Comics
Preview: DC Releases First Look At ‘Constantine’ #1
Despite all the debate over John Constantine’s switch into the DC Universe, it’s happening. DC Comics just released the first preview of the new series, Constantine, written by Robert Venditti with art from Renato Guedes. Check out all the details below and the 5-page preview, courtesy of DC’s blog.
Official Press Release:
You may already know this mischievous Brit from the pages of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK or Vertigo’s acclaimed HELLBLAZER series, but come this spring, you’re going to see John Constantine in a dark, gritty, and exciting all-new light.
Hitting stands on March 13, CONSTANTINE #1 kicks off an ongoing series starring John Constantine within the ever-expanding DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. From the co-writers of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes, and fan-favorite artist Renato Guedes, CONSTANTINE shines a spotlight on the notoriously flawed antihero as he works to protect the world from the darkest corners of the DC Universe.
“CONTANTINE is turning into the window through which readers can see the dirtiest side of superpowers in the DC Universe, the nasty magic side,” Fawkes teased about the series.
“John has a very specific fight he’s actually involved in in this series,” Fawkes continued. “The first issue will reveal what it is he’s after. But he’s the instigator in a lot of the stories that are going to happen. In this book, he’s the one looking for the trouble. Sooner or later trouble starts to find him because of all the things he’s doing … John is not your typical hero-type character. He has a lot of vices. You’ll see him indulging in just about all of them. I mean sort of the only thing I can’t do with him in this title is swearing directly. In the book, he drinks, he smokes, he does a lot of other dirty things.”
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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