John Constantine is a liar and a conman. He’s also one of the smartest and most powerful mages operating in London. He routinely battles evil but don’t be fooled into thinking he’s one of the good guys, an acquaintance with Constantine will almost always end in a death. Probably yours.
Hellblazer takes place on the fringes of the DC/Vertigo crossover universe so every now and then John will butt heads with Batman or Wonder Woman. However this is far from a tale of superheroes, it’s much darker and heavily involved in the seedy sides of London magic.
John is not a nice man (he will sacrifice his friends lives if it’s the easiest solution) but he has been written so that you are hard-pressed to condemn him for his actions, he makes them seem so logical. John brings out the empathy in the reader; he’s human enough that his crimes are forgivable and his punishments tragic.
His story spans over 300 issues and as DC comics has acquired the rights to him there will hopefully be many more.
I recommend Hellblazer to anyone who likes their stories in shades of grey and who doesn’t need a definitive hero as their lead. An interest in magic, demons and ghosts helps too.
John Constantine is one of the best characters in comics and this is his greatest publication, but if I met him in real life I would run the other way.
Lauren F
Format
Graphic Novel
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