lady_constantine

i think the issue there is that there are a handfull of JC lovers still loyal in DC's camp,but they are following under certain rules of certain people in charge and they are trying to make a quick buck.I think a few things are necessary--# darker and grittier--y'know how batman and suicide squad are not necesarilly general audience friendly? how about that bit.The problem here is the DC comics caters to people who grew up with comic book characters and there is a certain standard.

Hellblazer wasn't part of that standard,nor was sandman.

What is going on is also that there needs to be to boost it nup to the mnodern era.Our boy John was a character of the past and sad as i am to see him go,that's kinda it.He's not of this era.

The last saving throwwould be to have a contest by fans of the series and pick a story by the winner.

Say what you will and thou will be judged-- but the Constantine comic almost hit it on the nail,the existance of g

And Now it's unpopular opinion time (yay)

-As a person of this age,I'm gonna do a rundown of shit that would've worked if it had better writers

1)the existance of Georgiana Winters and the idea that the british government was actively looking into supernatural threats (watch anime Black Butler:example of how it worked)

2)Cult of the Cold flame-could have actually been a thing

3)Anybody remember the Trencoat Brigade ?(those folks could always have been an active pressence)

4)you guys are ginna hate the shit outta me--but I still stand that Nick Necro would've been an awesome character--but more so if he wasn't a villain,but just as John's mentor/boyfirend and maybe died saving him or some shit and didn't go out like a bitch

5)which would have inexplicably tied John to Zatanna--

6)which would've swung him into the dcu

7)and because Zatanna use to go with bruce wayne--there is a chance he could've met John (and Nick/) and this would've swung JC into the ,mainstream dcu--(smart move putting him in arrow,by the way)--

8)and because batman/gotham is dark in and in itself--it would've made since for an affilated series to be dark and gritty too

9)STOP TRYNNA CENSOR IT.some seriously messed up shit happend in Hellblazer--how about some of this seriously messed up shit happen in the next constantine mess

And unpopular opinion-conversly--a series with young John Nick and Zatanna going on the road and kicking ass (like supernatural and the winchester bros.)

in hellblazer,john ran around on fucked up adventures,banished some evil shit,did some morally disturbing shit .I mean,running around and destroying supernatural threats should be a pretty easy storyline to work--why are these people making it hard? Harry dresden did it and did well,anita blake up into a certain point...Gotdamnit! Scooby doo done did it?! why is this so damn hard for them?

Maybe,they really should just let it die.We fans remember hellblazer,but hellblazer is super obscure and most people don't even know about it.hell nick necro (okay,keanu ,but i just gotta make the joke) was more well known than hellblazer for the longest.and say what you will ,but the movie was great becaus ethey got the right magic-realism type atmosphere....it's the next best thing to hellblazer in my opinion.

It pains me that our boy john went out like a nut,but the fact is we are dealing with the wrong type of people who don't know how to write the genre.hellbalzer was horror...and actually paul dini's take on zatanna was horror...really think he may be able to pull off a constantine story ,provided zatanna was around--then again,maybe not

also this may seem minute to some peope but--

i think it could benefit from an actual non-heterosexual writer to acurately portray john..no really,but that is the least of our problems now

Okay,my rant is done

I've always found it's easier to point out the negatives than to describe the positives. Something has to be really damn good to get me motivated to delve in to why I loved it, otherwise I feel the urge to just say, "This was really good! I think you should read it!". On the other hand, when I dislike something, I feel a real need to vent my frustrations and point out why and where the author failed. It seems to stimulate creativity to be negative, at least for me.

A lot of time reviews are used for blurbs about a book. The publisher, obviously, isn't looking for someone to say that the book was awful, so if you write a more positive spin on the book, it's more likely that the publisher will use your review. So, even if a reviewer disliked a book, they temper their negative emotions and write, "While the writing could have been much more descriptive and characterization seemed to be skipped, the author has such a compelling grasp of action scenes, that a big budget movie fan will feel like they're on the edge of their movie seat."

Publishers read it and decide to cut and paste, so that the blurb on the book cover says, "A big budget movie fan will feel like they're on the edge of their movie seat!" says the Washington Post.

hmm...i kinda do the same thing.i do get that now,bnut--some stuff is truly terrible and i feel like i am doing viewers a service...but that simply isn't how the business works

I did spend a while writing comics reviews, as a matter of fact. That magazine ceased to exist a while ago, though.

.

I use to review DC comics as a guest blogger until one of the othe rbloggers went and deleted my review and didn't tell me and no one discussed anything--I rage quitted and regretted it.

Sadly, the sort of savage rant (I like that) I usually default to as a critic is rather out of fashion, these days. The only place that still seems to be publishing really vicious hatchet jobs on the regular is Private Eye. Interzone used to, but since it changed editors that seems to have stopped completely. At the same time, strangely, the quality and volume of the review content has taken a nosedive. Funny, that.

and YES, reviews are basically jerk circles half the time.I was a vicious reviewer so maybe that's why I got the boot.

I am contemplating doing reviews again,idk

Nah. They probably just read it and immediately took it to the store to pick up the latest Danielle Steele book.

Yep. I spend a lot of time in used book stores, and I've figured out that different types of readers act differently with their books. Readers who tend to read New York Times Best Seller books tend to trade in their books after they read them. Readers who read books that are considered more cerebral or avant-garde tend to hoard their books. There are certain authors that I have rarely ever come across in a random used book store, I've had to order them off the internet. It's true that far less readers read those authors than, say, King, but it's also true that the people who read those types of books tend to save them.

Certain classics are exempt from the criteria however, as schools often make students read the books, and the students want to get rid of the books. So, you might find One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest pop up at used book stores more often due to the fact that many schools assign the novel. Otherwise, Kesey's most famous book would probably be harder to find.

I fall very much in to the hoarder catergory. Unless I'm reading a book and dislike it, I hold on to my copy.

i usually read ebooks nowadays because I am so very broke.however,there are some books that I would most definitely collect and some books i treat like gold and you can't get me to part with them (any and all books by toni morrison). certain books like 'a clockwork orange' and the great gatsby---they made us read gatsby in school,I would hold onto...but you need to actually re-read the story to really ,really get it.the films are nothing like it.same with breakfast at tiffany's,another read between the lines book.also any and all books by toni morison are like that.also,certain comics.trynna collect all the sailormoon manga because it's a classic.same with revolutionary girl utena

i have,however brought books i regretted.

i tend to think alot of the writers from yesteryear have a certain flair to their writing that seems lost now.

though I'm gonna be honest--I was on them anita blake novels up until obsidian butterflies

wouldn't you need to feel extremly safe with a dominatrix, to allow her to, you know, dominate you? i never had the opportunity to try that stuff out, but to me it seems, that the whole bdsm thing is highly demanding of a lot of trust and safety. no?

Absolutely. There's this catchphrase "safe, sane and consensual" all over the BDSM scene. The S&M lot are very careful to stress that what they're into isn't abuse, but a lot of the fantasies that underpin the roleplaying are deeply unpleasant and would be massively abusive if ever enacted for real. (This is one of the big issues with those stupid "Fifty Shades..." books, though the fact that EL James has a prose style like she was dropped on her head as a baby and creates less convincing characters than M Night Shyulaman attracts a lot of dismissals from pervs as well. The spectacle of somebody who seems to think John Norman had the last word on gender relationships complaining that James is writing a how to book on gaslighting and abusive relationships is pretty funny, if I'm honest.)

in that book,that was an outright abusive relationship ,couldn't finish it .and in real life,alot of people would've seriously called the police on that asshole.That and plus the fact that she didn't seem to be into the kink all the time was off putting and yes,yes the writing sty;e was terrible.

and ugh,bodice rippers...i have an aunt who reads that kinda stuff.

truth,i throw no shade at erotica,in fact ,good smut is a plus.i also throw no shade at bdsm . but fifty shades was wtf

Yeah, I've got time for this!

this song on repeat

lol'd so fucking hard m8.

...some of that shit's true tho

And, if only more people realized that, the divorce rate and the amount of people cheating on their partners would decrease. Sadly, I don't see many people who fall in to those traps waking up to that fact. There's still too much "instinct" involved with relationships, and not enough love or intellect. A lot of males think they should be dominant in a relationship, while a lot of females are looking for economic safety or suitable genetics for fathering a child. The fact that love is needed for a relationship, and that love can only come from equality, is still often overlooked by far too many couples.

That is completely true.Though I think people fail to realize what love is.I blame the media partially,but here's the thing; due to sexism ,classism and racism ,there have always been boundaries on relationships,expectations.But this is the first time in history when you can really choose a partner because you love them,I think people don't actually know how to handle this. There is also a fact that --I dunno about other countries but America has this "divorce culture".It's like people get married/get together with no intention of spending their lives together.It's like people say"you cna always get divorced",just as easily as you can grab another pair of socks from your drawer . :(

I have my doubts. Unless the woman is an occultist, Engelhart makes any vaguely feminist character act like a psycho.

Engelhart prefers "safe" women or women he can equate with an earth goddess.

It was an unsucessful relationship for Bruce anyway. He tried, but realized the only type of woman he can love is a dominatrix.

but don't most men prefer safe women?

Was Silver St Cloud a top as well, then?

been a while since i read those issues! (i don;t have none of that older stuff)anyone got reference??

Bruce and zatanna?bruce is so obviosly the sub.not even a question

Maybe her and John fight over who gets to be on top, and either take turns, or decide to go a different route? John is a pretty dominant type of guy. I have a hard time seeing him ever accepting being submissive, even with role-playing. Although, he obviously bit the bullet for Manor. Although, John is a magician, and part of the art of magic is often taking on different roles. To be a truly great magician, magicians really need to be able to come terms with getting in to playing the opposite, and overcoming dualities. However, having said that, I don't believe that Crowley ever liked to take on a submissive role. That guy was an egomaniac.

Given that Grant Morrison's thing of having Zatanna drawn to look like Dita von Teese (who according to several scurrilous sources is very much a bottom) has stuck, maybe she's been forcibly de-Dominatrixed at some point?

could've been roleplaying

that's the thing.males subs.your boss might be a sub,your bus driver.,the mail man...men do NOT where this on their sleeve because of societal norms and they would be judged quite harshly.lotta women don't get into this type of thing so from the perspective of a man who likes women,of course john's not gonna bring it up until he's already gained your trust(general rule of bdsm until online bdsm sites came around) .and really,everything from the way he wears his hair to the way he dresses is to decieve you into thinking'look how normal i am!look how much of a creep i'm not!'...and then some weird shit happens...or you might die or somethin',idk ..just saying with guys (especially bi guys) it is a whole new ball game.

the idea is that you're not suppose to be able to tell,that's the appeal you see.. wait to he comes crawling on his knees begging.....

though i would go with switch.

as for zatanna she really just gives off dom vibes(her and nick necro could possibly be one of those dominant couples looking for bi subs to play with-this is actually a thing) ...yet despite the beauty of dita von teese...never thought zatanna resembled her much. i know in bombshells she looks like katy perry,in new52,she looks more like megan fox (or scarjo...depends on the art) .in zatanna 2010 she spent time looking like mila kunis.and before she looked different.again. ugh! she is so inconsistantly drawn! one of the most inconsistent characters I have seen.it's like they said,lets draw a hotty with black hair and just did whatever.(this is an issue with american characters period,especially females--can we give the jaopanese manga characters points for consitancy? thank you)

Given that Grant Morrison's thing of having Zatanna drawn to look like Dita von Teese (who according to several scurrilous sources is very much a bottom) has stuck, maybe she's been forcibly de-Dominatrixed at some point?

could've been roleplaying

i would generally see him more of a switcher

I definitely see him as a top man, although most of our experiences with him has been with females. Manor was just a ruse, and Nick Necro is just embarrassing. "We have top men working on it right now."

true...but we did see him beat manor into submission,and they did kinda put the idea of zatanna and nick necro handcuffing him to the bedpost and having their way with him(or conversely--zee sandwich anyone?).

Also ,john was thirsty enough that he could and probably would've subbed for zee in the new 52 verse (and that could have still been non sexual--just worship stuff...(not like with her powers this couldn't be a thing)

And not only that ,butjohn's not the only victom--zatanna has to carry the ugly stain of nick necro too(her 2010 comic by paul dini was great before the dropped it in favor of boo52...wasted potential)

agree with switching--though who said the dom had to be a male?Could easily be domme as in dominatrix

[femdom is still kinda risque...y'know with how fragile masculinity is and one's manhood being in question and all don't think there's any mainstream work with it though ironically one of the most iconic bdsm works in history is venus in furs ...with a female domme]

however the troll was fed

thanx 4 da snax

wanna add a few things but it grew on me and i wanna stay faithful...bitching out? idk

It was a mess during that first story-arc, as well. The one about John's ex-girlfriend.

 

This writer's Fanny Greaves / Mary Sue?

agree...though i did like georgina and she would've been and awesome recurring character for john to work with

Remember when I said I was gonna update the song?

I started on it.

I actually did listen to the original while I did it,sang along and counted syllables to see what fit and what didn't.Tried to paint a certain picture and retain the same voice as delano's constantine

Some of it I didn't change out of resepect for the original creator and other things are references I know I don't get because I'm american.I reach out to my british allies,and thou shall strike the down if thine sin is too great :

Venus of the Hardsell (updated)

Love, adventure death and glory [c'mon gais--not heartless enough to change the beginning and it's unnecessary to tamper]

The short goodbye

The whispered story

One last glance at the chameleon dance

And into the silver screen stare serene

I ain't no mark for the Venus of the Hardsell

(Say it)

I ain't no mark for the Venus of the Hardsell

Saints and sinners, new beginners

We can buy new faces ,buy yourself thinner

Prison cell bars and celebrity stars

Sublimation hides the death of nations

And it all thrives on the Venus of the Hardsell

(Know it)

It only thrives for the Venus of the Hardsell

Empty graves and shallow heads

Shallow smiles and they shot 'em dead [gun violence/war reference]

With your cell phone on your head is gone [this one's obvious]

Sail out of sight of land

Momma don't care care what happens to you

This life has consumed her too

Don't listen out for all that's said

Just worry when the hounds aren't fed ----------->again,this means something different to me as an american.Makes me think of the civil

(Gotta) rights movement(years ago)with dogs killing protesters.British reference please?

Worry when the hounds aren't fed

'Cos one mutt yaps and the pack starts baying

Blood for the gods it's cheaper than praying

Soldier-boys die but Superman still flies

Violent days - it's a permanent craze

It never pays to love the Venus of the Hardsell

(Leave it)

Don't fuck around with the Venus of the Hardsell

There're new uniforms at the church bazaar

Fanatics got the rising star

Thin dark streets ring with marching men's feet------------>this is the main one...what reference is this,any ideas?I think I know but

Past the billboard bride troops the national pride I'm not gonna be culturally insensitive

It's all supplied by the Venus of the Hardsell

(Fuck it!)

It's all supplied by the Venus of the Hardsell

Nixon's names left on the moon

Where Apollo's masons called the tune

To cast their influence from above

And damn all lunacy and love

You know they made her the Venus of the Hardsell

(Raped her)

You know they made her the Venus of the Hardsell

They're winning momma and it's getting dark

D'you think there's time to build an ark?

Tomorrow's a fiction, yesterday's a lie --->love this line so much

I had a friend stuck his works in his eye

Perhaps he'll die? I wonder why

we don't cry for the Venus of the Hardsell

Don't sigh for the Venus of the Hardsell

Don't lie for the Venus of the Hardsell

Don't die for the Venus of the Hardsell

-------------

I have version with the chords too---but obviously not posted

i agree there may be some simularities...but isn't 'ol conjob a sub?

speaking of which,would it be blasphemous for me to rework a more modern version of the lyrics?

Someone actually did guitar tabs for venus.

well shit...hey why not?

Aren't there a few funny scans knocking around of nu-52 Constantine stuck in a car with Batman and - possibly - a chimp* ?

 

Any word on the creative team for the relaunch ?

 

*Not that chimp

happened in injustice gods among us:year 3

loves injustice and that is like the one dcu series i keep reading.also,there are some damn good elseworlds tales out there

still really think the art style was off putting and juvenile for a constantine story.for something else,yes,for that? no

i think the problem was also this;

hellblazer was some dark shit-constantine and jld had dark moments.this one seemed to not so much have that.and i agree,constantine lacked characterization...but was someone building to it with that journey into the mind thing with the spellbinder issue.that was a really good issue.they were in his head and it showed an ex-girlfriend killing herself and nick necro essentially guided john through the weirdness(which that whole mess with his existence could've been handled better)...we also getthe only thing th glimpses of john's childhood and why he is tied to the cult of the cold flame.it lacked was the personal feeling that i like thogh,didn't delve into character as much .also he pulled a MAJOR dick move at the beginning i don't agree with ,the cult of the cold flame could have been better handled .constantine COULD HAVE BENN GOOD-but they raped it with fuckin crossovers before they could build on it.

I don't even know how well Punisher can balance both. The superheroes have to act really funny when Punisher is around. "Heroes never kill! And, this Punisher guy...he's, umm, different because....Huh."

Considering that Mark Gruenwald wrote an entire story-arc about a vigilante who kills super-villains and how Captain America must stop him and why he opposes a vigilante doing such a thing, it makes the existence of the Punisher being treated as a hero even more of an anomaly.

 

I think John Constantine works better with the DC's supernatural characters than Punisher works in a world of superheroes and supervillains, honestly.

The story is more important than anything to me, whether it takes place in the DCU or in its own universe.

 

The Delano run isn't a good example of John in the DCU though. Yes, there was some mention of superheroes towards the beginning, and Swamp Thing guest-starred, but it very much takes place in Thatcher's Britain. It's hard to reconcile Delano's realist version of England with the DCU, in my mind.

agreed,though the MCU is less opposed to killing.We saw in captain america the winter soldier steve flipping people of boats into the ocean,hitting people in ways that probably might severely injure or accidently kill,Black widow shooting and killing people on screen,plus they used the ultimates-inspired version of Sam wilson (falcon) who's rocks a jet pack and specializes in duel weilding machine guns.We got matt murdock fucking people up for life like droppin' folks off roofs an' shit.I dig that in the comics the punisher is kinda ??? but he fits right in (though I heard rumors of him appearing in daredeviul--punisher vs daredevil,punisher will kill you where as though daredvil doesn't really care what happens to you,though i think he avoids intentional killing only because he's a lawyer and knows the law,plus i have a sneaking suspicion he wants people to spread the word).in the mcu,they usually face villains that the only way to solve the problem is to kill the mofo-which .

i think the biggest problem with dcu is the high power levels of their supers we have regular people and then we have wonder woman and superman.If we have a johnconstantine roaming around and then we have supergirl (this is dccu) then that is the disparage there.Marvek folks are on easier scales when affiliated--though Constantine/JLD john are the strongest incarnations we've seen and in that context would make sense.guess if he was a homo magi vs human..

then again,Constantine is NOT a regular human guys.

Who remembers 'the laughing magician' arc? john constanine is actually like an inadvertent reality warper and an like some universal manifestation--the last laughing magician and his previous incarnation was lady Constantine

(on an unrelated note,i just love that he was a chick in the last life.no really)

but you get the point.power disparage makes it hard to blend the universe--though i wonder how the hell thor fitted into the mcu,but?? fine,whatever.he only uses his relevant abilities in battle--and the hulk is--just the hulk.luckily banner is NOT a villain.the mcu you would be fucked

Again...Injustice gods among us combined all the dcu elements in a way that made it awesome and NOT awkward.They did it right that time.I rest my case

it's ashame.that preview with him and the chick with the blue hair actually had me thinking it would be good

i'm gonna be that person.

Nu52 constantine was actually better than this

(waiting for retaliation)