Posted By Joe Grunenwald on March 20, 2013

DC Comics is no stranger to canceling and relaunching titles. The New 52 is more or less based on that very act. Still, it was a shock four months ago when DC announced the cancellation of the long-running Vertigo title Hellblazer. The fact that DC had assured fans that John Constantine could exist both in the DCU proper and his own Vertigo title didn’t make the news any easier to swallow.

It’s with all of that in mind that one goes into Constantine #1 with the feeling that the book is already fighting an uphill battle. Never mind that writers Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes have to accomplish all the things any good first issue must – namely, introduce the characters and hook readers into wanting to come back for future issues. On top of that, this issue also has to convert the skeptics who were worried that this John will be too watered-down for their tastes.

On the first front, Constantine #1 does a decent job establishing the world of the series. The book assumes some foreknowledge about who Constantine is, and it outlines his mission – to keep track of mystical artifacts and ensure that no one gets too powerful – fairly clearly. It also gives the reader a taste of John’s personality, and the lengths that he will go to to get what he wants. All magic, he says, comes with a price – one can skip the cause and get straight to the effect, but it’ll still cost you somehow. Constantine is willing to pay just about any price to achieve his ends. It will be interesting to see how far he’ll go as the series progresses. That said, it never feels like there’s any tension in this issue. Even during the final scene of the issue, where Constantine must make a life-and-death decision, there’s no question what choice he’s going to make. It just feels sort of dull.

Constantine’s Vertigo fans may have some minor complaints of their own. Obviously there’s no profanity in this book, seeing as it’s a mainline DC book that’s only rated T+. Lemire and Fawkes don’t even throw in a ‘bollocks’ for good measure, though. Also, it’s hard not to notice that the normally chain-smoking Constantine only lights up once in the entire issue. Still, personality-wise Constantine is more or less the same bastard that he’s always been.

Renato Guedes’s art is servicable, neither spectacular nor awful. He’s a solid storyteller and he does a fine job here, though some nits can certainly be picked. His Constantine seems to have his head permanently tilted downward, so that he’s always looking up at things. It gives him a sinister feeling, but it’s also used so often that it’s a little distracting.

Art by Renato Guedes.

The other distracting thing comes once Sargon the Sorceress appears. Yes, comic book women tend to be unrealistically proportioned and dressed. The design for Sargon, though, borders on laughable. She wears a tattered dress that’s basically falling off of her. Part of the upper part of the dress is fishnet for some reason – presumably to show off her enormous cleavage, which doesn’t appear to be supported by any sort of a bra. For an all-powerful sorceress, one would think she could whip up an ensemble that’s a bit more practical.

In all, Constantine #1 is a fairly average comic. It establishes the character and the conflicts quite well, but doesn’t provide any real surprises. While the issue sets up pieces for later issues, it’s still fairly self-contained and doesn’t create a very compelling hook to make the reader want to come back for more. Hopefully Lemire, Fawkes, and Guedes can work out the kinks as this first storyline continues.

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Categories: Comics, Reviews
Tags: Constantine, DC Comics, Hellblazer, Jeff Lemire, New 52, Ray Fawkes, Renato Guedes, review, Vertigo