The first issue of my 3-part mini-series BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING hits comics shops next week. On Wednesday, June 22 to be exact. The reappearance of John Constantine in the DC Universe is a pretty big deal, and when Dan DiDio and Bob Harras told me they wanted me to handle it, I was honored, to be honest.
At the same time, I felt a little funny about it because, as a former Vertigo editor I knew how much the character meant to Karen Berger. Not only do I respect the character but, more importantly, I have nothing but the highest respect for Karen.
All I could do, then, was honor the character by writing the "real" John Constantine as best I could. So even though the John in my series is a different version of John Constantine from the John who appears monthly in Vertigo's long-running Hellblazer series, in my mind, he's still the same guy: a cynical, sarcastic, self-interested anti-hero -- with just enough of a conscience to make life hard on himself.
Throughout the whole three issues, you'll find little references to John's history. Some are pretty obvious, others not so much. I wanted to include those not to show how clever I am or how many back issues of Hellblazer I've read, but to pay my own small homage to the writers who guided John through his last 25 or so years of adventures: in particular Alan Moore who created John, and Jamie Delano who gave John the personality and history that all Constantine aficionados know well.
Of course, like any writer, I put my own "spin" on John. Constantine's often referred to as "the working class mage." To me, the emphasis is on working class. I see John as a man who's always had t make his own way through life. No one ever gives him anything. If there's a problem to be solved, he takes care of it himself. And he does it with a hard-edged sense of humor that acts as his defense against the cruelties and unfairness of the world. The odds are always against him. But he uses his wits and, when he has to, a little magic to turn them back in his favor.
That's how I see John Constantine. That's how I tried to write him in this series. I hope you'll pick up the first issue on Wednesday.
At the same time, I felt a little funny about it because, as a former Vertigo editor I knew how much the character meant to Karen Berger. Not only do I respect the character but, more importantly, I have nothing but the highest respect for Karen.
All I could do, then, was honor the character by writing the "real" John Constantine as best I could. So even though the John in my series is a different version of John Constantine from the John who appears monthly in Vertigo's long-running Hellblazer series, in my mind, he's still the same guy: a cynical, sarcastic, self-interested anti-hero -- with just enough of a conscience to make life hard on himself.
Throughout the whole three issues, you'll find little references to John's history. Some are pretty obvious, others not so much. I wanted to include those not to show how clever I am or how many back issues of Hellblazer I've read, but to pay my own small homage to the writers who guided John through his last 25 or so years of adventures: in particular Alan Moore who created John, and Jamie Delano who gave John the personality and history that all Constantine aficionados know well.
Of course, like any writer, I put my own "spin" on John. Constantine's often referred to as "the working class mage." To me, the emphasis is on working class. I see John as a man who's always had t make his own way through life. No one ever gives him anything. If there's a problem to be solved, he takes care of it himself. And he does it with a hard-edged sense of humor that acts as his defense against the cruelties and unfairness of the world. The odds are always against him. But he uses his wits and, when he has to, a little magic to turn them back in his favor.
That's how I see John Constantine. That's how I tried to write him in this series. I hope you'll pick up the first issue on Wednesday.
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