Constantine: Distorted Illusions

by Kami Garcia (Writer), Isaac Goodhart (Illustrator), Ruth Redmond (Colorist)

John Constantine is, and has always been, a magician of the highest caliber-who doesn’t need additional training from any highbrow magician, thank you very much. But a magical apprenticeship in the United States is a good excuse to get out of London…and in Washington, D.C., he can join his best friend’s punk band, Mucous Membrane. When the band begins to dabble in magic, a complicated spell gets out of hand…and the disastrous consequences might be more than Constantine can handle. Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia (Teen Titans: Raven, Beautiful Creatures) and artist Isaac Goodhart (Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story) in the most thrilling magical team-up of the year!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Dc Comics, Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, LGBT

179 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2022

About the author

Kami Garcia is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author. She is the coauthor of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series, which has been published in 51 countries and 37 languages, with over 10 million copies in print. In 2013, Beautiful Creatures released as a feature film from Warner Brothers. Kami is a cofounder of the YALLFEST kid lit book festival and the author of five solo novels, including her Bram Stoker Award-nominated novels Unbreakable and Unmarked (THE LEGION series) and The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos. Kami’s first graphic novel Teen Titans: Raven, with artist Gabriel Picolo, is the first book in her TEEN TITANS series for DC Comics and the adult series JOKER/HARLEY: CRIMINAL SANITY, from DC Black Label.

Find Kami online at kamigarcia.com, on Facebook @KamiGarciaYA, and on Twitter and Instagram @KamiGarcia.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 2 out of 5]

(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: A sparkle-shutout, cardboard cutout, superficial cast, simply uncompelling storytelling, full of fluff and finished fast.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Chapters 1-4 ◦ Chapters 5-8 ◦ Chapters 9-13 ◦ Chapters 14-16

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I’m not sure why people say they have broken hearts. It’s not your heart that breaks. It’s the rest of you.”

This was a really solid graphic novel following young adult John Constantine as he moves to the U.S. to seek independence and he inevitably finds himself in a crisis situation when one of his spells goes wrong.

I knew of Constantine from the Arrowverse shows, but this was my first time truly spending time immersed with his character. I liked this portrayal of him as a young, arrogant bad boy. It was fun and his chemistry popped off the page with his love interest.

That being said though, I wish this graphic novel were longer because his love story felt like instalove. The story is so short that it rushed through their relationship and it made it so that I couldn’t feel any deep connection between the two characters besides their flirty chemistry.

The artwork in this comic is absolutely stunning. There were so many pages that made me gasp out loud because of how much I loved the art. The purple color scheme made the setting have a really cool vibe.

I really enjoyed the plotline with Constantine’s stepfather, but I wish the story had gone even further to make that plot deeper. This story lacked emotional depth and I think a lot of that had to do with the short page count. This story would’ve honestly been a lot better if it had been doubled in length or even turned into a series.

I would say that I overall enjoyed this one and I recommend reading Constantine: Distorted Illusions if you’re looking for a light, magic filled read.

[Tor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m really not sure who this was supposed to be for. It’s definitely not for Hellblazer or longtime JC fans who will be very disappointed by this extremely bland, boring, ultra-sanitized version of Constantine with a modernized and similarly sanitized backstory. And there was very little here to appeal to brand new readers, teen/young adult or otherwise. Constantine here is stripped of pretty much everything that makes him John Constantine in the first place, aside from the fact that he does magic, he's bi, and he’s briefly in a band called Mucous Membrane, but that last bit doesn’t translate well into this present day setting either, as evidenced by the repeated, random mentions of the Sex Pistols. Garcia's Teen Titans graphic novels are cute but it doesn't work here at all. I was initially excited by a graphic novel centering around a teen/young adult John but yeeeeeah, this rendition is so far removed from the character that it really didn’t work for me as a fan at all. While the art’s very pretty, the dialogue is awful and repetitive and the characters and story are vague, dull, and under developed.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A neutered, teenage John Constantine plays at being the bad boy but quickly breaks character when he gets in over his head with a little bit of demonic possession. He'd rather be all in wub than try a little harder at the magic thing.

Not my John Constantine. The kids can have this one if that's what they want, but I cannot see why they would.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is beautiful, but the writing is really basic and cliche, basically the same boat as Garcia's other YA DC stuff. I'm openly not a fan, but I picked this one up because of the art and the queerness this John Constantine seemed to be dripping. I'm here to report that this John is confirmed bi on the page, but it's really just the bare minimum of confirmation. It would have been nice to see a past boyfriend of his or something on panel in a flashback at least. Garcia writes this John as if he's a wannabe Sebastian from Cruel Intentions but British, as he spits out cliche British phrases left and right. Truly, the art is the saving grace of this book. 3/5 stars.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit leary about this one. Only because John Constantine—-the real Constantine, not the lackluster attempt by DC to shape him into some kind of DC version of “Dr. Strange”—-is a bloody wanker, a tosser, and a blighter. He’s certainly no superhero. He’s a blue-collar Joe schmo from the mean streets of London who fancies himself a sorcerer-for-hire. He doesn’t give a shit about saving the world, unless, of course, there’s something in it for him. He is, not to put too fine a point on it, an asshole.

The real Constantine would likely cringe at a teeny-bopper reboot, which is what Kami Garcia’s YA graphic novel “Constantine: Distorted Illusions” is. Garcia has basically turned Constantine into a lovable young punk (but PG-punk, not R-rated punk) version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He’s a bad-boy with a heart of gold.

Fuckin’ yuck!

I was leary going into it, leary reading it, and I’m still fucking leary about it.

Maybe it’s Isaac Goodhart’s artwork, which brings to mind the god-awful 80s cartoon series “Jem” for some reason. A horrified part of me keeps thinking that DC is planning to sell a line of Hasbro “Constantine” dolls, and that’s more frightening than any demonic force that Constantine could conjure up.

Maybe it’s the fact that the story’s set in New York City, which is fine if Constantine were American, but he’s British, so he should be in London.

Maybe it’s because his whole “bad-boy” persona isn’t all that “bad-boy” at all. So, he disobeys his parents. Whoopity-doo! He steals a book from a sorceress’s library. Shock and horror! He accidentally unleashes a demon which possesses his best friend. Oh wait—- that actually does sound like something the real Constantine would do.

This isn’t for me. Besides being nowhere near the target demographic (teens between the ages of 13 and 19, female, and gay), I’m just feeling like a cantankerous old coot who misses the old days when John Constantine smoked and drank to excess, constantly made horrible decisions and didn’t learn a damned thing from it, and only really did anything worthwhile (like save the world) when there was a piece of ass involved or if he’s the soddin’ arsehole who fucked up the world in the first place…

[Alyson Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Constantine, and when I found this at my library, I picked it up real quick. Sadly, the romance let this down. It was far too instalove, and I'm not sure who this graphic novel was aimed at, age wise? The artwork, though? Amazing!

[Emily | EMVZ.woodandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨️ Young Adult
✨️ Insta-Love
✨️ Magic
✨️ Rock Band
✨️ Fast Paced

It's a great standalone, young adult graphic novel with cliché romance. If that's what you like, then this is for you!

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmmm I've really liked a lot of the DC YA one-shot graphic novels but this one was...I mean I guess it would work best for fans of Kami Garcia's romances who aren't already familiar with the Constantine character? Like truly I'm not one to gatekeep or get hung up on One True Versions of characters but Constantine's like whole thing is being moody and tragic so like...having him have a supportive magical stepfather who steps in and helps him when his spell goes awry is a nice fanfiction I guess but then like....who is this character? lol

Anyway I guess it's a fine book for tweens/teens looking for an urban fantasy/romance GN.

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt generous and gave this 2 stars because I really have enjoyed Kami Garcia’s Teen Titans stuff.

I kinda hated this. It felt very rushed in a few different ways. Like this may have benefitted from being a two-parter even though I don’t know how they would have ended the first book in an interesting way. Also, the romance was incredibly dramatic in my opinion. It just didn’t work for me at all.

I just don’t really have much nice to say about this. The artwork was alright, I guess, but my copy had like 10 pages that were pretty blurry. Not their fault, just an added misfortune to the whole experience.

[ambyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is crisp and clear, and the classic DC (that's District of Columbia in this context) shots do a nice job setting the scene (though I could have done with more exploration of DC's grungier corners and less sight-seeing on the Mall). But this whiny teenager who calls on his parents for help when the going gets tough isn't John Constantine.

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The young John Constantine definitely worked. It was different to see John being unsure of himself having issues. I definitely get the dark brooding personality starting to come through. Again, with the younger version in this book, John comes across with a roguish charm.

John Constantine is born into magic royalty. He has talent but has a reputation as a screw up. A ticking time bomb, who will take out not only himself but those closest to him as well as collateral damage. The other problem is that he believes this himself. The big question is how will he and those around him react when the worst happens.

A good story, with very good character development, I think the artwork fits the story very well. A good balance of youthful recklessness and consequences. He will really find out who his friends and family are.

[!Leon 🦈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Cisz Geverink - Strasters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recensie volgt @ The Bookbabe

www.facebook.com/thebookbabecisz

[Leyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con este tipo de cómics sabes de antemano a lo que vas: una historieta juvenil con los personajes de DC en la que mantienen su esencia a la vez que se adaptan a un público más juvenil. Con John Constantine, que es de los personajes más adultos de DC, creía que iba a ser complicado que lo lograran, pero en realidad ha sido tan fácil como hacerlo punk y, así, lo han clavado.

La historia es simple: un adolescente John Constantine, mago, con sentimientos de abandono y que se tiene que adaptar a su magia y a su vida, acaba en Estados Unidos, donde forma parte de una banda punk y tiene desavenencias con la magia. Va directo al grano, y eso podría perjudicarle, pero creo que han sabido dar mucha personalidad a John desde el principio, incluso en las primeras páginas, y creo también que es gracias al propio John que esta historia es tan redonda, incluso si podrían haberse detenido más en otros aspectos de la trama.

Sin embargo, igual de importante que la historia es el dibujo, y aquí, en mi opinión, es magnífico. Cuando John interactúa con un objeto (aquí, evitando spoilers pese a que sepa que nadie más que yo va a leer esto xD), hay un panel que me parece simplemente magnífico, y el resto del dibujo está totalmente a la altura, tanto de contar la historia como de dar personalidad a la historia, que en el cómic es igual de importante.

En definitiva, me ha encantado, y ojalá poder leerlo otra vez por primera vez porque me parece que merece la pena.

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Constantine, this is a watered down nothing of a book with no edge. If you're not a fan of Constantine, this is a very out-of-sorts origin that isn't going to make you care about him. I guess he's kind of a jerk and does magic and that's all there is to him. Isaac Goodhart has some great artwork though, it doesn't always hit but when he gets to show off Constantine's magic and some of the spellcraft he can make it work.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s not much to this one. The characters aren’t very complex. You don’t get to learn much of anything about them. They grow because they need to, or change their minds because they need to, not because it feels natural.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! The story was enjoyable and easy to follow. And the illustrations were vibrant and stunning!

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good at all. Horrible take on John Constantine, even if it is a book for kids. Art was bad, also.

[Gwyneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A frankly bland, over-sanitized version of Constantine (or Constanteen, as the book insisted) which is wholly lacking in any of the unique traits or social discourse which originally made John such an engaging and fun character.
He feels like somebody whose entire punk base of knowledge comes from watching Spike in Buffy, is a Londoner, and the comic doesn’t really even attempt to engage in social issues. This is especially disappointing given so many of the other DC OGN’s have beautifully and explicitly done so.
The art is lovely, but once again feels too clean and sanitized. I’d imagine that this might appeal to readers who enjoy the author’s teen titan OGNs, which were also not for me. Weirdly enough, the OGN aimed at young young children which was Constantine based felt more John like than this.

It’s also apparent in places that the dialogue was written by an American who’s not aware of the current slang or speech patterns of Londoners.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what you would expect from Garcia and the character of John Constantine. Her brilliant writing and his arrogant 'tude! Isaac Goodhart brings it together with the perfect illustrations.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, I'm not totally sure who these YA DC comics are for. If I was a teen, would I know who Constantine was? If I did and I read this, what would be the next thing I'm supposed to read? And would I be confused as to why the DC Comics version wasn't like this version?
If you want an alt-tale where Constatine is a punk rock Harry Potter then this might do it for you.
Though, I'm not the target audience, so what do I know?

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Kami Garcia's other DC graphic novels, but this one just didn't work for me. Constantine is fairly bland and this is the stereotypical "magic user gets everything they want until they mess up and have to be humbled" storyline.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most Kami Garcia comics, this is fine. It's way more focused on John's new girlfriend than the basic demon possession story. It's inferred to in passing that John is bi, but nothing more than that. This book is all about Isaac Goodhart's art and clothing choices. That's where it excels. The rest is YA fluff, with a couple of tangential links to Constantine's adult self.

[J MaK · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.4) It is hit or miss with Garcia and while the artwork remains unmatched, this is a miss. An exact plot duplication derived from Garcia’s other YA DC works. The usual one dimensional angst filled protagonist struggling to find themselves. I really expected a little more depth seeing that it was Constantine.

[Nicholas Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Constantine is a magician like his father, and stepfather; but he doesn't want to follow either one of their footsteps. His stepfather Roderick connects him to a magician in America who might just help him out with his training. John really wants to be a punk musician, nonetheless he takes off to America, mostly to be in a punk band with his friend Veronica. He irks the magician meant to take him and he decides to peruse his punk dreams; though the magician's student, Luna, carefully watches him. However, while trying to get back at a venue owner who blackballed the band, John and his bandmates summon a demon who possesses Veronica. Now John needs to really get serious with magic.

As a generic YA take on John Constantine, it's okay. Story is a simple teenager takes more responsibility and falls in love with some music angle that I really didn't care for. It's not a bad angle, just uninteresting. To point out what another reviewer said, it's just kind of bland. The Adult John Constantine is done a tone of stuff. Hell, he's been to actual, well, Hell. This is just a vanilla demon possession story. It's not offensive or anything, it's just bland. If this story had a bit more edge to it, it might've been interesting.

What saves the graphic novel is its art. Isaac Goodhart's art is pretty good; nothing extraordinary, but still pleasing to look at. From the character designs to the fashion, and even to the paneling, Goodhart hits out of the park. Seriously, there's some cleaver stuff done with the panels that progresses the story smoothly.

The book is just alright.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a casual fan of John Constantine (or at least his appearances in Sandman, Books of Magic, Swamp Thing, the occasional Batman issue, etc), I was interested in seeing what this different take on the character might look like. Ultimately it's a bit of a mixed bag. I'm not the target demo (which I'm guessing is, I don't know, maybe fans of the Netflix Sabrina the Teenage Witch remake?), but even keeping that in mind, I had a hard time getting into this book.

To be fair, it would probably be hard to get across a meaningful story in such a brief format, as this was only a 30-40 minute read, but there seemed to be little to no depth to any of the characters or dynamics. For some kiddos, this might be their first encounter with a story about forbidden magic and demonic bargains gone awry, but it would still be nice to see a little something to distinguish it from other similar yarns. I guess there's the 70s punk rock angle, which was fun. Between this and Spiderverse 2, I guess that aesthetic is getting some love in comics these days.

On a positive note, it was really nice to see a little reference to Constantine's bisexuality, which I'm too much of a fake fan to know if that's been previously established, but either way, a fun detail.

I'm definitely going to check out a few more of these DC young adult graphic novels before I make up my mind, but this entry left me feeling pretty lukewarm.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Constantine lives in the shadow of his father's reputation - and not in a good way. His father took off years ago, and is reckless in his use of magic. When Constantine's stepfather suggests he go to America to intern with a powerful sorceress, he at first balks at this insistence on controlling his magic. But he has friends in the States who need a lead singer for their band, so he takes the opportunity. Almost immediately he breaks the rules, and steals a book of spells. But when the spells go wrong, Constantine may have to learn some control after all.

I was interested to read this since I just re-read some of the Sandman comics in which one of Constantine's ancestors makes an appearance, and also re-watched the "Constantine" movie in preparation for the upcoming sequel. This story is about Constantine's teen years, meaning it doesn't really tie into any of that. Constantine is a bad boy, and it was fun to see him front a band and I enjoyed his bandmates more so than the romance that starts up between Constantine and a girl who he doesn't know is an apprentice to the same sorceress Constantine pissed off. The artwork was great and captured a kind of 80s punk vibe even though this was set in modern day.

[Rowan]

i'm not the most qualified, depending on how you think this book should be reviewed, to speak on how true it is to constantine. but i know enough to be pretty sure he typically deals almost exclusively in demons and related occultism, not general magic. that's more zatanna's field, which of course there's a random reference to in the comic.

the art is fine, as long as you want your characters to look like models from the 90s. some panels have some serious anatomy issues, and every kissing panel is so flat and emotionless. the fashion is great though, especially among the magicians.

there are several instances of the story jumping locations and time with zero indication. we're just suddenly in some library somewhere, with no context, then leaving it also without context. at one point a character comes up behind another in a hallway and puts his hand on the other character's shoulder without having said 'hey' or 'wait' or 'i need to talk to you' and immediately launches into an emotional speech. so yeah, kind of odd and disjointed comic in general.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the inclusion of bisexual Constantine but for such a traumatised and dark character this watered down twink version of Constantine did not do it for me. I understand this is a YA novel but for people who want to get into Constantine comics they shouldn't start with this one. Also for an English character he feels so American. It is quite clear throughout that the authors don't have a strong knowledge of the punk scene or of Constantine himself. Loved the art style though.