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Review
'This is a graphic novel as it should be, a thrilling, beautifully paved page turner.' --- The Sunday Times Culture
'Well executed, full of action' --- The Guardian
'An inventive mystery, packed with unexpected twists and sly humour, and ably complemented by Werther Dell Edra s spare and effective artwork.' --- The Spectator
'Well executed, full of action' --- The Guardian
'An inventive mystery, packed with unexpected twists and sly humour, and ably complemented by Werther Dell Edra s spare and effective artwork.' --- The Spectator
Product Description
Mixing the very best talents in crime writing with red-hot artists, the "Vertigo Crime" series represents a new era in four-colour capers - for adults only! Occult detective John Constantine has seen his share of the strange, but nothing could prepare him for reality TV! When the macabre location of hit show "Haunted Mansion" starts attacking the contestants, Constantine is hired to investigate. Locked in with a cast of celebrity wannabes and monitored by a deadly figure from his past, John must figure out who (or what) is pulling the strings before he gets cancelled - permanently! International best-selling crime writer Ian Rankin (Rebus) and artist Werther Dell'Edera (Loveless) present a chilling, locked-room mystery starring John Constantine!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Award-winning - and officially honourable - crime writer Ian Rankin makes a remarkable debut as a graphic novelist in this superbly unsettling horror story starring the best anti-hero in the business. John Constantine, seedy modern magician and consummate bad seed tends to bring out the best in his writers, and although the plot here is nothing new the treatment of the large cast of characters is a deft juggling act nicely handled, while the narrative set-pieces are gripping and stuffed with good old fashioned creepy tension.
Constantine has acquired a certain reputation in the right circles over the course of his life, so he's not too suspicious when a sleazy TV producer offers him wads of cash to advise on the latest reality show Dark Entries wherein six contestants are isolated in a rigged haunted house, competing for big prizes and fully expecting to be scared out of their wits.
Unfortunately what's terrifying these housemates is nothing the producers and technicians devised but appears to be the real thing.
Quickly inserted into the show as a new contestant Constantine finds himself mired in a diabolical mystery involving the seemingly innocent competitors, and too late realises that he's fallen for the oldest trap in the world. Stitched up like a kipper, his only chance is to free his companions before he can escape the house and the horrors that built it.
Sharp, gritty and deeply compelling this is a powerful recapitulation of classic horror and murder yarns complete with sting-in-the tail that will leave the reader breathless and hungry for more.
Viscerally illustrated by Italian artist Werther Dell'edera this black and white hardback is similar in format to the old Paradox Press DC imprint to which gave us A History of Violence and Road to Perdition among other gritty adult thrills. Dark Entries is easily in the same class and would make any reader a very happy - if nervous - fan.
Constantine has acquired a certain reputation in the right circles over the course of his life, so he's not too suspicious when a sleazy TV producer offers him wads of cash to advise on the latest reality show Dark Entries wherein six contestants are isolated in a rigged haunted house, competing for big prizes and fully expecting to be scared out of their wits.
Unfortunately what's terrifying these housemates is nothing the producers and technicians devised but appears to be the real thing.
Quickly inserted into the show as a new contestant Constantine finds himself mired in a diabolical mystery involving the seemingly innocent competitors, and too late realises that he's fallen for the oldest trap in the world. Stitched up like a kipper, his only chance is to free his companions before he can escape the house and the horrors that built it.
Sharp, gritty and deeply compelling this is a powerful recapitulation of classic horror and murder yarns complete with sting-in-the tail that will leave the reader breathless and hungry for more.
Viscerally illustrated by Italian artist Werther Dell'edera this black and white hardback is similar in format to the old Paradox Press DC imprint to which gave us A History of Violence and Road to Perdition among other gritty adult thrills. Dark Entries is easily in the same class and would make any reader a very happy - if nervous - fan.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a writer of graphic novels, that is. He also happens to be one of my favourite crime novelists. This dip into the murky world of DC/Vertigo Comics long-running character John Constantine, a favourite comic character of mine, is a highly competent if not outstanding piece of work. There's nothing wrong with it, though readers familiar with the character will guess the twist which comes around the halfway mark -it it hadn't already been given away by other reviewers, that is. Rankin has a good feel for the character of our bad-boy hero JC and his milieu and overall it's a decent contribution to Constantine's chronicles.
But -and you knew there was a 'but' coming- I absolutely hate the crude sketchy art by Werther Dell'edera. A matter of taste, sure; I've no doubt that lots of people will like the style, just not me. I also miss the colour of the regular comic.
So: 4 stars for the writing, 1 for the art.
But -and you knew there was a 'but' coming- I absolutely hate the crude sketchy art by Werther Dell'edera. A matter of taste, sure; I've no doubt that lots of people will like the style, just not me. I also miss the colour of the regular comic.
So: 4 stars for the writing, 1 for the art.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Crime novelist Ian Rankin tries his hand at a graphic novel. To the uninitiated, that's a book with pictures and speech balloons. Just like a comic. But it's a mature readers comic. Ie: it has grown up characters and adult situations and the occasional bit of strong language.
This is also far more a horror story than a crime drama.
So if any of that's not your cup of tea then stop reading here.
But if it is or if you're prepared to try something different, or if you read the comic hellblazer, then read on.
Dark entries features John Constantine. Star of the long running and popular mature readers comic hellblazer. The uninitiated may be familiar with the movie Constantine, but the version of the character seen there was americanised for the big screen. The Constantine of the comic page is a blonde haired chain smoking trench coat wearing scouser. Who is also a mague. A man who lives his life as he chooses and who has the ability to stand up to absolutely anyone. You could think of him as a supernatural private eye.
The story here sees him hired by a tv company to take part in their latest project. A big brother style show that has housemates in a building with no contact with the outside world. And where scary things will happen. Those should be controlled by the tv company. But scary things are happening that they've no control over. So they neeed John to find what's up.
A secret prize awaits the winner. But the contest swiftly turns into a fight for survival, as the secrets of the house and the contestants come to light...
If you're familiar with hellblazer then you'll find that Ian Rankin writes Constantine very well. The book runs for two hundred and fourteen pages. And the story is self contained. The other characters are quite well written and come over as being the kind of person who would take part in this kind of show.
The plot develops nicely until a big reveal about halfway through which sends it off in a very different direction. The reveal may seem obvious in many ways but it doesn't hurt because there's still a lot of story to be told as a result of it. And the whole thing is very character based, so it works fine.
The artwork is scratchy and slightly ill defined, but there's a certain style to it and that suits the story. However it is very much an acquired taste so you may end up not liking it at all.
This is a very good attempt by the writer at doing a John Constantine story. It is probably far more suited to those who are familiar with the comic than for those who are familiar with his prose novels, though.
This is also far more a horror story than a crime drama.
So if any of that's not your cup of tea then stop reading here.
But if it is or if you're prepared to try something different, or if you read the comic hellblazer, then read on.
Dark entries features John Constantine. Star of the long running and popular mature readers comic hellblazer. The uninitiated may be familiar with the movie Constantine, but the version of the character seen there was americanised for the big screen. The Constantine of the comic page is a blonde haired chain smoking trench coat wearing scouser. Who is also a mague. A man who lives his life as he chooses and who has the ability to stand up to absolutely anyone. You could think of him as a supernatural private eye.
The story here sees him hired by a tv company to take part in their latest project. A big brother style show that has housemates in a building with no contact with the outside world. And where scary things will happen. Those should be controlled by the tv company. But scary things are happening that they've no control over. So they neeed John to find what's up.
A secret prize awaits the winner. But the contest swiftly turns into a fight for survival, as the secrets of the house and the contestants come to light...
If you're familiar with hellblazer then you'll find that Ian Rankin writes Constantine very well. The book runs for two hundred and fourteen pages. And the story is self contained. The other characters are quite well written and come over as being the kind of person who would take part in this kind of show.
The plot develops nicely until a big reveal about halfway through which sends it off in a very different direction. The reveal may seem obvious in many ways but it doesn't hurt because there's still a lot of story to be told as a result of it. And the whole thing is very character based, so it works fine.
The artwork is scratchy and slightly ill defined, but there's a certain style to it and that suits the story. However it is very much an acquired taste so you may end up not liking it at all.
This is a very good attempt by the writer at doing a John Constantine story. It is probably far more suited to those who are familiar with the comic than for those who are familiar with his prose novels, though.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
nothing special
A well known author does Constantine? Excellent, I thought. Sadly, this graphic novel feels really dated, and reads like something from the late 80's/ early nineties. Read more
Published 2 months ago by rose_ginger
Rankin does Constantine
John Constantine, tempted by a fat wad of cash, agrees to troubleshoot the latest tv reality show, ratings phenomena 'Haunted Mansion'. Or so he's told. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Michael Finn
tiffany
The whole concept of this book was badly put together. Very disjointed. I would have expected something better from Rankin.
Published 16 months ago by puffnstuff
Disappointing
The story started off quite intriguingly but then degenerated.
Quite a confusing and rushed ending. I hated the artwork. Read more
Quite a confusing and rushed ending. I hated the artwork. Read more
Published 19 months ago by The Emperor
Trite, Silly
I have just attempted to read this. If you are in the same position, "STOP!" Its a complete waste of time. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Drew
What a mistake!
I have now discovered what a 'Graphic Novel' is. It is basically a comic within a hard cover. I was utterly appalled when, after ordering what I thought was going to be a good... Read more
Published 22 months ago by D. A. Valentine
Hm, Not Bad, But Not Great Either
This is Ian Rankin's first step into the comics world, and it's a fairly confident, if predictable one. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2010 by JJG
undecided
enjoyed but at the back of your mind is "i wish IAN had written a word novel" good ending though.
Published on 11 Feb 2010 by moonbeam
Rankin and Constantine - a great cocktail
Magical jack of all trades Constantine and famous crime writer Rankin, creator of Inspector Rebus, is a mouthwatering combination and it doesn't disappoint. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2010 by Jo Bennie
not Rebus but not bad
I enjoyed the plot but felt the writing in the second part wasn't as strong as in the first. As if IR was more comfortable with the mystery element than with the action. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2010 by kenpat
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