Hellblazer, the longest running title at Vertigo, will be coming to an end this February after the release of the book’s 300th issue. Launched in 1988, the title followed the supernatural exploits of John Constantine and brought violence, horror, and fantasy to the shores of the U.S. during DC’s European revolution. But fans of the book shouldn’t fret because according to the Associated Press, John Constantine will live on in a new title simply called Constantine.
This new book will be fully integrated into DC’s New 52 and will be written by Robert Venditti (X-O Manowar) with art by Renato Guedes. The series will still focus on Constantine’s supernatural detective work, but you can likely expect the violence to be toned down and for it to feature guest stars from around DC’s universe, which is something the Vertigo version would shy away from. But Venditti isn’t getting rid of everything that made the character such a success.
"He's going to be the same age that he is in Justice League Dark and the same character that people know and recognize - the drinking and smoking, the con man aspect of him - that's going to be very much part of the series," Venditti said. "The mission is very much the same. While I'm aware of all the rich history, I can't look at it from `How am I going to compete with that?' I am going to come to the book and tell the best stories that I can."
Hellblazer was DC/Vertigo’s last link to its tremendous revitalization of the comic book industry from the late ‘80s. While books like Sandman, Animal Man, Transmetropolitan, and Preacher have all come and gone, Hellblazer was a constant. We’re just hoping that Constantine can continue this legacy when it hits shelves in March.
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[via The AP]
