John Constantine – Simon’s Incoherent Blog

The Sandman: Chapter 3 – Dream a Little Dream of Me

“Morpheus. The oneiromancer. You know, the Sandman. He’s back.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

As with the comics, part 3 of The Sandman is where the story really gets going. Finally given a lead on the whereabouts of his lost magical totems, Morpheus hotfoots it to London, where he has a lead on his inexhaustible pouch of sand. But at this point, the comics were still making a show of being part of the wider DC Universe, and it was perhaps inevitable that the Lord of Dream would run into one of its most notable magical denizens – John Constantine.

Not with a bang but a Winchester

“You guys are my favourite show!” – God

(SPOILER WARNING – DON’T READ UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN SUPERNATURAL RIGHT TO THE END!)

Well, I guess it was time.

Long past time, if I’m honest, for the longest running American genre show of all time to come to an end. Supernatural has been with us now for fifteen years. Cast your mind back to 2005 – a different world to the one we live in now. Nobody imagined a world where a baroque nutjob like Donald Trump was President, or a massive credit crunch that nearly destroyed the world’s financial system, or everyone having a supercomputer smartphone in their pockets, or a pandemic that had most of the world confined to their homes to varying degrees. I mean yeah, George W Bush was President, 9/11 was still fresh in American memories, and much of the world was outraged by the ongoing occupation of several Middle Eastern countries on which the US had imposed its will in the name of freedom. But still, compared to today, it felt like a simpler time.

Constantine: Season 1, Episode 1 – Non Est Asylum

“Whoever you are, I’m a nasty piece of work – ask anybody.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

John Constantine is my favourite comic book character. In a world of idealistic, spandex-clad superheroes fighting for truth, justice and the American way, he stands apart as a voice of realistic cynicism, puncturing all that pomposity with a smile, a smoke, and an unapologetically British sense of snark. In his trademark rumpled trenchcoat, he’s a self-aware poseur whose mask of grey morality hides a very real sense of idealism and justice. Devious, manipulative and rubbish in a fight, he’s a realistic believable human being in fantastic world that sits side by side with a very recognisable United Kingdom (and, sometimes, other countries). A man who uses brain, not brawn to solve problems – and isn’t above getting his hands very, very dirty in the process.

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