The World's Greatest Con Man

Been more than two years, I believe, since, I have opened up this "blog" of mine, where, as far as I can recall, I say things that want to say, in writing.

One of those days. Wanted to take a nap. Couldn't sleep. There is this pain in my right arm, from the fracture last year. Should have gone in for a surgery. Another regret added to my list. There is a prickling in my right eye for the last couple of days. I don't get what's causing it. The prickling really getting to me, now. So, yeah. I made myself some coffee, immediately after having some cola.

And then, I started writing this. In medias res. Don't expect a backstory, though. I realize the style I am using now in writing is one I have now directly lifted from Alan Moore. The way Rorschach wrote in his journal. Read this in his raspy voice. Go on. You know, I'm right.

I think I am echoing Moore, because I have been reading Moore, recently. Not Watchmen, no. I have been revisiting my old friend, John Constantine, the Hellblazer. And, I think I have been thinking about dear old Constantine more than I should.

To be clear, I hate his guts, and the guts of the people who are ready to call old Johnny an out-and-out hero. He's pathetic. Cowardly. Morally corrupt. Not typically a good read for believers of "truth justice, and the American way". Not that I do not choose to believe in Superman. I do believe in Superman. And through the tough nights, and the innumerable losses that life offers more occasionally, it's good old Blue Boy Scout who comes to the rescue, with the very misleading concept called "hope".

By now, people, if anyone reads this at all, will consider me nothing more than a cynic, like our dear old friend Constantine or Bruce Wayne. Truth be spoken, Superman is Bruce's favourite superhero, too. Being in the dark, need not necessarily mean that we condone what is dark, what is cynical.

Is Constantine a cynic? He rambles on and on about what he is and what he is not, but yeah, I figure he probably is. I was reading this list of "fifty greatest comic book characters" on my Google News Feed. Not a bad list, to be honest. They take into account other folks, beside our regular DC/Marvel biggies. Interestingly, the list places Constantine in the third place. He is only bested by Batman, and of course, the last son of Krypton, who scores top spot.

This genre of heroes, more times than not, is fuelled by loss so much. As a child, you don't really think much of it. The more origin stories you read, the more adjusted you are to the loss that triggers the rise of a hero. Archetypal symbol? Dear old Wayne-rich-boy. Clark loses his home planet, Peter Parker loses his dad-like uncle to a gone he could have stopped earlier, Matt Murdock loses his dad to some low-life thugs and his eyes to chemicals, Stephen Strange loses the function of his hands; the list goes on.

Now, I figure the psychology is: to be a superhero, you have to have loss. Significant loss. Constantine, the reluctant hero, continuously loses his friends, because of his own uninformed and careless actions, the ghosts of which haunt him forever, pressing him to do what's right. What he does, actually does not have any long-term benefits because of his unwillingness to sacrifice his own well-being. Yet, he is arrogant enough to take the fights to the gods and demons. He is the benchmark of anti-climax, as he hightails every time, to save his own skin. Constantine gives up the chance to be a hero, and finds complacence in being the world's greatest con man. Naturally, as a reader of Supermen and Batmen and Spider-Men, you cannot respect Constantine enough as a hero.

But, is he not more human than the Batmen and the Supermen and the Spider-Men? Batman has his money, Superman his unearthly powers, and Spider-Man has his radioactive spider bite. John Constantine the occultist is a mistake. He did not want glory. He surely did not want to save the planet. He was drawn to magic for the thrill in his young days; and the sex. His lung cancer, his loss of the rest of the infamous Newcastle Crew, members of whom Constantine had mercilessly taken advantage of, and then betrayed. Human flaws. Even sub-human to an extent. His actions are never born out of the need to do the greater good, but to keep Heaven and Hell at bay. The few living acquaintances he has left see through his lies. The readers see through his lies. Constantine himself sees though his lies.

And despite all his pretense he's hopeful of a better day, at some level. At some level he does need hope too. That is another contradictory part about Constantine. He needs this "contradictory assurance" against his own beliefs at every step of the way.

And the worst part about John Constantine? He still keeps on lying to himself.

The prickling in the eye is really getting me now.

I'm not a journal kind of a guy. I'll just leave it here.

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