Constantine by John Shirley

 

(pb; 2005: movie tie-in)

 

From the back cover

“Hidden from mortal eyes are the angels and demons that coexist with mankind. . . supernatural beings who seek to influence our lives for better or worse. Amoral and irreverent renegade occultist and paranormal detective John Constantine is blessed and cursed with the ability to interact with this secret world. When Constantine teams up with skeptical L.A. policewoman Angela Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation catapults them into a catastrophic series of otherworldly events—even as the forces of Hell conspire against Constantine to claim his immortal soul.”

 

Review

Based on the 2005 film (itself based on a six-issue story arc** of the DC/Vertigo-label comic book Hellblazer), Shirley’s movie novelization captures the moral and physical grime of John Constantine’s world as he, a P.I. with a shady past, investigates supernatural crimes while trying to save humanity from spiritual beings who seek to subvert humanity to their misguided or evil ends. 

This time out, the guilt- and dead friends-haunted Constantine has stage 4 cancer, which will soon claim him, even as he puzzles out and tries to prevent a Hell-bound being from physically traversing the boundaries of spirit and flesh. His initially reluctant endeavors—he’s more inclined to tip a pint or ten at a local pub—take on a new urgency after he meets a L.A. policewoman (Angela Dodson) whose suicidal twin births more than a sibling’s grief. This is a great film tie-in read which, while it diverges from its noticeably expansive source material in terms of scope, captures and boils down the essence of its core characters (Constantine, his friend Chaz, etc.) while making for an entertaining flick and companion read. 

Penned by an overall excellent writer, Constantine is worth reading for fans of horror/supernatural and movie novelizations as well as fans of its source comic book series, provided they don’t expect the resulting film work or novel to be an exact translation of the writing that spawned it (film and books are different mediums, and its cinematic setting is Los Angeles, not England). Also worth owning, this.

[**Hellblazer, issues 41-46]

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The source story arc (“Dangerous Habits”) of Hellblazer (again, issues 41 through 46) was written by Garth Ennis; it was illustrated by Will Simpson. The film version was released stateside on February 18, 2005. Directed by Francis Lawrence from a script by Kevin Brodbin, Constantine features a noticeably streamlined and relocated storyline, with several source-story characters absent or encountering different fates. Below, the Hellblazer omnibus, which collects issues 41 though 133.

Preacher: Until the End of the World by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon and others

(pb; 1995, 1996: graphic novel, collecting comic book issues of Preacher #8 - 17. "Foreword" by Kevin Smith. Second entry in the Preacher graphic novel series.) 

From the back cover:

"Small-town Texas minister Jesse Custer had all but lost the faith when he merged with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis and acquired peculiar powers and newfound purpose. Hitting the road with his sidekicks -- his trigger-happy girlfriend and a hard-drinking Irish vampire -- Jesse embarks on a frequently violent, often-hilarious, always-disturbing road trip from the heart of Texas through the nastier side of America."


Review:

This second entry in the Preacher graphic novel series builds on the hyper-violent, excellent, heartfelt and pitch-black funny tale begun in Gone to Texas. Jesse Custer and his girlfriend, Tulip, at the start of this continuation volume, have been taken prisoner by his murderous kin (his evil grandmother and his rape-happy cousins) and must escape them; all the while, the history and aims of the Grail (with all its internecinic intrigues) are further revealed.

This is worth purchasing if you enjoy books with the above tonal qualities.

Followed by Preacher: Proud Americans.

Preacher: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

(pb; 1995, 1996: graphic novel, collecting issues of Preacher #1 - 7. "Foreword" by Joe R. Lansdale. First entry in the Preacher graphic novel series.)

From the back cover:

"Jesse Custer is a small-town minister slowly losing his faith. . . until he merges with a half-angelic, half-demonic being called Genesis. Together with Tulip, Jesse's trigger-happy ex-lover, and Cassidy, a hard-drinking Irish vampire, Jesse sets out on a bizarre road trip from the heart of Texas to the bitter soul of New York City."


Review:

Preacher is a hyper-violent, more-Texas-than-Texas, blasphemous and darkly hilarious graphic novel series whose character interactions and supernatural storyline elements come together into a wild-ride, distinctive and entertaining read. This is one of my all-time favorite comic book/graphic novel series, not for the easily offended (religious) and faint of heart.

Followed by Preacher: Until the End of the World.

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The television series version, created by Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, is scheduled to debut on the AMC channel on May 22, 2016.

Dominic Cooper plays Jesse Custer. Joseph Gilgun plays Cassidy. Ruth Negga plays Tulip O'Hare. W. Earl Brown plays Hugo Root. Jackie Earle Haley plays Odin Quincannon.

Ian Colletti plays Arseface. Lucy Griffiths plays Emily. Tom Brooke plays Fiore. Anatol Yusef plays DeBlanc.

Jennifer Blood: A Woman's Work is Never Done by Garth Ennis and various artists

(pb; 2012: graphic novel, collecting issue #1-6 of the series.  First entry in the Jennifer Blood graphic novel series.)

From the back cover:

"Meet Jen Fellows, your average suburban housewife.  Every day, she lives out your normal suburban life.  She makes breakfast, takes the kids to school, cleans the house, cooks dinner, kisses her husband and children goodnight, and hopes that the drugs she gives them in their dinner keeps them asleep until morning.

"Meet Jennifer Blood, ruthless vigilante.  Every night she stalks the underworld on a personal vendetta against organized crime, determined to obliterate the parasites and scum who run the city's rackets.

"But can she keep her dual lives separate?  Can she protect her family from the terrible world she now finds herself a part of?  And will the budget stretch to new cushion covers for the couch and six more cases of .45 hollow points?"



Review:

Jennifer Blood is a bloody, nasty, for-mature-audiences-only work, featuring writer Ennis' fast-moving, raunchy and black-as-frak wit.  The storyline is familiar (see the back cover description), but Ennis' action-lean writing, coupled with Jennifer's eye-popping illustrations and visual tones (courtesy of various artists, colorists and Rob Steen's lettering) make its plot-familiarity irrelevant.  This is not a graphic novel for readers put off by gore, nudity and ultra-dark - and effective - themes: worth owning, this, if the above description doesn't apply to you.

Followed by Jennifer Blood: Beautiful People.