Zombos Says: Good
The foldout cover is not the only good thing about the continuing saga of John Constantine in issue 2 of Constantine; the Spectre pops in to pass judgement on all those nasty happenstances that follow Constantine around, like the escalating body count of his too-close associates who tag along with him. Briefly.
It’s a close shave, sure, but Constantine gets into more of a lather with bad people itching to piece together Corydon’s compass. More sinister mayhem ensues, but the issue’s 20 pages come a wee short of a pint, so you’ll easily wet your whistle, but keep thirsting for more story. Still, the art is consistently appealing and Constantine’s consistently unyielding in his steadfast refusal to ignore the sh*t rolling downhill along with him. Man’s got nerve: must be the trenchcoat. How can you not act self-assured and hard as nails when dressed in a trenchcoat?
Or carrying it along to Myanmar, anyway, since it’s too hot to wear it. Of course he manages to get knocked unconscious. Good timing, though, since he was about to light up another cancer stick. He also must fend off a certain blind sorcerer who doesn’t want to hear his jokes, and then deal with the cold, accusatory glare of the Spectre, ready to smack Constantine’s soul down hard.
The story moves fast, a tad too fast, and although the principal players are moving into their squares for the middle game to begin, more pages would have made this issue better than just good. What can I say, I’m an old comic book fan. I think 20 pages an issue is too little to tell a great story; but I’ll settle for a good one anytime.
Funny thing is I’m hooked on Constantine since his rebirth. I still think he needs more British in him, and his trenchcoat needs to look more rumpled. But Fawkes and Lemire are hitting the right tempo, and Guedes panels are an eyeful. So far this New 52 incarnation of John Constantine is keeping his Hellblazer ghost around for old time’s sake, and that’s a good thing.