The Best John Constantine Storylines In Comics
- Photo: Vertigo171 VOTES
Story Found In: Hellblazer #41-46
Details: Garth Ennis is a well-known writer of Hellblazer, but he didn't get to play with John Constantine until his debut with issue #41. The story of "Dangerous Habits" explores John's case of terminal lung cancer, which is slowly killing the man who has battled gods, demons, and everything else in-between.
This makes the man consider his own existence and what he's accomplished with his life. He even spends a ton of time making friends with another patient at the cancer ward, but when Satan himself shows up with the lords of Hell to collect his soul, things don't go according to plan.
- Photo: Vertigo228 VOTES
All His Engines
Story Found In: Hellblazer: All His Engines
Details: When the movie Constantine was released, DC opted to publish a one-off graphic novel to bring new readers into the world of John Constantine. This story serves that purpose, and like the film, it's based in Los Angeles, as Constantine travels across America to help the granddaughter of his friend, Chas.
The girl, Trish, has lost her soul, and it's being held hostage by a faction of warring gods. Meanwhile, the demon Beroul has taken hold of Trish's soul as collateral to make John do his bidding, but the demon isn't going to get the Constantine he wants, as it's never a good idea to try and leverage anything against John Constantine.
- Photo: Vertigo344 VOTES
Hold Me
Story Found In: Hellblazer #27
Details: In this one-off story penned by the inimitable Neil Gaiman, Constantine moves away from his typical selfishness while maintaining his cocky, self-assured every-man charisma. It's a story about a lonely old ghost of a long-dead homeless man wandering around the streets of London.
This issue is actually difficult to find, but you can score a digital download, so you can read it, and you absolutely should! This is early Gaiman at his finest, and while he didn't have much influence in Constantine, the rare occasion when he did write the character only produced something amazing.
- Photo: Vertigo439 VOTES
Story Found In: Hellblazer: Original Sins #1-9
Details: Before landing his own series, Constantine appeared mostly in the pages of Swamp Thing, but by 1988, it was time for him to break out on his own. The first nine issues of his solo series were compiled in the story "Original Sin" by writer Jamie Delano with John Ridgway and Alfredo Alcala on for illustration.
The series kicked off in a beautiful way, as the character was reintroduced alongside a cult of demon fetishists, delusional veterans, and a giant hunger god. It's a mashing of myth and mysticism with a sprinkling of history and harsh storytelling, that set the stage for one of Vertigo's longest-running and most successful series ever printed.
- Photo: Vertigo525 VOTES
The Family Man
Story Found In: Hellblazer #23-24 & 28-31
Details: Constantine is inadvertently caught up in the world of the infamous serial killer known as "The Family Man." He ends up sending a family to their deaths at the hands of the murderer, which only served to make Constantine want nothing more than to take the psychopath out for good.
This was a rare story in the world of John Constantine, as it didn't have anything to do with the occult, and there weren't any demons getting in his way. It was a simple psychopath, and Constantine would stop at nothing to take him out. This was a story that truly showed the lengths the man would go to achieve his goals, and any demons who witnessed this probably skulked back to the depths of Hell rather than get caught up with Mr. Constantine.
- Photo: Vertigo632 VOTES
Newcastle: A Taste Of Things To Come
Story Found In: Hellblazer #11
Details: John Constantine is a haunted man, and his life changed after a single haunting experience put him on the path he's been walking for years. The event is finally revealed in the 11th issue of Hellblazer, and it's no wonder the man is tortured about his past.
The mystery of the Newcastle incident unravels here and is continued in the following issue. Newcastle was Constantine's rock bottom, and he's been clawing his way to the light ever since, but will he ever manage to get over the event that made him into the man he is today... and should he even try?
- Photo: Vertigo711 VOTES
The Gift
Story Found In: Hellblazer #202-215
Details: When it comes time to rescue himself or lose his mind, John Constantine gave a single day of his life to Rosacarnis, and it was a terrible deal. During that damned day, John Constantine lived multiple lifetimes and sired three demon half-breeds, whose hatred of their father was nurtured by the same demoness who took John's day.
Fortunately, they aren't able to kill their dear old dad outright, as they share the same blood in their veins. Unfortunately, the few friends and allies he has remaining aren't privy to such protection, and everyone from his best friend to his former flame are up for grabs as Rosacarnis, and her brood are out for blood.
- Photo: Vertigo815 VOTES
Shoot
Story Found In: Hellblazer #144, 145, 245-246, 250 and Vertigo Resurrected: Hellblazer #1
Details: Throughout the Hellblazer run, there were stories that broke up some of the ongoing arcs from the series. They would often be one-off stories that didn't follow the normal flow of what was going on in the series as a whole, and most of them have been collected in this binding, titled "Shoot."
Inside the book are stories written by some of the best in the business, including Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello, and many more. Constantine goes up against everything from school violence to punk bands and occult psychopaths intent on bridging the gap between the land of the living and the realm of the dead.
- Photo: Vertigo918 VOTES
The Devil You Know
Story Found In: Hellblazer #10-13, The Horrorist #1-2, and Annual #1
Details: John Constantine pisses off a lot of people due to his cynical attitude toward life and his own self-interest, but he's also made a lot of enemies further south. There isn't a demon in hell who doesn't know the name "John Constantine," and chief among those who despise him is the demon Nergal.
In this epic story, Constantine finally achieves his first victory in the war against Nergal, but his win is short-lived. It doesn't take long before he comes face to face with a woman who is the embodiment of all the world's horrors, and things get ugly from there...
- Photo: Vertigo1020 VOTES
Bloodlines
Story Found In: Hellblazer #47-61
Details: John Constantine is the world's greatest magician, but that doesn't mean he's happy with his role in the world. Years of hard living has left him with few friends, far more enemies, a liver that Superman would be proud to call his own, and a trail of bodies of all the people he wasn't able to save.
It's high time the man had a moment to himself, as he's already saved the world countless times, beat lung cancer, beat the Devil. Literally. He's finally ahead of the game, but an investigation into some horrific serial murders against the Lord of Hell puts him right back in action in this amazing tale.
- Photo: Vertigo1113 VOTES
Happy Families / Reasons To Be Cheerful
Story Found In: Hellblazer #200 & 202-205
Details: Imagine a fake reality, where John Constantine has fathered a couple of half-demon kids with the she-demon Rosacarnis. That's what happens in this story, and it's about as horrific as you can possibly imagine. If you thought human kids were trouble, just wait and see what happens when they have the blood of a demon coursing through their veins!
Constantine's already tumultuous life is turned upside down as he's shaken to the very core of his cynical being. The story features three illusory timelines of possibilities, where Constantine is driven to the edge when his kids torture Swamp thing and stab homeless people for fun. It's an interesting new look at the character, and the possible realities shown are about as horrifying as they get.
- Photo: Vertigo1215 VOTES
Rake At The Gates Of Hell
Story Found In: Hellblazer #78-83
Details: As should be expected, Garth Ennis' final run on the Hellblazer books concluded with an incredible story in "Rake at the Gates of Hell." In this story, all the little threads planted by Ennis throughout the preceding years are brought forward into an amazing climax, making this story three years in the making.
Astra was sent to Hell when Constantine screwed up her exorcism, and that has been tearing him apart since it happened. When she returns in an unexpected manner, all of Hell and England are engulfed in chaos, and it's up to Constantine to finally right what he did wrong so many years before.
- Photo: Vertigo1320 VOTES
Haunted
Story Found In: Hellblazer #134-139
Details: When Warren Ellis came over to write Hellblazer, he brought along a new villain for Constantine to contend with in the form of Joshua Wright. The sociopathic magician once killed one of Constantine's ex-girlfriends, and he's back and deadlier than ever!
Wright's many crimes have a personal tone in them, and they are directed at none other than John Constantine. It's up to him to find and deliver some justice to Wright, which he does in one of the most brutal and horrifying ways imaginable.
- Photo: Vertigo1411 VOTES
Down All The Days / Rough Trade
Story Found In: Hellblazer #68-69
Details: In this two-part story arc, Garth Ennis delves into an evil vampire god and/or an apathetic society that has no problem throwing its impoverished people to the streets, where they can starve and die. Of course, that means John Constantine is going to have to go up against the first bloodsucker in the history of the world, but will the alcoholic miscreant be able to take on such a foe?
These issues hold absolutely nothing back, as Ennis and artist Steve Dillon depict homelessness in all its horrible elements, including substance abuse, prostitution, and the indifference they face, each and every day they walk among the people who have yet to sink to their level. It's a brilliant pair of stories and a must-read.
- Photo: Vertigo158 VOTES
The Wild Card
Story Found In: Hellblazer #175-188
Details: John Constantine spent 18 months wandering the deepest and darkest parts of the United States, but he's finally returned to his homeland through the port of Liverpool, and he finds it in a state of despair. His arrival doesn't go unnoticed, and within short order, he's right in the middle of a necromancy-and-murder-ring centered on his sister's apartment building!
His niece Gemma has gone missing, and John will have to venture to London to find the young woman who seeks only to follow in her uncle's footsteps. This brings John into a mad search for a magical artifact, no human should ever possess, and the stakes are higher and far deadlier in this epic tale.
- Photo: Vertigo1612 VOTES
The Fear Machine
Story Found In: Hellblazer #14-22
Details: John Constantine has lost his connection to his fellow man, and in "The Fear Machine," he's looking for a way back to humanity. Doing so may be the only way he can achieve inner peace, but how could that be possible given what he's done and the life he's lived?
He soon finds himself living in a nomadic community of new-age Pagans, intent on tapping into their own psychic abilities. John gets caught up in the middle of everything once again, as a defense contractor sets its sights on the group, hoping to exploit their burgeoning powers.
- Photo: Vertigo1714 VOTES
Fear And Loathing
Story Found In: Hellblazer #62-67
Details: Constantine may look like he's got it all together, but he's pretty messed up considering all he's done throughout the years. He's an alcoholic who drives away anyone who cares about him, and he consistently winds up in the wrong place at the worst possible time. This series of stories show his ultimate downfall as his life comes crumbling down around him.
It kicks off with his girlfriend, Kit Ryan, stepping up to keep Gemma, John's niece, from following her uncle on the path towards darkness. When John's 40th birthday comes around, some friends show up, but it isn't until the angel Gabriel crashes down in Constantine's world that the violent tendencies seen throughout Hellblazer get ramped up to eleven. He loses Kit, Gemma is on a dark path, and John spirals ever closer to rock bottom.
- Photo: Vertigo187 VOTES
Regeneration
Story Found In: Hellblazer #250-260 and Hellblazer Special: Chas-The Knowledge #1-5
Details: John Constantine has done a lot of risky things in his life, and while that has included going up against demons, and the Devil himself, he may be stepping over a line in "Regeneration." Constantine opts to seduce a 2,000-year-old demon, but getting it on with one of the damned may cost more than he initially believed.
With his act, he helps to tip the scales of good and evil, which may destabilize everything in and out of Hell. Will John succumb to his earthly desires, or will his activities mean the end of all mankind and everything he ever held dear?
- Photo: Vertigo1916 VOTES
Hard Time
Story Found In: Hellblazer #146-150
Details: Constantine has been homeless, he's been at the top of his game, and now, he's incarcerated in an American maximum-security prison! Constantine isn't alone, of course, and he finds himself having to deal with mob bosses and the occasional sexual predator, but he's not without his defenses and his wit.
Constantine is going to have to turn to some of his oldest tricks to survive, including his ability to con anyone alive through his sleight-of-hand manipulation of the truth in every instance. It's a clever tale of depravity and destruction, and it's also called one of Hellblazer's nastiest stories, so be prepared for some filth in this killer story by Brian Azzarello with pencils by Richard Corben.
- Photo: Vertigo2014 VOTES
Ashes & Dust In The City Of Angels
Story Found In: Hellblazer #170-174
Details: Back when John was just a teenager, he worked a con on another teen named Stanley Manor, and he's never forgiven the Hellblazer for his antics. Now that he's a billionaire, it turns out he was the one behind Constantine's imprisonment, and it might have something to do with what went down when they were kids.
Of course, it could also be about a seance Constantine held between Manor and his parents that went horribly wrong. Manor captures Constantine and tortures him by burning him alive, leaving him to become an apparition for five issues of this arc. This was one of the most divisive stories the series had to offer, and it's well worth reading.
