John Constantine Hellblazer: Son of Man

As far as the trade editions of "Hellblazer" go, "Son of Man" is a reasonably strong entry. As always, everyone has their own preferences as to the best writers in the series, but Garth Ennis usually ranks pretty high in general regard. This may not be his strongest entry in the series, but he still manages to write, and with John Higgins' artwork, conjure up some pretty disturbing imagery. Perhaps not quite as strong story-wise as Ennis' work in the Hellblazer trades "Fear and Loathing", "Tainted Love", "Damnation's Flame" or "Rake at the Gates of Hell", especially if you really like the way that Ennis and artist Steve Dillon work together (and, if you do, you should really check out the "Preacher" series by these two. There isn't a bad one in the bunch, and it equals or surpasses their work in "Hellblazer")but a pretty good read, nonetheless.

Ready many stories and buying comics and graphic novels in bulk makes it hard to pick exactly what to read, but once you open this one you cannot put it down till your done.

Preacher creator Garth Ennis' brief return to writing Hellblazer wound up being this storyarc collected here, which why it may not be his best work on Hellblazer, it's certainly an admirable work. Son of Man finds chain smoking, master of black magic John Constantine struggling to save the life of his best mate Chas Chandler when he's wrongfully implicated in a botched murder, and soon enough Constantine is left to fend off a demonic child, who he resurrected years earlier, with the fate of the world in the balance. Don't pay too much attention to the negative reviews here, Son of Man is worth reading for fans of Hellblazer and Ennis, just don't expect another Dangerous Habits or anything influential (bits and pieces of the overall storyline were supposedly used in the recent, and pretty much not well received, big budget adaptation), but despite all that it's still a more than solid and horriffic tale in the Hellblazer mythos. The only other downpoint of Son of Man is that the art (by Ennis' Pride & Joy partner John Higgins) doesn't suit it too well, but if you can get past that, you'll find some enjoyment here.

Jhon Constantine: Hellblazer is probably the best comic book title out there. Constantine is the ultimate antihero, a chainsmoking, trenchcoat wearing, cinical con-man / warlock who can outsmart the devil himself. In this collection we find him (as we often do) confronting sins from his past and trying to save his skin using the trademark amoral methods that define him. I'm a huge fan of the book's writer, Garth Ennis, who captures the essence of the character and builds once again a tale that'll keep you turning page after page. I strongly recommend this book and encourage new readers to look past the commentaries of those who dare write a review after reading a few Hellblazer issues just because they heard there's a movie being made about it. Pick it up, it's a must have. Trust me, you won't regret it unless you have a weak stomach.

I've read a couple of Hellblazers here and there, but Son of Man was the first complete story arc I read. I picked it up because I love Ennis's work on Preacher. I have to say that I was throroughly entertained and could not put it down till I read the whole thing. Ennis is a great writer. The story was really twisted but flowed nicely. This book is worth the money.