Hellblazer Annual 2011
I got hopelessly behind on Hellblazer last year despite my best efforts. That’s a pity because the title was really getting good again. I still intend to hunt down all the old issues I missed (there’s about five I think), but when I saw the Annual, I grabbed it right up since I figured it would stand alone.
I say Simon Bisley’s name on it and was more than a little dissapointed. I’m not a fan of his work, nor of the subject matter he tackles. Same with Sam Keith. It’s too big, exaggerated, too much Lobo and Wolverine, not enough substance.
That said, this is some of Bisley’s best work I’ve seen. Wonderfully moody and nicely understated. It complements a well thought out story. I’m a fan of places that arn’t so much haunted as they are malevolent.
Grab this if you see it. They manage a sad subject, surpriseingly free of the vulgarities that Hellblazer is usually drenched with. Constintine is in full mystic mode andthe ending, while predictable is still satisfying.
Here’s hoping it’s enough to get me back into the Hellblazer reading mode. In the meantime, why don’t you get in the Violent Blue reading mode and check out the lastest strip!
Argo City Comics 