John Constantine: Hellblazer #3 (2020) - "A Green and Pleasant Land, Part Three"

[laughing_tree]

I think John typifies a peculiarly British problem, which is that we often struggle with anything unadulterated. Earnest expressions of emotion usually must, for instance, be undercut by a muttered insult. We’re uncomfortable around schmaltz, and the greatest folk-hero archetype to emerge from that trend is the Working Class Truthsayer -- the diamond-in-the-rough with a serpent’s eye for detail and a sneer for every injustice. That’s John, of course, but there’s more to him than that. Because when you dig a little deeper you realize John is an unsentimental sentimentalist. For all his cynicism and razor-sharp analysis, he’s a crusty old romantic who craves affection. -- Si Spurrier