John Constantine, Hellblazer: "Hard Time"
22+22+22+22+22(series) pgs. Appeared first time [COLOR] in Hellblazer: Hard Time #146 to #150 (2000) 
. Reprinted [COLOR] in Hellblazer: Hard Time [TB] (2000) [VERS.2].
Story: Brian Azzarello. Art: Richard Corben (no signature, © 2000). Color: James Sinclair. Lettering: Clem Robins.
France [FRA]: as "Hellblazer [FRA]: Hard Time", as one in Hellblazer [FRA]: Hard Time (2002).
Italy [ITA]: as "Hellblazer: Tempi Duri", as 5 part serial in Vertigo presenta #1 (2000) to #5 (2001), and as one in Hellblazer: Tempi Duri (2005).
Spain [SPA]: as "Hellblazer - Tiempos difíciles", as one in Colección Vertigo: Hellblazer (2003), and as Hellblazer [SPA]: "Hard Time [SPA]", as one in Hellblazer: Brian Azzarello (2015).
Style: Color with black line. Genre: Crime. Time Span: No particular moment of time. Nudity: Half naked girl and man.
Keywords: Prison. Gangs. Humiliation. Chain-smoking. Mystic. Violence. Bossing. Guards. Puzzles. Punishment. Hallucination. Revolution. Bargain.
Synopsis: Hellblazer is a serial of character John Constantine. In "Hard Time" they put him into the high security prison. John smokes constantly. Quickly he climbs right to the top in prison's inside hierarchy. Mystical accidents start to happen, but he does get his punishment and revolution.
Comment: Corben goes on with his B&W (without screens) comic stories. This story is also colored by outsider, DC Vertigo house. Corben controls brilliantly Brian Azarello's tricky story of prisoners' relationships. Color fits good into Mr. Corben's story. This story has quick-dead end, but the end is not important while we are talking about continous series of stories; the main thing is, how we reach it. Azarello does it with passion.
Alternatives, [VERS.2]: The first pages of parts 1 and 3 have got black background in the collected version, though in the original comic book version they were white.
Extra: There is only two girls in this story - hey, it's a inside jail story for guys - one is pretend-to-be-a-wife prostitute who dances provocatively to one leader criminal. And another "girl" is just a hallucination. Both on them are well shown. One certain criminal is solving nude girl puzzles though.
Part 3 page 1, comic book version vs. tradeback version.
Copyright © 2001 Heart-Attack-Series, Ink!,
Created: March 8, 2001. Modified: July 11, 2019.