Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: dc bloodbath, dc comics, hellblazer, john constantine, si spurrier

Si Spurrier on the Cancellation Of John Constantine… and Heartbreak

In the reported-but-possibly-apocryphal words of Jack Kirby, as reported by Dylan Horrocks…

From Hellblazer and Justice League writer Si Spurrier's blog, posted today, on the news that John Constantine: Hellblazer #12, out in November, will be the final issue of the series. Here are a gfew extracts from a much longer peiec, including one run-on sentence that puts me to utter shame. Si writes;

Without a trace of arrogance (nor, screw it, false modesty), I'm going to flat-out state that the stories we've told possess genuine value and importance, especially in these strangest of times. They're good, and I'm not just saying that. By any metric, up to and including the fanciest online review aggregate, which at time of writing considers our Hellblazer work to be the best-reviewed series presently on shelves, this book has been the proudest project of my career. It has felt at every stage like the one pre-existing I.P. that I was naturally best calibrated to write.

It ends in November. I'm not ready.

…

I suppose the bottom line is this: you can't write a story like Hellblazer without taking it personally.

That's a problem when it's basically work-for-hire.

oh, god, we had some plans. We were greenlit for 6 issues then we were greenlit for 6 more. In my naivety I assumed the head of steam we were building would see us through to 18 or 20. Less a cancellation than a failure-to-be-renewed, if you want to split hairs, but it hurts all the same. The places we were due to go… the dark waters we were due to explore…

….

So whereas #12 closes the tomb on all the major plots, it also springs open a few big twists we've been diligently breadcrumbing since the start. Those were, and are, intended to lead into the next chapter, with a genuinely killer hook.

A hook which will not, it would now seem, be catching any fish.

…..

I wish I could say the publisher has whisked my extraordinary collaborators and I onto bigger, bolder, less hazardous titles. Sadly, even before the personnel cataclysm at D.C. last week, and the radical downsizing that followed, opportunities were scant. It's not through lack of trying, believe me.

Pint? Bleeding Cool, en masse, has enjoyed Si Spurrier's John Constantine. A lot. I suddenly feel like trying to organise a charity single, aimed directly at Jim Lee. Hellblazer #9 will be out next week. #12 in November…

JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER #9 (MR)
DC COMICS
JUN200535
(W) Simon Spurrier (A) Aaron Campbell (CA) John Paul Leon
The British royal family has always had an interest in breeding the world's finest racehorses. When one disgraced royal cooks up a scheme to re-create the most magical of all horses, it's up to John Constantine to stop him from unleashing a bloodthirsty horror!
In Shops: Aug 25, 2020 SRP: $3.99

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