Connect with us

Published

on

We’re now two-issues deep into the John Constantine: Hellblazer-revamp. Does the second issue continue the strengths of the relaunch, or does the team find themselves getting lost in the weeds? No major shakeups to the talent behind the book to be found in the second issue, which is clearly a good sign. Simon Spurrier pens the issue, while Aaron Campbell and Jordie Bellaire tackle the art and colors, respectively. This issue’s cover was handled by John Paul Leon, who might be recognizable to fans of Milestone’s Static.

Let’s dive into “A Green and Pleasant Land, Part Two,” then, shall we?

John’s a dick but he seems to have taken a shine to Noah.

The Story

Spurrier’s take on Constantine is pretty authentic; Constantine is not a good guy and putting the dodgy, magical asshole in a more diverse London creates some friction. It’s all great. His “team” is rapidly expanding as well. I will miss Chas, of course, but Noah and Nat seem like they’ll make fine companions. Better companions than John deserves, of course.

John’s investigation into the skinning angels in Peckham Rye Common meets a couple of complications this issue. We have Tigers, gang war, pressure from the gang led by the flesh oracle, a homeless veteran and… William Blake. It’s all very much in that high-strangeness wheelhouse of Vertigo-era Hellblazer. To actually go into any of these details would ruin the fun little twist, but it’s very satisfying and just makes the mystery so much stranger.

The addition of the Sikh police officer who confronts John in the bathroom about young Noah is a nice, additional wrinkle in the scummy sorcerer’s life. The officer seems to have some sort of protective relationship to Noah, enough to accost John in the pisser with a knife to his balls. We’ll see how this potential angle plays out.

Advertisement

One downside of this story? It has a connection to another comic, Books of Magic in the demon Vestibulan, trapped in a cellphone. This isn’t an entirely bad thing, but it does pull me out of the story because of the metatextual nature of referencing another title I am reading, to explain a plot point in the John Constantine: Hellblazer. I understand continuity and connecting stories, but I was not sold by the usage here. I believe such connections should be supplementary, rather than fundamental. Yes, Constantine narrates the connection in such a way you don’t need to read Books of Magic, it ends up feeling like an obligation, regardless.

It all depends on how familiar you are with Timothy Hunter.

William Blake, a nutter? Yeah, I’ve had that impression as well in grad school.

The Art

Jordie Bellaire’s art is still quite strong. I had some quibbles with characters being a bit inconsistent in the first issue, but thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case with this issue. Everything is still grimy, gritty, and spackled in shadow, as is befitting Constantine as a series.

Where the book is really shining, however, is the apocalyptic biblical imagery the swarms and coalesces around the case. John’s story may be shrouded in darkness and shadow, but the supernatural he is dealing with often portrayed with blooming, heavenly light.

It is legitimately creepy. A great deal of that comes from color choices by Jordie Bellaire.

One of my favorite panels.

Final Verdict

John Constantine slides into modern London pretty well, warts and all. It is enduring to see the petty dabbler, rough as he is, meshing well with a world that left him behind in the 90s. The book’s diversity is also worth celebrating. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

I mentioned Books of Magic in the review. Would there be any interest in reviews of that title? Please let us know in the comments.

Advertisement

Otherwise, enjoy our comic book coverage here at Haunted MTL.

David Davis is a writer, cartoonist, and educator in Southern California with an M.A. in literature and writing studies.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Horror in graphic novels

Creepy Comics Collages by Jennifer Weigel, Part 5

Published

on

Well, you won’t get rid of me that easily… Ha ha, I lied about coming to the end and the afterlife in the Creepy Comics Collages segment, it was just an opportunity for rebirth. Besides, it’s World Collage Day! So having come into another comic book to rework, here we go again…

The Voice creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel
The Voice creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel

Creepy Comics Story 9: The Voice (of God or Reason or perhaps an homage to my ex)

“Come to me my children, the voice of God awaits!… Don’t let them escape!” Please beam me up out of this weird comic collage alternate reality. “God I am your hand! Lift me… to your place. I commend my spirit!” I want to go back to dreaming about starfish.

The computer programmer behind the scenes turns to face us and smiles. “Guardians! This is a place of God!… Come to the true voice of God!” “I am everything.” “Come to the voice!” And the horrific AI generated creatures abide by his every coded word.

Just like last night in the — signs posted for Nightmare, No Exit. The deer spirit faun screams in surprise, “Eeek!” “No! I defy you!” She returns to the form of a little girl with arms outspread to the open sky. “Y’know, a day like today makes all the stuff that happened last night seem just like a bad dream!” The dream seems so real…

Somewhere in the city, the computer programmer sits up at night in pensive monologue, “You try to make a difference… But it doesn’t really matter.”

Advertisement
The City creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel
The City creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel

Creepy Comics Story 10: The City (Metropolis becomes self-aware)

This segment is brought to you by Dead Artists and Talking Dinosaurs. No really, wait for it…

Woooooo Uhhhh Wooooooo Uhhhh… Wump! Uff! Wump! Uff! “She belongs to The City!” The Glenn Fry 1985 hit single looms ominously overhead as Metropolis becomes self-aware. “The City… will live!… The City… will breathe!” The City gasps for air, “Got to… breathe!… Got to… Breathe!

Her breath is the wind… Her eyes are windows. Her heart pumps fluid through buried plumbing… “I’m The City!” Her mind is The City!

And we have a celebrity appearance by Rich Koz “Son of Svengoolie” WFLD 1973: “I take a nap for 10,000 years and look what happens… some-body builds a city!” Kerwyn chimes in, “Geez! Somebody’s been busy!” And we cut out to a scene of Svengoolie standing alongside his coffin.

Portrait of myself with dark makeup and crow skull headdress, backlit by the sun.
Portrait of myself with dark makeup and crow skull headdress, backlit by the sun.

Well, that’s all folks. Or is it? For now, any way… until I get more comic books… Duh duh DUHHHH…

If you want to see more art, check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or on her writing, fine art, and conceptual projects websites.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Horror in graphic novels

Creepy Comics Collages by Jennifer Weigel, Part 4

Published

on

Wow, I can’t believe you’ve stayed the course through four whole strange story posts of these creepy comics collages. But this is the final frontier, the last segment, the standing ovation as it were. So here goes…

The Grave creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel

Creepy Comics Story 7: The Grave (shallow enough for ya?)

“It should take longer, it seems to all of them. Such holy flesh should not give before a blade so easily.” “His brow is growing so cold.” “Yes it would be. He’s dying.”

“My god… I’m not dead.” Put the shovel down. “Life is a no-win situation. Besides… You’re already dead!”

“I’m not dead. I’m not dead!… Oh, Oh my god… I can’t move… What’s happened to me?” Buried alive. Or maybe not.

“Dead?” Perhaps I am actually dead. I was expecting something… I dunno… different.

Advertisement

“I’m not hungry, I’m dead. I’m not sure what I’m doing here, in fact.” At least I’m not a zombie. That seems a small consolation right now though. “My organs are shutting down. It is a relief.”

“Three days have already passed.” We’re just sitting here, rotting. Like Norman Bates’ Mother. At least someone was kind enough to supply a rocking chair. “Oh, one last thing before I go… You’re doing my fucking head in.”

Adrift Afterlife creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel
Adrift Afterlife creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel

Creepy Comics Story 8: Adrift Afterlife (why you save the best gold coins for the ferryman)

How’d we get here? “I do not stand alone. I am sat in a boat.” “.. to be millions of miles away from any care in the world.” Was that the Ferryman? “Only liberty I know.”

“He does not remember arriving here, or if he has been here before. It is not the island he grew up on, though it feels so very familiar… He has been waiting for the night tides to come in, for they will bring starfish. He has always liked watching them cling to the beach before the current pulls them back into fathoms.”

“And the ocean brings him starfish… Perhaps his father had nothing to do with this place at all.” The ferryman stands on the far shore. It makes no difference now.

“Beneath the ocean, razor-sharp coral grows and plunges towards the surface, sent by a green place that would not like to burn.” “The sand is soft between his toes and he is not ashamed of anything.” The ghosts are here, contentedly it seems.

Advertisement
Portrait of myself with dark makeup and crow skull headdress, backlit by the sun.

Thank you for joining us for these creepy comics collage art stories. But here’s where we have to leave it off. Trust me, it’s best that way. Besides I’m out of creepy comics to collage with.

If you want to see more art, check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or on her writing, fine art, and conceptual projects websites.

Continue Reading

Horror in graphic novels

Creepy Comics Collages by Jennifer Weigel, Part 3

Published

on

We’re ba-ack… Are you ready for the next creepy comics collages graphic story overload? After the last time and the intermission I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, but here we are, together again. You’d almost think we put something in the water – wink.

Now where were we? Oh yeah, the world was going to hell… or was it?

Alien Invasion creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel
Alien Invasion creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel

Creepy Comics Story 5: Alien Invasion (A Fist Full of Physics!!!)

“Elsewhere… months… earlier…” “It begins as a flicker pin-point of light getting closer ever closer until it takes form.” The sky is falling, damn you Chicken Little.

“…unconfirmed rumors of extraterrestrials have surfaced this evening following reported sightings in upstate New York earlier today.” There’s the news for you. Always blowing things up to increase viewership ratings.

“Then I would suggest a test immediately.” ‘K Doc, we get it; maybe there’s cause for concern. Guessing these aren’t friendlies based on intel, or that the government pissed them off. “Where’s William Shatner when you really need him?”

Advertisement

“Next morning… City Hall…” “A Fist Full of Physics” Blamm-o! “As if that’s some kind of homage.” It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I was feeling fine but now I’m not so sure. “All of this is on your head.” You can thank the world governments with their shoot first, ask questions later policies for that.

“The act was deplorable. It’s ramifications were permanent.” Doc looks unamused. “And the doctor drones on in his cold monotone… ‘Then we all die.’”

Werewolves creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel
Werewolves creepy comics collage by Jennifer Weigel

Creepy Comics Story 6: Werewolves (Londoners, eat your hearts out)

“Fables Werewolves… no one can hear you howl.” So now we’re elbow-deep in lycanthropy? This story just keeps getting weirder and weirder…

“… I feel so… disoriented… is this vertigo?” No, you wouldn’t be so lucky. Once bitten, twice shy. It’s The Change. Prepare yourself for the transformation.

“Hello dear.”

“What now?” Enough with the damned interruptions already, can’t you see I’m at work?!

Advertisement

“Shall we start a war?”

“No! No! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! No!

“What now?”

“I know one thing.” “Never will you suffer the indignity of this animal’s touch again.” The wolf seems somewhat offended by that statement. No really. And probably rightly so.

“Maybe it’s just an excuse, a fucking cop-out for when we inevitably fuck-up our lives and hurt people… We’re not cursed, we’re rotten, or mad or…”

Advertisement

“I don’t deserve this!” he howls. Stop blaming the werewolves for your own human indecencies. Teacups get broken and the London werewolves get angry.

Portrait of myself with dark makeup and crow skull headdress, backlit by the sun.
Portrait of myself with dark makeup and crow skull headdress, backlit by the sun.

Thank you for going all in with us over this series, there’s… one… more… final… huzzah… In the meantime, check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or on her writing, fine art, and conceptual projects websites.

Continue Reading

Trending