Gruesome. ( )

Especially grisly collection of five short stories. John Constantine is entertaining as comic book characters go, but a shallow nastiness outweighs imagination here, and not all of the drawing styles work. ( )

Pretty much anything Ellis writes is worth looking at, and Constantine as a character is a natural for his style, with stories looking at different facets of this dishevelled magician's character. Ellis is also probably jealous that John is better looking than him, and more women take off their clothes for him, too. Some short act pieces, here.

http://graphicsf.blogspot.com/2006/11... ( )

If you are looking for a quick introduction to Hellblazer, this is an excellent place to start. In these short, one-issue stories, Warren Ellis distills much of what makes John Constantine a fascinating character -- you've got Constantine as practically a Trickster, Constantine at his most brutual, at his most clever, at his most sentimental and guilt-ridden. Good stuff for both those who are new to Hellblazer and those who are familiar with the series. ( )