Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics | Tagged: batman beyond, cats, doom patrol, john constantine

Batman Beyond, Cats, Doom Patrol And John Constantine (Spoilers)

What is it with John Constantine and cats? There is quite a history between them, that it is worth checking in with today's DC Comics titles.

Published Tue, 26 Sep 2023 06:58:08 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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What is it with John Constantine and cats? There is quite a history between them, that it is worth checking in with today's DC Comics titles.

No, Spirit World #5, I'm talking about Constantine and cats, not Constantine and Cassandra. But maybe we should take a step back to the mid-to-late eighties.

Thank you, Hellblazer #3 from 1988, John Constantine has been known to impale a cat or two for magical ritual when he can be bothered. And it seems that as a teenager, he really was bothered.

Killing a cat with a stone. Then using magic to condemn his own father. It was a different time, as they say now.

And it seems to work a little better than he thought it would. or worse, depending on your perspective.

Cats or fathers, it's never good to hang around John Constantine. Not in the present, not in the future, such as today's Batman Beyond: Neo Gothic #3. Where last month, we met Kyle, a magic catboi of the future.

And turns out, that there is a John Constantine of Batman Beyond as well.

Where he seems he is getting on a bit. Born on the 10th of May, 1953, six months older than Alan Moore, he just had his seventieth birthday. By the time of Batman Beyond, 2039 – the hundredth anniversary of Batman's creation – he's in his late eighties.

It's not good to be a cat, hanging around Constantine. But maybe there is an alternative? Tomorrow's Unstoppable Doom Patrol #6 brings back Willoughby Kipling…

Created by Grant Morrison and Richard Case as a literal stand-in for John Constantine when DC Comics editorial wouldn't allow Constantine to appear in Morrison's Doom Patrol. He's mostly only ever appeared in Doom Patrol infrequently since the Morrison days but was portrayed by Mark Sheppard in the TV series. But it looks like he has a catboi all of his own, with a slightly better relationship than John Constantine seems to have managed.

I've got a new cat, recently. Her name is Pandora. And she is Pandorable. Keep John Constantine away from her, please.

UNSTOPPABLE DOOM PATROL #6 (OF 7) CVR A CHRIS BURNHAM
(W) Dennis Culver (A/CA) Chris Burnham
THE DEBUT OF THE ALL-NEW FLEX FORCE! General Immortus launches his attack against the Doom Patrol right in the heart of their home base, the Shelter! Caught off guard, the team must stop the general's army from killing all of the metahumans they've sworn to protect. Fortunately, they won't have to do it alone, as the all-new Flex Force rises to help them! But is this the real threat or merely a diversion? Only Immortus knows for sure! Retail: $3.99 In-Store Date: 9/26/2023

BATMAN BEYOND NEO-GOTHIC #3 CVR A MAX DUNBAR
(W) Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing (A/CA) Max Dunbar
In the darkness beyond, a looming threat waits. Behold: the Court of Owls! But who do they seek and why? After escaping the wrath of Killer Croc, Batman comes face-to-beak with the most terrifying Court to ever exist. But in order to get the answers he seeks, he must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Can Batman act against his mission to protect? All this, and the truth behind the magic is revealed. Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 09/26/2023

SPIRIT WORLD #5 (OF 6) CVR A HAINING
(W) Alyssa Wong (A/CA) Haining
The Collective is hungry to collect more spirits and bodies to absorb, making it an even scarier and more powerful being, but it is not enough…so it begins to chase after the most delicious of memories. Bowen and Po Po get taken by the Collective, and it's up to Xanthe and BatgirI to pull them out of its conjoined body parts before they get melded on as well–permanently! As Po Po fights to hold on to her memories as much as possible, we discover her secret origin and why she has such a soft spot for orphans… Retail:
$3.99 In-Store Date: 9/26/2023

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