John Constantine, Occult Detective has an animated movie in circulation, though its content isn't spanking new. It's just comprised of episodes culled from a recent, online source called the CW Seed, under the subtitle, "City of Demons", in homage to DC/Vertigo's Si Spruce/Sean Murphy miniseries.
For the sake of the compilation, Matt Ryan, of the cancelled, live-action series (and now one of the "Legends of Tomorrow"), lends his voice to the disgruntled detective. Through this, he does a lovely job in setting the adventure's sophisticated but wary tone.
More than its short-lived counterpart, “City of Demons” (directed by Doug Murphy and penned by J.M. DeMatteis) projects an uncouth, gumshoe zeal, just like “Kolchak: the Night Stalker” did back in the day. Constantine, however, lacks Kolchak's persistent pep. This supernatural researcher is more in line with Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange when it comes to his dealings, which are more Lovecraftian than werewolf, vampire or mummy based.
In "City of Demon'"s foreboding plot line, Constantine’s buddy, Chas Chandler (Damian O'Hare) is frantic that his daughter, Trish (Laura Bailey) has succumbed to a demon-induced coma. Constantine takes the blame for it, but Chandler trusts his friend to pull her free, aware that the poor girl's mind now roams a most sordid sector.
This demonic-coma concept is nothing new. It was featured last year in “Exorcist: the Series, Season 2”, which in its own right mimicked the re-edited version of Mario Bava’s “Lisa and the Devil”: “House of Exorcism”. The concept is still viable (and on occasion bold enough to invoke Richard Matheson's "Little Girl Lost", Rod Serling's "A Nice Place to Visit"...Clive Barker's "Hellbound Heart" and "Cabal"), so why complain?
To supplement the leads, there's the buxom, blue-garbed Asa, the Nightmare Nurse (also Bailey), who assists Constantine in his maddening quest to rescue Trish. Though her presence is at best supporting, she adds a nice, off-kilter quality to the despair: pleasing to the eyes and much better than that routine, comic-relief stuff, which in this particular case, would have distracted more than helped.
Though our hero is flanked by numerous obstacles, acquaintances and adversaries, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, let alone some bloody Sorcerer Supreme, to determine he'll rise above them all, if not for the sake of one segment, then ultimately another. It's more a matter of how Constantine juggles the variables along his path that makes matters engaging. Other than that, “City of Demons” is an episodic exercise in hellish-hued atmosphere, stitched with a cool, Mike Hammer thread.
The adaptation looks damn good, with a cutting-edge richness akin to Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira", Ridley Scott's "Legend" and Alan Moore's "Killing Joke". Within this context, "City of Demons'" characters aren't afraid to fornicate and regurgitate throughout their deeds. Some even die in the most splattering ways. (Tender teens beware: Schoolroom, pixie dust has no place in this fierce world.) Even more so, the compilation's stylized coarseness makes it an ideal companion piece to the animated "Justice League Dark", where Ryan's Constantine scuffs his way through similar (though lighter and more leading-character-laden) turf.
If one has ever been tempted to try Constantine's legacy, “City of Demons” offers a convenient means to familiarize oneself with the detective's journey: a nightmarish, forever-autumn trek that's nothing short of hellblazing glory.
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