Denise Mina has taken Mike Carey's place as the writer for this series. I'm a little sorry to see Carey go, as I think he did some excellent things with the character, but I'm excited to see what directions Mino takes things in. This is a good start. Mina's John Constantine is a little more vulnerable than we're used to seeing, but I think it works. She said in an interview that she sees Constantine not as a true cynic, but as an idealist who's been let down too many times, and I think that's pr...

Very scattered plot.

this is the first Constantine book I've read, but I don't think my issues with it stemmed form that. The first issue was hard to follow. I was left confused about who all these people doing themselves in were becasue they were referred as "the son's child" and stuff like that. I was like whose son? whose grandmother? Turns out it didn't matter and it got more confusing before it got clearer. There were some interesting concepts in the book and some great one-linbers on Constantine's part, but I

A whole new storyarc begins in this collection, with a whole new demonic foe. The story begins with a rather odd group of monks off the coast of Scotland who discover that beside Heaven and Hell there is a third place in the afterlife. It is a place where there is no feeling - as an alternative to the joy of Heaven and the pain of Hell - and it looks like the ruling being (not sure what he is yet) has a plan to saturate the world with empathy to overwhelm the population with feeling so that they...

John Constantine makes his way to Glasgow, where something rather nasty is brewing. There's sickness in the air, and it's driving people mad: they're being made to feel what others felt in the moments before their deaths. It's the last thing Constantine needs: empathy really is a liability in his line of work. Like a lot of Hellblazer collections, a flick through this book makes it look very unappetising: murky, dull and coloured in various shades of black and grey. Once you get into it, though,...

Better story line than I expected. There is a callback to the early part of the series and that is always fun. I look forward to the second arc written by Mina.

I'm a big fan of Scottish mystery writer Denise Mina (the Garnethill and Paddy Meehan trilogies.) I'm also a big fan of "legit" authors who take a spin at graphic novels. This story takes John Constantine on the road with a new mate that he has saved from a life-threatening empathy spell, eventually taking them to Glasgow, the locale where Mina sets all of her fiction. It's a pretty twisty plot about spells, ancient Scottish cults, murder and an afterworld called The Third Place. I'm not even go...

Great book - follows the John Constantine model of:* Constantine in bar* Friend walks in, presents incredible problem that hooks reader* Constantine follows this friend's problem, and then realizes that this problem is just the tip of the entire narrative - and what is really going on is bigger than anyone could possible imagine.In an Olympics anaolgy - Denise Mina takes on an All-star team in the Hellblazer saga, and delivers gold.Great art by Leonardo Manco, Bradstreet-esque!

Pretty solid until a startlingly abrupt ending, and right before that, a lot of explanatory talking heads dialogue in the several pages preceding the climax. So the build of climbing action fell apart at the end, but otherwise no complaints.I was cracked up by the flashback to 6th Century Scotland where a bunch of Christian monks buried a fellow monk with a shovel direct from the hardware store, complete with folded flanges and a factory-forged arc to the shank tube.I wonder what the story is be...

This is the first of two Hellblazer titles written by Denise Mina, after Mike Carey left the driver's seat. I am a huge fan of the series. John Constantine will always be one of my favorite characters. I also think that for every writer who takes over the series, they have been given a difficult thing to mess up, especially now since the run has been around for so long. Constantine practically writes himself. Everyone knows his character, his quirks, abilities, problems, and attitude. Above all

What starts off as a fun story turns into a convoluted mess with a medieval religion, a necessary sacrifice for a grand plan and something to do with empathy. Its ending isn't even there after toiling through the last couple of issues that were ripe with flashbacks to medieval events that didn't make sense. I understand that magic is complex, but did this story have to turn boring at the end and leave everything in the air?The core of the story seems to revolve around the idea of empathy used in...

My first Denise Mina and it was a graphic novel! A very dark two-parter (which I only realised at the last page) so I’ll be picking up the next instalment.

One of the best! Much more like the Constantine of the early days :)

It might be the abiding love for John Constantine I've held since high school, or it might be that Hellblazer has the best premise of any long-running story since Doctor Who. One or both of those factors make even mediocre Hellblazer stories enjoyable. This is one of those.

Great read. Good story by mystery writer Denise Mina in which an ancient cult try to solve humanity's woes by spreading empathy. The artwork is very cool, too.

Good volume, although I did get a little confused at times. New Hellblazer writer Denise Mina takes a stab at the character and it's apparent she has a good grip on the character. Good story with plenty of twists and turns (and demons). Manco's art is great as always. He really is a great artist for this series.Hellblazer fans should enjoy this one! Looking forward to the next volume!

Wow! Brilliant story, great dialogue and devious set-up. Denise Mina's JC voice is impeccable. Who knew that a volume entirely devoid of JC's use of magic would be so delectable. It's a cool thing to witness JC use only his wits and badboy charm to dig himself out of this sticky situation. Very riveting stuff.

Not a bad story, but nothing amazing. There are some really great callbacks, like references to Kit and the Lords of Hell, but besides that, there's not a ton to talk about. The "Third Place" is a cool idea, though. The art is nice and reminds me of Andrea Sorrentino's work, but I'd prefer a less gritty style. The writer pretty much nailed writing Constantine though, but there's a large focus on other characters that I don't care for.

4.5, rounded up. Definitely the best Hellblazer I've read so far. Sombre, graphic and often devastating, but not in a dreary, self-indulgent way. Tackling empathy, out of all things, is a great idea for the series full of misery and darkness. Giving Constantine himself empathy is a genius move. He was written very well too.

Well, I'm still not sure what to think about John Constantine. He's becoming a more sympathetic character, but without finding some kind of origin story to read, I'm still pretty lost. Why is he sworn off magic? why can he even use magic in the first place? what are the rules of this universe? Also not appreciating the nudity. It's not as gratuitous as Hard Times, but the fact that it makes little logical sense still puts it firmly in the gratuitous category. (I also have a rule of thumb about l...