into drinking holy
water disguised as beer).
After that we have the wrap up issue to the Nergal
overarching storyline that started in Original
Sins, where Constantine manages to deal with this demon, who was also a key
instigator in the Newcastle affair. This issue, while a key plot point, was
just a story, and not much really needs to be said about it.
The next issue, however, is another true highlight. ‘On the
Beach’ is a one off story that starts grounded in reality, and hauntingly slips
into an uncomfortable, dark, dream state. It starts with Constantine sitting at
the beach and as all around people play. There is an undercurrent of dread, as
a nuclear power plant sits across the bay from everyone. The beach patrons joke
about the radiation they must receive when they work there and how it doesn’t
affect them, while others liter and give off a laissez-faire
attitude towards the environment.
Suddenly, there is a blinding flash as the power plant goes up, and
birds begin to drop from the sky. From
here on in, the story takes a dark turn, and maybe it was just my mindset when
I was reading it, but this was one of the true horror comics that really
created the sense of dread and despair in me that horror comics are meant to.
The rest of the issue shows Constantine living on the nuclear wasteland of the
beach, building a life there, having deformed (animal) children, etc. For fans
of horror comics, this issue stands as a strong example of how to do it right. This
issue, along with the ‘Newcastle’ issue, are stories I wish I could rip out of
the book and hand to strangers, as they are stories that deserve to be read,
and, while they at least are still around in this trade, are not on lists of
great literature or pop charts, and sadly are going to remain slightly obscure
until the day they drift into the ether. If you are reading this, do yourself a
favour and try to read these issues somehow, at some time, they are well worth
the effort to track down.
As far as the annual goes, there’s not much I feel worth talking about.
It’s mostly set in the medieval past, except for a few moments where
Constantine dwells on his time in the asylum, and we have Merlin’s head talk a
lot. So onto the last story in the collection instead.
The
Horrorist takes up the vast majority of the book, and tells a story about a numb,
unfeeling and uncaring Constantine who has lost touch with humanity. He’s lost
his sense of love, wonder, and compassion, and it shows with each interaction he
has as he plods across the States looking for a ‘horrorist’. A ‘horrorist’ is a
person who suffered unbearable pain and suffering when alive, and now that they
have passed on, they spread this pain to others in an act to try and balance
out their suffering with others lack of (or at least, that is my
interpretation). This sadly leads to these people going crazy, and sometimes
killing people in their lives. Constantine eventually finds the spirit and
through helping it deal with its pain, Constantine is once again able to feel
for others.
I enjoyed ‘The Horrorist’, and it
takes a very different tone than most other Hellblazer stories. I can’t say it
was my favourite, but the art and concept were enjoyable and it was interesting
to see this in depth character study of Constantine when he is at a low point
as the horrors he has confronted have finally worn away his ability to feel.
The only thing off putting about this piece is where it’s placed in relation to
these trades. This story came out in 1995, well later than the rest of the
book, and even chronologically in Constantine’s life, doesn’t feel like it fits
well. Constantine goes through a lot of worse things coming up, and it may have
made more sense inserting this story in a later trade. That being said, without
it, this trade would have been fairly empty, and the way the story is written,
it’s so self-contained that it isn’t painfully jarring here, as it
hypothetically could go anywhere in Constantine’s timeline.
This isn’t a collection that I expected much from. I knew that it didn’t
contain one singular narrative, and I went in knowing that there would be very
little flow between the main issues and the additional works. That being said,
it surprised me by containing some great stories that really stand the test of
time. At this point, my only wish is that these new editions of Hellblazer
trades would feature something more than new cover work, such as introductions
or histories from the people that helped bring these stories to life. John
Constantine has such a rich history, and passionate fans that they just scream
for the need for a caring hand to put together well constructed editions.
However, don’t let that stop you from reading them if you are thinking about perusing
these stories, as the stories themselves are what make this series so great.
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