Review by Frank Plowright
Hellblazer is meant to be a dose of the heavy stuff, but as time has marched on John Constantine has left a trail of corpses in his wake and demonic intrusion has been frequent, so the disturbing aspect of Highwater’s title story is generated by the attitudes of Neo-Nazis. Brian Azzarello doesn’t hold back with narrative captions featuring their twisted interpretations of the Bible and their opinions of the other people. Although the general direction is never in doubt, the comprehensive airing of hateful views is a different type of shock, and all the more so forceful for not being distanced from the real world.
‘Highwater’ is also the welcome return of Constantine the sorcerer, a matter Azzarello has too long sidelined. It’s a righteous and visceral return serving up what anyone other than those concerned with the purity of the human race will see as fit and proper. The four chapters are the collection’s highlight.
The main plot is interrupted by two interlude chapters drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Then relatively inexperienced, it’s obvious he can both tell a story and is attempting to work in the style of Marcelo Frusin on the remainder, a likeness accentuated by Lee Loughridge taking his cue from the colour work of James Sinclair. These stories are slight, and transmit as Azzarello and Camuncoli producing something in a hurry so Frusin can apply his artistic excellence to the entire finale.
‘Ashes & Dust’ occupies five chapters and is problematical in several respects, not least for minimal participation from Constantine himself. Instead we have NSA agent Frank Turro and Los Angeles detective Haylik investigating his death. They’re one-dimensional, and Turro’s foul mouth deliberately lacks finesse. The starting point for the other primary character seems to have been a satirical swipe at Bruce Wayne, and they’re given to endless monologues.
Contstantine’s supposed death occurred at a club where every form of sexual gratification is catered for, and the art certainly pushes the boundaries of the Vertigo imprint’s adult orientation, even if much is in shadow. Azzarello amuses with the attitudes of various participants, who are still in fetish costumes when interviewed by the police and indulge in funny, smutty innuendo, but that leads to a second problem.
When Azzarello began writing Hellblazer, the series had been running for well over ten years, so wouldn’t we have known by now if Constantine indulged in same sex encounters? Dropping it in for the sake of a twisted attraction serving the plot is weak justification after all this time. Far better is the revelation of how Constantine has been manipulated heading all the way back to Hard Time, and in terms of his personal continuity, back to his youth as revealed in Freezes Over. That’s clever. However, Azzarello seems to have plotted himself into a corner and can only supply an enigmatic ending without adequate explanation, which won’t work for everyone. When Mike Carey takes over with The Wild Card, it’s as you were.
Azzarello’s run overall starts extremely strongly, allaying any concerns at the time of being the first overseas writer to handle a quintessentially English character, but it’s flawed, which is very apparent in Highwater. The surface elements gel extremely well, but the substance is lacking. This content is now more easily found as part of the bulkier Hellblazer Vol. 15: Highwater.
