Hellblazer: All His Engines

Hellblazer: All His Engines

Mike Carey (W)

Leonardo Manco (A)

Vertigo

ISBN: 9781401203177

This is an Original Graphic Novel not a TPB.

This isn’t the first time that I’ve read this comic, that I’ve gone back and read it again shows that it has merits.

I’ve read all of Mike Carey’s Hellblazer issues and this rounds off my collection nicely, but the strength of Carey’s writing is in the interactions between characters.

Anyone that’s read more than a handful of Hellblazer issues will recognise the relationship between Constantine and his drinking buddy/chauffer/whipping boy Chas as one that has been developed, sometimes conflictingly, through many years and many writers. Carey, in the space of around 5 panels and a little internal monologue, allows the long term reader to feel a privelige of already being aware of the history, but also clues in the casual reader as to how the normal Constantine and Chas get-together’s usually go awry and that their friendship can often be a little strained to say the least.

The story of the Supernatural Turf-War is well designed but Carey crafted better in his run on the ongoing title, but in All His Engines, I think it’s fair to say that the Supernatural story was used as the impetus to the Buddy Story. Carey does an excellent job of getting Constantine to do the right thing by his mate and still not tarnishing his image as a Double Bastard. Even Constantine’s selfless risks are shrugged off, quite convincingly, as self preservation.

Carey also hits the delicate balance between Magician and Con-Man that some writers have difficulty maintaining, indeed, he tangles them together so deftly and naturally that the story wouldn’t function were the balance to tip one way or the other.

Leonardo Manco is also doing a balancing act. Carey’s script makes it plain that Constantine feels out of his natural element, hopping around L.A. at noon on a glorious sunny day. Manco takes the cue and his heavily shadowed style is reigned in as appropriate. Which makes it all the more noticable when Constantine does pass back into the shadows, or on a few occassions, where the shadows are pre-empted by a very clear line style in one part of the panel, degenerating into solid black as the eye moves across the page.

The colours are appropriately washed out with only a strong red or green as needed.

My only complaint; as with so many modern comics, it was such a quick read. Either it could have been produced with a lower page count (at a lower price), or more text (therefore more characterisation).

Overall-

WORTH OWNING

MT.