📺 Constantine: City of Demons (2018)
Part of Justice League Dark
Constantine: City of Demons is a 2018 animated web series that draws its story from the Hellblazer comic book universe, specifically adapting elements from the graphic novel Hellblazer: All His Engines by writer Mike Carey and artist Leonardo Manco. The series stars Matt Ryan reprising his role as John Constantine from the short-lived 2014 live-action NBC series, bringing a rare sense of continuity between live-action and animated DC projects. Set within the DC Animated Movie Universe, the series connects to the 2017 film Justice League Dark, which also featured Constantine as a central character.
The story follows John Constantine as he is called to Los Angeles by an old friend, Chas Chandler, whose daughter has fallen into a mysterious coma. Constantine quickly discovers that the affliction is supernatural in origin, tied to a demonic entity that feeds on the souls of the innocent. As he digs deeper into the city's dark underbelly, Constantine must confront his own inner demons—literally and figuratively—while navigating a world of occult politics, blood magic, and personal sacrifice. The series leans heavily into the horror elements that have defined the Hellblazer comics since their inception, with a tone that is darker and more adult than many other DC animated offerings.
The series was initially released in an unusual format, with the first half premiering as five short episodes on the CW Seed streaming platform in March 2018, before being compiled into a feature-length film for home video release later that year. The completed version was then released as two full-length episodes on CW Seed in January 2019. This hybrid release strategy reflects the evolving landscape of animated content distribution, where streaming platforms experiment with formats that can be repackaged for different markets. The voice cast includes Damian O'Hare as Chas Chandler, Constantine's loyal and long-suffering friend who has been a fixture in the comics since the early days of the Vertigo series.
Hellblazer is a long-running American comic book series published by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint. The series was launched in 1988, spinning off from the character John Constantine's first appearance in the pages of Swamp Thing, where he was created by writer Alan Moore and artists Steve Bissette and John Totleben. The initial ongoing series was written by Jamie Delano, who established the book's signature blend of supernatural horror, political commentary, and bleak British working-class sensibility. Over its three-decade run, Hellblazer attracted some of the most acclaimed writers in comics, including Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello, and Mike Carey, each putting their own stamp on the character while maintaining the core of a cynical, chain-smoking occult detective navigating a world of demons, angels, and human corruption. The series was notable for being one of the few mainstream American comics to age its protagonist in real time, with Constantine growing older and facing the accumulating consequences of his morally compromised decisions. Hellblazer became a cornerstone of the Vertigo line and helped define the mature readers comic book market of the 1990s and 2000s.
The Justice League Dark animated collection explores the supernatural and magical corners of the DC universe, bringing together a team of occult heroes to confront threats beyond the scope of traditional superheroes. Unlike the main Justice League, this group deals with mystical artifacts, demonic entities, and arcane forces that defy conventional logic and science.
The team is anchored by John Constantine, a cynical and cunning con man turned occult detective, alongside other magic-wielding characters such as the sorceress Zatanna and the cursed immortal Jason Blood, who shares his body with the demon Etrigan. Together, they face apocalyptic magical threats that often blur the line between heroism and damnation.
These films are part of the larger DC Animated Movie Universe, a shared continuity of animated features that began with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. The Justice League Dark entries stand out within this universe for their darker tone, horror-infused visuals, and willingness to explore morally complex territory where victory often comes at a terrible cost.
