Constantine and the Furies

I saw Constantine last night. It was a pretty good movie, despite the reviews. Definitely an action movie, and it has the judeo-christian portion of the sandman mythology down pretty well, at least. I was impressed that Keanu’s acting is continuing to improve; perhaps on his deathbed he’ll actually be a good actor.

Before I properly critique the movie, I want to be at least marginally aware of the Hellblazer series. My only prior exposure to the character of John Constantine occurred through Sandman and the Books of Magic. What seemed to be missing from the movie version of John Constantine was the continuous stream of understated, dark, ironic humor. You can tell when the comic book character is deeply upset because he stops joking. Not so in the movie. An impression born out by the first couple of stories in the initial Hellblazer graphic novel I purchased and read. Also, Hellblazer seems to be one of the denser series. There was no way I was going to make it through the entire graphic novel in one sitting, unlike, say, Bone, no criticism of either implied.

But, while I was there, I saw another DC Vertigo piece, The Furies. It’s a story about what happens to Lyta Hall after she comes back to her life, when her son is irrevocably gone and her vengence complete at the end of the Sandman series. Surprisingly, I liked it. Having just watched Constantine, I was a little tired of the “gains insight by going to hell and back” dramatic meme, but I suppose that’s part of the Monomyth, eh? Still, it was good. Greek mythology, cameos by two of the Endless, even if not my favorites, and a glimpse of Dream 2.0 that seems consistent with the Sandman series. The fallibility of humanity and superhumanity, alongside the potential for personal growth and the realization of such. Tragedy and victory. Of such things are good stories made.

I just wish I got half the references made in DC Vertigo stuff. But no man is an omnibus for human literary efforts, or rather, that is not my main ambition in life. =)