Constantine #2

To start off, I wanted to wish everyone a very happy New Comic Day. Constantine is the best of the "New 52" series from DC other than Batman. The great thing about both series is that they have stories and character that are not dependant on other titles and crossovers. Constantine can have his own self contained stories even when he is globe trotting with Justice League Dark. Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes, and Renato Guedes have a perfect handle on John Constantine and is damn near identical to his Hellblazer version.

This is is the second chapter in the new series and builds off of the great first issue. We follow John as he is searching for relics that The Cult of the Cold Flame are also searching for. They are trying to bring about a magical apocalypse and Constantine isn't going to stand by and let that happen. Mister E is introduced and is shown to be a major player in the magic realm of the DC Universe. The Spectre also shows up to claim Constantine but John quickly talks him out of that course of action.

Constantine is one of the first heroes I have seen that openly acknowledges his past failures and knows that he has to pay for his mistakes. In the first issue of the series he states that magic comes with a price. This means that the universe balances itself out for you essentially "cheating" it out of something by using magic. John also realizes that his luck is going to run out and he will more than likely be killed at some point. Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes write him in a grim and charming manner and they make you root for him by making you completely ignore that the fact that he is kind of a scumbag.

I couldn't end this article without talking about the incredible art of Renato Guedes. His art was one of the main draws for me and he has not disappointed. Each scene is perfectly rendered and he is able to handle even the most gruesome scene with skill. He portrays John Constantine as a younger version that we are accustomed to in the Hellblazer series, and it works for this series. I am really looking forward to his continued collaboration with Jeff Lemire, who is a talented artist as well.

This is a fledgling series and is still finding its footing in the DC Universe. Constantine is thankfully being guided by the incredible trio of Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes, and Renato Guedes. I recently added this to my monthly pull list and I would suggest that you do the same thing.