Does anyone still read John Constantine comics?

JayzusB.Christ · 13 May, 2016, 10:57:35 PM

I loved the old Hellblazer comics - like Dredd; it was a treat to see how John Constantine developed as he aged in real time. I lost interest at the 'reset' though; never bothered to see what happened after he became a non-Vertigo, T-rated, younger chap. I just can't imagine him as a non-sweary young man and I can't get behind the character with his rich backstory deleted.

So, does anyone still read Constantine and is it any good?

flip-r mk2 · 13 May, 2016, 11:33:44 PM

Utter shite is the best way to describe them. It's like the writers have been given a very brief description of the character, but have never actually read any of the originals, much like IDW'S Dredd. Hopefully the new DCRebirth version will be better as it's writer is Simon Oliver, who wrote the Chas mini series for Vertigo and IIRC was up for the Hellblazer writing gig at one point.

filippo

Colin YNWA · 14 May, 2016, 06:32:25 AM

Completely lost touch with Hellblazer and only dipped my toe in when Pete Milligan took it on but it didn't gell.

The fact that Simon Oliver and Moritat are taking the character on tempts me. I loved Liver's FBP, it was just a shame it was cut short and Moritat's (spelling?) art is fantatstic... soooo I might pick it up.

JayzusB.Christ · 16 May, 2016, 12:32:23 PM

Quote from: flip-r mk2 on 13 May, 2016, 11:33:44 PM
Utter shite is the best way to describe them.

filippo

That's what I guessed, sadly. I'll look out of Simon Oliver's version.

P.S. A re-read of Jamie Delano's very early Hellblazers hasn't impressed me too much. John is way too cynical a city-boy to become a long-haired new age traveller. Garth Ennis's version was far from perfect (why, for example, is John homeless for months when he has an apartment the whole time?), but it establishes the Constantine I came to love - cynical, charming; a likeable bastard.

JamesC · 16 May, 2016, 12:44:42 PM

I picked up issue #1 of Constantine, the Hellblazer a few months ago and loathed everything about it. I think that's the first time that's ever happened with a John Constantine comic.

To be honest the artwork was good but just seemed unsuited to the tone of the story and character and just not my cup of tea in general.

Dandontdare · 16 May, 2016, 02:34:22 PM

ever since I saw a picture of JC in spandex with a big doctor-strangesque collar I thought Nah., I'll give that a miss. I'm slowly building up my collection of the complete (original) stories which I mostly read from the library.

Quote from: flip-r mk2 on 13 May, 2016, 11:33:44 PM.... the Chas mini series ....

I wasn't aware of this, I'll have to look out for it, always liked Chas and his long-suffering relationship with JC - does anyone know if it'll be in the new 'complete' reprints,. or has it been published as a trade?

Max Headroom · 16 May, 2016, 03:14:32 PM

Is 'Constantine, the Hellblazer' due to end with the publication of 'Hellblazer' volume 2? (In my opinion it was a big mistake to kill John off in issue 300 of series 1).

flip-r mk2 · 16 May, 2016, 04:58:33 PM

Quote from: Dandontdare on 16 May, 2016, 02:34:22 PM
ever since I saw a picture of JC in spandex with a big doctor-strangesque collar I thought Nah., I'll give that a miss. I'm slowly building up my collection of the complete (original) stories which I mostly read from the library.

Quote from: flip-r mk2 on 13 May, 2016, 11:33:44 PM.... the Chas mini series ....

I wasn't aware of this, I'll have to look out for it, always liked Chas and his long-suffering relationship with JC - does anyone know if it'll be in the new 'complete' reprints,. or has it been published as a trade?

Chas 'the knowledge' was collected back in 2009, don't know if will appear in the complete collection.
J.C. in the big collar was when he took the power of Shazam

filippo

TordelBack · 16 May, 2016, 06:24:34 PM

I did a full read of Hellblazer a few years back, around the time of the Milligan/Bisley stories, and while it was, as Jayzus alludes, extremely uneven, somehow the character of John survived all the innumerable directions he was taken in, and remained himself - from the spivvy manipulator of Swamp Thing, wooly-jumpered hippy, Irish alky, convict, thumbless wonder, gangster's son-in-law, scouse family man, antenatal murderer, demon plaything, cockney ghostbuster, once and future magus... and yet somehow still Constantine: a dangerous man to befriend.

I am slightly curious to see if he likewise survived the transition to mainstream superhero land.

flip-r mk2 · 16 May, 2016, 06:48:20 PM

Quote from: Tordelback on 16 May, 2016, 06:24:34 PM
I did a full read of Hellblazer a few years back, around the time of the Milligan/Bisley stories, and while it was, as Jayzus alludes, extremely uneven, somehow the character of John survived all the innumerable directions he was taken in, and remained himself - from the spivvy manipulator of Swamp Thing, wooly-jumpered hippy, Irish alky, convict, thumbless wonder, gangster's son-in-law, scouse family man, antenatal murderer, demon plaything, cockney ghostbuster, once and future magus... and yet somehow still Constantine: a dangerous man to befriend.

I am slightly curious to see if he likewise survived the transition to mainstream superhero land.

As you wrote Constantine changed quite a bit over the years depending on the author, but the essence of the character remained and that's what the Nu52 version failed to get. Turning him into the Dc version of Dr Strange and leading the Justice League Dark with their reality jumping secret Base in the House of Mystery.

filippo

JayzusB.Christ · 16 May, 2016, 09:45:35 PM

Quote from: Dandontdare on 16 May, 2016, 02:34:22 PM
ever since I saw a picture of JC in spandex with a big doctor-strangesque collar I thought Nah., I'll give that a miss.

Oh dear. The dialogue would appear to be cliched old trollocks too. (It's 'This power is tearing me up inside', John.)

Jim_Campbell · 16 May, 2016, 09:57:44 PM

Pah. Grant Morrison got there years earlier!

Cheers

Jim

JayzusB.Christ · 16 May, 2016, 10:10:32 PM

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 16 May, 2016, 09:57:44 PM
Pah. Grant Morrison got there years earlier!

Despite what I said before, and despite the veritable EEC mountain of Kirby parodies in comicdom, that actually looks really interesting. What was that from?

Frank · 16 May, 2016, 10:45:13 PM

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 16 May, 2016, 10:10:32 PM
despite the veritable EEC mountain of Kirby parodies in comicdom, that actually looks really interesting. What was that from?

The original Kirby parody: "Alan Moore's 1963 was interesting, but I liked it better when I wrote it and called it Doom Patrol #53"

JayzusB.Christ · 16 May, 2016, 11:26:40 PM

Nice one! It's been a few years since I read Morrison's DP run; must visit it again. Most memorable bit for me was the readers' letters tying themselves in knots trying to work out Willoughby Kipling ('A sort of anti-John Constantine?'), while to anyone who's watched the best film in the world, it's clear as day who he is.