Constantine The Hellblazer #13 - A Review

Compelled not to work against the demon Neron's plan to gain ownership of every soul in New York City, John Constantine is almost out of options. With a little help from his friends he might yet find a way to win. But that doesn't mean he - or his friends - will come out unscathed...

James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle masterfully bring this series to a fitting conclusion that invites comparison to Garth Ennis' Dangerous Habits.Constantine is at his manipulative best here but it spoils little to say that there are unintended consequences to his actions. For John, there always are. And the final pages of this issue are suitably bittersweet.

The story is equaled by the excellent artwork. Eryk Donovan's pencils and inks are as grand as ever, providing us with demons and faeries that look just human enough to be unsettling. The colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick are unusually bright for a horror title of this nature but suit the story well.

I'm going to miss this series. I truly am.

Constantine The Hellblazer #12 - A Review

Trapped in New York City, John finds that his latest boyfriend's daughters have been taken by the demons now ruling the town. Worse yet, Neron has forged an alliance with Papa Midnight and John's former ally Blythe. And they have a rather nasty way of sticking it to John once and for all...
The tensions are building masterfully in the penultimate chapter of this series and this endgame may prove to be as memorable as Garth Ennis' Dangerous Habits. As strange as it is to hear John Constantine - the quintessential Londoner - speaking of the joys of New York City, the writers make it work. I'll be sad to see this series gone after next month. Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV have done a fantastic job on it.
Eryk Donovan may be the best artist yet to work on this book. His demons look truly inhuman while being just human enough to be all the more unsettling for the resemblance. And the colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick continue to impress.

Constantine #6 - A Review

The cover of Constantine #6 is a load of bollocks.  While the plot does find John Constantine trapped outside of his body with only a thin silver cord connecting him to the world of the living, he does not face the spirits of every friend he's ever sacrificed.  Merely the surly spirit of Chris, the psychic whom died back in Constantine #1.


Despite this, Ray Fawkes does deliver another exciting script and there's nothing at all wrong with this story save that it doesn't match up to the cover.  The drama builds beautifully as John's many enemies begin closing in to finish him off.  There's also a set-up for two new mysteries for John and the readers to explore in the coming issues.


The art of Renato Guedes seems to be getting better with every issue.  John Constantine hasn't had an artist who could depict the inhuman horrors of the world of magic with such detail and clarity in quite some time.  Of particular note is a two-page splash sequence in the center of this story that, for once, justifies taking up so much space. 

Constantine #4 - A Review

Shagged out and burned out from his recent trials and tribulations in London, John Constantine decides to take a day off from the business of balancing the cosmic scales.  Alas, things are rarely that simple for John and what is meant to be a day of smoking, drinking, seeking out old friends and slouching around is quickly complicated by shadowy stalkers and portents of conflict.  And then there's the matter of the crime-boss/voodoo priest who is out for John's blood and/or soul...


The script for Constantine #4 does a grand job giving us a day-in-the-life story while still expanding upon John's world without seeming overly expository.  Obviously there's some set-up for the upcoming Trinity War storyline but the plotting fits naturally into the narrative.  Zatanna's rather complicated relationship with John is also explained for those of us who are coming into this title without having seen the two working together in Justice League Dark.


The artwork by Fabiano Neves is competent enough though one aspect of it does disturb me somewhat - John's lack of expression.  With a few exceptions (chiefly when he's having the crap kicked out of him) John has the same stoic neutral expression throughout the book.  While I can understand him trying to keep a poker-face up while starring down Papa Midnite or putting the fear of god into a rube, I would expect him to smile somewhat when dealing with Zatanna as he tries to pour on the charm or when he's over-tipping his tobacconist.

Apart from that, the story is well-depicted and the flow of action from panel to panel is good - John just looks far too dour in most of the pages of this book.  It isn't enough to make me not recommend the title - this is a damn good series!  But there's a reason John is called The Laughing Magician and the art should reflect that.