John Constantine: Hellblazer - Original Sins (Hellblazer 1987/1988 #1-9)

by Jamie Delano

Other authorsAlfredo Alcala ((Kuv.)), John Ridgway ((Kuv.))
Paper Book, 1992

Status

Available

Call number

741

Collection

Publication

New York : DC Comics, cop. 1992.

Description

Written by Jamie Delano; Art by John Ridgway and Alfredo Alcala John Constantine is an unconcerned, somewhat amoral occultist with a British working-class background. He's a hero, of sorts, who manages to come out on top through a combination of luck, trickery, and genuine magical skill. The ORIGINAL SINS collection is a loosely connected series of tales of John's early years where Constantine was at his best and at his worst, all at the same time.

User reviews

LibraryThing member leore_joanne
[close] This is my first Constantine comics (it's the one the guy who sold it recommended), and the third comic (graphic) book I've ever read in my life (oh the drama).

Although it is not the volume on which the movie is based, I have found a lot of things which slightly differ from the movie. Such
Show More
as Midnite's club. (Although Midnite himself looks exactly as I would have imagined him).
John Constantine himself was cute and great, and cynical like he was in the movie. The only problem was that he seemed a bit stupid every once in a while, but perhaps that straightens out in the next volumes.
The only thing which really pissed me was that the illustrators tended to colour his green sometimes for no apparent reason!

I like the world they've created there, with the demons and the monsters. But I didn't find it as rich and full as in the movie, although perhaps that too improves with the next volumes.
So when I have an extra 25 dollars, I'll buy another. :)

12.3.07
Show Less
LibraryThing member Crowyhead
This is the first Hellblazer collection and contains Jamie Delano's full run on the Hellblazer title. These aren't my favorite Hellblazer storylines, but it's a good place to start and gives a lot of important background. This actually makes more sense now that I've read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing
Show More
storylines that feature Constantine.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jinjifore
I started reading Hellblazer around issue 60, and only much later was able to go back and read the first ones. I enjoyed these first few stories, but I'm very, very glad that I was able to move quickly through the interminable Dream Machine storyline that followed. That would have been a year of my
Show More
life I would have found difficult to get back, and I'm not sure I would have still been reading the comic by the end. But I digress.

John Constantine remains one of my favorite fictional characters. He's not always been consistent as writers have come and gone, but for the most part he's retained his sarcastic, cynical and ultimately human self that first drew me into the series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ancameme
The beginning is horrible. Especially the second story. And I didn't care much for the art either. It gets interesting towards the end where a story spans several issues and "the plot thickens" but overall it's not that interesting.
LibraryThing member -Eva-
John Constantine is one of my favorite characters in literature, mainly because he manages to be such a genuine bastard at the same time has having a staunch set of morals. Not that being a nasty character is a great thing, but because it makes him more real than had he been a nice guy. Also, most
Show More
of his battles are "fought" with cunning and smarts rather than with magic spells, which is a huge amount of fun to read, especially since Constantine is a master of the sarcastic remark.

This new edition of Original Sins includes Hellblazer stories 1-9 as well as a Constantine tie-in story from Swamp Thing issues 76-77.

The Hellblazer issues included are "Hunger" where the hunger demon Mnemoth has been set free, "A Feast of Friends" where Pap Midnight teams up with Constantine to trap Mnemoth, "Going for It" where Constantine must face demon Blathoxi (and is tortured by having to watch Thatcher speak), "Waiting for the Man" where a serial killer has gotten hold of Constantine's niece, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" where Constantine wanders into a veteran's Vietnam flashbacks, "Extreme Prejudice" where the Damnation Army creates a monster and Constantine battles is with the great and mighty weapon that is ... football, "Ghost in the Machine" where Ritchie Simpson enters cyberspace to spy on the Resurrection Crusaders, "Intensive Care" where the demon Nergal heals Constantine as payment for ruining the Resurrection Crusaders' plans for Zed/Mary, and "Shot to Hell" where his subconscious self hands out some tough love and Swamp Thing manifests from cigarette-tobacco.

The Swamp Thing issues included are "L'adoration De La Terre" where Swamp Thing takes over Constantine's body and Abby goes to visit Matt (he of later raven fame in Sandman) and "Infernal Triangles" where Abby leaves the swamp to sort out her emotions, but soon returns, ironically thanks to Constantine, to reunite with Swamp Thing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wethewatched
Dark and full of British wit and style, this is a pretty cool book. It's more disturbing than the TV show with pretty gruesome demons and a good deal of politics. You can tell it's a product of the 80s, but don't hold that against it.

The Swamp Thing comics at the end, included because they cross
Show More
over with Constantine, are a bit throwaway in my opinion. I'd rather have more Hellblazer!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
I've seen the movie Constantine that was sorta based on Hellblazer and now with the TV series coming out I thought I would give it a try. This collects the first 9 issues and I warn you that you do need to read the introduction or the last few pages really don't make much sense. The nice thing is
Show More
the discussion of the last few panels in the book doesn't ruin the story arc in this collection at all.
Constantine is man of of magic that gets around solving problems that crop around him by way of people he knows or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now that I've started reading these I'll be picking up more of them. I don't think I can power through them since they are dark but don't have the humor of Hellboy to lighten them up.
Show Less

Language

Original publication date

1992-08

ISBN

1563890526 / 9781563890529
Page: 0.4367 seconds