John Constantine has been through hell and back with nothing to show for it but mental scars and problems. Earth is his workplace with a boss that just never sees reason to give him a break. John has the heart of us all, flawed, mistaken, and most of all, too human. He certainly has had his share of humanistic problems, and more so than any hero or anti-hero I know. Besides The Punisher or Spawn, I have never read of a character that held so much darkness and heartache like that of John Constantine. This man has suffered more than the lot of them and is still one of the most underrated characters I know.
John has a plethora of problems that torture whatever conscience he contains. Reading many of his adventures I have detailed a list of these problems which involve him being an incestuous, bi-sexual, voyeuristic, pompously arrogant, selfish, chain-smoking man who is afraid that the whole damn world is after him yet most of the time he plays like he does not care. Deep down he cannot help but to constantly care and constantly worry, and with some of the things he fights? I wouldn't blame him. Out of all the stories of characters I read, nothing fascinates more than the stories of Hellblazer.
I deeply enjoy the fact that I am not reading about a hero stereotyped by perfection and the invincible sense of nobility, yet I get a hero that would believe in me as much as I believe in him, simply because his problems can equal that of any human being. Rather we deal with alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling addictions or any other nasty demons we deal with day by day, this specifically titled "anti-hero" gives us hope that we can still go on and on, no matter the evil that always tries to bind us. He never lets his win, and I believe that his message is better and more realistic than say...Superman or Batman. Even though they are completely different heroes.
Constantine is the answer to many of the worlds problems, such as the idea of being a hero and having to be
perfect. He proves one grave and simple point: That heroes can be anybody. Rather it is a police officer, a fireman, a doctor, hell, even your neighbor that just chooses to do the right thing. What makes a hero is the choice. John has never chose to give up and never will. Constantine is a man with his back against the wall and the weight of the world bearing down upon his shoulders...and what does he do? He just keeps on going.
John proves that he is the most perfect role model for our world. Because he shows us that no matter what problems bind us down, or what demons we choose to face, that you can be a hero or even some sort of anti-hero if you just choose to do what is right. Many people look up to Superman and I cannot see why simply because he only experiences our problems, he was not born to them. I can see that he provides for a godly role model, but not one that you can relate to, unless you are an alien being from an extinct planet with amazing superpowers. But as far as Constantine is concerned, he may be no Superman, but for what I think, he is far better than what Superman could ever be...well, in some ways.
Yammering on and on like this gets old on these articles because it is alot to read, but this thought was bothering me for a while and I just had to express it somehow. As for the people reading this, I appreciate your time.
that is enough of my soapbox and I say to you all, good day peeps!