Brian Azzarello's Hellblazer

[Mundungus]

What is the verdict on his run? I finally collected the rest of 100 Bullets and I'm re-reading it, so I'm hooked on Brian Azzarello.

[carabas]

It's generally not very popular, but I think it was one of the best runs ever, with only Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis doing better. But that's just me, of course.

It's a lot like 100 Bullets in certain ways. Grimmer though. And there's almost no supernatural element.

[Red_10]

Like carabas said, it's apparently not very well thought of, but I loved it. One of my favorite runs.

[WhitOro]

I haven't read it, but Alan Moore did

"Judged by the stark, sure-footed portrait in Hard Time, Brian Azzarello and Richard Corben clearly have John Constantine down, cold and to the life. Azzarello's grasp of pacing, character and situation resonates through every scene with a black crystal clarity that's short of masterful, while Corben contributes what is, perhaps, one of the most darkly expressive pieces in a long, already-legendary career."
-Alan Moore

I guess this is a pretty big pro.

[FanboyStranger]

There's some flaws in it-- when he started, it was pretty clear that Azz was trying way too hard to make John sound "British", which made the dialogue clunky-- but as a long term storyline, I find it quite strong. I reread it over a weekend a few months ago, and my opinion had definitely shifted from when I had read it monthly. If you approach Azz's run as a long game con on SW Manor, it's really pretty cool; if you want excellence in every issue and perfect arcs with clear resolutions, you might not like it as much.

[earl]

It's a good read. Is it like the Delano and Ennis version of the character? Naah, but don't worry about it. It's an American Hellblazer run and if you read the run as a whole, it does resolve upon its own arc.

Good chunk of the time, like say a detective drama, really Constantine isn't the pendulum that the story arc swings around, he's just stuck within what's going on. This is true of Azzarello's Hellblazer run.

[carabas]

It's a good read. Is it like the Delano and Ennis version of the character? Naah, but don't worry about it. It's an American Hellblazer run and if you read the run as a whole, it does resolve upon its own arc.

If anything, he's closer to Alan Moore's version of the character: the smiling con-man who gets other people to do his dirty work with a few words and suggestions. As a result Constantine has less panel time than he usually does, often hanging around the edges of the action, which is probably why some didn't like this run as much.

[fever00]

Great writing, but it isn't Constantine.

[FanboyStranger]

I haven't read it, but Alan Moore did

"Judged by the stark, sure-footed portrait in Hard Time, Brian Azzarello and Richard Corben clearly have John Constantine down, cold and to the life. Azzarello's grasp of pacing, character and situation resonates through every scene with a black crystal clarity that's short of masterful, while Corben contributes what is, perhaps, one of the most darkly expressive pieces in a long, already-legendary career."
-Alan Moore

I guess this is a pretty big pro.

Bear in mind that Moore is a massive fan of Richard Corben. In his introduction to the adaptation of House on the Bordeland that Corben did with Simon Revelstoke, Moore mentioned that he hadn't actually read the adaptation, but because it was by Corben, it was sure to be an absolute masterpiece that every fan of comics should read.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

I never knew Moore is a huge Corben fan; my respect for that man has increased!

[FanboyStranger]

I never knew Moore is a huge Corben fan; my respect for that man has increased!

Yeah, I'd love to see them collaborate on something someday. I think their sensibilities would really mesh well together.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Yeah, I'd love to see them collaborate on something someday. I think their sensibilities would really mesh well together.

They actually did work together once; on a Magneto short story for an X-Men anthology comic raising money for African famine back the 80's.

And amusingly enough, it contains perhaps the one thing in all creation that Moore agrees on with Grant Morrison: that Magneto is indeed a total jerkoff.

[FanboyStranger]

They actually did work together once; on a Magneto short story for an X-Men anthology comic raising money for African famine back the 80's.

And amusingly enough, it contains perhaps the one thing in all creation that Moore agrees on with Grant Morrison: that Magneto is indeed a total jerkoff.

I did not know that. I actually saw that Heroes for Hope special in a quarter bin recently. I should have picked it up.

[carabas]

Great writing, but it isn't Constantine.

In what sense? Azzarelly pretty much wrote him like Allan Moore did.

[dancj]

In what sense? Azzarelly pretty much wrote him like Allan Moore did.

I agree. It's possibly the most faithful I've seen him to the original - along with Warren Ellis's run