John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 4: The Family Man (Hellblazer (Graphic Novels))

Got it for 840. I got this after reading vol 5 and 6 and honestly while I still prefer Ennis' writing I liked this book a lot too. Definitely one of the better volumes especially since all the books are suddenly very expensive now.

While I loved "Larger Than Life", which almost seemed like a clever (prior)incarnation of the LOEG (from Alan Moore), I got increasingly depressed and eventually repelled by the saga of the 'Family Man'. There is something unnervingly bleak about Thatcher's Britain. Combine that to the depredations of a Serial Killer, you realise what John Constantine has been trying to say: "Demons I can handle - This trouble's strictly human". 'Nuff said!

Arrived as expected !

Historia recomendable que por desgracia sufre del problema que veo en casi cualquier tpb pasta suave en inglés que he comprado por este medio. Su primera y última página se despega del resto del cómic dando la impresión de que se va a deshojar. Tengo la impresión de que esto ocurre ya que por el tipo de portada esta se llega a abrir un poco más debido a la rigidez de la misma y no se curva como el resto de las hojas de interiores, la primera y última hoja al estar pegadas a la pasta llegan a ser arrastradas con esta haciendo que se abra de más pero al mismo tiempo evitando que se deshoje, he visto que esto se puede evitar con un empastado como los del título Descender de Jeff Lemire que está publicando editorial océano en mi país haciendo que la pasta se doble un poco más arriba del lomo evitando que se abra de más, claro habría que ver la manera de que así no se pierds el contenido que se ubica en la parte central del cómic sobre todo en las viñetas que abarcan 2 páginas y que las portadas no se dañen por ese tipo de doblez.

The bulk of this trade contains "The Family Man," which is hands down one of the best Hellblazer stories. It's brilliant because it establishes that you don't need to have magic in a John Constantine story, which allows Constantine to tackle some human problems, like cancer, in the future. The first issue of this story is a strange, meta story about literature that really doesn't fit in with the rest of Hellblazer. It's a bizarre start to this story, but the remainder of this arc is brilliant and tense. The action is done really well, especially the final fight scene. Ron Tiney does the art on this. His art is pretty unremarkable, though the coloring is nice; still, the art does a good job of telling the story in a way that is easy to read. Sean Phillips does some really good art on an issue that serves as a conclusion to this storyline as well. The coloring is kinda weird, as it's very red, but I actually like it.There are four other stories contained in this trade. Grant Morrison does a two parter that is pretty good, even if it does seem to somewhat rip off Delano's earlier story, "The Fear Machine." David Lloyd does the art, which looks fantastic.Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean team up to deliver a story that shows something of a softer side to Constantine, which is great. This is probably one of the best single issues ever, though my copy of this book seemed to have some printing errors where sections of a few pages were blank and seemed to be blank over speech bubbles, which is annoying. Strangely, this was the only issue in the collection with this kind of printing error.There's a story by a guest writer about demonic dogs that isn't bad, but is too wordy. Much of the dialogue could've been cut and nothing would've changed. The art isn't special, but the coloring is very nice.The final story is about a Sunday where John is happy for no reason. He buys a bag of apples and a plot point from the Annual from Vol 2 is resolved. Later, a weird drug trip, or something, happens. It's kind of confusing and doesn't really matter in the end. This entire issue suffers from unnecessarily wordy narration that's written in the second person. This issue is easily the worst one in the collection and it does make me sad that Delano would write something this pointless after just coming off the greatness that is "The Family Man."I really like this trade and think it's one of the best Hellblazer books, even if it is somewhat distracted and has a couple pointless issues.

This trade paperback compiles one of Constantine's earlier adventures from the end of the 1980s and is an ideal introduction to the character and his strange, semi-supernatural existence.This is where the enigmatic protagonist truly finds his voice. Writer Jamie Delano really nails the central concepts of Constantine’s character, and drags them – stumbling, wearing a grubby dressing-gown, with a Silk Cut hanging from a lip and eyes like sinkholes in the sand – into the indifferent half-light of an urban afternoon.This story isn't wall-to-wall demons and beasts of the underworld. Sure, there are supernatural overtones to the story but the heart of the tale is about JC as a gumshoe investigator, on the trail of an all too human evil. This killer shreds the heart from happy families, and JC feels a personal sense of obligation to stop him. The closer JC gets to finding the psychopath, the more he reveals about himself… putting (as usual) his own family and few friends at bitter risk.The storyline gets put on hold for a few chapters while guest writers take a turn at the helm in some stand-alone episodes. Odd, but that’s what happens in the world of monthly comic books. The Gaiman / McKean chapter is instantly recognisable through the artwork, lettering and use of language – and it’s a solidly spooky little story. So is Grant Morrison’s effort in which a dying industrial town turns to the dark side. The V For Vendetta overtones are obvious in the art, here.This edition ends with some of Delano’s own short stories and, after the gruelling tension of the Family Man tale they are very welcome, if hardly light relief. In particular, his disconcerting story of a surreal Sunday is chillingly weird. It purports to offer JC the opportunity to side-step into the gleaming new 1990s and join the yuppie mainstream, or to continue to risk his soul and sanity in confronting life’s stark realities. Bitter-bleak at its core, re-affirming in its honesty.The best bit (maybe) was saved to last. Published much later in ‘Rare Cuts’, ‘The Gangster, The Whore and The Magician’ is an illustrated, prose short story. And it is beyond elegant in its construction and content, showcasing Constantine at his absinthe-drenched best. JC eschews the uncanny and extracts himself from a sticky predicament using only his street-smarts, sleight of hand, disarming candour and his essential vulnerability. His form of justice exerts the ultimate sanction on the bad guys but is more than merciful to their victims. The story’s resolution suggests the possibility of redemption, even for someone whose soul is as sullied as his own.If anyone ever tells you that comic-book stories are superficial froth, point them at this collection. If ever there was a moment when a character comes of age it is Constantine in ‘The Family Man’.9/10

Il volume e' arrivato in ottime condizioni, senza alcun danno, anche piu' velocemente di quanto preventivato. Consigliato a tutti gli appassionati.