John Constantine: Hellblazer #8 (2020) - "Britannia, Rule the Waves, Part Two"

[laughing_tree]

I chatted recently with Garth Ennis about Constantine. He said that, whereas he’d come into his (seminal, classic, 100% required reading) run of Hellblazer as an avid fan of the character, by the end of his stint he’d come to question his affection. He’d met too many guys like JC in the real world. Guys who sit in pubs and tell amazing stories. They’re charming and funny and they wear their flaws on their sleeves, and it’s impossible not to be drawn to them. But - if you get to know those guys any deeper? You start to realise they don’t seem to have any other friends. And, actually, if you bother to ask around, you’ll learn that there’s a reason they spend their lives on barstools being charming to strangers. It’s because they’ve systematically f***ed-over, exploited or betrayed anyone who was ever stupid enough to trust them, leaving a trail of devastation and enmity. They are the world’s loveliest parasites. I know guys like that. Guys you’re desperate to help. Guys you want to spend time with, because they’re smart and romantic and sentimental (in a deliciously unsentimental way), and above all just so f***ing fun. But: don’t you trust them. Don’t you ever trust them. (They’re always guys, by the way. This is a uniquely male archetype of needy alpha toxicity.) -- Si Spurrier

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Hellions #3: Nothing People

[superboyprime]

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