John Constantine Came Home!: The Final Plea To The Disenfranchised (Part 1 of 3)

Here we are; one week after we last saw John Constantine and company take down the Man and we learn of Manny's true intentions. For some time the programme's been in the "on the bubble" watch in light of the ratings being not as what fans and NBC had wanted. Another upheaval the show's faced is some long-time fans of the character upset over our favourite magus not smoking as much due to the bizarre standards and practice of major TV networks (and moreso the FCC and our ever wayward Surgeon General) and those who cry over "bi-erasure" when the show was following the Hellblazer series to the letter rather than treat the character in the manner of circa Russell T. Davies' Torchwood and other non-Who related television shows  (no offence, to the man himself but I digress...). The following you're about to read is a final plea to those who still remain disenfranchised with the programme as much as they are with the New 52 comic (which is as offensive and garish as the 2005 Keanu Reeves film).

"Hello, kids! I'm the worst thing to happen to your favorite character since Shaq as John Henry Irons/Steel circa 1997.  Screw the deep stuff, you should enjoy my holy shotgun and my plagurist sidekick cum utter looney Shia LeBeuf as directed by the man behind your beloved Hunger Games! Be on the look out for my appearance as Nick Necro in DC's allegedly defunct New 52 comics. 

- With discontent, the Keanu Reeves version of John Constantine from Earth 40 where I hang 

out with the George Clooney's Batman, Cathy Lee Crosby's Wonder Woman,  and Rick Springfield's Human Target (if you can remember him)"

The day of November 8th 2012 was every John Constantine fan's worst nightmare: Hellblazer was announced as cancelled after nearly 25 years and 300 issues (with the 1/3 of the 300 were the worst period for the character and the comic to date under the pen ship of Peter Milligan). I, like the rest of you, was deeply gutted by the horrible news and was/still am too angry and disgusted to give the New 52 comic a try; especially after learning from very good friends over at the Voices From Beyond message boards (I've long been associated with for a decade come this). It was like I lost a very good friend (Bastard though he was to others). Then came the news of a TV show about our man in the works on that one September in 2013.

As noted in a paragraph in my review for Non Est Asylum, I had my own misconceptions and fears about the programme assuming it'd be either in line with the awful and soulless New 52 (much like Arrow and The Flash are in their own right) or giving the 2005 film version a comeback despite the disdain for that particular version of the character and those around him. Fast forward to early 2014 and we learn of notes and tidbits from the pilot and the scepticism still remains until this time last February we learned of the casting of Matt Ryan along w/ the casting appointments of Charles Halford, Harold Perrineau and the original leading lady Lucy Griffiths.  The first thing that came to mind is "Thank the gods they're going with the true Constantine and not Reeves!" Of course we all wondered about getting the details visually right and lo & behold in March, we saw the first promotional picture of Ryan as Constantine. It was a damn good sight to see that day. Plus wanted to know how the rest play into the then developing series. All was need it next is how the pilot looked...

Then came the Summer of Leaked Pilots. Like many, I couldn't resist the peak and got to saw the whole pilot presentation. I enjoyed the majority of it! It pleased me dearly the TV!John would be the John Constantine we knew from his first appearance in Swamp Thing to Hellblazer #300 and not the New 52 imposter Dan DiDio, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee and Bob Harras (w/ Peter Milligan, Jeff Lemire and later Ray Fawke) passed off as the real deal. The pilot presented us Ravenscar, Roger "Piggy" Huntoon, references to Newcastle, Astra, Nergal...even John's one armed estranged father and his deceased mother. And yes, he's still a smoker; the no smoking rule was always the ever overreacting FCC's doing to major networks like the original 3 and Fox. I was even impressed with a Chas who was at last was not Shia leBeuf but one with a twist (which can be look back to the opening of Hellblazer #203 to some extent), an jerk off angel in Manny who might as well be a Time Lord from Doctor Who (classic series, naturally) though the odd one out was Liv Aberdine. Granted she was intended to be the viewers eyes into the twisted world of John Constantine but proved to be an all too flawed concept in execution to where late Summer Liv was written out in favour of a familiar canon character Zed in the form of Angelica Celaya. Another part of why I gladly support the show 100 percent is how faithful to the source material just like 8 out of the 24 James Bond films that were despite minor changes (namely Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Living Daylights and Casino Royale '06) when others just stitch things together out of joint to see if its accepted or not; I'm looking at you, Arrow and Flash plus the recent Preacher developments when I say this.... It was also pleasing to see the writing staff as well as the cast reading all of the Hellblazer back issues and trades which proved they've done their homework and not thrown the baby out of the bathwater the way the film screenwriters for the 2005 film did.  Seeing Ryan's performance in the leaked and later aired pilot made me realize that he was our John just as he was under Moore, Veitch, Delano, Gaiman, Ennis, Jenkins, Ellis, Carey, Mina, Diggle and even Rebus creator Ian Rankin (yes, I left out certain folks. You know who you are and why I'll gladly personally tell it to you via Twit Messages) as well as John Shirley (who wrote 2 novel treatments of our man). As I would watch for all 13 fridays, I saw the John Constantine we knew as if he never left us. Nevermind the Vietnam War veteran (from Hellblazer #5); John Constantine, came home! He came home just as we last saw him via Andy Diggle rather than in the hell Peter Milligan put him in concluding the series.

With the pre-premiere hype increased we enter into Friday October 24th of 2014 where things wouldn't be the same again.... (TO BE CONTINUED)

Constantine - Quid Pro Quo Review

Now this is one episode to remember. Especially for yours truly for two reasons: 1) On my 16th Birthday, I accuired the Hellblazer Graphic Novel All His Engines (hardcover edition) and I've read it religiously aong with my trades and back issues for over a decade so to have it be another line of adaptations the show would do was a real treat (late last summer there was a Twitter pic of the writting staff reading the paperback editions) and 2) I, along with the audience got the chance to learn of Chas' ability to come back from the dead. Adapted for the screen by Brian Anthony and directed by Mary Harron, Quid Pro Quo, tells of a slew of mysterious mystic comas impacting parts of Brooklyn, NY; even to claim Chas' only daughter Geraldine. Upon this, Chas enlists, John and Zed in finding out the source behind it as its all traced back to one powerful sorceror: Felix Faust!

Much like the original 2005 stand-alone, the episode's plot is strong and fires on all cyllinders in horror, suspense and the odd body count. The two stories also put Chas and his family front and center in the drama in providing a glimpse in to the Chandler family. Unlike her comic counterpart Renee divorced Chas and shares custody of their daughter which in a way harkens back to Geraldine

s much older comic counterpart and her strained relationship with the father of her daughter Tricia (the doll TV!Geraldine named). You really feel for poor Chas: juggling the fight against evil with his best mate in John Constantine, making time for his kid. To top it all off, has the lives of the 47 people who died in the club he and John were in; John was reponsible for Chas' multiple lives by casting a spell on him while drunk. Four months prior, I assumed John put a sigil on him. Close but no cigar, eh? DC diehards are in for a treat when the audience is introduced to the episode's big bad (and one of the many member of the Justice League's Rogues Gallery) Felix Faust. For the tale, Faust takes up the role the fat blobby demon Beroul from the original story as the root behind the soul stealing and making Constantine do his bidding in taking out competition; or here, a demon. 

Boy did Matt Ryan and Charles Halford really give their all as the duo flesh out John and Chas' friendship to a T whether in the flashbacks or present day showing the long-surviving relationship in our man's life. Even in the last act will folks on the edge of their seats. Amanda Clayton manages to bring the former Mrs. Chandler to life even edging out her comic counterpart in slapping the Silk Cut out of John. Angélica Celaya bring on more to Zed as we see her endure her fear of the Crusade's neverending quest, acting as bait to the demon Faust wanted taken out and hit a deep emotive subject that hit close home to John: his mother. Special Guest Star Mark Margolyes brings on the dark magic and awe as Faust making the character a bigger threat in a Vertigo-esue level compared to his comic counterpart (pre-52, of course). The set designs from Dave Blass are, as always, nothing short of awesome as is Bear McCreary's music.

Quid Pro Quo joins a long line of episodes that out does itself week after week. Its on par with the very story it's loosely based on and above all another winner to show to new viewers interested in stepping in to the world of John Constantine. Next week, Jeremy Davies returns as Ritchie Simpson in an episode that deals with a different kind of reality. See you next Friday, Hellblazers!

Constantine - The Saints of Last Resorts (2 of 2) Review

Woo boy, was that one hell of a mid-winter return! With a new timeslot (8:00pm), Constantine concludes its epic two parter with the stakes going beyond the call of the smoke. As we last left our man, John Constantine was near death's door having been shot by Sister Anne Marie as a sacrifice to save the kidnap newborn infants. With one desperate effort, John summonds Pazuzu to take hold of his body. Unforfunately for him, his friends, and strangers abroad, catastrophy and bloodshed takes centerstage. Even the prisons aren't safe from #PossessedJohn. Not even out resident angel can't and won't save up.

Part two really gets its meatiest of material as it goes into the aftermath of a Pazuzu posessed John and the aftermath of Anne Marie's betrayal. The plot manages to have Zed breaking free from her Crusading captors as she and Chas challenge the Sister to help save him even if it means infultrating the prison he's being held at. Many diehards can detect bits of Brian Azzarello's infamous 25 issue run in the prison scenes which manage to surpass Hard Time in its own right. Plus we finally treated to some more gore that proves a 8pm time slot is not the family viewing hour some keep percieving it to be in the 40 years since the Circuit Courts deemed the infamous Family Viewing Hour mandate from the FCC got struck down. Here's hoping the overnight ratings.

Matt Ryan pulls out all the stops jugging our boy and in Pazuzu posessed form to where you may assume the scenes in prison and on the exorcism bed  that Pazuzu was really there. Angélica Celaya's Zed brings on the buttkicking and bringing the lads to they yard in her stake in saving herself and John. The Crusade's quest however is far from over.... Charles Halford gives his finest performance yet as we see Chas at his most (and increasing) active as he not only takes his posessed mate on but also one of the best scenes in the prison sequence that'll make you laugh knowing how grusome the beatings from the security guards is. Harold Perrineau's Manny shows how bemused he is with our man whilst still managing to turn up and disappear off behind the scenes in his signature way. Clare van der Boom's Anne Marie manages to snap herself out of her relegious judging of John's bluff and manages to go the distance in one of the most intense exorcisms ever recorded on film. Who would've though we'd find Nepolean Dyanmite own "Pedro" Efren Ramirez turning up of all places, eh?

The Saints of the Last Resorts altogether proves the most epic two parters ever to come out the stable of the WB's DC based shows and the finest hour of television to ever air on NBC. Next week we're treated to a loosely based adaptation of the 2005 GN All His Engines, Felix Faust, and most of all how Chas is able to survive death.

See you in 7!