Review: Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Omnibus Vol. 1

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Omnibus Vol. 1 is the place where John Constantine stops being only the cool occult man in a trench coat and becomes a lead character with dirt under his nails. It is rougher than Ennis, less immediately quotable and much more politically sour. That is exactly why it matters.

The verdict: buy Delano first if you want the root of Hellblazer: class anger, occult damage, Thatcher-era dread and a Britain that feels spiritually ill. Choose Ennis first if you want the more emotionally direct Constantine. Delano is not the smoothest entry; it is the foundation.

What You Get

Odoo product data identifies this edition as ISBN 9781779527844. The production description frames the book through political horror, class anger, occult damage and Thatcher-era dread. That is not flavor text. It is the buying promise.

This is the Constantine who belongs to a sick country, not just a supernatural case file. Delano understands that John is frightening because he is not heroic in a clean way. He is a survivor, manipulator, coward, witness and occasional necessary bastard. The book makes those contradictions the engine.

Why It Works

Delano's Hellblazer works because the horror feels social before it feels magical. The demons matter, but they are not the only monsters. Politics, poverty, guilt, media panic, class contempt and national rot all press on the stories. Constantine moves through that pressure like someone who knows the spell is only one part of the illness.

That gives the run a texture later Constantine stories keep returning to. John is not just a clever mouth with a cigarette. He is a man who can read the room because the room is always already poisoned. He knows how people lie to survive because he does it too.

The other strength is discomfort. Delano does not flatter Constantine into being lovable. He lets the character be useful, cowardly, sharp and compromised in ways that make the reader question why they are rooting for him. That tension is the beginning of Hellblazer's power.

The best reason to own this volume is context. Ennis may be the more immediately famous buying recommendation, but Delano explains why Hellblazer could exist as something sharper than superhero horror. It makes Constantine political, local and morally uncomfortable.

The Weak Points

The weakness is access. Delano can feel heavier, more specific and less streamlined than later runs. The pacing is not built for readers who want every issue to behave like a modern trade arc. Some references and anxieties are rooted in a particular British moment.

That can make the book feel less friendly than Ennis. But friendliness is not the point. Delano's Constantine should feel abrasive. If the run were too polished, it would lose the grime that makes it essential.

Who Should Buy This

Buy it if you want to understand Constantine from the ground up. This is for readers who want Vertigo before it becomes a shelf label: political, angry, strange, literary without becoming decorative.

If you are choosing between Constantine volumes, pair this with our Garth Ennis review. Delano gives you the root; Ennis gives you the wound that sings. The best Hellblazer shelf eventually wants both, but your first purchase depends on whether you value origin or emotional immediacy.

Our Verdict

Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Omnibus Vol. 1 is worth buying if you want the original foundation of John Constantine as political, haunted and morally compromised lead. It is not the smoothest Constantine purchase, but it is the one that makes the character feel dangerous before he becomes iconic.