A review by storyorc
Hellblazer, Vol. 7: Tainted Love by Garth Ennis

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

If Family Man was my favourite volume focused on a single story, Tainted Love is the best of Hellblazer in its single-issues and mini-arcs. Also possibly the most likely to anger conservatives and Christians (saying a lot since the previous issue featured British royalty demon-possessed and in BSDM gear).

Hard to believe in just one volume we got:
  • Constantine family visit
  • Wild 40th birthday, complete with
    ACAB and Swamp Thing making them weed
  • The Snob aka Gabriel plagued by that specific flavour of holy angst I never get tired of DC angels grappling with (including some extremely hot takes on what dad had him do)
  • People going after John's dwindling supply of friends (I list the issue in content warnings below, this one was honestly pretty upsetting)
  • Ellie the demon, my beloved, back and causing Problems
  • Kit taking no shit from our boy, and other Irish things
  • A large range of gay characters, from sympathetic to revolting
  • A reckoning with a past abuser (issue listed in content warnings again)
  • The King of Vampires doing what he does best:
    drop in for like one issue to fuck, suck, monologue, and get his ass handed to him
  • More making fun of the monarchy

The redux of Constantine at his lowest,
homeless, alcoholic, and suicidal
was a little underwhelming since we've been here before but the last time he got this bad was under Delano's pen so I don't hold it against Ennis too hard for having a go. 

BIG fan of the way the
First of the Fallen
's cameo at the end whets the appetite for the next volume presumably going back to the consequences of Constantine's three-way deal.
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