Holy Crap, The First Image Of NBC's Constantine Is Right Out Of Hellblazer

RossaLincoln

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Holy Crap, The First Image Of NBC's Constantine Is Right Out Of Hellblazer

The first official image of John Constantine looks like he stepped right off the pages of Vertigo's long-running series. Time for a very stiff celebratory drink.

Well, this is unexpected.

When NBC announced plans for a show based on DC and Vertigo's Hellblazer series, the response was skeptical, to say the least. But the network has today released the first image of Matt Ryan as John Constantine, lead character in the upcoming series Constantine, and for the first time, the show looks like it could actually be good. Rather than belabor the point, here it is in all its glory:



I'm going to be honest: hot. damn. Without exaggeration, this is almost exactly what John Constantine looks like in the comics, right down to the trench coat, askew necktie, and clear lack of a recent bath and shave. That's exciting if only because network television is insanely risk-averse. The temptation to make a version of Constantine that looked "realistic" or TV hot in that stupid CW way must have been high. Sure, Matt Ryan is still really handsome, but at least they're going for shitty, hungover handsome instead of, you know, Keanu Reeves.

Yes, we can rule out most of the more controversial elements associated with John Constantine. We probably won't see Constantine's bisexuality, or his prodigious smoking habit. We definitely won't see him survive terminal lung cancer by selling his soul to two demons, thus forcing them to cure him rather than risk a war over his soul. And while we're at it, we can forget about vampires who can taste AIDS in their victims' blood, lots of drug use, or the series' absolutely epic level of blasphemy too. But that doesn't mean it can't be a halfway decent supernatural detective show, just so long as they get Constantine's world-weariness, cynicism and willingness to screw over practically anyone in order to survive the messes he often creates.

Based on this image, they're at least trying. OK, NBC, well played. I definitely want to watch this pilot now. Yes, I realize this is precisely what is hoped for by the release of an image like this. But don't rain on my parade, people. At least let me wait until the pilot does that for you.

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RossaLincoln

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synobal said:
Is it wrong I think he looks too pretty?
Remember that Alan Moore created him specifically because Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben were fans of The Police and wanted to draw a character who looked like Sting.
 

synobal

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RossaLincoln said:
synobal said:
Is it wrong I think he looks too pretty?
Remember that Alan Moore created him specifically because Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben were fans of The Police and wanted to draw a character who looked like Sting.
I have no idea who any of that is other than Alan Moore.
 

RossaLincoln

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synobal said:
RossaLincoln said:
synobal said:
Is it wrong I think he looks too pretty?
Remember that Alan Moore created him specifically because Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben were fans of The Police and wanted to draw a character who looked like Sting.
I have no idea who any of that is other than Alan Moore.
They were the artists on Swamp Thing during most Alan Moore's period writing for it. Big names.
 

Auberon

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Totleben is comic/graphic novel illustrator of some renown, but that is gleaned from Absolute Sandman's Endless gallery where he did pointillism-style Destiny among few other pieces.

E: Wikipedia gives Swamp Thing from 80s as breakthrough.
 

Two-A

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synobal said:
RossaLincoln said:
synobal said:
Is it wrong I think he looks too pretty?
Remember that Alan Moore created him specifically because Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben were fans of The Police and wanted to draw a character who looked like Sting.
I have no idea who any of that is other than Alan Moore.
Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben are the artist and inker that worked with Alan Moore in the "Swamp Thing" series that first introduced John Constantine.

The Police were a popular rock band in the late 70s early 80s, and Sting was their lead singer.


Edit: Didn't realize this had already been answered, sorry.

OT: Hey, he has a beard now! :)
If nothing else, it looks like this series will be faithful in the character design deparment. Let's hope it's good.
 

StriderShinryu

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He really doesn't look all that dirty to me. Also, having the main character look right is a very very long way from this being an accurate adaptation of the source material. Honestly, he could look nothing like he does in the source material but as long as they got everything else right I'd be happy.
 

sneakypenguin

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http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.844703-First-Look-at-Matt-Ryan-as-John-Constantine

Reposting old news? Or just felt like making the observation in a new post.
 

Klagermeister

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StriderShinryu said:
He really doesn't look all that dirty to me. Also, having the main character look right is a very very long way from this being an accurate adaptation of the source material. Honestly, he could look nothing like he does in the source material but as long as they got everything else right I'd be happy.
If you've played Assassin's Creed 4, You'll know Matt Ryan has a very "dirty" sounding voice, so the grittiness will be there.
All you need is some talented writing and BOOM! Constantine.
 

FalloutJack

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RossaLincoln said:
Three demons, actually, resulting in the argument in Hell's triumvirate over his soul, which would slip through their grasp if they didn't immediately cure and heal him.

As I've said before, the raunchier stuff in Hellblazer definitely won't make it, but I believe smoking, lung cancer, and needing both that and drinking to get through his Bad Shit days will happen, because it's always painted in a very negative light. John doesn't have horrible vices because it's cool. He has them because he'd go mad (again) without them to cool him down. I believe NBC can spin that.
 

tippy2k2

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Am I the only one who thinks that this looks JUST like a blond Max Payne?

(Not angry drunk bald Max Payne but NYPD cop)



I liked the Reeves movie but I also know nothing about Constantine so take anything I have to say with a grain of salt...
 

LordMonty

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The world he lives in needs to be gritty and grimey. Lets hope thwey get that right the character with ride along through that as he should naturally. No airbrushed photoshoped BS please.
 

Rad Party God

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Well, at least it's not Keanu Reeves and this guy is smugging, so that's a massive improvement.
 

RossaLincoln

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FalloutJack said:
RossaLincoln said:
Three demons, actually, resulting in the argument in Hell's triumvirate over his soul, which would slip through their grasp if they didn't immediately cure and heal him..
HERP a derp, you're right! (It's been a while!)
 

V4Viewtiful

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If they couldn't give him a ciggy couldn't they at least have him flip-off the audience? I'd be less apprehensive.

P.S. Great Taste No Sugar

It's a lie, you can taste the difference, it's not the bloody same! Screw You cola companies! :mad:
 

Tanis

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Good promo shot, but I'm just not sold on NBC doing anything more than a sort of 'Dresden Files: The Poorly Done Constantine Knock-Off Edition'.
 

RossaLincoln

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Tanis said:
Good promo shot, but I'm just not sold on NBC doing anything more than a sort of 'Dresden Files: The Poorly Done Constantine Knock-Off Edition'.
OOF, low blow! But yes, I agree. I don't believe for a second this will end up being anything other than tepid.
 

Mahorfeus

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Tanis said:
Good promo shot, but I'm just not sold on NBC doing anything more than a sort of 'Dresden Files: The Poorly Done Constantine Knock-Off Edition'.
Dresden Files as in the book series? Or as in the crappy Canadian TV series?
 

Anachronism

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RossaLincoln said:
synobal said:
Is it wrong I think he looks too pretty?
Remember that Alan Moore created him specifically because Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben were fans of The Police and wanted to draw a character who looked like Sting.
And I'm relatively certain the only way to get a guy who looks more like John would've been to go back in time to 1988 and actually cast Sting. I mean, bloody hell, he genuinely looks like he just walked off a page of Hellblazer.