Comics
[Editorial] Who Will Constantine Be In The DCU?
With the release of the new Constantine series tomorrow, this the perfect opportunity to look back at how it all started. Introduced in “The Saga of The Swamp Thing” #39, Alan Moore presented readers with John Constantine, the foul-mouthed, chain-smoking British occult detective. Since then, Constantine has had a long journey dealing with the dark arts, magic, and sorcery. With the concluding issue of “Hellblazer”, Johnny boy is about to enter a new chapter in his life in the DC Universe. So, who will the infamous Constantine be this time around?
When I picked up “Dangerous Habits,” I knew I was reading something different. Here was this guy who sort of looked like Sting and wore an ugly trench coat. Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Constantine will do anything to prevent his inevitable death. Constantine isn’t looking for redemption, but rather, he’s searching for an escape. With a trick up his sleeve, he cons his way out of death by tricking the Lords of Hell.
This is what I really liked about Constantine’s character. After everything is said and done, he is really looking out for himself. Constantine happens to be a charismatic ladies’ man and an emotional wreck at the same time. Anyone who comes close to him, suffers an untimely end. Constantine has very few friends and yet, he still treats them like dirt. Constantine doesn’t know how to drive; so he has someone do it for him.
In “Hard Time, “Constantine finds himself incarcerated in an American prison. Gritty and unforgiving, Constantine is surrounded by hardened serial killers and rapists; the kind that deserve to be locked up. Trapped inside with him, Constantine eventually starts a prison riot to get back at his inmates. The prison becomes a hell-hole as Constantine calmly walks out and sets off on a vacation-like tour around America.
This is what worries me about Constantine moving into the DC Universe lineup. Is Constantine going to lose his edge in order to appeal to a broader audeince? Is the Justice League Dark going to jump into prison to get him out of there? Constantine belongs to the seedy underbelly; often engaging others in strip clubs and dug labs. It feels out of place seeing Constantine with the likes of Batman and Superman. It originally sounded weird to me hearing that Constantine would be joining the Justice League Dark. Don’t Constantine’s teammates realize that anyone close to him dies?
But, that’s what I like about writers Jeff Lemire, Peter Milligan, and Ray Fawkes. Lemire and Milligan were taking chances, though risky chances, but there was a payoff in the end. I really want to think Constantine will fit in the DCU. I don’t want to see him become a crime-fighting vigilante. I thought the best use of Constantine in the DCU was when he showed up in “I, Vampire.” Constantine used his magic to create fake solar power to torment a vampire. Constantine didn’t want to get involved; he just wanted to get back at the vamp who pushed him. The best part, Constantine and Andrew hated each other at the end.
There’s an opportunity here and I hope the writers don’t miss it. Swamp Thing is one of the few associates Constantine has. I would like to see “Constantine” crossover with “Swamp Thing”. I hope in the near futurem these two meet again for another insane adventure.
Hopefully, “Constantine #1” will be accessible to new readers, while not drawing away the longtime fans. If the personality is still there, Constantine will never be at a loss at what to do. When the end of the word is happening, I still want the chain-smoking cynic to care only about himself.
Editorial by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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