ANDY DIGGLE JOINS HELLBLAZER WITH #230

**MattBrady** · 10-18-2006, 12:48 PM

John Constantine once again calls a native son his own in early 2007, when writer Andy Diggle joins the ongoing DC/Vertigo series as writer with Hellblazer #230, due out in March. Diggle will team with Hellblazer’s current art team of Leonardo Manco (interiors) and Lee Bermejo (covers). We caught up with the writer to talk about the new gig.

Newsarama: Obviously, without the monthly dose of Diggle from The Losers and Adam Strange, you've kind of sunk below radar for the last few months. What have you been up to?

Andy Diggle: I've been busier than ever, multi-tasking on several projects at once. Obviously there's the launch arc of Batman Confidential, plus Green Arrow: Year One has just been announced - my first collaboration with Jock since we wrapped up The Losers. I'm also writing a video-game for a big Japanese company, and developing a new mini-series for another comic-book publisher - not one of the "Big Two" - that should hopefully be announced very soon.

NRAMA: You recently spoke about bring a free agent again, with the end of your DC exclusive - you had the field to play, so what got you landed on Hellblazer?

AD: Simple - they asked! Playing the field is all well and good, but when they offer you the chance to write the best character in comics, you say yes.

NRAMA: So what's the appeal of the book/character for you? Obviously, you've dabbled in the world before with Lady Constantine, but this is the real deal...had this been a goal of yours?

AD: Constantine's been my favorite comics character for 20 years now - Christ, that makes me feel old! I remember voting him for the Eagle Award for "Character Most Worthy Of His Own Series" back when he was just a supporting character in Swamp Thing, and I couldn't believe it when he won. I never imagined at the time that I'd actually be writing that series one day. Hellblazer's always held a special place in my heart, and it's the only comic series I've kept my complete run of.

Funnily enough, Jock and I had planned on doing a six-page Constantine story as a "try-out" pitch to Will Dennis back when we first approached DC - but once we got our foot in the door with The Losers there didn't really seem to be much point.

NRAMA: Hellblazer is one of those books with an impressive creative heritage. Give that you’re a longtime fan, do you have any favorite stories that stand out for you, that you'll be using as your own personal measuring stick?

AD: For me it goes right back to those original Alan Moore Swamp Thing stories, the "American Gothic" arc where Constantine first appears. There was an edge to him back then - he was this sharp, cocky, dangerous little bastard, and I'd like to bring some of that attitude back. Beyond that? I'd have to say Jamie Delano's early Hellblazer issues, especially the opening two-parter. Issue #27 is a personal favorite - "Hold Me" by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Garth's run, obviously, especially the cancer arc. And I've always enjoyed Mike Carey's stuff, I thought "All His Engines" was great. I think it's a measure of Constantine's richness as a character that all these writers can emphasize different aspects of his personality, but somehow they always gel. Constantine always feels like the same guy.

NRAMA: That said, and you kind of emphasized this in naming your favorites - readers don't blink at a male creator writing a female character, a 50-something writing teens, a white creator writing African American characters, straight creators writing gay characters - yet for the bulk of his run, Constantine has been written by creators from the UK. Why do you think that is? Is there something about John that UK voices seem to capture better than, say, American writers?

AD: Well, he's British, for starters, and it does seem to be the case that British writers find it easier to capture the British voice than American writers do. I don't think it's anything to do with writing talent, just that we see a huge amount of American TV and movies over here, so we're exposed to a lot of American voices. On the other hand, I don't think there's a huge audience for British stuff in America. Everyone seems to think we're all either Cockney gangsters or landed gentry sipping tea from fine bone china while watching re-runs of Benny Hill. So I suppose it's just a question of what you're used to. I'm a Silk Cut-smoking Londoner myself, with family ties to Liverpool, so I feel like I know his world and his voice pretty well.

NRAMA: > C'mon Andy - you can admit it, do you smoke Silk Cut because Constantine smokes silk cut? They give you that tough guy edge, don't they?

AD: Actually, Silk Cut are generally laughed at for being namby-pamby low-nicotine smokes for shandy-drinking softies, so they're hardly a tough guy badge of honor. My brothers refer to them as "virtual cigarettes". If I tried smoking unfiltered Gauloise, on the other hand, my head would probably fall off and roll under the table...

NRAMA: As you mentioned, Constantine has gone through a lot in his years. Where do you find the character when you pick him up? What's driving him forward these days?

AD: Mike Carey and Denise Mina have both put Constantine through the wringer lately, so he's feeling a bit battered and bruised. A bit... crumpled. So I'm going to have him take a long, hard look at himself, and decide it's time to try and get back some of his edge. Get his shit together. Sharpen himself up a bit.

What's driving him forward now is the same thing it always was - he's an adrenaline junkie. Some have described it as an "addiction to magic", but personally I think magic is just a means to an end for Constantine, not an end in itself. It's the thrill he craves - he's a meddler. He can't walk past a rock without turning it over to see what crawls out from under it. He can't help but pick at the scab of the world. He just has to *know*. Constantine has faced down the Devil himself, but I think his greatest fear would probably be *boredom*. That would be John's own personal Hell - just having nothing to do, nothing nasty to stick his nose into.

I think Constantine isn't so much a cynic as a jaded idealist. After all, he wouldn't have been outraged by the social injustices of Thatcher's Britain if he didn't care. He's disappointed at the world, and he has this overwhelming compulsion to try and fix things. Magic is just a short-cut, the quickest and easiest fix. At its best, Hellblazer was always "supernatural horror with a social conscience", and that I'd like to bring that political element back to the book - although I have no interest in turning it into some kind of personal soap-box. It's about Constantine's worldview, not mine.

NRAMA: That said, tease a little of your run - where do you want to take John, both in the short term, and in the longer view?

AD: I'm planning on splitting my run into two roughly equal halves. The first half takes place mostly in and around London, with supernatural horror stories taking a twisted view of Blair's Britain, and Constantine sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong. Then, once the villains of the piece have emerged, the stories will begin to close in more on Constantine himself, as he finds himself the focus of a very high stakes game. In the process he'll be forced to deal with some dangerously unresolved issues from his past... including his time at Ravenscar Secure Facility For The Dangerously Deranged.

Zadillo · 10-18-2006, 01:05 PM

Looks like I'll be buying Hellblazer again. Can't wait.

Faithless · 10-18-2006, 01:11 PM

Awesome news! Hellblazer goes back on my pull list!

thefellowship12 · 10-18-2006, 01:14 PM

I didn't wanna drop the title with Denise Mina on it but due to funds i kinda quit the series and now Diggle is on the title I have to get it again.

Punchy · 10-18-2006, 01:15 PM

I've never read Hellblazer before, but I'm going to pick it up for Diggle.

What trades would you recomend?

linnen · 10-18-2006, 01:21 PM

Welcome aboard, Andy! I know already that this is going to be a fantastic run of stories for our boy John. Looking forward to March.

thefellowship12 · 10-18-2006, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punchy

I've never read Hellblazer before, but I'm going to pick it up for Diggle.

What trades would you recomend?

The All His Engines Ogn by Mike Carey is great, you should pick that up, very accessible to new readers and has superb art from Manco.

Ignacio Alcuri · 10-18-2006, 01:30 PM

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat news!!!

nietoperz · 10-18-2006, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punchy

I've never read Hellblazer before, but I'm going to pick it up for Diggle.

What trades would you recomend?

All the Garth Ennis stuff, but especially Dangerous Habits and Rake At The Gates Of Hell. Warren Ellis' short run was brilliant as well...

melperfect · 10-18-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nietoperz

Warren Ellis' short run was brilliant as well...

Haunted!

Best Constantine revenge ever.

This is going back on my pull list as well! (nothing against Denise Mina, just wasn't for me)

BriGuy · 10-18-2006, 01:44 PM

Can we get Diggle on the next Mystery in Space mini, please?

Ace · 10-18-2006, 01:55 PM

i miss the days when John could walk in and out of the DCU,and the DCU could walk in and out of his title.

I just read the birthday party issue by Ennis last night, for instance, and of course there's one of my favorite stories ever with the Swamp Thing crisis tie in.

I really miss that stuff.

The DCU is a poorer place without Constantine in it. And I actually think Hellblazer is poorer off as well.

And it could really be done in ways that didn't step on anyone's toes, very easily too. It just takes a little common sense and a little suspension of disbelief on why the current big event isn't really affecting John's book.

But yeah, Diggle's a great choice, and this is a great place for Diggle to be.

Kody · 10-18-2006, 01:59 PM

Looking forward to it.

Robert_Coyner · 10-18-2006, 01:59 PM

I am so excited for this news. I've enjoyed both Mike Carey's and Denise Mina's runs, but I have to admit, this book is not anywhere near the top of my pile. With Andy Diggle's sensibilities for cliffhangers and dark humor, I think he could bring an edge to it that we haven't seen in a while.

BTW - good thing I can read, otherwise I wouldn't have skipped right ahead to the Q&A and missed the answers to all of my questions... :-P

Punchy · 10-18-2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert_Coyner

I am so excited for this news. Will the run begin in February? I've enjoyed both Mike Carey's and Denise Mina's runs, but I have to admit, this book is not anywhere near the top of my pile. With Andy Diggle's sensibilities for cliffhangers and dark humor, I think he could bring an edge to it that we haven't seen in a while. I'm wondering though if Leonardo Manco and Lee Bermejo will still be on it, or if they're planning on changing the full team. It might be nice for some new blood all around, even while I've enjoyed both Manco's and Bermejo's work. Jock covers would be excellent, for instance. And, Giuseppe Camuncoli hasn't been on anything since the end of Captain Atom: Armageddon. I've also, always wanted to see Danijel Zezelj or Igor Kordey (fat chance, I know) on this title...

March

BriGuy · 10-18-2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert_Coyner

And, Giuseppe Camuncoli hasn't been on anything since the end of Captain Atom: Armageddon.

I recall seeing him on something in Marvel's January solicits.

SpyGuy · 10-18-2006, 02:25 PM

Great news!

I thought Mike Carey's run was hit-and-miss and Denise Mina's is pretty underwhelming so far, so I'm looking forward to seeing what Diggle can do. I've always felt that Constantine was at his best when shocking readers with ballsy, manipulative acts. Here's hoping we see some of that again...

creatorman · 10-18-2006, 02:25 PM

Hellblazer is an excellent series, and with such a continuous long run, can we see a consistent collection of hardcovers? Perhaps collect 25 issues at a time in an Omnibus format? Even 12 issues at a time would be good. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that would want this lining their shelves

Robert_Coyner · 10-18-2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creatorman

Hellblazer is an excellent series, and with such a continuous long run, can we see a consistent collection of hardcovers? Perhaps collect 25 issues at a time in an Omnibus format? Even 12 issues at a time would be good. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that would want this lining their shelves

I just wish they would collect the rest of Delano's run, or at least key issues from it. Though it had some creative ups and downs, a lot of what happens to John and his family in it reverberated through the series up through both Jenkins' and Carey's runs.

samnoir · 10-18-2006, 02:56 PM

This does not suprise me. It would seem every major Vertigo writer gets his shot at Constantine at some point, particularly if you hail from the UK.

Delano, Ennis, Gaiman, Morrison, Jenkins, Ellis, Azzerello (he's the first American right?).

Even Milligan got his hands on him in the Shade The Changing Man crossover, and Millar got to write him in the pages of Swamp Thing, as did BK Vaughan.

I'm suprised Ed Brubaker never wrote Constantine. They would seem to be a well matched writer/character team-up.

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Nobody · 10-18-2006, 03:19 PM

Oh thank god...

Stanfield · 10-18-2006, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punchy

I've never read Hellblazer before, but I'm going to pick it up for Diggle.

What trades would you recomend?

Well, like Diggle himself says, Gaiman and McKean's "Hold Me' is one of the most respected single issues of ANY title and the trade "Dangerous Habits" by Garth Ennis and Will Simpson is great. Personally, my favorite stories are the two-parter by Grant Morrison and David Lloyd (issues 25 & 26), Jamie Delano and John Ridgway's run on the book (issues 1-9), all the Ennis/Steve Dillon issues (49,57-58,62-76,78-83) and of course Warren Ellis's run (134-143 - which I think is collected in the trade "Haunted"). Not that any of the rest of the series isn't worth reading...

Jed Saxon · 10-18-2006, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BriGuy

I recall seeing him on something in Marvel's January solicits.

Ms. Marvel Special.
He's also busy painting an issue of Batman: Europa (or maybe he finished that up).

Xeero · 10-18-2006, 04:01 PM

Man, this is great news. I only read the first trade of Losers, and although I wasn't to hype about it, I've dropped Hellblazer because of Denise. I found it really poor although she understood Constantine's voice and character, just that the story wasn't for me at all.

March is soo far away...

dorologio · 10-18-2006, 08:19 PM

Can someone PLEASE give me an answer with refrences to his state in the DCU proper? I know everyone is confused by what the actual aftermath of INFINITE CRISIS is but, what the hell? I'm getting the feeling he was just "fazed out" of the DCU. True? And if so, that SUCKS. Even though it didnt happen much, i always loved the accpect that crossovers with charachters COULD happen. Is his history with Zatanna and other DC Magics just erased? And does that mean the history of Sandman/Endless in the DCU is also rermoved?