Written by: Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV
Art by: Riley Rossmo and Ivan Plascenzia
Publisher: DC Comics
I’ve never read a “Hellblazer” or Constantine comic before. I know what he generally looks like and I know he’s a troubled anti-hero that isn’t afraid of being a jerk if he had to. What I found after reading “Constantine: The Hellblazer #1” was what I expected and then more.
It’d be hard to believe that this book takes place in the main DCU since it starts off with a John Constantine fully naked and covered in blood followed later by an amazing two page ascension through the Nine Circles of Hell from “Inferno”. Rossmo and Plascenzia’s art doesn’t come off as what’s typically used for a more mature book, but it’s a nice contrast that makes this book stand out from the other dark/adult books. The visuals come courtesy of the script from the unexpected team-up of Ming Doyle (“The Kitchen”) and James Tynion IV (many awesome DC books, “The Woods”).
Doyle and Tynion’s Constantine is a man that’s learned to be a straight up deceptive a-hole in a world where he has to deal with other deceptive a-holes. He doesn’t regret any collateral damage, whether the person damaged is innocent or not. The book is humorous and dark with flirtation, sex and very little violence, something I didn’t expect since I came in expecting a lot of demon fighting and such. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of exposition, but still felt like the word-filled bubbles bogged down what could have been explained using actions and not words. This was a meaty first issue though and I felt like a got a good bang for my buck.
In the end, I will continue to look forward to the next issue of “Constantine: The Hellblazer”. Constantine seems like a genuinely intriguing character, although I didn’t find myself caring for the mystery the book is presented by the end. Hopefully the next issue will change my mind.
