- Paperback: 168 pages
- Publisher: Vertigo; 1 edition (Nov 15 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 140121066X
- ISBN-13: 978-1401210663
- Product Dimensions: 16.6 x 1.1 x 25.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #414,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Booklist
In a London pub, sardonic magician John Constantine meets a distraught man who has come down with a crippling case of empathy. His intense awareness of the unbearable suffering he has caused in other people's lives has brought him to the brink of suicide. Worse, his preternatural empathy is contagious, and he gives the caustic sorcerer a dose that prompts unaccustomed and unwelcome emotions. The two men head to Scotland and the cause of the affliction. There Constantine is pressured to make a horrific sacrifice. Glasgow-born crime novelist Mina, complemented by Manco's moody art, puts a new wrinkle in the long-running Constantine chronicles. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Astonishing... Constantine's looking pretty damned good" - Empire "Mina's vivid slang and pervasive dread work wonders for grown-up comics." - Entertainment Weekly "John Constantine is the most human character in mainstream comics today... A journey you can't afford to miss." - Neil Gaiman, author of The Sandman"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unfairly Dismissed, Dec 12 2007
By J. Drayton - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: John Constantine Hellblazer: Empathy is the Enemy (Paperback)
This may be a minority review, so caveat emptor: I'm very picky when it comes to graphic novels. Too many have managed to set things up intriguingly only to show the writer's shortcomings at crucial moments. That's why having an established author write for a pre-existing series can be so successful. They actually know how to structure a story.Ms. Mina's brief run on "Hellblazer" is fine proof of this. She sets up a remarkably intense story and allows it to build in suspense and moving revelation in a way that obviously confused the Fan-Boys who whined until she was taken off the title. Shame, DC. You had a chance here to make "Hellblazer" as special as it was under Mr. Delano. But you blew it.
These require concentration and patience, like all good things, so if you are only after quick thrills with no substance, look elsewhere. For the grown-ups, however, this and its sequel are superb graphic novels that deserve to be read as a single (stunning) piece of work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Caledonian Gothic, Oct 21 2008
By Gavin Lees - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Constantine Hellblazer: Empathy is the Enemy (Paperback)
Like all writers on the Hellblazer franchise, Denise Mina brings her own, unique vision of John Constantine to the series. Gone is the classic, sharp-dressed mystic of Jamie Delano's run and in his place a more world-weary, sardonic character who could easily have been drawn from Mina's crime world of "Garnethill". Long term fans may not like this interpretation of the character, but it's one that fits the story, enabling it to explore new territory for the comic.Transplanting Constantine to Mina's native Glasgow provides both writer and artist fertile ground to create a vibrant, recognisable setting for the story arc. Mina spent hours videotaping street scenes of Glasgow's West End to send to Manco, which were reproduced in all their sandstone and gothic-revival glory. Like all good crime narratives, the city itself becomes as much a character as any of the people inhabiting it.
For Scottish readers there are many cultural touchstones that resonate eerily through the tale: the legacy of St Mungo, urban disrule, the class divide amidst growing poverty and metropolitan isolation. Each of these repressed facets returns in monstrous fashion, in the style of the best Gothic narratives. Perhaps this is why Mina's run was met with some ill-favour, that she writes for her own audience as opposed to the established Hellblazer fan base. Literate Glaswegians will delight in this and the follow up volume, (particularly the inspired climax atop the Hunterian Museum, fending off demonic neds with sweeties and porn) while others may be left in the cold, with much of the humour and sources of horror lost on an American audience.
This is not quite up to the stellar standards of Delano or Ennis's runs on the title, but certainly an entertaining take on Constantine and a bold foray into graphic narratives for Denise Mina.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
So-so debut for new writer Mina, Dec 12 2006
By N. Durham "Big Evil" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Constantine Hellblazer: Empathy is the Enemy (Paperback)
With Mike Carey's reign on Hellblazer over and done with, British crime novelist Denise Mina has been given the charge of writing Vertigo's top title. Empathy is the Enemy finds chain smoking magician John Constantine pursued by cults, demons, and the like. Yep, it's just business as usual for Constantine, as an empathetic man is required for a demonic cult in pursuit of a third afterlife. This sounds like it could be a good start for Mina, but the plot winds up being so convoluted and non-sensical that it's easy to wind up scratching your head. Not to mention that I'm not really all that fond of Mina's characterization of Constantine. Can good 'ol John be easily so duped? That's up for debate for long time Hellblazer readers, but veteran Hellblazer artist Leonardo Manco saves the book from being forgettable with his great art and creepy visuals. All in all, Empathy is the Enemy isn't the worst read in the Hellblazer library, but you can do far better, which hopefully Mina will as well as her run continues.
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