Yes, as per the Newsarama item, I will be writing a one-shot “Spike” comic for IDW in August. Long time “Buffy” fans will appreciate the concept that Spike winds up squaring off against none other than Hallie the Vengeance Demon, who has a rather unique connection to Spike that was hinted at during season six of BtVS. This story will actually address that connection, shedding some interesting light on Spike’s origins.
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Kath and I finally got a chance to see “Constantine” yesterday.
Now of course, the moment you move away from Constantine being British, you torpedo any chance of comics fans feeling like a comic book character has just stepped off the page onto the screen (as was the case that first moment when, for instance, you saw Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.) So it’s easy to say, Well, he may be a tortured individual with many of the trappings of John Constantine, but he ain’t Constantine. And that’s a fair enough criticism.
So basically we’re left with the question: Is it a good movie in and of itself? To that I would say definitely yes. The pacing is lethargic at times, but it’s that rare item: A special effects-heavy film that doesn’t make you feel like you’re drowning in special effects (like, say, “Van Helsing.”) This is accomplished through canny now-you-see-it, now you don’t stunts such as Gabriel’s wings being visible long enough to register and then vanishing.
Bits and pieces of various Hellblazer storylines are scattered throughout the story and yet, remarkably, it’s a pretty smooth combination.
Reeves does a good job, I thought, of Constantine’s angst over trying to bargain his way out of a dismal fate he’s brought on himself, and Tilda Swinton practically steals the film out from under him as Gabriel. (“You’re dying young because you’ve smoked thirty cigarettes a day since you were fifteen. And you’re going to hëll because of the life you took. Face it, John…you’re f*cked.”)
Bottom line, “Constantine” portrays an epic battle between heaven and hëll on a remarkably grounded and accessible level.
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