{"id":26803,"date":"2022-10-26T11:22:05","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T11:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=26803"},"modified":"2022-10-26T11:22:05","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T11:22:05","slug":"the-mystery-of-the-meanest-teacher-a-johnny-constantine-graphic-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2022\/10\/26\/the-mystery-of-the-meanest-teacher-a-johnny-constantine-graphic-novel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher – a Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Ryan North<\/strong>, Derek Charm<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-7795-0123-3 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Moody, Mirthful and Magical\u2026 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

In recent years DC has opened up its shared superhero universe: generating Original Graphic Novels featuring its stars in stand-alone adventures for the demographic inappropriately dubbed Young Adult. To date, results have been rather hit or miss, but when they\u2019re good, they are very good indeed. An ideal example is this cheery chiller reinterpreting the formative years of DC\u2019s magical bad boy: particularly concentrating on his early relationship with things that go bump in the night\u2026<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve either heard of John Constantine<\/strong> by now or you haven\u2019t, so I\u2019ll be brief. Created in 1985 by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, Rick Veitch & John Totleben during a groundbreaking run on Swamp Thing<\/strong>, the unlikeliest of heroes is a mercurial modern mage, a dissolute chancer and self-appointed mystic fixer who plays like an addict with magic – on his own terms for his own ends.<\/p>\n

He is not a good guy. He is not a nice person, but all too often, he\u2019s all there is between us and the void\u2026<\/p>\n

Winning his own series by clamorous popular demand, Constantine\u2019s own series Hellblazer<\/strong> premiered in 1988, during the dying days of Reaganite Atrocity in the US but at the height of Thatcherite Barbarism in England. We\u2019re pretty much singing the same songs now as back then but – with 5th <\/sup>rate Britain\u2019s Got Talent<\/strong> cover-artist wannabes as our revolving-door leaders \u2013 that’s something little Johnny will surely get around to sorting if he gets another outing\u2026<\/p>\n

In 1988, creative arts and Liberal attitudes were dirty words in many quarters and the readership of Vertigo was pretty easy to profile. The long-running series started with relatively safe horror plots, introducing us to Constantine\u2019s unpleasant nature, chequered history and odd acquaintances. Even then, discriminating fans were aware of a joyously anti-establishment political line, rebellious nature and wildly metaphorical underpinnings. Racism, Darwinian politics, gender fluidity, plague, famine, gruesome supernature and more were everywhere in the dark dystopian purview of John Constantine – a world of bleeding-edge mysticism, Cyber-shamanism and political soul-stealing.<\/p>\n

Relax. That is not the Constantine you\u2019re looking at here\u2026<\/p>\n

Courtesy of writer Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics<\/strong>, Adventure Time<\/strong>, Slaughterhouse-Five<\/strong>, Power Pack<\/strong>, Machine of Death<\/strong>, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl<\/strong>, How to Invent Everything<\/strong>, Star Trek – Lower Decks<\/strong>) and illustrator Derek Charm (Jughead<\/strong>, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl<\/strong>, Uncle Scrooge<\/strong>, Jughead\u2019s Time Police<\/strong>, Star Wars Adventures<\/strong>) – assisted by letterer Wes Abbott – we\u2019re meeting a wily wizard in waiting: someone apparently without conscience or impulse control who bears more than a passing resemblance to juvenile parental burden Dennis the Menace<\/strong> – but more the malign mischief maker from The Beano<\/strong> than Hank Ketchum\u2019s wayward waif\u2026<\/p>\n

It begins in London where a cocky kid pops into a sweetshop. Unfortunately, Archibald Junior\u2019s Discount Confections is no ordinary purveyor of tasty treats, but then again, Johnny Constantine is no ordinary kid\u2026<\/p>\n

Behind a cheesy fa\u00e7ade of fragrant gleaming bottles, jars and bags, this exotic emporium has a back room where ghosts, demons and world-devouring cosmic entities can also snatch a little snacky something. It just another eldritch secret that Johnny – who calls himself \u201cKid Constantine\u201d – somehow knows. The boy has an astounding affinity for magic and has even befriended a few lesser devils, but he also has a weakness for Archibald\u2019s magic chocolates.<\/p>\n

Sadly, this latest shoplifting lark endangers all of Earth and, haunted by angry ghosts, the Kid has to take refuge with a pack of low-grade demons.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been casually manipulating his parents for a while now, and fooling himself that he\u2019s a wicked cool Jack the Lad, but he learns a few hard truths as he even wears out his welcome with the unholy monsters, and immediately opts to try boarding school to evade further repercussions. Best of all, the place is in America\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty far away, but Johnny doesn\u2019t mind. He\u2019s always been better off alone. Just look what happened to the last friend he foolishly shared his magical gifts with\u2026<\/p>\n

With terrifying ease, the unaccompanied boy rocks up at The Junior Success Boarding School in Massachusetts, but his charm and roguish manner can\u2019t help him adjust, settle in or make any friends on campus. In fact, he\u2019s actually starting to feel a bit lonely\u2026 until a bit of lazy, labour-saving magic is spotted by fellow sixth grade outsider Anna<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Kid is just starting to think he might have made a mistake coming to America when she comes clean and confesses that she too can make little miracles\u2026<\/p>\n

Our gobsmacked loner thinks long and hard before letting his guard down, but soon they are friends and co-conspirators, playing pranks and testing their limits. It seems the best of all worlds until their homeroom teacher Ms. Kayla<\/em> starts behaving strangely\u2026<\/p>\n

Formerly the nicest adult in school, she abruptly changes, spitefully singling out Johnny and Anna for special attention and cruel psychological bullying. Before long, the supernatural students are using their gifts to learn what caused the transformation, but discover it\u2019s far worse than they could ever have imagined\u2026<\/p>\n

Facing a deadly existential supernatural threat, Kid Constantine does what he always does and runs away, deserting Anna and the school, but everything changes when he hits the forests surrounding the institution and meets a potentially life-changing ally in the huge form of a witch-hunting demon called Etrigan<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

Chastened and emboldened, the Kid makes a decision that will change his life: returning to school, joining Anna and the Demon in ending a monstrous menace more terrible than anyone could have imagined\u2026<\/p>\n

Rowdy, rousing and riotous – and sublimely stuffed with twists, shocks and enticing snippets of DC lore – the battle against unforgiving evil culminates in a clever piece of misdirection and some stellar sleight of hand as valiant Anna and duty-driven Etrigan see their bad boy come good and save everything\u2026<\/p>\n

This tale is done in one but the book also offers a lengthy excerpt from Jeffrey Brown\u2019s Batman and Robin and Howard<\/strong> that is also worth some of your time and attention\u2026<\/p>\n

Bold, beguiling, brilliantly entertaining and deliciously uplifting, The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher<\/strong> is a magical rite of passage and smartly funny adventure with a twist to charm and thrill full-on fans and nervous neophytes alike: one introducing a new wondrous world with a rousing reminder that there is magic everywhere.
\n\u00a9 2020 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ryan North, Derek Charm & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-7795-0123-3 (TPB\/Digital edition) Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Moody, Mirthful and Magical\u2026 8\/10 In recent years DC has opened up its shared superhero universe: generating Original Graphic Novels featuring its stars in stand-alone adventures for the demographic inappropriately dubbed Young Adult. To date, results have been … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher – a Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[305,76,8,125,254],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dc-horror","category-dc-superhero","category-hellblazer","category-humour","category-young-adult"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-6Yj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26803"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26807,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26803\/revisions\/26807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}