Hellblazer: Joyride, The Laughing Magician, and The Roots of Coincidence

[Back in July, I did a blogathon on Hellblazer for charity. I focused on the complete stories/runs I had at the time. As part of that, I plan, whenever I finish a run or storyarc of the title, I will write about it and add it to that archive. This week, I got the final trade of Andy Diggle's tenure on the title and want to discuss it. So, enjoy, and, if you feel inclined, give some money to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.]

I don't know if Andy Diggle's run was planned to be this short. Denise Mina was clearly on board for a couple of arcs, but, besides her, Diggle's run is the shortest of any regular ongoing writer on the series except for Warren Ellis and we all know what what happened there. Diggle only wrote 18 issues with an odd two-issue fill-in by Jason Aaron and Sean Murphy before his final three issues. I haven't heard any rumours of behind-the-scenes tensions and Diggle's run does contain a complete story, so maybe this is all he intended and the two-issue departure was there to give Leonardo Manco time to finish the final issues of what turned out to be his time on the book as well. Like Marcelo Frusin before him, Manco lasted quite a long time on the title, working with three different writers on their runs. He drew 15 of Diggle's issues.

My not getting The Roots of Coincidence until now isn't a qualitative judgment of Diggle's run, it's a fact of being unemployed until recently. That said, I wasn't too impressed with the first two trades of Diggle's run when I first read them. I enjoyed them more this time, but I think they're helped by showing a complete story. And, you'll note that I say 'more,' not 'completely.' This is a very problematic run.


The first trade, Joyride starts off well with a pair of two-issue stories. In the first, John is tied to a dock leg and will die when the tide comes in. In the second, he returns to Ravenscar to deal with his lingering insanity and issues. The high concept of the first story is good. John in a position where he needs to get himself out or else die. It's all a set-up to get back at the mobster who killed the daughter of the imprisoned boss... and he kills himself at the beginning of the second issue, John still tied up. However, even with that strong premise, the follow through doesn't rise above novel. It's a pretty typical 'more than meets the eye' John Constantine story without much to it. The only part that was genuinely surprising was the crook killing himself when confronted with the ghosts of those he'd killed there before.

The second story, "Wheels of Chance, Systems of Control," (which I had to look up on Wikipedia because this is one of those trades that doesn't tell you the titles of the stories... thank you, Bob Harras) suffers from a similar problem. John returns to Ravenscar to help clear his head and deal with old issues so he can be his 'old self' again after his little rant at the end of Mike Carey's run and the spot of trouble in Denise Mina's. Mina put John on a 'case' (as it were), but didn't return him to his old role. Here, he sees that that's what he should do. He's at the old asylum to find that bit of insanity and psychic scarring and remove it. Again, good idea... but also a misleading one, because no matter what, John Constantine is John Constantine is John Constantine. You can pretend you're doing something new or changing the character, but it's not happening. He's like every other franchise character in comics: he always returns to that level place that everyone knows. Not anything wrong with that, but it is amusing to watch writers try to change him. Sometimes, it works. Carey's run ended strongly with Constantine in a different place; but, I also read that as Carey knowing that the character would return to form sooner rather than later and he wanted to end his run as if it were the end of the book/character.

Diggle doesn't do that really -- but he tries at the end and it doesn't work. In the second story of Joyride, he wins ownership of Ravenscar, now a casino/hotel that no one visits because it used to be a mental hospital, and casts his insanity out of himself before throwing it off a cliff. The execution is somewhat muted. Part of the problem is that I'm not sure Diggle ever finds the right tone/voice for the book. Everything about this story feels easy. Too easy. And, while John is skilled, it shouldn't be so easy. Winning Ravenscar by cheating at roulette? Sure, that's no problem; but, the confronting his insanity and killing it should be more difficult. Any hint of difficulty comes off as there for show, not an actual difficulty or hurdle to jump over. It's a big deal presented as a minor problem.

From there, the run launches into the overarching story, a mixing of two by the end. In one, a British Lord has created a community of people who put their souls in the bodies of others to get revenge and, generally, be horrible people. In the other, a very bad guy by the name of Mako is seeking the Laughing Magician because... he wants to kill and eat him, I guess? That's never really explained; it doesn't matter. The Lord ultimately wants to create a lavish soul container as a way to cheat death -- instead of placing his soul inside of an object with empty 'white' space, he wants a fake after life created. Mako is a war mage that draws his power from death and violence, and also eats the souls of magicians to learn their secrets and gain their power. Ultimately, the British Lord will help Mako get more power and find the Laughing Magician if Mako creates the soul container. And John wants to take them both down. He's not the Laughing Magician, his dead twin brother was going to be, but that doesn't stop Mako from thinking it's him.

Neither turns out to be much of a threat, neutralised without too much effort by John. It's actually surprising how easily they're taken out. Mako especially is built up as a monster and he's done in relatively short order. Again, it feels too easy. That's the pattern of this run: threats never deliver. In the end, John wins and it doesn't cost him anything, including effort.

The final issue has him facing off against the soul of his dead twin and it's a problematic issue. For one thing, Diggle puts forth the idea that most of John's problems are the result of his twin trying to weaken John enough for their souls to merge because, the first time they tried, John's ego didn't let it happen. Every time John has fallen into despair or a hole or anything, it was, at least partly, because of his twin's soul dragging him down, hoping to make him weak enough to join with. Even his cancer is laid at the feet of his twin's soul. Wow, what a way to actually fuck with the character in a harmful manner. It is a big revelation that changes everything that came before -- in a bad way. It takes so much away from the character faults of John, his weaknesses. It's literally someone else's fault that he can't pull it together! What a fucking cop out that is. This is the sort of retcon/explanation that you wouldn't blame anyone for ignoring.

There's some amusement in the so-called magic messiah doing such horrible things and John finding someone else in a position of 'authority' and 'I know better than you' to tell to fuck off, seemingly damning the world in the process, but it doesn't hold up against the damage done to what came before. The reason why John was such a fuck-up is because he's a fuck-up! That's the point! John Constantine is a character with the best and worst of humanity in him, and to lay any of that on something or someone else is a bad decision to make as a writer. It's one of those 'clever ideas' that you discard because it leaves things worse off than when you arrived.

But, that's what I think.

Besides that, there are some nice moments in the run. The two-part "The Mortification of the Flesh," drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli, where John plays a big scam on a Vatican priest, is a very good Hellblazer story. It's a con and an effective one with some genuinely clever ideas and a great ending. I think it's the best story in the entire run and stacks up against the work of other writers in a way the rest doesn't.

Leonardo Manco's art is strong. It's weird to think of him as a 'definitive' Hellblazer artist, but he drew (or partly drew) 42 issues of the series plus the All His Engines graphic novel. The next closest artists by issues drawn (or partially drawn) are Sean Phillips with 41 and Marcelo Frusin with 39. As far as I know (and Wikipedia tells me; though they do have a mistake listing Manco as drawing #251...), Manco has drawn more Hellblazer comics than anyone. And, yet, does anyone see him as the John Constantine artist? Probably not.

Why?

That's a question that I don't know the answer to. Perhaps, it's because he's drawn three runs that people don't love by working with Mike Carey, Denise Mina, and Andy Diggle. Out of the three, Carey's is the only one I've ever heard good things said about and, even then, that's only by half the people who read it. The other half seem to hate it. Perhaps, it's because he came to the book and the character too late. John Constantine was already defined by other artists. It's rare for an artist to come on a book this late and define it, especially a book with numerous strong, 'definitive' artists before him. It's weird. Because, honestly, I wouldn't rank Manco among my favourite Hellblazer artists. I didn't back in July. No one in the comments section does. Really, why? (I may have to return to this question...)

All in all, Diggle's tenure on the book falls near the bottom for me. Ahead of Mina's run, but still unfulfilling. The threats never pay off and the final issue just pisses me off. Diggle never gets the tone right either. His John never feels authentic, like he's in Diggle's control. If anything, it seems like Diggle is trying too hard to write a cool Hellblazer story that could stand among the best instead of something that comes from the heart, a story he genuinely wants to tell. I'm probably wrong, because ascribing motives to a writer is never a good idea -- but, that's what it comes off as. A big fan trying to fit in with those that came before and never getting comfortable enough to do so.

CBR Review: Daredevil #504

I recently reviewed Daredevil #504 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The conflict between Murdock’s Hand and Osborn’s H.A.M.M.E.R. could be interesting, but isn’t presented as such here. The direct confrontations are barely shown; Andy Diggle relies on Murdock and Osborn talking about how they’re going to take the other down; there’s far too much telling and not nearly enough showing here. Osborn’s conversation with Bullseye is very good, though, as Osborn raises Bullseye’s continued inability to defeat Murdock. Osborn likens it to Murdock simply being that one opponent that has Bullseye’s number, an interesting way to reconcile Bullseye’s past failures and maintain his ‘badass killer’ status."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Thunderbolts #135

I recently reviewed Thunderbolts #135 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Finally, for those who demanded it, Norman Osborn and Nick Fury begin to deal with one another directly after their first meeting was alluded to in Secret Warriors #7. With Osborn in charge of HAMMER, the reworked, rebuilt SHIELD, a confrontation between the two was inevitable and should make for a great story as Andy Diggle and Miguel Sepulveda suggest in Thunderbolts #135 where only a taste is given."

You can read the rest HERE!

Splash Page: Thunderbolts #129 and New Avengers #50 Part I

[Okay, Tim and I talked about it and we're getting the Splash Page back on track. We let it slide a bit, but we're dedicated to a new column each week. And until Sequart is back up, we'll continue to post these columns on our blogs. So, let's get to this week's column where Tim and I actively disagree at times...]

Chad Nevett: I reviewed both Thunderbolts #129 and New Avengers #50, not thinking too highly of either. The former, I found insulting to my intelligence with an awful, submoronic plot and, the latter, was just mediocre despite some solid pages of art from some of Marvel's top guys. Last week, you seemed to enjoy Dark Avengers #2, which I kind of dug, too, although we both thought that it didn't really compare to Warren Ellis's Thunderbolts work. Since so much of "Dark Reign," particularly Bendis's corner of things, is built on Ellis's writing, it seems logical to compare the two and wonder if Bendis and Thunderbolts writer Andy Diggle are living up to the standard set by Ellis. I think we'll both agree that the answer is no. Am I right?

Tim Callahan: I actually liked the newest issues of Thunderbolts and New Avengers, although the weak fill-in art on the last third of Thunderbolts #129 -- by Carlos Magno -- almost ruined the issue. De La Torre is a pretty good artist, and Magno's seemingly rushed pages don't mesh with De La Torre's style at all. And, let's be honest: Magno at his best can't match De La Torre's post-Neal Adams character work. The art on New Avengers was pretty cool, and while I'm not particularly a Billy Tan fan, I think he's fine for Bendis-style superheroics, and the high-concept, bring-in-the-appropriate-spotlight artist approach worked well for the middle section. (Although I could imagine the discussions regarding the Iron Fist page...David Aja: "Yeah, I'm not drawing that stupid high collar costume even though he's wearing it on every other page in the issue." Marvel editorial: "Whatever." Aja: "I wasn't waiting for your approval.") So let's just say the art was fine on both issues -- good enough, anyway -- and get back to the main topic:

Neither Diggle nor Bendis can carry on the Ellis tone of darkly deranged anti-heroes.

But I don't have a problem with that, because this new incarnation of the Thunderbolts team has a different purpose than Ellis's team. This is the stealthy black ops version of the Dark Avengers. And the Dark Avengers are the old Thunderbolts given the prime time spotlight, so that's a different beast as well. I think we should hold them to the Ellis standard, but we should expect the stories to feel different.

I didn't love either issue, but I would have given both 3 1/2 stars, if I had to do fancy CBR reviews, by the way.

Let's start with Thunderbolts #129. What was submoronic about the plot? I thought it was exactly what was needed to reinforce Norman Osborn's status in the Marvel Universe. He knows the post-Invasion glow won't last long, and to ensure his continued status as top superhuman defense dog, he needed to show how essential he really is. He saved Barack Obama from two green dudes who were going to kill him. He's a hero, man! (And, he is a bastard for staging the whole thing. A devious bastard.) What's your problem with that?

CN: It was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too coincidental for me. Gee, at the EXACT same time as Samson is accusing Osborn of being the Green Goblin, the Green Goblin just HAPPENS to attack Air Force One and Samson just HAPPENS to freak out allowing Osborn to step up and save the day? It's such an obvious plan that anyone with half a brain, which I assume Obama has, at least in real life, would see right through it. Considering the Green Goblin hasn't been active in public for a while and attacking the president on Air Force One is a bit out of the ordinary, it's just such a lame, obvious plan. My intelligence felt insulted by how dumb the plot was. It's a wacky scheme cooked up by Zack Morris to fool Principal Belding into thinking he didn't cheat on a test.

TC: I interpreted it that Osborn set Samson up to freak out, just so he could kill two birds with one stone -- make Samson (whose knowledge threatens Osborn) into an apparent threat to the President, thus removing him from the game board, and directly address the Goblin-Osborn connection by showing that they can't be the same person. Sure, it's got a Zack Morris flavor, but that's because Zack Morris is an evil, devious bastard too. I hate that guy. Everyone knows that Slater is where it's at.

One of the things I like about the "Dark Reign" situation is that Osborn is not always going to make the best decisions, anyway. He thought it was a good idea to stage an attack on the president, and that shows his strategic thinking and his insanity. I think there's nothing about it that's coincidental, anyway. I mean, Osborn IS the Green Goblin, so of course people are going to accuse him of it all the time.

So let's say we disagree on the Osborn machinations. What about the new concept for the Thunderbolts? What do you think of Diggle's approach on a larger scale -- setting this team up as Osborn's covert minions? And what do you think about the team members and how they're used in the issue?

CN: It's not just Osborn's machinations, but that they work. It's just so goddamn obvious in its stupidity that I couldn't believe "Obama" fell for it. But, whatever...

I think the idea of a new black ops group working for Osborn is a great idea and move with the old group now the new Avengers. I'm not sure about the group itself, but I'm not that familiar with all of them. Paladin and the Black Widow seem good choices. I've read that some people have a problem with using the latest Ant-Man since, while kind of skeevy, isn't evil, as they put it. The others, I don't know. We don't actually get a lot of them in this issue, which bothered me, as well. They're introduced in the most basic sense of, hey, there they are. Who they are, what their personalities are like... I don't know yet. There isn't enough here to go on. Good concept, but lackluster (and that's me putting it kindly) execution so far -- for me.

[To be continued on Tim's Blog!]

CBR Review: Thunderbolts #129

I recently reviewed Thunderbolts #129 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The idea here may seem good, but when you stop to think about it, it’s just awful. Just when Osborn was going to be exposed as the Green Goblin, the Goblin himself shows up trying to kill the president, allowing Osborn to beat him up and save the day? It’s so ludicrous and dumb that I can’t believe anyone is supposed to buy it, least of all the president-who-is-Obama-but-must-never-be-shown-directly. Granted, he always remains wary of Osborn, but the manner in which this situation is handled is so neat and tidy that it cannot be taken seriously."

You can read the rest HERE!

The Sunday Open: 02/03/08 Books

Goddamn, let's do this thing...

Batman #674

It all becomes clear and those of us who have been saying "Wait for it..." (myself, Tim Callahan, Geoff Klock to name a few) are vindicated as Morrison ties things together and gives a clear lead-in to "Batman RIP." Hell, I'm even digging on Tony Daniel's work here a bit. That's strange.

I also should admit that I was wrong in my assessment of issue 666 as being the conclusion to the "Three Bat-Ghosts" story as here Batman confronts Anti-Christ Batman (unless it's a different guy in the future...) and gets out of his death-trap with Morrison providing some of the best Bat-narration I've read in a long, long time. This is the Batman of his JLA run and if you're not reading this book, you're a fool.

I'm wondering what role the Joker will play in "Batman RIP" myself. He can't be the mysterious enemy... can he?

Goddamn, I am excited about this book. And I missed the Black Glove reference until Tim mentioned it over at his blog. Good eye, mon ami--you're a better reader than I.

Criminal #1

And just to prove that they can do a fantastic story in one issue, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips give us part of Gnarls' past. We all know Gnarls as the bartender of the Undertow(n) in the first two arcs of this title, but, goddamn, his story is good.

Brubaker continues to have an amazing sense of character and motivation. This issue, in particular, is based more on characters acting and reacting than a more artificial, external plot. Put anyone else in the same situation and you'd almost certainly get different results.

And Phillips just continues to be one of the best storytellers in the business. That first splash page is just beautifully done and tells an entire story by itself. Not only that, but his character work is on par with Brubaker's--so much is told through their body language and facial expressions.

Shit, if you're not reading this book, you're a bigger fool than those not reading Batman.

Deathblow #9

And thus things ends with a whimper, not a bang.

...you didn't even know this book was still coming out, did you? Now it's over and no one cares. Hell, I don't. I stuck with this book because it seemed the thing to do. And it wasn't too bad. But, where was the payoff? Was this it?

Actually, this ending is not what I expected at all. Call it a cynical version of Flex Mentallo. A post-9/11 version. Brian Azzarello playing around with the superhero genre like the dark side of Grant Morrison's coin. Just as Marvel is the dark side of DC's coin. Is it odd that Wildstorm is owned by DC, but the heroes we see at the end are obviously Marvel heroes? Is there meaning in that?

Was there meaning in these nine issues at all? Maybe I'll do a post on them to try and figure it out. But, who cares, no one read this book.

Gravel #1

I think my only issue with William Gravel, as a character, is that he's too invincible. I have read every comic that he's been in and I've never gotten the idea that he's ever in any danger. I imagine Ellis and Wolfer will changed that, but it needs to be said. I do love the invincible, don't-fuck-with characters, but after... oh, 25-and-a-half issues, it's getting a little old. Even in past books where it seemed like Gravel was being fucked with, it was all part of the plan and he could get out of it at any time. Let's see that change, shall we?

Kick-Ass #1

Yeah, I didn't like this comic book. Maybe if there was one thing about it that made me want to read the next issue. The central character is a cypher that bores me and the concept isn't new or handled in any real original manner. The art is fine, although I'm not the biggest Romita, Jr. fan--particularly the sketchy, 3/4s finished work we get here. I think I may have just picked up this book so I would have something to bash and make fun of. However, much like Millar's first issue of Fantastic Four, there isn't enough here to do that. Maybe if the book actually did something rather than suggesting things while patting itself on the back for being so clever for suggesting said things. I really need to stop wasting money on Millar comics. I'm sorry.

Rasl #1

This is the first Jeff Smith comic that I've read. Yes, yes, I've yet to read Bone, but such things happen. Have you read Crime and Punishment? Ulysses? How about The Great Gatsby or Moby-Dick? Well, shit, brother, that's just the way life works, isn't it? (And, out of curiosity, would anyone who's read Bone even rank it alongside those books I just mentioned?)

Anyway...

I kind of dug this issue. I have a weakness for alternative realities, particularly any that involved small changes as seen in popculture. Blonde on Blonde by Robert Zimmerman? Sign me up, sir.

However, there isn't much here to really make a judgement. This is obviously a part of a larger story and reads as such. We're (barely) introduced to the concept of a guy who uses technology to steal for others and finds himself in a parallel world where things are just a little different. This is framed by our protagonist looking beat up and walking in a desert. What is going on?

The art is clean and evocative, but a little static at times.

If I see the second issue, I'll probably buy it because I'm curious to see what happens next.

Thor #6

Six issues done and we now find ourselves at the end of the first storyarc (kind of) and facing my judgement:

WILL I KEEP BUYING THOR?

Actually, yeah. This issue was really well done. Straczynski devotes the first half to stories from regular people about their encounters with the Asgardians, and it's good stuff. Volstagg not knowing what indoor plumbing is, Hogun helping to change a tire, and Kelda quite possibly hitting on a local... I almost wish the entire issue was stuff like this, because it's very interesting--but JMS is smart to limit it as these three stories are very well done and get the idea across.

The rest of the issue is Thor and Donald Blake debating if Thor should "reactivate" the rest of the Asgardians--in particular, Odin as Thor wants to move forward, beyond the old cycle and the old ways, and Odin won't understand. In the end, he does it and then falls to the Earth.

I'm looking forward to what Odin is/does and how he and Thor deal with their differences. As well, Oliver Coipel's art is growing on me. His work in this issue is pretty good--particularly his facial expressions. Much like Phillips' work on Criminal, Coipel's art does a lot of the heavy lifting as far as characters go here, particularly the regular people.

So, yeah, I think I'll stick with this book for the time being. We'll see how the next two issues go since that's a two-part story.

Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears

Another $10 Marvel hardcover, this one written by Garth Ennis, drawn by Clayton Crain and dealing with a Civil War-era Ghost Rider (the American Civil War, not the Marvel one). Actually, if you've read Ennis' work concerning the Saint of Killers, or even something like Punisher: Born, you won't find much new here. There are good people, there are bad people who fuck up the good people, and then there are good people who damn themselves to get vengeance on the bad people. It's not that this book isn't good, it's just that I've seen Ennis do this story a few times before and there's not much new for me here.

The only new area he really gets into is the issue of blacks in that time period, but he doesn't do a whole lot with it. Honestly, this book feels like The Saint of Killers 2, except with a different ending (albeit, not by much). It certainly didn't require six issues, but also wasn't a waste of my ten bucks.

Crain's artwork is very inconsistent as he uses a lot of computer effects to deliver a pseudo-painted book that only works depending on the panel. It's not bad, but it's not good either. I think if he spent some more time working at it, he could deliver a solid book.

Ennis fans won't find much new here, and I'm not sure people who aren't Ennis fans would want to bother as this is really one of those books only Ennis fans buy because they buy everything he writes. (Does that make sense to anyone other than me?)

Hellblazer: Joyride

Finally, the first trade collecting Andy Diggle's (still-ongoing, I believe) run on Hellblazer arrives. A new writer on Hellblazer always has me a little excited because each one brings such a unique perspective to the character. Despite being very well-established, John Constantine is really quite versatile in where writers can take him. Compare, oh let's say, Brian Azzarello's run with Mike Carey's... same title character, but very different books in their own way. You get that on other books, but not to the same extent. Constantine's world is so open and big that writers really can go in their own directions.

Diggle's first four issues here seem a response to Carey and Denise Mina's runs as he works to build Constantine back up from the hole they'd dug and thrown him into. Thankfully, Diggle's "restoration" is slow and organic, going far back into John's past. I could see where some would have a problem with him just putting John up like that, but he'd been in a pretty bad place for around three years by this point, so you could say he was due for some good news. (And, sure, he saved the world once or twice, but only with some hefty costs.) As well, he only makes John okay with John--he doesn't repair any of his personal problems or anything (yet), so it's not the biggest victory.

The last four issues set up a new nemesis for John and have some social commentary in them, which fits the book. These issues also deal with vengeance and how far you'd go to get it. The answer is, pretty damn far apparently. Lots of fucked up shit and John only getting by through luck and a little skill.

Joyride is a really good read and Diggle is a great addition to the book. I can't wait for the next collection. (And, shit, I really do need to go back and get the Delano and Ennis collections.)