“Save Yourself, Part 1”
Creative Staff:
Story: Danny Lore
Art: Ray-Anthony Height, LeBeau Underwood
Colors: Wil Quintana
Letterer: Becca Carey
What They Say:
What kind of man is John Constantine? Mage, con man, and a few other choice descriptors not fit to print—but sometimes, he tries to be a good guy. When he tries to stop a young teenager from getting in deep with Papa Midnite, he is faced not just with the past as he’d like to remember it, but with exactly the kind of wizard he really is. Can John help, or is he going to drive someone else into the very shadows he wanted to save them from?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the series opening on Vixen and then shifting to Superman, I’m definitely interested in the choices made for what characters to work with. Not going with just the Trinity characters or the top-level A-list folks is definitely welcome and this installment plays with a very well-known character in John Constantine. Danny Lore is working a more playful version of him within this moment that makes sense as he spars with Papa Midnite over a young boy that needs some guidance. Bringing it to life is Ray-Anthony Height, whose pencil work I’ve really enjoyed before, and inking it with LeBeau Underwood. The result is something that’s definitely stylish in the way that these digital-first books tend to be as they’re not trying to feel somewhat cohesive with a larger shared universe. I like the almost whimsical take we get on Constantine here, especially as he and Midnite spar verbally.
The story for this one brings Constantine to New York City where he doesn’t feel like he can be quite his usual self as there are differences from London. But he’s also trying to do a good thing by reaching out to this kid Alex, who it turns out is a runner for goods for Papa Midnite. Midnite has set himself up well in the city this time around with a top floor kind of approach with a corporate sense but still dressed as we usually see him. There’s something to be said to sticking to an aesthetic that’s a couple of decades out of date but being able to pull it off by charisma. Constantine’s been following the kid as he knows where he’s going to end up but rather than trying to circumvent him with it, he’s opting to really make sure things are as they seem and engage from there.
It’s a good bit of fun when all three of them end up in the same room, after Constantine charms his way masterfully through the men providing guard service for Midnite, and he begins to try and get through to Alex. The kid doesn’t want much of it because he’s trying to live his life and make some money to survive, though we see others trying to steer him away from it as well. But when we see how Alex has an ability that lets him read items and their magic potential, it’s clear why Midnite is after him and how Constantine can see him being used just as a tool. Of course, Constantine has his own issues when it comes to kids that makes sense why he takes an interest here as well as how he’s using his own story to reach him. But Constantine being Constantine, he’s only telling part of the story in hopes that the kid will make the logical leap.
In Summary:
I’m always game for a good Constantine story, though I prefer his old Vertigo self more than anything else over the years. This story plays a lighter and more mainstream version of the character but that’s part of the setup as he’s trying to keep things friendly in the moment here. We get a good setup that takes us into things quickly and moves through to reveal why he’s following the kid and putting in the effort to save him. It’s a bit of smoke and mirrors as well, which is definitely pure Constnatine. Lore’s script works well and the artwork from Height and Underwood has the right feel for it overall since it’s a more open broad daylight kind of story at the moment.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: February 19th, 2021
MSRP: $0.99
