Rating: 3/5 – Is the DCU the right place for Constantine?
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Constantine number ten does a fairly good job of bringing an unfamiliar reader up to speed on events in this title without the use of a recap page. That being said, they hint at a bigger storyline that’s happening within the larger DC Universe that could really benefit from a recap page. This is a story that takes place within an even larger story that guest stars the Justice League Dark, the Spectre and possibly God?…although that’s never confirmed.
A creature called the Blight, who itself is the “patchwork of humanity’s evil” is feeding on the darkness in the world. Constantine and the rest of the Justice League Dark are trying to do something about it, and one of the things they do to try and stop it is asking God for help. As they get towards Heaven’s gates, they encounter the Spectre and a New52 version of the 1990’s JLA character Zauriel. A plot device allows the reader to be introduced to each member of the Justice League Dark team and the role they play within the DCU. It felt forced within the story, and instead of writer Ray Fawkes defining the character by their interactions with Constantine and each other, he chose to explain them by quarter page flashback splash panels. The story turns out to be more of a Who’s Who instead of a compelling and fluid story.
The highlight of this issue was the art. Guest artist Beni Lobel stood out to me as an artist to watch. His art has a Ryan Sook sort of feel and I really enjoyed his style on all the different characters he had to include within this issue. I wasn’t familiar with his work prior to reading this issue, and since he’s a guest artist I’ll have to see where he shows up next. I’m not dismissing Constantine in the proper DCU just yet, but seeing him outside of the Vertigo Universe hasn’t enriched this longtime status as a fan favorite character. I’m hoping that given more time moving him into the DCU will end up being the right choice.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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