John Constantine: Hellblazer Retrospective - The Delano Years (Issues #1- #40)

Due to a mixture of busyness and laziness (mainly laziness) I haven't updated my blog for quite a while.

One of the main things I have been doing with my blog behind the scenes is figuring out  and trying out what the best way to write reviews and what sort of writing style I should use for this blog.

I was writing a a critical post criticising the poor excuse of an adaptation, the 'Constantine' tv series, but found that it was becoming too rant-y and not balanced enough for my like; and anyway, rumour has it that it might be getting cancelled.

 

Anyway, I recently finished reading the first 40 issues of John Constantine: Hellblazer; so since this is the end of the first main writers run on the series, I thought I should do a retrospective on the first 40 issues.

I will be inserting pictures related to certain issues at later date, I'm still trying out the best way take specific images from the comics

 

The first writer of the Hellblazer series was Jamie Delano, writing from issue #1-#40 (With a 3 issue break, #25-#27, but more on that later) from 1988-1991. Being the first writer for the series meant that Delano set up the precedent of the character John Constantine and the writing quality for the series.

On most lists of best Hellblazer writers, Delano is often in the number one spot, and for good reason too. But enough of this, lets get down the issues themselves and see what I can still remember from them. And be warned, there will be some spoilers!

 

'Hunger' & 'A Feast Of Friends' (#1-#2) 

Long story short, a demon from Africa that causes those it possesses to devour the the thing they love/crave the most is released in New York due to a mishap of one of Johns old friends from the 'Newcastle Incident'. Its up to John to reluctantly team up old enemy/occasional ally Papa Midnite to contain and defeat the demon. The end resulting is both horrifying and devastatingly sad.

A great two part opener for the Hellblazer series, which has an even mix of character development and vivid horror in the writing and imagery. We get introduced to Chas, Johns best friend, ally, and brack taxi cab driver.  In just a two issue opener we get to see the many shades of Constantine's character and personality, something New 52 'Constantine' and the tv series heavily lacked.

Rating: 10/10 Thumbs up. Definitely worth reading.

Going For It (#3)
John faces of against demon yuppies and 'Blathoxi, Lord Of Flatulence' head of the 'Soul Stock Exchange', in a story centred around the UK 1987 General Election. It all ends with John tricking Blathoxi into investing in the wrong stock, resulting in John single-handily crashing the Soul stock exchange market.

A humorous one-off issues, that shows how John goes into planning and staging one of his trademark tricks and how he uses his charm and cunning in tight situations.
Perhaps the political Hellblazer issues, there is some nice jabs at the conservatives and yuppies.
It can ultimately been seen as an allegory for the excess and ruthless of the 80's business and political world, and can still be related back it today.
Rating: 8/10 thumbs up.

 

Waiting For The Man (#4)

Aided by a mysterious mage/psychic known as Zed, Constantine investigates the disappearance of his niece, Gemma Masters. What ensues is a subtlety creepy ghost story involving an occultist paedophile who collects child brides. The story also shows the first appearances of the feuding the Resurrection Crusade and the Damnation Army religious groups.

 

A well put together one of issues that brings up new reoccurring characters and preludes the general story arc about  'The Resurrection Crusade V.S The Damnation Army'. We have Johns first love interest in the Hellblazer series and story that juxtaposes John and Zed have a normal night out and a spooky tale with Gemma; which showcases the innocence of the young girl and how being related to John Constantine can have a negative effect on your life. The revelation of what happened to the girls is brief but shocking.

Rating: 9/10 Thumbs up.

 

When Johnny Comes Marching Home (#5)

While investigating the mysterious Resurrection Crusade, Constantine finds himself in an Iowa town in America that is warping time and space with its prayers. Showcasing a vivid crossing of boundaries lost men for the war in Vietnam appear to cross into the present, we see horrors of the war and its effect on those in the present.

 

An interesting tale and take on the Vietnam war that is just brutal as the best film adaptations (Platoon, Apocalypse Now). John takes more of a back seat in this story and there isn't really that much development in the grand scheme of things, but still a good tale.

Rating: 7/10 Thumbs up.

 

Extreme Prejudice (#6)

The Resurrection Crusade start fighting back - and to make things worse, the demon Nergal, to be has arrived on the scene with plans of his own. Nergal tries to enlist John to join his Damnation army.

 

This were the  story arc about 'The Resurrection Crusade V.S The Damnation Army' really begins.

To be honest, looking back at it now, it wasn't the greatest story arc and I'm having a hard time remembering what really happened. So for the next few issues i'll be skimming through them, unless

something worth talking about happens.

Rating: 6/10 Thumbs Up.

 

Ghosts in the Machine (#7)

Zed is in hiding from the Crusade and Constantine's running his own game with a little help from a hacker-magus. We introduced to Ritchie, a surviving and completely un-phased member of the Newcastle Incident. A self named 'modern' mage, he can enter cyber space (think the Matrix). John uses Ritchie to hack into the Resurrection Crusade and dig up some information. Unfortunately, both of them are blundering into a deadly trap as the Crusade data protection cause Ritchie's body to combusts due to being in the machine too long; leaving Ritchie's soul/conscious still in the machine unaware that he can't return to his body. John, not being able to tell his friend the truth unplugs the machine, killing Ritchie.

We also get the first appearance of the ghost of the people John has caused to die, John, unable to face the ghosts and the truths they speak of him, decides to jump of the moving train he's on.

Overall, the some great art, interesting take on what cyberspaces looks like and a good deal of brilliant and interesting development of Constantine and his back story.

Rating: 8/10 Thumbs Up.

 Intensive Care (#8)

Hospitalised and crippled from jumping out of the train, Constantine discovers that his only way to foil the Crusade is to accept help from Nergal - and betray Zed! This is the issues were John is given some of Nergel's demon blood, which bestows hims a slight level of invulnerability and ultimately slows down the ageing process slightly for him.

This explains why over the course of 300 issues John still looks younger for his age and how still manages keep on going.

Rating 7/10 Thumbs Up.

Shot to Hell (#9)

 Drunk, miserable and just turned 35, Constantine finds himself confronted by inner demons, dead friends and his own ghost. This issue serves as a brief pause and more of character study/development issue, as nothing majorly occult or paranormal happens.

There is some great writing with a a sombre tone, combined with subtle imagery and symbolism. Its interesting to see John try to cope with the pressure of his past and what is currently happening weigh down on him. Seeing John as as a grubby, unshaven drunken wreck is both sad and pitiful. This is also the first major indication of what John's age i in the series.

Rating: 9/10 Thumbs Up. Definitely worth reading.

Sex & Death (#10)

With the Resurrection Crusade destroyed, Constantine must find a way to stop the demon Nergal from filling the power vacuum. To do that he must travel the astral planes, make an alliance with a old friend Swamp Thing.

I really can't remember much of what happens, but this is the issues that ends the 'The Resurrection Crusade V.S The Damnation Army' arc.

Rating: 5/10 Thumbs Up

Newcastle :A Taste Of Things To Come (#11)

We takes a trip to Newcastle, to the sight of the 'Newcastle Incident', an event that would effect John for a long time; here John recalls the events the Incident and what happened to the people involved.

Long story short, John and his team arrive at the 'Casanova Club' to the remains of a sex orgy with everyone involved massacred. Turns the owners daughter, Astra, is still alive. Astra was sexually abused by her father, and frequently exposed to her father orgy parties; all this emotional anguish and abuse allowed her to summon a creature to defend her. The creature, a Norfulthing, is the physical embodiment of rape. Despite rape/massacring her father and everyone else, the creatures refuse to leave her. Constantine figures to fight a demon, you need a demon. What then follows is a botched summoning of Nergel, which leads to John and Astra being dragged to hell to be damned for all eternity. As John trys to flee to the exit before it closes, Astra gets caught behind, with John escaping with only severed arm.
Although not shown here, it is mentioned in this issues and I think a few before it (I think #8), John is dragged to Ravenscar Secure Facility mental asylum; committed to between 1979 and 1982 after 'The Newcastle Incident' because of what happened to Astra and because of the serve mental trauma it caused him.

 

The is a great issue, and satisfyingly gives the origin of the 'Newcastle Incident' which has been hinted at as far back as John's 'Swamp Thing' appearances. The art is visually and graphically violent and gruesome. Its a real treat to see what really messed up John Constantine, and how Astra and the Newcastle crew are always haunting John.

 Rating: 10/10 Thumbs Up. Definitely worth reading.

 

The Devil You Know (#12)

In the fallout of the Resurrection Crusade V.S The Damnation Army fiasco John is hiding in caravan somewhere (?). John starts having ill bodily affects due to hall Nergel blood in him, he figures its Nergel messing with him, and needs to find a way to defeat him. Also Ritchie isn't dead! Seems he is living cyber space and become a mini god in there. Ritchie naturally doesn't like the fact  that John left him in cyber space for dead. So John hatches a plan to trap Nergel in cyber space while Ritchie takes over Nergals body.

 

An interesting kinda epilogue to the 'Resurrection Crusade V.S The Damnation Army' arc.

And its nice to see John try and do something right for a friend (even though its to save his own skin!). Again some creative art showing cyber space.

Rating: 7/10 Thumbs Up.

 

 

 On the Beach (#13)

Still recuperating from his battle with Nergal, Constantine tries to have a relaxing day at the beach - but comes a cropper when a nearby nuclear power plant goes critical. If you ever wanted to see what literal fish-fingers look like, here's your chance!

 

A very trippy issue, and its not entirely clear what actually happens, was John just dreaming the story at the beach or did to Nuclear plant actually release radiation?

Overall a fun one-off issue that is a nice break from the previous issues.

Rating: 8/10 Thumbs Up.

 

 

The Fear Machine - Parts 1-9 (#14-#22)

 On the run for murder (Nergel killed a lot of people around the Damnation Army storyline), John is blamed because he was seen at the scene of the incident, and because of what happen in the 'Newcastle Incident', he gets blamed by the police and the press.

So Constantine hides out with a group of travelling hippies. But when the camp is attacked by the police and one of their members is kidnapped, he finds himself drawn into a dark conspiracy at the heart of Britain's military-industrial complex. For some reason a secret government group is using a device to collect the fear from people to feed into a machine that will summon a Cthulhu-ian/Lovecraft-ian monster.

 

Apart from seeing John being a 'fish out of water', which is funny in its own right, and some imaginative and trippy artwork during the "fear" sequences, this storyline became a really drag to read.

I suppose its meant to be some kind of 'epic', and it is well writing, it could of been 2 or 3 issues shorter as the pacing is all over the place and became extremely boring in places. It does also however introduces some character that will return later in the run, Marj (one of the hippies), Mercury (Marj's psychic daughter), and Zed makes a return after #10, she is now some kind feminist hippie/ pagan sorceress.

Rating: 5/10 Thumbs up. 

 

Larger than Life (#23)

Fact and fiction merge when Constantine visits an outlandish old friend (who totally not meant look like Alan Moore or anything...). His friend is a famous/popular writer who's personality is literally "larger than life", it seems has become increasing annoyed that he is being used as a character in other writers works, leading some reader to think he is a fictional character. (A bit like how some people think Stephen Hawking is Simpsons character and not a real person). What follows is strange issue were fictional characters (or real) from various famous novels start harassing John and his friend as they try to get a drink at the local pub. The ending and fate of Johns friend will really leave you think and scratching your head.

 

A very imaginative story and real treat for a one off issues that kinda leads into the next story arc.

Really Worth your time if get a chance to read it.

Rating: 9/10 Thumbs up.

 

The Family Man (#24, & #28-30)

John plays a game of cat-and-mouse with a elderly but surprisingly strong serial killer called 'The Family man, who targets families. But soon it's not clear just who is hunting who...

And one major dilemma hits John, he may have killed demons and monsters, but could he really kill anther human being?

 With twist, shocks and revelations ahead, this is one of my favourite story arcs so far.

 

This is also perhaps the first time in series (apart from #11) were we really see John mess up.

Because of his actions and taunting towards the Family Man, he gets his friend Chas severely beaten up. And is case of "What can you do, your old man", the Family Man kills Johns estranged father, just to prove a point to John and get under his skin.

A tense, gripping and well paced and written story.

Rating: 10/10 Thumbs up. Definitely worth reading.

 

'Early Warning' & 'How I Learned To Love The Bomb (#25-#26)

At this point in the run Jamie Delano seems to have taken a short break in writing for 3 issues.

So for this two parter we have a guest writer in the from Scottish comic legend Grant Morrison. 

 

Una, a former acquaintance of John's, invites him to the little town of Thursdyke whose inhabitants are about to revive an old pagan festival. She senses something dangerous in the air, but the real danger comes from a military base deep underground.

Working in the base is Professor Horrobin, who conducts some sort microwave experiment that that unleashes the Jungian desires of Thursdyke, causing an orgy of sex and death amongst its townspeople. Only Una remains unaffected, but can she rouse John from his psychotic episode before the mad horde sets off the military base's atomic bombs? Lets just say in typical John Constantine fashion, he is the last man standing.

 

An interesting and rather wacky tale, with its weirdness bordering overkill.

I like the little joke in the two parter where John is dropped off and picked up by the same trucker.

With some great imagery and art, this is another good read.

Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up.

 

Hold Me (#27)

For this one off-issue we get another guest writer wither another comic legend, Neil Gaiman.

and this is one one-off issue not to be ignored. Lets just say you should track down a copy of this issue, as me telling you what happens we really spoil what happens.

 

Its a fan favourite (and one of mine) and for good reasons too.

There may not really be much character development or add anything special to the character of John Constantine, but with some good humour and and a chilling and sad ghost story.

Fun facts: This issue was "under-printed" making finding individual copies of this issue especially hard.

Rating: 10/10 Thumbs up. Definitely worth reading.

 

Mourning of the Magician (#31)
From here on in, Jamie Delano is back, and its nice to get back to character development.
When John's niece Gemma, still affect from #4, finds herself haunted by a dead relative, Johns dead farther, John must delve into his own dark past to put right a terrible wrong.

Another one of my favourites and a story worth reading without me spoiling it.
There is something quite touching seeing John coming to terms with the ghost of his father, for all the things he did and how they both never got on together. Its also great to see John show some compassion and sentimental emotion, proving hes not always a harden cynic.

Rating: 9/10 Thumbs up. Definitely worth reading.

 

New Tricks (#31)
Grisly murders at a homeless shelter look to be the work of a rabid dog - but the truth is far stranger and more gruesome than even Constantine could expect!

Another entertaining one off issue that shows show great graphic and vivid horror imagery and art.
Its written and plays out very much like a horror film, complete with twist ending.
We also get to see use his cunning and smarts to get of a dangerous and life threatening situation.
Rating: 9/10 Thumbs up.

Sundays are Different (#33)
Have you ever felt like you got up on the wrong side of the universe? John steps between the cracks of reality for one strange day. John passes into a strange parallel world where meaning and language are being torn down.

Another fascinating one off, that could make a great short film. Its strange and original concept puts it on my list of favourites.
Rating: 9/10 Thumbs up.

The Bogeyman (#34)
The events of the Family Man saga finally catch up to John , sending him into a nervous breakdown. Bitter, burnt-out and drunk, Constantine forces himself back into the lives of Marj and Mercury.

A kinda of start off to the final arc, we get to see as a wreck again, show how he be a miserable and pitiful man behind all his confidence and charisma. Its also Nice to see Marj and Mercury again after the slog which was the "Fear Machine".
Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up.

Dead-Boys Heart (#35)
What made John Constantine the screwed-up man he is today? A glimpse into his childhood provides part of the answer...

A great piece of character development, showing how John was certainly a weird and somewhat cruel child, but also showing his intelligence and a bit of his compassion and kindness.
A well written issue with dry humour and subtle horror (the kind of every day 'horror' every day human beings") that features no supernatural elements what so ever.
Also I think its the first time its revealed John has (or maybe had) an older sister.
Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up.

The Undiscovered Country... (#36)
Sick of John's self-pity, Mercury decides to show him one of his many possible deaths, as an elderly man in the not-too-distant future - but playing with that kind of bad mojo can have dangerous consequences with Mercury nearly causing John to die.

Its seems there was "Present, Past and Future" theme or mini arc going on with issues #34-#36.
Its certainly fun to get a glimpse of a possibly future for John, and seeing how he (might) becomes a miserable old git, being a nuisance to everyone and a drain on supplies and resources of a bizarre future.
Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up.

'Man's Work' & 'Boy's Game' (#37-#38)

On the way from London to Scotland, Marj's camper wagon breaks down somewhere in Norfolk.

While John and Marj try to fix it, Mercury goes of exploring and makes friends with Martin, a delicate young lad whose vile and meat-obsessed father, Archie, is making his life a misery.

Archie is butcher and resents having a vegetarian for a son. Because its Martins birthday (I assume 16th or 18th), his dad takes him to the family pig abattoir,and meet the other workers and begin working the family trade. Naturally Martin doesn't want to kill the animals  so his evil farther subjects him to a cruel hazing by treating him like one of the pigs.

Mercury saves Martin from his father's sadistic games, and as punishment she forces Archie to confront what he really fears.

A strange two-parter that's nearly devoid John Constantine himself, but its still well written enough to warrant reading. The father, Archie, is depicted really well as this disgusting man/human monster; and his fate is truly frightening and horrific. Its another one of those issues showing the horror and cruelty of 'human nature'.
Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up.

The Hanged Man (#39)
John Constantine committed his first murder in his mother's womb, strangling his twin brother with his own umbilical cord. For decades that twin brother has appeared to him as "The Golden Boy", a paragon of virtue, power and honour; everything John could never be, except in some other world. Now The Golden Boy has returned, and he wants to make contact...
This is the beginning of John's journey to face his past and begin his journey to become a true 'Magus'.

An odd issue, but we do get see another glimpse into John's past.
We also get see John reunite with Zed and the various hippies from from the 'Fear Machine' arc in Scotland. The fact we get to see a bit of how his father dealt with the death of his wife unborn son.
Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up.

The Magus (#40)
In this extra size issue we get a big send-off from Jamie Delano as he gives us his last issue of his run. I have read this issue a couple of times, and still don't really know what is really going.

From what I can gather, to begin his journey to becoming a true Magus, john takes some magic mushrooms at the end of the last issue and enters a cave, from there (and this issue) John goes on a trip to face the truth about what he did in his mothers womb as a child and become a Magus.
Along they way he meats the ghosts of varies people of his past, with a lot of the Newcastle crew returning. At the end of the issue, Zed, Marj, Mercury and some of the other hippies return to the cave to find its not there anymore. All they find is one of Johns old trench-coats and a large stone engraved with:

 

"In Memoriam

 John Constantine.

From womb to tomb,

and back again.

The Journey wobbles on"

 

I suppose the engraving is meant to be symbolic of Jamie Delano leaving, and that John Constantine and Hellblazer will carry on. Its also fitting that John leaves without a big dramatic show, he just quietly leaves without anyone knowing.

The issue is very heavy with the writing, and Dave Mckean brilliant and creative artwork while stylish, doesn't really help to understand what the hell is going on. But perhaps that is the point.

Its also the last time we see Zed, Marj, Mercury and the hippies.

Rating: 8/10 Thumbs up. Could of gotten higher if I better understood the issue.

Conclusion

Well that's end of the writers on John Constantine: Hellblazer.
Its a bit of a mixed bag for Jamie Delano, but with well written and memorable stories and plenty of intelligent and well though out character development. Its easy to see why Delano is often at the top end of 'Best writers of Hellblazer".
So Jamie Delano gets:
Writers Rating: Jamie Delano 9/10

 

 

 



Silent Hill Downpour: Anne's Story #1 - Comic Review

From Left To Right: Standard cover & Variant cover.

The wait is finally over!

Just over two years after Silent Hill: Downpour was released and a couple of cancellations, we finally get read and find out what Anne Cunningham's journey was like into Silent Hill and how it parallels with the the protagonist of the game- Murphy Pendleton.

As this is a review of the comic, I will be talking about the plot of the comic and the game.

So expect SPOILERS ahead!

In the above image you can see both variants versions of the comics cover, I wanted them both because I just Love Downpour that much! That and the cover art is great!

 

 I'm especially excited about this comic as Silent Hill: Downpour is my joint favourite Silent Hill game next Silent Hill 2. I'm also happy to read about what the Anne did and what she saw in Silent Hill along side Murphy. I'm also hoping to see what happened to the side characters, and to also see if the comic answers some of the plot holes; such how did Anne survive falling down a seemingly bottomless chasm and suddenly appears in the Devil's Pit to confront Murphy and how did she hide on the boat Murphy was to escape Silent Hill on when there was no hiding places.

So with these mysteries and hopefully many more, lets take a trip with Anne into Silent Hill....

The Narrative, Characters And Art

Its hard to talk about the plot of this issue because it requires you to at least have completed the game once to understand whats going on and to understand the major plot points as they occur in the comic. If I tried to explain and summarise it all, it would make this post into a mini essay. I'll try my best to give you the major facts.

 

What you really need to know is that Anne is a prison corrections officer who hold a strong grudge and resentment towards Murphy, who is convict being transfer to her prison of Wayside Maximum Security, it seems when ever she sees Murphy he is scarred gasmask wearing figure (this will be best explained in future issues.)

Issue 1 pretty much parallels the first couple of the hours of the game, from the initial bus crash in the woods of Silent Hill to Anne confronting Murphy when he gets off the Devil's Pit train ride. 

The narrative is shown from Anne's perspective, with lots of jumping back and forth and with exposition in between.

 

As a big fan of the game I am overjoyed to be reading this story and love the comic, but it ideally it requires you have played to game to understand it. The comic itself does have a page that summarises the opening of the game and shows how the prison transfer bus crashes of the road and into the woods of Silent Hill, but a casual reader will most likely get lost to get what the hell is going on!

But for those who have played the game and love Downpour as much as me, its real treat and a welcome return to Silent Hill and the Downpour story.

The issue thankfully answers how Anne got out escaped the chasm to confront Murphy in the Devil's Pit cave. Its resolution and how it would work will make sense to fans who have a good understanding of how the town Silent Hill works, but to an average it will require them to suspend their disbelief.

And i'm really happy to see the character of J.P.Slater the Devil's Pit train operator (who appears briefly early on in the game) make an appearance and get a glimpse of how he sees Silent Hill. As the story progresses we should see more of how Anne sees Silent Hill, and how it seems to know things about her.

We also get to see more of Anne as a character in the comic than we did in the game.
She is shown to be aggressive and act like a "bitch" to people around her. We also get to see her in two flashbacks that help flesh her development and motivations better.

We see 8 year old Anne talking to here farther Frank Coleridge before he goes of to work and how Frank wants her to be a doctor, despite Anne wanting to become like here farther, and become a corrections officers when she grows up.

And we also get what can assume to be current age Anne being woken up by here husband and being told the news that  during a riot at her farther's prison, and has found beaten to near death in the prison showers... and with Murphy Pendleton being caught red handed as the accused perpetrator... (More on this in the future)

Now, i'm no expert on art in comic books, but I feel the artists has done a good job so far.
the style fits silent Hill and really capturing the feel and tone of the game. The way the settings and lighting are drawn and coloured creates an immersive atmosphere and make you feel that you are right there with Anne. So far we have seen the 'Weeping Bat' creatures from the game; they are drawn well, giving them a distant yet threatening presence, especially as the antagonise Anne in the Devil's Pit.

My only criticism with the art is that some of that characters are drawn with weird facial expressions that look unnatural and almost look unintentionally comical.
And only problem with issue is that it ends just as it gets going, we only see a bit of the characters how Silent Hill is affecting and appearing to them. This can be put down to it being the first issue setting up the story, and hope that the future issues won't be quite like this. Particularly because it really grabbed my attention and makes me excited for when Anne actually gets into the town of Silent Hill.

 

Closing Thoughts And Feeling

An intriguing yet short return to Silent Hill.

Its great to see some characters get fleshed out more and see Silent Hill from their perspective,

especially getting see Anne's take on Silent Hill: Downpour story.

Some wonderfully creative and disturbing imagery combined with well drawn settings and lighting.

I can't wait for issue 2, and eagerly await for it to come out next month!

Here's my final verdict:

 

Rating: A solid 8/10 (Or '8 Thumbs Up' - That ones for you Daniel!)

Would I read it again?: Definately!

Would you recomend it?: Yes, but mainly to fans of Silent Hill and Downpour.

 

I appreciate any feedback from you readers on this review.

Especially because its the first time I have done something like this and would love hear how I can improve it.   

 

 

Shinji Mikami and a brief history of 'Survival Horror'



Since i'm talkin about Survival Horror games alot, I thought I should give some expostion and context about survival horror and its creator Shinji Mikami.  

 

Now, because some of you may not know who Shinji Mikami is, and why his new game 'The Evil Within' is important in the gaming world, here's a quick history lesson.

Shinji Mikami, a Japanese game designer, is often considered the farther of survival horror because of his game 'Resident Evil' released in 1996 for the Playstation 1.

 

At the time there was nothing quite like it. With the creation of survival horror a new sub genre was born. (See my 'Survival Horror Fever' post to get a better understanding of what survival horror is.)

Mikami directed his last Resident Evil game with 'Resident Evil 4' in 2005, which was when survival horror reached its peak.

 

Resident Evil 4 revolutionised horror gaming; removing the fixed camera angles and clunky controls for an over the shoulder third-person perspective. Tonally the game was also different from other survival horror games, with the focus being more on action, gunplay and fighting enemies and less on puzzle solving and brooding atmospheres. The game was still scary and tense but not in the same ways as traditional survival horror.

 

Resident Evil 4 was huge critical and commercial success and gave birth to the many features now found in most third-person shooters. Many game designers took note of the success of the game and the attitudes towards survival horror began to change. Survival horror began to turn into action based horror games with the focus being fighting and shooting and leaving the survival aspect behind.

Survival horror pretty much dropped from mainsteam gaming, with it being taken up by indie game designers.

 

Shinji Mikami announced his return to horror gaming after a long absence after Resident Evil 4.

Stating that this will be the last game he directs. He also stated that it will be a "true" survival horror game, "one in which the player confronts and overcomes fear."because of the fact that he was disappointed by recent survival horror games becoming action horror games.

 

 

 

Survival Horror Fever! - Survival Horror 101

With the release of Silent Hill: Downpour 'Anne's Story' and the The Evil Within tie-in comics coming up and the addition of news of upcoming releases of some high profile horror video games; I thought it would be good to do a post on horror video games, more specifically 'survival horror' and the upcoming game 'The Evil Within' that has sparked a bit resurgence of survival horror games in the mainstream gaming world. 

 

So to get all you non-savvy gamers up to date, here is Survival Horror 101.

 

'Survival horror' is the most prominent sub-genre of the overall genre of horror video games.

The 1996 Playstation 1 game 'Resident Evil' created by Shinji Mikami, is credited as the 'first survival horror' game which created many of the game play and game design features that then would go on to be the staples of any survival horror video game.

In its most basic explanation, survival horror put the player in the role of a character who find them in an environment in which that must face all manner of horrors and terrors with a limited supply of items, e.g. the player may find a gun but only find a small of ammunition, they may also rarely find health kits to heal the character. Also you often had limited inventory space, so you can to be wise about what items you wanted to pickup.

 

This lack of items forces player to think carefully about how they want to use their supplies, this also creates unnerving tensions in the game for players as survival horror games love to punish careless players who think they can blast through an area.

Inventive puzzles are another staple feature of survival horror games, usually making up the bulk of the gameplay. The puzzle were rarely easy, often requiring a lot of backtracking and a lot of thinking.
Puzzle were notoriously difficult and convoluted, with the answer sometimes going completely against standard logic.

Atmosphere is key to a survival horror game, usually mixing in bizarre imagery and symbolism, eerie sound design that can create fear and dread in players, creative lighting and well designed areas that push player to feel uncomfortable about going into the next room or around the next corridor.
Traditional survival horror games would use fixed camera angles and draw distances along with limited location to save your game to create panic and fear in the player.
But survival horror also like to reward players who like to explore the crafted environments, leading to games with detailed and explorable areas that allows players in investigate find items and hidden secrets.

Another feature of survival horror was that gun-play and weapons was usually downplayed. This meant that although could defeat enemies, it wasn't all ways the best option as you get end up wasting precious bullets that you may need later. So you could run away or past an enemies to conserve on ammo and health.

One of the big draws-ins of survival horror (at least for me) is the intriguing and suspenseful narratives; survival horror games tend more story heavy than most games, with it usually being the focus of the game. Also, despite the well written narratives, occasionally you get some great unintentionally hilarious and extremely quotable dialogue, such as Eddie's "Lets Party!" quote from Silent Hill 2 and this little exchange in the video below.

Eventually survival horror games hit their peak around 2004. Many mainstream gamers began to get
players became tired and impatient with the out-dated features of survival horror games, such limited resources, cumbersome controls and fixed camera angles. Survival horror started to phase out and become 'Action Horror', forcing survival horror into the indie gaming circle.

For more the decline and revival of survival horror, be sure to see my post on the upcoming survival horror game "The Evil Within".

Thoseof you out there interested in playing some survival horror games here is some of my picks:

The 'Silent Hill' series: especially Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: Downpour.
Both games are personal favourites and both deal with very adult themes and tackle psychological horror in very creative ways.
The Silent Hill series arguably has the best and most thought provoking narratives in the survival horror genres, with fans still debating today over the various themes and symbolism featured in the games.

Alan Wake:
While you could argue its more thriller than horror, 'Alan Wake' is one of the best example of modern survival horror games. Mixing action with the the core features of survival horror (limited supplies, creeping atmosphere) and an interesting storyline and ending that left many casual gamer scratching their heads.

Dead Space: mainly 1 and 2
A game I affectionately call 'Event Horizon: The Video Game' due some similarity to the film.
Its another recent game that shows that survival horror can still stand in mainstream gaming.
Playing as space engineer Isaac Clarke, you have to escape a mining space craft infested hideous undead creatures that can only be defeated via dismemberment. Throw in interesting story line and an eerie foreboding atmosphere, and you have a classic horror game.

Deadly Premonition:
Despite being released in 2010, this game feature outrageously outdated controls, incredibly bad graphics and gamplay features you would expect to find in 90's survival horror game. But despite this, its a brilliant Twin Peaks inspired game. With quotable bad B-movie dialogue, memorable cast of characters and story that requires to really requires you suspend your disbelief. Its an entreating game that doesn't take itself seriously.

The 'Resident Evil' series: Games 1-4 (or 1996-2004) and Resident Evil Revelations.
The 'original' survival horror series, its worth playing Resident Evil 1 to see how survival horror started. The series is also the the main reason why zombies are so popular in gaming today.

Hellblazer: Quest to #300 - Complete 300 Celebration!

As the above video clearly states... LETS PARTY! 

 

There is perhaps only one reader that will get the joke and the video, but hey, it's message still stands.

So here we are... a complete collection of groundbreaking and beloved comic series; a series of which I can now proudly say I am glad to own. I bought the final two issues (#182 and #183) from local comic shop as a of gesture support and thanks for the brilliant service they have.

 

Spanning all the way from 1988 to 2013, from its high and lows and with a variety of artist and writers along the way, John Constantine: Hellblazer has been through it all.

 

To house this monumental collection, the comics themselves have managed to take up two and half small comic boxes. The remaining half of the third box will be filled will any Hellblazer related comics I collect; such as Hellblazer 'specials', issues were Constantine has any major appearance and the DC comics New 52 series 'Constatine'.

 

For me, I am extremely happy to finally have a complete collection of the original series and to have the chance to read from beginning to end unitterupted and to able to see the long reaching arc of John Constantine's development as a character and the many changes in the context and times the series was written.

 

So what happens now that I have got the complete collection the John Constantine; Hellblazer series?

Well there is the various 'specials' and 'spin-offs' and 'te-in' comics I will slowly collect to add to the collection.

I am planning to do a retrospective of Jamie Delano's (the first writer on the Hellblazer series) run on the series, as I have nearly read up to #40 were he then leaves the series. From the there I will do retrospective of each writer when their run ends on the series. In between these I will do special reviews of any individual issue or storyline I feel need special attention or if it offers anything special or interesting to talk about. 

 

So keep an eye for these and some up coming posts that just about comic and Hellblazer.

So y'all come back now ya hear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hellblazer: Quest to #300 - 298/300

 

Well, I should of had pictures of my new additions to my Hellblazer collection, but for some reason the blog posting software is refusing to upload my pictures.

I'll try and fix the picture problems so you can get a view of the issues, so for now you will have to make-do with a picture of my nearly completed list.

 

So only 2 to go!

The 9 new additions are mainly from Brian Azzarello's run on the series, so much of what I said about his run from my previous post still applies.

 

So look out soon for a special celebration post as I get my final two issues. In that post I will talk about the series a bit and how I plan to review some of the issues.

I hope to see you there folks.

 

(Update - Finally its now letting me upload pictures) 

Hellblazer: Quest to #300 - 289/300

 

289 down and only eleven more to go.

The four new Hellblazer comic I have got are issues #164-#167, covering the four-part story 'Highwater'.

 

In the Hellblazer series this is the point when American writer Brian Azzarello had his 'run' on Hellblazer. Azzarello, best known for writing for Vertigo with the comic series '100 Bullets', takes Constantine on cross country trek across America, many of the stories dealing with 'urban horror' and the evil of everyday people, as opposed to the supernatural. 

Just by quickly flicking through the issues without reading them, #164-#167 appears to be dealing with Neo-Nazism in America, so it seems it will be an interesting read.