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Hellblazer Issue #21

Welcome back ya'll. Finally able to get some reading done. TLDR I have been a busy bee. New job, two family emergencies, and getting the big virus not just once, but twice. Teaching is taxing on the immune system, lemmie tell ya. Anyway....

Must I discuss the beauty of the cover art? Are there words to describe the covers of this era? No, I think not. Just look for yourself and find joy.

Webster’s mutilation of the scardies was a good way to start this issue.Further hammers in that shit’s gettin’ real. The lovely detail of it raining blood makes the supernatural element of the tale very obvious to those who were doubters earlier. Sure, John was right, but it isn’t something great to be right about.

I appreciate the (kinda) re-appearance of Chas here. His relationship with John and how they talk to each other never fails to get a smile from me. Chas is a simple man, but he is clever enough to not dig too deep into what John is up to.

It makes sense that John has “friends” in low places, and that those friends are people in the government. It’s also no secret how Delano feels about the royals in the UK, so it figures he would have them be a part of the conspiracy.

Ahh!! Such a sweet moment here!

Chas, my good sir, don’t make this weird.

It’s moments like this that later writers of Hellblazer seem to forget. John is not a a cold, unfeeling hunter of the supernatural; he’s capable of not only empathy, but also -God forbid- being kind.

Aight, I feel even worse for those poor guys locked up by the Fear Machine. The smell of blood, the certainty that they WILL die in a terrible way, and the fact that they aren’t sure when the executions will start only make it worse. Though, since it feeds on fear, I suppose this is the perfect tactic.

I found this moment to be really interesting. It made me immediately think of Ray in the earlier chapters. Although the other men are rude about it, it’s not inaccurate. Sadly, the attitudes towards non-heterosexuals and those with AIDS are still terrible. But I love that this was included. This was also a major fear back then; the spread of the virus and the fear mongering conjured up by the public’s lack of knowledge about it coupled with prejudice against homosexuals.Scenes like this, while difficult to read at times, also serve as a kind of sad time capsule, exposing one again the very real fears and anxieties of the time that were at the forefront of the public’s attention.

Ahh and just like all cults, that dude got screwed over. Only the top brass get the rewards in the end.

Welp, that’s never a fun thing to admit.

Also, the idea of unlocking utter liberty and controlling the gods is such a strange sounding motivation, but also not terribly inaccurate to how many cults work. Taking advantage of other through grandiose ideas, which many don’t question for fear of being ridiculed or humiliated for their lack of understanding, is nothing new. Which is scary.

On the flip side, the hippie commune that Merc and Marj are a part of can easily also be seen as a cult due to their activities. Still, they aren’t trying to summon Cuthulu so 10/10. Also, feelin’ for John hear realizing that Zed doesn’t remember him. It shows he still really does care and feel bad about how things went down before.

And in true Hellblazer fashion things just get weirder and more scary.

Pages 19 and 20, beautiful imagery and writing there. Showing once again what I love about the Delano era.

Anyway, feels good to get back into the swing of things just in time for spooky season.

Words/Phrases I had to look up: Offal- entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food

Hellblazer Issue #20

Welcome back, ya’ll.

So, the cover is once again beautiful. I would love to have posters of some of these.

Ahh, Merc further buttering up Dr. Fulton by calling him by his first name. He’s so creepy, but she’s handling it great. Getting him arrested and getting away. Very smart, very brave.

Normally, I feel like kid characters are not well written and therefore are often written all the same; annoying and shallow. But I do like Merc.

Gettin’ into it now. Once again, if the Masons aren’t mentioned then it isn’t a paranormal conspiracy theory, is it?

“ВНЕБРАУНЫЙ!” seems to mean "bastard!" Though, I'm not sure that this is the right way to use it. In English, words that would be used as an insult might not be used the same way in other languages. Calling someone a bastard might be a major insult in a fight in English, but a different word might be used in that context in Russian. It might still be an insult, but not often used, or something like that. Cultural and historical things play a big part in this. In other words, instances like this can easily expose someone who isn't familiar with Russian language when it comes to everyday/natural use. Like when people translate things too literally or use Google translate.

To be fair, I know very little about Russian. We covered a bit about it on a technical level in one of my linguistics classes, but Slavic languages weren’t my area of concentration.

“ПРЕДáТЕЛЪ.УБИЙЦА. “ seems to mean “Traitor! Killer!”

This man did what I’m sure dozens of people have wanted to do to John. Should we call it a “public service” as opposed to an “unprovoked assault”?

So things are coming together now. It’s becoming very apparent that pretty much everyone in the project except for the few in charge have absolutely no idea what the end game is here. Somehow, I’m not surprised.

I have often wondered what the meaning of Jallakuntilliokan is. It could be just random syllables, but something tells me that it could be derived from something else. Considering Delano’s attention to detail, it wouldn’t shock me. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

According to Google Translate, "magi caecus dominari" means "blind sorcerers rule".

John here spittin’ the truth.

Now, unlike a lot of incarnations of John where he just springs “magic is real, lemmie show you!” on people, here we see him introducing the concept pretty slowly. It’s matter-of-fact, it doesn’t belittle anyone, and he doesn’t make a big show of it like some sort of stage magician (no offense to Zatanna, who is actually a magical stage magician). THIS is one of the things I love about Delano’s era. He makes John realistic by making his world, in many ways, realistic. People who subscribe to magic as a reality rarely just pull a magic circle out of their bum and start casting spells. He introduces it almost as a philosophical concept.

Got this fun little group here. Almost feels like a classic mystery now.

Beyond this point things pick up with a murder, a kidnapping, and...another murder. God, watching the kid get strangled....0/10.

I am...having flashbacks to Scooby-Doo again. Ya’ll see it too, right? No?

Words/phrases I had to look up:

Doo-Lally- deranged or feebleminded

Plod- walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps. In context, I think he’s referring to a beat cop.

Hellblazer Issue #19

Howdy-dee everyone. I have been simultaneously busy and not. My job is exhausting and I spend most evenings scrolling aimlessly and then passing out by 9. Difficulties in my personal life have also killed my motivation to do much. But, I gotta try and pull myself together. Maybe some reading will help.

So, I’m not sure how common this was back at the time this was written, but it’s really nice how the gay couple here at the beginning is portrayed. They are just a normal couple, nothing weird and nothing crazy; they are normal people. I think that portraying non-straights as eccentric or otherwise weird is pretty common despite the fact that they are as normal as anyone else. So yeah, it’s nice.

Somehow I think this misunderstanding is a kind of karmic justice. Lord knows John deserves some crap after all the crap he’s done.

On another note, that is one heck of a way to try and kill someone. Like, there are easier ways to do it. But it certainly made a statement.

I love little moments like this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; these early issues really define who John is. These moments of ‘softness’ and moments where he is an outright bastard make him a heck of a character. And I love that despite the dichotomy he isn’t an unbelievable character.

This seems to be a trope a this point, but I love the mention of the Freemasons being involved. Gotta mention them when trying to investigate a conspiracy.

I can’t even begin to explain how much Dr.Fulton’s obsession with Merc creeps me out. Just...eww...

Matthew’s fear of the cancer is a veeeery real fear. I like how the phobics/scardies she works on seem to have real and serious fears. Not just monsters under the bed, but real effects from trauma and reality. Again, a familiar theme in this era of Hellblazer. Things are spiraling out of control, and it’s a little scary seeing how Merc is becoming more powerful. Got a potential Carrie situation.

This here is a reference to John’s appearance in Issue #3 of Sandman. Sandman is another great series. Highly recommend! Also, here is the song that John is singing.

Ahh, Merc is playin’ Fulton like a fiddle. Good girl. She’s a strong one.

I like this little Scooby-Doo group happening here. I also love that they have John himself state plainly that he is an OCCULTIST. A lot of people seem to have forgotten that?

Ahh first mention of Jallakuntilliokan. Let the fun begin.

And much like Scooby-Doo we end this with a spooky clue.

Words/phrases I had to look up: Peccadillo-a small, relatively unimportant offense or sin

Here I have: Hellblazer #98 The Sandman Universe- John Constantine: Hellblazer Hellblazer #46 (I finally got it! Now I just need #43) Swamp Thing (2022) #10 DC vs. Vampires (2022) #4

Support your local comic shop!

Hellblazer Issue #18

Happy New Year, ya’ll!

Holidays+stress+family+work= no time to myself other than sleep. But! I have returned. Bought a bunch of comics (support your local comic shop!) and now I’m ready to read. Lessgo.

Okay, so the beginning of this is actually pretty heart breaking. It reminds me a lot of the case of the Circleville Letters, as well as online bullying and even the court case of Michelle Carter encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself. There are countless cases of people, especially young people, all over the world who are harassed beyond the point of simply hurt feelings. It takes a very real toll not only on the target's mental health, but also their friends and family. It's truly horrific the kind of hate people receive. Regardless of their alleged crime, the pain that their loved ones go through is uncalled for. Two wrongs do not make a right, and petty harassment is cowardly.

Aight, back to Marjorie. I honestly love the portrayal of positive sexual freedom in this chapter

I love that she is such a free spirit and that sexuality is a part of how they bond. Seeing Zed happy is really nice, since she really does deserve happiness. Although, Marj sleeping with that underage guy is not good. Don’t do that.

Here is the song John is singing

I feel bad for poor John. I think that, for a lot of people, being interested in the "occult" makes them a magnet for people who have the wrong idea about it. Many of the people whom I know that follow pagan beliefs end up having misguided "devil worshipers" harass them. People claiming that they are following their own religion incorrectly or trying to get them to teach them how to talk to/ summon evil spirits or famous demons like Moloch. So many people that even get Satanism incorrect in how it works as a modern day religion/philosophy.

TBH the whole of page 11 is a good time- John selling his Japanese porn for hotel money and talking shit about Chas. I missed Chas to be honest. It occurs to me that it's been awhile since we've seen him. That poor man, I swear. No one suffers more than he does in this series, in my opinion. I mean, he is friends with John. 

WOOOOOW the cop whose old lady died at the beginning is a dick. I stand by what I said that no one deserves that garbage that poor woman went through due to people being haters toward him, but he still isn't a good guy. John is a dumpster fire, but that doesn't mean he had to make him a scapegoat.

This is the Mau-Mau the douchy cop is talking about.

I dunno, man. You know your life is in the toilet when the only person you can go to for help/a shoulder to cry on is John.

Ewww.

Ahh, it's all coming together. Scotland here we come!

And now we get answers about what the Fear Machine actually does; using psychics to take fear out of people. Which is interesting. Dangerous, unethical, but interesting. I get that she's able to help people, but the fact that this could lead to turning fear into a major weapon and even mind control. That doesn't really make it worth it, does it?

Wow, John, rude.

Words/phrases I had to look up: Creaming off- to take the best part of something Stocious- drunk. honestly, this and fug are my favorite words now. Thanks, Hellblazer. Khazi-bathroom

About The Saga of the Swamp Thing

The Swamp Thing comic series seems to live in the shadow of other comic series. When thinking of DC most people think of Batman or Superman, who have been the cash cows of DC comics for years with both characters becoming a major part of pop culture way before the rise of nerdy shit becoming “cool” and “quirky” in the 2010s. Nowadays, the “cool” “new” comic book stuff comes in the form of Marvel movies. But that doesn’t mean that these are the only important series and characters out there. There’s so many! But, honestly, with how much Swamp Thing has started to appear in recent years, you would think more people would....know about him?

It perplexes me that Swamp Thing, as well as other comics of it’s era, are not looked upon with the same reverence these other series and characters are. I mean, sure, I suppose they might be kinda hard to market due to their content, but c’mon. Swamp Thing is dope.

So! Educate yoselves! You can either read it (please buy these at your local book stores or comic shops. Don’t use Amazon if you can help it. Support local!), watch it (I cannot recommend this show enough), or even watch video essays on it! Here are some links:

• The Romantic Origins Of Swamp Thing! by Casually Comics

This video talks about the origins of the series and the issues that came before Alan Moore took over as writer.

.•The Existential Horror of The Anatomy Lesson

• How "Love and Death" Changed DC Comics

•  RITE OF SPRING - Lovers in a Dying World

• AMERICAN GOTHIC - The Dark Heart of a Nation Uncovered

by Matt Draper

These videos talk about the major changes that took place when Alan Moore took over as writer, the development of Vertigo Comics, and the major early arcs of Swamp Thing as an ongoing series as opposed to a short term one.

I think understanding the time period and what made Swamp Thing so different and awesome really help one appreciate the character. Honestly, knowing all this stuff about him makes seeing him in things like Future State and reading the new Swamp Thing series really exciting!

Pictured here I have: Future State: Justice League (2021) #1-2 DCeased: A Good Day to Die (2019) #1 Justice League Dark (2021) Annual #1 Justice League Incarnate (2022) #2 Truth & Justice (2021) # 7

Got some new Swamp Thing going on here with: Swamp Thing (2021-2022) #6-9 Swamp Thing: Green Hell (2021) #1

Here I got: Dark Knights of Steel #1-3 The Good Asian #1

If you have not read The Good Asian DO IT! It’s incredible. Just do at least the first two issues and see how you feel. It’s worth reading.

Hellblazer Issue #17

Sorry to disappear on ya’ll. It’s been a rough few weeks. Work/life has been insanity. I’ve finally gotten a few minutes to breathe, so let’s read some Hellblazer.

So now we know that the group holding Merc is called Geotroniks.

Ahh, so our unfortunate Russian friend was indeed from the Soviet Union.

So this is really reminiscent of when the American military, and probably other countries, tried to weaponize psychic powers.The 70′s was pretty wild.

Looks like they have psychics on standby? Maybe using them for weapons?

Woo! John on a train again. And on a ley line. This can only end good.

LMAO

I wonder the same thing, John. Unfortunately, if you're going to run into said weirdos, there's no better way to up your chances than being on public transportation. I swear to God, it's like they flock there so they can be weird in groups. Aight, now we're getting some answers; The Fear Machine. That's were this story arc gets it's name. The stones, the psychics, the ley lines; it's all coming together.

It kinds figures that the weaponizing of fear by a shady scientific organization is the next “big bad” in Hellblazer. Not only is this a horror comic, in case anyone forgot, but when you look back on the previous arcs it seems like a natural progression to go this route.

This is honestly what my job is like.

Elementary school FTW. The Lord of the Flies book is a nice touch here.

I love how the hellish chaos of pages 11-13 and 16 juxtaposes the very different kind of chaos on page 8. It’s a nice shift there. The passengers are shown to be selfish, but ultimately harmless in the situation presented. However, when the train gets hit, that selfishness comes out full force, showing off the cowardly, bloodthirsty, and crude nature of human beings. It’s reminiscent of the self centered apathy seen in the nuclear winter situation in Issue #13.

Once again Delano brings us some very nice prose here.

This scene here was really beautifully done in both artwork and in writing. Nice and chaotic with limited color, it doesn’t rely on blood and gore and really brings to life the chaos of the moment of the crash.

We’ve been seeing more of this lately; glimpses into John’s limits. His morals and ethics. Although a bit skewed by some standards, it’s his aversion to guns that stands out here.

Sheesh, what a way to end it. Poor thing.

Words/phrases I had to look up:

Summat- dialectal form of the word “something”

About the Author: Jamie Delano

Jamie Delano’s era of Hellblazer (issues #1-40) is iconic for many reasons. Not only did he write the first major arcs for the series, he was responsible for creating much of the major background and lore for John Constantine. From the details of the Newcastle incident, John’s family and his relationship with them, developing John’s morals and ethics, and of course the existence of the Golden Boy. These things continued on far beyond Delano’s era and come up as major plot points later on. Indeed, Delano took the enigmatic occultist of Alan Moore’s world and fleshed him out into the legend he is today. A working-class magician, John’s world was shown to be a crapsack one. Rather than Hogwarts or an apprenticeship with Merlin, John learned magic the hard way and, in many cases, is still paying for the negative effects that came with trial and error.

By incorporating the issues of the time, Delano often injected his own perspective and beliefs into the character. This really helped John to feel “real” in his thoughts and actions. It made him relatable. It gave him realistic and believable language. For many, this is the John that they think of when the hear the name John Constantine.

Starting his comic book writing career in 1986, he wrote for dozens of series including Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Captain Britain. As for Hellblazer, after being the writer for the first era, he also wrote issue #84 and issue #250. He went on to write a few stand alone stories; The Horrorist, Hellblazer: Pandemonium, and Hellblazer Special: Bad Blood. (As a side note I REALLY recommend The Horrorist. Only two issues, but it's a great time). Jamie Delano is still active as a writer today, though in prose and not comic books.

Jamie Delano’s website

His twitter  His twitter is a goldmine, by the way. So much of what he says reminds me of John. Here are some gems

It’s worth mentioning that there are a couple of issues in this era where Delano is not the writer. These guest writers are-

Grant Morrison (Issues #25 and 26)

Neil Gaiman (Issue #27)

Hellblazer Issue #16

Late happy fall equinox, ya’ll. Decorating the classroom with fall things for the kids. In the mood for some tea and reading. So, comics it is, then!

Why is the cover art so good?? These early covers, I swear. Beautiful.

Man, that nightmare is intense. Very no Bueno.

I’ve seen so much discourse online lately pertaining to John in Legends of Tomorrow. Some people really like that he had a good, happy relationship this season. Others, of course, did not. As for me, it’s not that I didn’t think John deserved happiness, it’s just that I hate Zari. In any case, I do like when John is able to have times of peace and normalcy, but it just isn’t in the cards for him to have it long term. He is the Laughing Magician, after all. What I’m getting at is that this is the first time we see John in a role like this; comfortable in a kind of family situation. There’s a sense of stability despite the fact that he is very keenly aware that there are dangers just on the horizon. Yet, he lets himself fall into it. Enjoy it while it lasts, right? This isn’t the last time we see John in a comfortable place, but it’s unique in that he really fills a kind of father role here. To be honest, I think it’s cute.

Okay so Mercury’s connection to John, while weird in a way, is still pretty cute. She clearly feels possessive over him, and seems to actually be jealous of her mom. It might seem weird that she wanted to get in bed with them, but really I think she is looking for the same comfort they are looking for. That sense of safety. With their transient lifestyle, I can see how stability might be hard to find. This might be off the mark, but I think that having a male figure in her life is something Merc was really wanting.

While I suppose that objectively this is not the worst way to wake up, it’s still pretty bad.

Honestly, I know that this a far-fetched supernatural comic book story, but this is eerily real. When you think about things that the government has done over the years, and not just in the US, this is kinda realistic. I mean, I know that this isn’t the government doing this, but the imagery of the men in riot gear really evokes that. Which is scary. But this is a horror comic, so that’s fine.

This is the battle John refers to.

Woah! Okay, so as I said in previous posts, one of the things that makes Jamie Delano's run great is that he talks about the issues of the time. These issues prevail even to this day, and it's crazy to me how many times things line up with what's going on today. The amount of times in the last year I have seen ACAB as either a hashtag or on protest signs...seeing that same idea referenced here gives me chills. This is the stuff that makes Hellblazer great.

I think this is what John is referencing.

I love that John goes from hiding to taking a full offensive position. He says it himself; he found a place and people to protect. It’s pretty cool to see him going from blending in with the rest of the hippies and back to full on John Constantine mode.

Marj is getting a look at the real John. It’s scary, but awesome at the same time. It’s like she’s meeting a new person and that vision she had of him maybe being in her future long term is shattered.

Two more references from John here. Rousseau and A Man Called Horse

Here is the reference Marj made

Another thing I love about Hellblazer; all of the references to media in one form or another. Be it poetry, novels, music, etc it helps to set the tone for the scenes. Very nice array of things.

So Merc’s powers of perception as a psychic? sensitive? have obviously been found out. Somehow, the people who took her plan to utilize her in some way. It sort of baffles me that they think she can’t fight back. I mean, it appears that she is able to see their deaths, like the one at the beginning.

I think that she and her mom have an interesting dynamic. While Merc is inexperienced and sees things a little too simply, she is more mature than her mom is some cases. Marj seems to be trying as a mom, but she isn’t what one may typically think of when they hear the word “mom”. Kinda spacey, maybe a little too free spirited to be considered responsible, they seem to switch off who is being the adult.

If I remember correctly the next chapter is a good time. So time to move on to that!

Words/phrases I had to look up: Stroppy- bad-tempered and argumentative

Hellblazer Issue #15

Once again, awesome cover.

Here’s the song that John is singing.

Richard Piers Rayner and Mark Buckingham are the artists for this issue. While this style isn’t my favorite for Hellblazer, I love moments like this.

Okay, to be fair, I get why Myra had that reaction. I mean, as BS as the headline sounds, I’m sure this isn’t the first time sketchy people have joined there little convoy before. It’s good to be cautious, especially if she think any bit of the newspaper story is true. Can’t be too careful with her kind of lifestyle.

Also here is another prime example of John’s tomfoolery coming back to bite him in the ass.

At least he realizes it. Ethics in magic, man.

One feature about John I think a lot of people overlook is how John is often good with kids. We see it a little bit with his niece, but you see it much better with Merc here. She relates to him because he’s sensitive to things a bit more than most, and he doesn’t treat her like she’s some kind of weirdo. He respects her, and she trusts him right from the beginning. It’s kind of cute, in a way.

Also don’t f***k with Merc. She is fearless!

And here we see John activate Dad Mode. He has even refers to Merc as being his “little girl”. I know that, in context, it was easier for him to say, but I still think it’s cute.

I like Errol. He's a weird one, but he's a chill dude. Not gunna lie, I bet he would be dope to hang out with. How he uses the word "bollocks" cracks me up.

I think this is the song he was listening to? Maybe?

Ah! Zed again! Gunna run into her again. Small world, I guess.

Also any sympathy I had for Myra is gone. What. A. Bitch. You don't drug people. Especially with this.

Ironically, all this mushroom business has me thinking about the latest Legends episode.

Awesomely enough, John’s dislike of psychedelics is mentioned in the Constantine TV series in episode 4. I love that the series added little details like that from the comics.

When the Russian guy gets his arm ripped off I thought back to the Newcastle incident. I’m not sure if it was intentionally supposed to evoke that imagery or not, but it’s cool nonetheless.

Thanks to my handy-dandy friend Google Translate, I have a (hopefully) good idea of what our unfortunate friend here is saying:

МАТЬ! ПОМОГАТЬ MEHЯ! ПОЖАЛУЙСТА!

Mother! Help me! Please!

No idea if this is accurate Russian or not. Or if it's, like, the English-Russian equivalent of Engrish. Is there is word for that? Like Runglish, but the other way around.

John’s relationship with Marj seems to come together naturally in a weird way. Like, it seems like the next step, but not because of a real passion or chemistry; rather, I think they are able to take comfort in one another. I think that, especially after all he’s been through, she is a light in the storm. A safe haven in the middle of all this stress and chaos. Their relationship isn’t really firm or serious-like. Rather, I think they have a deep trust, and they connect through the fact that they are both trying to find some semblance of peace at the moment. He takes on a “man of the house” and dad-like role, but it’s nothing concrete or said outright. It doesn’t need to be. He just falls into the role naturally.

Also a little awkward to know that Merc heard all that, but it can’t be helped in small quarters.

Truer words have never been spoken

Words/Phrases I had to look up:

Giro-money transfer

The Artists of Delano’s Era (Issues #1-40)

Comic books wouldn’t be...well, comic books without the art. Indeed, the artists are instrumental in their creation. The art can easily make or break a story regardless of good the writer is. Thankfully, the artists of this era more than helped support Delano’s masterful writing and helped bring these incredibly influential chapters to life. They were instrumental in establishing the look of John’s character and world, with their influence seen throughout the series in one way or another. While over the years artists have each had their own takes on John, the art here has proven to be iconic. I think it’s important to remember that more people than just Delano had a hand in creating Hellblazer in this era, but here I want to just highlight the artists. Still, remember to appreciate the colorists, letterers, and of course the editor who all played integral roles in this series creation, ya’ll!

John Ridgway

Bryan Talbot

Alfredo Acala

Brett Ewins

Jim McCarthy

Richard Piers Rayner

Mark Buckingham

Mike Hoffman

Ron Tiner

David Lloyd

Dave McKean

Kevin Walker

Sean Phillips

Dick Forman

Steve Pugh

Dean Motter

Mark Pennington

I don't know who the cover artists are, or if the covers are done by the artists for the issue, so if someone knows feel free to let me know!

Constantine TV Series Episode 4 “A Feast of Friends”

Aight, I feel the need to express some feelings about this episode. I’m not sure this is going to be terribly articulate, but I’ll do my best. Let’s do this.

First off, it’s obvious to anyone who has read Hellblazer that this episode is based off of the first two issues of the comic book series. As I wrote in my post about my experience reading it, these issues were the perfect way to start off the series. It’s like “BOOM! This is how it is! Get ready for some serious shit! This is your only warning; this is what you’re in for.” Even though they did change the story for the episode, I still absolutely loved it. The storyline from the comics is a favorite of mine, but even with the changes made in order to adapt it for TV, this was an awesome episode. In fact, it’s my favorite episode of the TV series. Here’s why!  

   Why is it episode 4?

  Unlike the comics this story was adapted to be episode 4, meaning it doesn’t start the TV series. So, why wouldn’t it start the TV series? I think that you have to look at it from a few different perspectives.

  Let’s start with the comic: Issues 1 and 2, titled Hunger and A Feast of Friends respectively, make up the first arc of the Hellblazer series. Most fans know, however, that Hellblazer is not John’s first appearance in comics; he got his own series after appearing throughout the American Gothic story arc of Swamp Thing. Consequently, many people came into Hellblazer at the time having some familiarity with the character. While this chapter does expand on John’s character some, this doesn’t serve as a major introduction to him. They just drop the reader into one of his nightmare-inducing everyday situations with little to no preparation. Those who are familiar with his role in Swamp Thing will, odds are, not find these issues to be terribly weird or particularly jarring considering it’s in a series about John; they have a good idea what they are in for.

   Here is a quick run-down: John returns to his apartment in Paddington after dealing with the horror show that is the Brujeria in the Swamp Thing comics. Exhausted, he comes back to an unwelcome guest; Gary Lester. Gary is one of the friends who was involved in the Newcastle incident (which is fully explained in issue #11), which left each of them scarred in their own way. Gary dealt with the aftermath via drugs, which have left him wide open for other issues. After foolishly releasing a demon from a sacrificial victim, Gary runs to John for help dealing with the destruction said demon is causing. In this case it’s a hunger demon that causes people to feast upon whatever they greatly desire; food, a crucifix, and even an athlete committing autocannibalism. With help from club owner and Voodoo practitioner Papa Midnight, John betrays his vulnerable and trusting friend in order to stop the demon by instead making him the new sacrifice. Trapping the demon inside of Gary, the literal and figurative ghosts of John’s past haunt and torment him mentally as his friend dies slowly and in agony, ending this arc with a melancholy feeling. John stopped a demon, but at the cost of a friend who truly trusted and cared for him.

Using this story to begin the TV series as is, however, would have been more than a little strange. In the minds of most people outside of the comic book world, John Constantine was first introduced to them via the horrifyingly inaccurate Keanu Reeves film. (I love Keanu, I really do, but that film give me agita). Or, if they were introduced to the show after it had already aired, they are introduced via Matt Ryan’s masterful work portraying him in Legends of Tomorrow. While he does an incredible job in both Constantine and Legends (to the point where I find that I may simply be unable to accept anyone else taking on the role in live action) it depresses me terribly that Legends toned down John’s character so much with all the goofiness. It did not suit John at all! If anything, I find myself feeling sorry for Matt Ryan, who tried so hard to do John’s character justice. Uhg.

   Anyway…Already, a lot of the audience is going to be more than a little taken aback by the Constantine series’ portrayal of the character, however comic book accurate he may be. This show is tailored to as wide of an audience as possible, meaning they expect that pretty much no one has read Hellblazer or Swamp Thing before. Consequently, having the series start by just dropping the audience into his crazy world, especially with this particular story arc, might not be the best idea. I’m not saying that his introduction is done super well with the first episode (it’s not a total wreak, but there are issues) but it would have been much harder to start with A Feast of Friends.

     Characterization

    Now, let’s look at it from another angle: characterization. As the 4th episode this was, odds are, done assuming that there would be a lot more episodes after this (oh, the painful reality), but really the viewers are still just getting to know John. So, these early episodes are supposed to establish his character. They see him as knowledgeable and ready to handle the weird and scary in the first episode, and in 2 and 3 you see that he is serious about his work, a loner, weirdly well prepared, and how he interacts with others. While in some situations he does come off like a douche, his douche-ness is on full display in this episode. Honestly, this is accurate to how he is in the comics; he’s a nasty piece of work, after all. A world class bastard. He gives Gary shit for his drug addiction pretty much the entire episode as well as his choice to mess with a demon and the chaos it made that he now has to fix. He, like in the comics, tricks Gary into helping him and it results in a slow, painful death for the man. Gary really did trust John, and not only did John betray him, but he was callous about it. Now, that’s not to say that the situation and Gary’s death doesn’t bother him, and this is also seen in both the episode and the comic, but John solders through a lot of it with his mask of stoic indifference; he blatantly a deliberately betrays his friend without much hesitation.

    John’s characterization in the show is really important. While fans of Hellblazer know what they are in for (John being a dick, betraying people, sacrificing friends, etc) the wide audience the show was meant to appeal to might not respond well to that. How is the audience supposed to relate to a character whose major personality trait in this arc is to basically be a douche (even if it is justified in a way)? Generally speaking, TV shows try to have a lot of characters with redeeming traits and very basic bitch personalities so that as much of the audience as possible can relate to them in some capacity. They can describe the main character as “cool, quirky, sweet, loving, etc” because that is what network television strives for. The point is for the audience to relate to and find a lot of reasons to like the character, especially the main character. The audience is supposed to be able to see the qualities of the character in themselves. An example of a douchy character being changed for network television is the titular character in TV series Lucifer. He can be an asshat at times, but his redeeming qualities shine through in pretty much every episode; he’s helpful, has a strong sense of justice, and cares about Chloe. He often goes out of his way to understand others, although he often misses the mark, and tries to fix problems and issues that he accidentally creates in order to keep relationships with others. These are things people can relate to, and although he can be rather uncouth, it’s played for laughs, and he has more redeeming qualities than not. If the Constantine series started off with John coldly betraying a friend after giving him shit for his addiction the entire episode with not a lot of his positive traits coming through, from the perspective of most people, this might not be a good way to try and connect with the audience. I’m not saying there are people who don’t/won’t, but again, this is network television and they tend to play on the safe side.

    Comic book -> TV

    Ok so let’s move onto the meat of this; the changes made to the story. People always complain when something isn’t totally accurate to the book down to every last detail (Harry Potter *cough cough*) and making story and character changes to adaptions of comic books is nothing new. However, to be fair, there are some legitimately good reasons for this. Time, money, limits technology wise, and pacing are good examples. The most important thing to consider, in my opinion, is that we are going from a comic book to television. Literally, that is the most important thing. Essentially, what the writers had to do when adapting this story for the show was carry over the plot from one medium to another, which is tricky.

    What’s a medium? A medium is a platform that allows a message to be shared or presented. So, using the medium of a comic book is how Jamie Delano was able to share his message; the story of John Constantine. The writers of the television series then had to adapt the story from comics, a visual and written medium, into a different kind of visual medium with different features to it; stage craft, voice, music, etc.

    Comic books have features for story telling; the size and placement of the panels, the writing, word bubbles, narration bubbles, colors, art style, etc. The pro’s to this are that you don’t get paragraph after paragraph describing a place or a person; they literally show them to you and the art presents those details. They also allow for the art to take in the reader emotionally through what the images convey; messy art, sudden loss of color, or even a sudden blank page after a tragic event are simple yet effective ways to convey emotion that are, at times, difficult or downright impossible to put into words. And sometimes the writer wants to leave things to interpretation or allude to something without saying it outright. While this can be done in writing, it can be done through the art as well, and depending on how skilled the artist or creative a set up can be just as effective if not more.

     In television storytelling can be done with another wide array of features. Close-ups on the actors, the actors and their performance in general, music, background narration, changes in location, lighting, ect. This allows for emotions to come across in different ways; the quality of the acting can make or break the effectiveness of the scene, and music and lighting can alter the message or feel of scene in order to change or heighten the point, pacing, the use of CGI or practical effects, etc. So, keeping this in mind, there are many features that are exclusive to film that are not in comic books, and vice versa. So, as you can imagine, adapting the stories or message from one medium to another is nowhere near as straightforward as people like to think it is. In other words, I tend to give the writers/actors/etc a break when it comes to adaption because, honestly, there is a lot that goes into it and it’s not like I could do better, honestly. I mean, there are piss poor adaptions, I’m not gunna lie, but there are a lot of them that I think don’t get enough credit simply because it’s “different” in some ways.

     Aight, let’s first refer back to what I said earlier concerning the comic; these issues aren’t so much an intro to John as they are literally following him from the end of the American Gothic arc in Swamp Thing and to his apartment where he gets involved with more shit (no rest for the wicked, amirite?). So, again, not a good way to start the TV series. In the TV show, they also have to tie in the changes they set up in the previous episodes. Continuity, my friends.

    So, what is different? Here are a few things: John having a safe house, being in the US, Chaz being American and also not involved, Zed being involved and being Latina, the new angel character Manny, and the absence of Papa Midnight really change a lot about the story. The heart of it is John’s relationship with Gary and the defeat of the demon, which thankfully remains unchanged at it’s core. This is the central idea that drives this story and I think that idea was actually done a bit better in the film medium than in the comic.

   Keeping all of these factors and all of these changes that needed in order to keep things consistent with the TV show’s changes, let’s get into why I think that this episode is good even with the changes, but why I love it.

I love It

      After taking some time to consider things, I realize that what really makes this episode great is the actors; specifically, Matt Ryan and Jonjo O'Neill. The chemistry between them is undeniable. The way they look at each other and how they talk to each other really makes you feel like, at one time at least, they were friends. The scene where Gary swipes the ID badge and says “I learned from the best” is a great example of this. The look on his face and John’s; I don’t have a real eloquent way to say it. I just sort of feel it.

The retcon of Gary’s character really helps with this. Being that Gary is introduced and then killed off in two issues, you don’t really get to know his character in the comics. He’s only in one episode of the TV series, yet he feels more fleshed out. Soul was added to the character. Showing his struggles with addiction, as well as what I suspect to be depression and PTSD, really humanized him. In the episode, he was more than just a desperate, annoying junky; he was a flawed and relatable human being. Who hasn’t made a mistake? How many people have made BIG mistakes with consequences difficult to handle? How many people are haunted by their actions from the past? Addiction and the effects is has on people is devastating. I’m glad that they kept the ending true to the comics, but the way he was portrayed in the episode really made me feel for Gary in this case. It almost made me hope that maybe he really would get better, and have the chance at redemption that he was trying so desperately to find. But it wouldn’t be a John Constantine series without an ending like this one; John loses a friend and slowly digs himself deeper into hell.

Of course, it’s the ending of the episode that people really remember best. It’s the scenes that solidified, at least for me, Matt Ryan as John Constantine. It’s what really helped me have faith in the series. Watching it now, and seeing what really could have been, makes the episode somewhat bitter sweet for me. I felt like this is when the series really found it’s footing; the acting, storytelling, and how well arcs from Hellblazer could be adapted. This is where I think Matt Ryan hit his stride and we could see what he was really capable of as an actor if they let him spread his wings. In the earlier episodes I was honestly unsure. He looked the part, but the soul of the character had not really had a chance to shine through.

How John treats Gary at the end really made a difference, too. Holding him while he was in pain, and sitting with him as he died in agony; these simple yet effective changes really drove home John’s humanity in the face of evil and the tough decisions he has to make. The look he gives many at the very end, the anger and sorrow he seems to be struggling to hold back, is haunting.

In this episode, Matt Ryan’s love and dedication to John’s character shine. Seeing the story in live action gave this story a stronger impact. Even without a lot of the social commentary that was present in the comic, the live action element is what really helps drive the story home. I think it’s because it’s real people showing these very real emotions that can be hard to translate into art. Not to say that John Ridgway did a bad job, but it’s different in live action.

I hope I was able to get these thoughts across. I wasn’t sure if I should share this or not, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I know this is sort of jumbled, but hopefully it’s not a total mess to read.

Hellblazer Issue #14

Kicking it into gear, now! This is a part of John’s life I feel a lot of people either don’t know about or often forget about. Before reading the series I heard all about how shitty the last 50-ish issues were, the glory of Mike Carey’s run, and the uhh…seal thing from issue #13. This arc is an important one and I was really surprised I didn’t hear more about it before. So much of the John Constantine lore and history happens in these early chapters, so it’s kinda weird it’s not talked about much. Oh well.

Now, we move on to homeless/transient John. Indeed, this arc of the series takes us into a hippie commune where John lays low in an attempt to avoid the law.

Ahh yes, just another morning for John Constantine. Kinda rude, but I suppose he has a point.

William Blake

Ha! Be careful what you wish for, John!

Weird plug for Diet Pepsi, but I’ll take it.

The incident from the apartment in Paddington still lingering (see issue #10). Poor John.

Same though.

Ha! Yeah! To add to what Swamp Thing did to John a few chapters earlier (see issue #10 of Hellblazer and issues # of Swamp Thing to see what was going on there) he actually got him a tattoo without his consent (I think it’s supposed to be a pine tree?). He was pissed at him for talking shit, but it was still kind of a dick move. Now, that’s not to say I don’t love Swamp Thing. I do. That comic is a cosmic, existential masterpiece (or at least the early chapters are), but even I can say that Swampy did him dirty.

This sound exactly like one of Delano’s twitter posts. It’s a goldmine, by the way. 9/10 do recommend.

Awkward way to meet up LOL but here she is; Mercury. I do like her, honestly. As far as child characters go in media she’s not bad. And I like that she does, eventually, bring out a softer side of John. She and her mom got me thinking about Dean’s relationship with Lisa and her son Ben in Supernatural (I am so sorry for bringing up that cursed show. To be fair, I’ve seen almost every season, so a reference was bound to show up eventually). Also, how she calls her mom by her first name and has a sort of supernatural connection has me thinking about the film The Ring.

Woah sending a kid out to look for psychedelic mushrooms. What is with the adults in this series?

I love that Merc collects strays, be it animals or people. It speaks to her connection with nature and how she views the world. 

I gotta agree here, at least to an extent. Really, nature worship has been around so long because it’s just a part of us. It’s everything and everywhere. Even in this day and age, with all out modern technology, we still have a connection. It’s a bone that is strained, but not broken.

While I sort of get why they don’t want people hanging around the stones, they could make some more exceptions for people, right? Maybe?

To be totally honest, I first learned about ley lines and megalithic mysteries via watching late night re-runs of Ancient Aliens, which is simultaneously infuriating and hilarious. I mean, it got me interested in some things I hadn’t known about before, but at what cost?

Here is the book John is talking about; The Old Straight Track

I wasn’t able to find much on John Michel, but I did find writer John Michell, who wrote about crop circles and Earth mysteries. Maybe it was a misspelling?

I like their little hippie community. It’s a bit like John’s place in Paddington; another safe haven where he can relax. Not too close to anyone personally, blending in and able to feel safe in the accepting and chill atmosphere. On the surface everyone has eccentricities that are equal or greater than his, so he doesn’t stick out. John, whether he wants to admit it or not, is like pretty much all humans in that he does search for community and belonging.

WOW John!

Marj is on to you, John!

This is EXACTLY what happened to me the last time I went camping. 0/10 do not recommend.

Words I had to look up:

Nick- prison cell

Yellow press- journalism that has very little research put into it and very little truth to it. Instead, concentrating on scandalous headlines rather than real news. Kinda like click bait but more crap.