NBC Developing a Constantine Series

Following the announcement that a TV series called Gotham is in development at Fox, Deadline reported another DC centred series is being developed by NBC, seeing John Constantine feature in a TV series simply titled Constantine. The series will be written and executive produced by Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer.

My Thoughts

With Goyer on board this could turn into a very good series, as he's managed to make quite a few good comic book film adaptations for both DC and Marvel, and although he has made the odd poor one (Blade Trinity) his overall record is very good. I personally feel that this is the right place to see Constantine as it allows his style to be shown in a more wider area, as although I personally enjoyed the 2005 that stared Keanu Reeves as the crafty conman, it wasn't as good as it could have been. I do however hope that seems they're taking the character to the small screen rather than another attempt at putting him on the big screen that they stick closer to the character this time.

Constantine #2 Review

Writers: Ray Fawkes & Jeff Lemire
Artist: Renato Guedes

I've been really enjoying reading Justice League Dark, and the first issue of this series was brilliant, so it looks like John Constantine's in good hands, and with Trinity Wars coming up things should get more interesting for the crafty Constantine.

Plot

John Constantine travels to Nyaung to find another piece of Croydon's Compass, but is faced with Mister E. As if that wasn't enough for Constantine to handle he has the Spectre to deal with as well.

Review

This was another brilliant issue, and although the series isn't quite at top class level, it's getting close, and it shouldn't be long before we get a phenomenal issue. Ray Fawkes, and Jeff Lemire (both co-plot, and Fawkes writes dialogue) have once again done an amazing job, and although they've brought their dark, and mysterious style that they use on JLD, they've made this a very unique series, showing more of Constantine's characteristics. I've actually found this series to be slightly darker than JLD, and although it's still early days I'm liking that. I've also loved how Fawkes has written Constantine as although I've never read the Hellblazer series, and don't know exactly how close he is to his original self, I personally like that he's very confident, and controversial, and although what he does can be shocking, and morally wrong, it makes the story much more dramatic, which is always nice. I've also liked how Fawkes and Lemire have managed to introduce Mister E, and more so Spectre into this story, as they are both written brilliantly, but I'll talk more about that later.

The art was once again phenomenal, and Renato Guedes' art is simply amazing. I really enjoyed his art on Avengers, Secret Avengers, and Wolverine, but his art on this series is much better, and he really suits not only the Constantine character, but the dark and edgy style of series that this is. The detail in Guedes' art is also brilliant, as everything looks brilliant, and even the small details look realistic. I also love how Guedes manages to have the perfect balance between rough, and smooth art, as the outlines are very smooth, and the shading, and detail is slightly rough, which makes for a truly wonderful piece of artwork. I also love the way Guedes draws the facial expressions, as they make the story more dramatic, also giving more vibrance to the story, and you can really feel the characters emotions easily. He also draws all the character's, and lays out the artwork perfectly, as everyone from Mister E, to Spectre, and most importantly Constantine look amazing, and the layouts also give a more dramatic tone. Marcelo Maiolo's colours were also fantastic, really suiting Guedes' art, making it look even better than it already is. Maiolo's colours also really suit the tone of this series.

WARNING: FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH WILL SPOIL THE ENDING OF ISSUE 1!

Seems I didn't want to talk about the end of the last issue in my previous review, as to avoid spoilers, along with the fact that the emotions from it carry into this issue, I've decided that I'll give my opinions of both that, and the follow-up in this issue now. Last issue Constantine sacrificed Chris to save himself, and although this isn't too big of a surprise coming from Constantine, it was still a shocking end. What I like about the follow-up, and one of the things I like about Constantine in general is that he feels guilty for what he does, and shows remorse, and regret, but at the end of the day he's both a survivor, and a bit of a coward, and would rather sacrifice someone else to save himself, than stay and fight. Anyway, I really liked the follow-up in this issue, and look forward to seeing if Constantine's conscience will bother him in future issues.

Moving on, this story basically has Constantine continuing to look for the other pieces of Croydon's Compass. Although I've never read any series that heavily feature Constantine, apart from Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing, prior to the New 52, I have read a lot about him, and one of the things that I find most interesting about the magical tone that comes with the character is the mystical objects. I loved seeing The Black Room in JLD, and it had some amazing artefacts within, but seeing Constantine going round the world searching for pieces of one artefact seems more interesting to me. I've really been enjoying the mystery around the artefact in this story, and look forward to seeing the development of it.

As I said earlier, Mister E features in this issue, and although I don't know much about him, besides the obvious fact that he's a magic based character, I enjoyed seeing him in this issue. What I liked most about Mister E is that he speaks in a southern accent. Now I know that's not really a huge thing, but I loved the way Fawkes wrote the dialogue, and it really made him feel more unique, and made him feel more sinister. I also loved the dialogue between Mister E, and Constantine, as it was really well written, and added a lot more drama, and even some humour to the issue, which was very nice. I am however really looking forward to seeing what Mister E has to offer throughout the rest of this story, as it should be really interesting.

The other big name that appeared in this issue was the Spectre. I've not seen Spectre since the prior to the start of the New 52, and to be honest I don't know a great deal about him besides his motives, and the fact that Hal Jordan was once the host body that the Spectre lived in, so it was nice to see him in this issue. Spectre in this issue was basically his usual weird self, wanting vengeance on Constantine, and this made for a very interesting, and dramatic sequence. I won't go into any more detail involving what he was up to in this issue, as to avoid spoilers, but I look forward to the possibility of him making another appearance in this series, which I'm sure he will.

I'll end by saying that the ending was also brilliant, and although I won't spoil it, I will say that I'm really looking forward to reading the next issue.

Final Verdict

A brilliant continuation to this series, and I for one am really enjoying it. This issue in particular was very interesting, and I really enjoyed the characters that appeared, as well as the mysteriousness of the story, and it's only a matter of time before this series becomes outstandingly amazing. I would highly recommend this, as it was a brilliant, exciting issue, and if you are a fan of JLD you're bound to love this.

Rating: 4/5

Constantine #1 Review

Writers: Ray Fawkes & Jeff Lemire

Artist: Renato Guedes

Although I have never read any of the Hellblazer series (which I hope to rectify soon), I have been a fan of John Constantine as a character ever since watching the Constantine film. Recently I have acquired the back issues of Justice League Dark, since issue 9, as I have been looking forward to this series.

Plot

After his friend Chris finds the location of Croydon's Compass, John Constantine, along with Chris head to Norway to collect it, but nothing ever goes smoothly.

Review

This was a brilliant first issue to this new series, and Ray Fawkes, and Jeff Lemire have done a brilliant job. As I said I haven't read any of Hellblazer, so I don't know how similar it is, but from what I've read about John Constantine as a character this doesn't appear to be too far away from the character, but I may be wrong (having never actually read the series). I have however read Constantine in a few other series, but he didn't appear for too long, so again that doesn't help, but I'll talk more about Constantine as a character later. Besides that I loved how Fawkes, and Lemire handled the whole magic, and mystery in this story, and if JLD is anything like this, it should be brilliant, and as good as people say it is. I also liked how Fawkes, and Lemire handled the character interaction, but again I'll talk more on that later. Overall the writing was good, but not phenomenal, but this issue shows so much promise, and I have every faith that it will be amazingly good.

The art in this was nothing short of phenomenal. I've seen Renato Guedes art in other series like Avengers, Secret Avengers, and Wolverine, but I can't remember it being this good. Everything, and I mean everything is very well detailed, and I can't really fault anything. The way he draws facial features, and expressions is also fantastic, as everything looks so real, and very neat and tidy, with the only rough parts being shading. Even the way he draws the scenery is phenomenal, as every minor detail is perfect, and nothing looks awkward, or imperfect, which isn't easy. I also loved the way he drew all the mystic, and magical stuff that happened in the issue, as it really looked amazing, and made the sequences oozed with excitement. There was however one panel in the comic that was different from the preview, and that was the one showing Sargon the Sorcerer, Zatara, Mister E, and Tannarak. I don't know why this was changed, but I will say that the new art looks better than the preview, and although the characters don't appear as recognizable, they suit the style of series more. Marcelo Maiolo also did a brilliant job with the colouring, as it really helped set the tone of the issue, and it made Guedes art look even better than it does.

As I said earlier I felt that Constantine was handled very well in this issue, and although I may not be the best judge when it comes to comparisons from Hellbazer, I did feel the essential elements that make Constantine who he is, and that's all that really matters. It was nice to see Constantine coming out of a bar about to light a cigarette, as this shows Constantine's addictive habit's. Fair enough this was expected, but it was nice to see, and what I preferred more throughout was that it wasn't made a big deal out of, and you simply saw Constantine smoking every now and then. I also liked how Constantine's characteristics were shown, by the way he treat Chris, as it showed what type of man Constantine is.

The character Chris himself was also interesting. I don't think Chris ever appeared in Hellblazer, or any other comics to feature Constantine over the years, but I still found him an interesting character, and giving this sidekick role to someone that hasn't appeared before gives the writers more creativity. What I liked about Chris as a character was that he was clearly a gifted, and very useful person, but he was also very timid, and not the most adventurous character ever. I also liked the relationship that was shown between Chris and Constantine, as although I already stated that it shows how Constantine treats people, it also showed how people act towards Constantine, and besides that the interaction dialogue wise was well written.

I also talked earlier that the magic, and mystery was handled brilliantly in this issue, and although we only get a taster of it, it was very entertaining, and made for an exciting end to this first issue. I was however slightly disappointed that Constantine didn't put up a fight, as although I don't put it past him to run and live another day, it would have been nice to see him stand his ground. There was however plenty of other things in the issue that made up for this, and although it wasn't the most exciting issue ever, it was a good start, and there were plenty more interesting actions made by Constantine.

The mentions in this issue was also very nice, as besides the mention of Sargon the Sorcerer, Zatara, Mister E, and Tannarak, we also had a mention of who I assume is Papa Midnite (he was just called Papa). This shows that despite this being a new and very different Constantine series, it will have lot's of similarities to the other, and there is bound to be some bits about this series that fans of Hellblazer will enjoy, even if they don't like it as a whole.

Final Verdict

A very good start to the series, and Fawkes, and Lemire did an excellent job. Although it wasn't as exciting as some opening issues, it was still very interesting, and showed ton's of potential, and although it may not be as close to the Hellblazer series, I for one am looking forward to seeing what this series has to show.

Rating: 4/5

Constantine Movie Review

With the new Constantine series coming out next week I felt that it was the right time to re-watch the film. I have to be honest, shamefully I'd never heard of John Constantine before watching this film, besides that he was a comic book character from the series Hellblazer, as I wasn't adventitious with my graphic novels (didn't get comics) back then, only sticking with the normal DC, and Marvel stuff. I did however like nearly any comic book film at the time, and got this on DVD.

Plot

SPOILER FREE

After Detective Angela Dodson's sister Isabel commits suicide, Angela tries to find out if she actually committed suicide, as she doesn't believe that she would. With the help of a chain-smoking exorcist named John Constantine she finds the truth to her sisters death, and something much bigger unfolds.

Review

I'll just say from the start that I haven't read any Hellblazer comics, or graphic novels so I don't know exactly how accurate the film is, but I have read up on the characters background so I know that it isn't spot on. This was my introduction to John Constantine as a character, and I liked him enough in the film to read up on him, and I've always meant to get the Hellbalzer series (whenever I considered getting it, it was half way through a story, and I'd forget again when a new story started), but I've finally getting round to it now that a new series is coming out. Anyway, as a film this is brilliant. Like I said I don't know how accurate it is, and I actually think it's probably inaccurate (from what I've read), but as a film it's brilliant. For an action horror film it was very exciting, and entertaining, and I really enjoyed it.

Keanu Reeves as John Constanine

Now I'll move onto the cast of the film. The obvious place to start is John Constantine himself, played by Keanu Reeves. Although I've not read any of the comics I have since read up on the character, and know a fair few things about him, like for-instance that in the comics he was from Liverpool, something that you wouldn't guess from Reeves' performance. Another distinguishing difference is that in the comics Constantine has blond hair, whereas Revees' has back. Besides these two things I felt that Reeve's did a good job of the character. I've always thought of Constantine as a bit miserable whilst reading him (I've read him in things like Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing), but that may very well be due to seeing this film. I was however very happy that Constantine was still a chain smoker, as that's one of the things I liked the most about the character, as it made him more rough, and gritty than he'd be otherwise. Basically although he isn't necessarily the best choice to play Constantine he did a good job.

The rest of the cast consists of many well known actors, with Rachel Weisz playing both Detective Angela Dodson, and her sister Isabel. These are characters that didn't appear in the comics so there's nothing to compare. I think she did a good job, but to be honest it wasn't much special. I liked Weisz in the Mummy films, but her performance in this film wasn't exceptional, and to be honest any actress with limited talent could have played the role. Shia LaBeouf played Chas Kramer (Chas Chandler in the comics), Constantine's driver, and student. I've not been a huge fan of LaBeouf's work over the years, and although I liked the first Transformers film, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (even though it wasn't as good as the other three Indiana Jones films) it wasn't for his performance. I have to say however that I didn't mind him in this film, although at the same time having not read the comics cant judge on comparison. Like Weisz, LaBeouf's character could have been played by anyone, although he did add some comic humour. I did however think that Tilda Swinton did a fantastic job of Gabriel, and Djimon Hounsou of Papa Midnite, although again I can't judge on comparisons.

Although the story was overall good, and enjoyable it did have some faults. The story itself had a good structure, but there were times were it felt a bit week, and slow. I did however like that the story took plenty of time to introduce the characters, mainly Constantine. At the same time, although I liked the story it was nothing special, and there are ton's of better action, horror, or even crime stories out there. The building up of certain scenes was however a very nice thing, and done very well.

Constantine in Hell

The CGI in this film was amazing, and it really made the film look awesome. I've seen plenty of horror movies in the past, with a good few of them having Hell as a setting, but none of them were as good as this visual wise. Hell just looks phenomenal, and I loved how it looked like a burned out version of our world. I also really liked the demons in the film, and loved that whilst possessing a person that they could be seen in their true form in a mirror. The way that Constantine, and Dodson crossed over into hell was also very interesting, and although I know nothing about how Constantine got to hell in the comics (if he did) I really liked it in the film.

Holy Shotgun

Constantine has many weapons during this film, with my personal favourites being the Holy Shotgun, and Cross Knuckleduster. Now I don't think that Constantine had an array of weapons in the comics (don't hold me to that as I only know what I've read on the internet), and defiantly didn't have a Holy Shotgun, but in a film you need to add something to make it unique. I especially liked the Shotgun, and Knuckleduster, as it made for some really nice scenes, and I also loved that the Shotgun was loaded with gold bullets, with what I believe was holy water (may be wrong with that last part). I really liked the weapons, and even the lesser used weapons like the Dragons Breath was also very nice.

Peter Stormare as Lucifer

I didn't speak about Peter Stormare as Lucifer (First of the Fallen) during the cast section of this review, as I wanted to leave him till the end, seems he only appeared at the end. I have loved Stormare's acting throughout ton's of great TV series, and films, including How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Armageddon, and Prison Break. He's one of the best actors at playing a bad guy, and I think he nailed the role of Lucifer. Although we've had some great actors playing the same, or similar roles in the past, including people like Al Pacino as Satan (also known as Lucifer) in The Devils Advocate (also staring Keanu Reeves), Peter Fonda as Mephisto in Ghost Rider, I don't think they were as good in there roles as Stormare's was in this. Don't get me wrong, they were brilliant, but where I think Stormare excels more than them is that he manages to get this dark sinister character across in a much more subtle way, having just as much affect as Pacino or Fonda in the movies I mentioned. Stormare's also showed how smart Lucifer is, whilst showing that he could still be naive. It was also nice to see him in a white suit, which is what you'd expect from a messenger of God instead of Lucifer.

Final Verdict

Although not necessarily the best comic book adaptation this was a brilliant film, and very enjoyable. For an action/horror film it was spot on, and I personally loved it, but it may not appeal to hardcore fans of the comics. I'd still however recommend this to anyone whether fan or not, as it is a good film, and if the hardcore fans forgot that it had any connection to the comic then they'd probably enjoy it as well.

Rating: 3.5/5