art/comic/whatever blog

Vertigo Constantine will directly tell the reader that he considers the Tories and especially Thatcher to be as evil and destructive, if not more so, than the literal demons he is constantly fighting. In some of his earliest comics he credits Thatcher for damaging the concept of empathy in society outright. He will point to, for instance, the Tory war on the NHS as the source of societal misery that attracts and nourishes the demons that he needs to fight.

He isn't just A Political Character, he is very engaged with specific ongoing issues in UK politics, like the mainstreaming of British fascism during the 80s. This is a character who was handled under several actual informed leftists - Ennis, Morrison, Moore, blah blah blah.

We are currently in a time when queer peoples' rights are regressing to 1980s standards, the kind of environment John had to live through during his formative years (supposedly, his timeline is now an incoherent mess). This is partially the result of a popular children's fiction author posing as a liberal feminist deciding that queer rights have progressed too far and that we should eliminate all forms of transgender life in the name of feminism, and this cause / ideology being adopted equally by actual real organized fascists like the EDL as well as many supposedly liberal Labour politicians.

If this shit was happening when Hellblazer was at its peak, this would all be material in a Constantine story. The only thing missing is Joanne Rowling sucking children's dreams out with an evil artifact she stole from a homeless black woman to write her stories or some bullshit like that.

John isn't John if he isn't raging against the system with keen insights and futile middle-aged punk rocker resentment.

Reducing him to Zatanna's sarcastic boyfriend who makes out with Satan in a bathroom stall or whatever (ooh! controversial! edgy! take that, easily scandalized Mormons and hardcore Evangelicals who already do not read comics!) feels so toothless lol. John used to react to the world, now he barely seems to exist in one, imo.

edit: I want to add I do not think anybody is bad or dumb for liking DC Constantine. It's OK to like things! Sarcastic smelly wizard boy who eats cigarettes for breakfast and has a complex love with his cute magician GF is itself an appealing concept and there's nothing bad about liking that. My frustration is that DC took an existing and very well-loved character and altered him to fit into their broader brand because they thought it'd make them more money, and accidentally broke him in the process.

oh when there's no future, how can there be sin?

-🔥-

john constantine, you royal pain in the arse. had no right to take me this bloody long, and to turn out like this-

if anyone asks, this is a post of shame