John Constantine - Hell to Pay - Simon McDonald

1. John Constantine is speaking with Judge Eisler (no reference - new character) in the judge's chambers. Constantine is staring out the window. We can't see what he's staring at - his back is to us, but we recognize him thanks to his overcoat and a plume of cigarette smoke. The judge is seated on a couch, perched on its edge, uneasy as he converses with the occult detective.

JOHN CONSTANTINE (1)

You're making a mistake.

JUDGE EISLER

Mistake?

Forgive me John, but weren't you the very man who gave evidence, not two hours ago, dismissing the validity of their case?

JOHN CONSTANTINE (2)

Didn't say I'd made a mistake.

2. On Judge Eisler, scowling.

JUDGE EISLER

You came into my courtroom.

Convinced the jury that the Patterson Gang were not under the Devil's Influence during their killing spree.

Consequently, they've been sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of the lives.

And I've made a mistake? 

3. Constantine smiles grimly, still looking out the window.

JOHN CONSTANTINE

Like I said in court.

The Devil doesn't often waste his time fucking with people like the Patterson's.

They were using the Devil's Influence as an excuse to escape their charges.

JUDGE EISLER

(off panel)

And I sentenced them appropriately.
Your point?

4. Constantine has turned, now looking at Judge Eisler.

JOHN CONSTANTINE

The Devil doesn't like it when people use his name like that; falsely. 

He'll want to punish the Patterson's personally.

5. Tight on Constantine.

JOHN CONSTANTINE

The easiest way to avoid what's coming is to just kill them.

Sentence the Patterson's to death, Judge.

6. On Judge Eisler, incredulous, not quite grasping Constantine's point.

JUDGE EISLER

Avoid - - 

Avoid what?

We don't have capital punishment in this country, John, you know that - - 

7. On Constantine; the window is behind him now, and things look ominous, the sky blood-red.

JOHN CONSTANTINE

Take a look outside, Judge.

See if that doesn't change your mind.

John Constantine – One Final Test For The Girl – Ryan K Lindsay

 

1. We see John Constantine behind the bar at a pub. It’s an old school pub, lots of wood, and maybe just on the left of this wide panel we see a pentacle on the wall, it’s right on the dart board. Sitting at the bar are a few gentlemen with trenchcoats on, we don’t see their faces. One of them has a nice big fedora on the seat next to him like it’s his lady.

Constantine: Saddle up, what can we do you for, pard’ner?
Constantine (smaller): Heh, I love this gig.

2. We see a distraught woman at the door, this is Dala. She is clearly lost, alone, on the run.

Dala: Where am I? I’m running out of time?

3. Constantine smiles as he lights a cigarette, because in this pub the smoking laws need not apply.

Constantine: Well, lady, we don’t exactly deal in time here, and I have no idea where you want to be, love?

4. Dala is unsure.

Dala: I have to leave. I have to find my friend.

5. Constantine yells at Dala as she is already leaving the pub, probably have this close on JC and have Dala leaving in a mirror somewhere behind the bar.

Constantine: Beware the moors, Dala!

6. We are outside the pub now, we can see an old shingle for the place naming it The Slaughtered Lamb, and there’s some paddock work out the back. The moon is full in the sky and Dala is running away, beating her feet to beat the devil.

Caption: Shit, it’s beware the moon, isn’t it? Keep clear of the moors and beware the moon. Why do I always fuck that bit up?
Caption (different colour): You really want one of us to answer that?
Caption: Ah, fuck it. This is the last time, if she fails the test again I say I shoot her.
Caption: (different colour): A magician shooting a girl. You always were a pleb.
Caption: You know the drill; ours is but to reason why…theirs is but to do or die.
Caption: Let’s go you mouldy motherfuckers.

John Constantine - No Escape - Matt Duarte

John Constantine in “No Escape” by Matt Duarte

This whole scene is set from the point of view of John Constantine. Panels 3 through 5 are a small flashback, so the colors should change accordingly. It is set in eight different panels. Panels 1 and 2 on the first row, 3 through 5 are smaller and on the second row, 6 and 7 are the same size as the first two, and the final one is the biggest one from the page on it’s own row.

Panel 1

Description: A completely dark panel.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Ugh.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Hate waking up not knowing where I am. Alright, situation assessment.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Dead? No.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Pissed? No.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Hungover? Possibly.

Panel 2

Description: We can now see some prison bars, and though it is still very dark there is a door somewhat far away, from where light is beaming in.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Movement? Can turn around, but legs and arms are bloody useless.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Location? Seems to be some kind of jail. I guess I’m a prisoner.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Been here, done this. Heh.

Panel 3

Description: Flashback scene. We see a pint of Guinness, and a hand holding it, as well as another hand holding a fag.

CONSTANTINE (Caption, top left): Last night?

Panel 4

Description: Flashback scene. A pair of breasts in a rather revealing blouse, seen from incredibly (and inappropriately) close up.

Panel 5

Description: Flashback scene. Vomit on the floor, seen from incredibly close up.

CONSTANTINE (Caption, bottom right): Typical.

Panel 6

Description: Once again, the prison bars and the lit door, though now there is a shape standing in the doorway.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Someone is coming. Time to work my “magic” and get out of here.

Panel 7

Description: Same as previous panel, though now the figure is a lot closer and we can see through the shape that she is a woman.

WOMAN: Johnnie, are you alright?

CONSTANTINE (Caption): What? It can’t be..

Panel 8

Description: A mirror, in which we can see a blond woman, with short and slightly spike-ish hair, making her look like Sting during his The Police days. She is happily holding a baby, who is wrapped in a blanket. She just took him out of his wooden crib, and the baby’s short blond hair looks disheveled. The baby is looking directly at the reflection of the mirror.

CONSTANTINE (Caption): Mum?

To Be Continued!

About The Script: I’m of the mind that John Constantine cannot be defeated. You can try to fight him, trap him, outsmart him, but you will definitely and inevitably fail once he figures out what is going on. The idea behind this script is that what we are seeing here is not reality, but rather a “What If...” being shown to Constantine about how different and how much better his life could have been. In the reality we know, his mother died during his birth, but not here, and that changes everything for him. Instead of the cynic bastard, we learn that John could have been a well-adjusted and highly talented magician, a place where those around him don’t constantly die... if only his mother had lived. Something that John can’t ever change. You can’t defeat John, but I can’t think of a worst torture for him than this.

John Constantine - Archie Meets John Constantine - Max Barnard

The Premise: Oh as if you don't already know!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 1 - 6 Panels

1-- Archie Andrews is being chased by a demonic hellhound down a dark road, a ferocious black shape with glowing red eyes, white fangs dripping with saliva and a collar with giant spikes jutting out from it. Archie himself is down to his boxers, flailing wildly as he flees.

SPEECH BUBBLE/ARCHIE - Cripes! This vicious dog is more obsessed with me than Betty! AND it's got to see me in less clothes than she has!


2-- The monster is now much closer to Archie, who has tripped and is halfway towards hitting the ground.

SPEECH BUBBLE/ARCHIE - OOP!


3-- Archie is now being dragged backwards by the hellhound as a fiery hole is tearing open in the road behind them both.

SPEECH BUBBLE/ARCHIE - JUGHEAD! VERONICA! MOOSE! BIG ETHEL! PUNISHER! ANYBODYYYYYYY!!


4-- The hellhound's head is blown off by a giant fireball, spraying Archie with blood.

SFX/FIREBALL HITTING HELLHOUND - FWASPLURCH!!

SPEECH BUBBLE/ARCHIE - YEEP!


5-- Constantine is now standing over Archie (who is crawling out from under the hellhound's corpse) as a sillhouette, smoking shotgun in hand. The fiery hole in the road is now gone, leaving only a bit of rising smoke.

SPEECH BUBBLE/CONSTANTINE - Sorry I took so long Ginge, took a while to get this soddin' gun set up. Not one to use magic often, m'afraid.

SPEECH BUBBLE/ARCHIE - H-h-who are you, mister?


6-- John constantine is now revealed in all his glory, using the lingering flames from the magical shotgun to light a roll-up fag.

SPEECH BUBBLE/CONSTANTINE - I'm Keanu bleedin' Reeves, mate, who do you think I am? John Constantine, all-around magical bloke at your service. Come with me if you want to live an' all that.

CAPTION - Will Archie come with this strange Liverpudlian? Can a chain-smoking, cursing humanist fit in with Archie's strong Christian values? Find out all this and more... In YOUR IMAGINATIONS!

John Constantine - Dream a Little Dream - Ben Rosenthal

The following could take place in current continuity, where John has recently been having dreams about his Demon offsider, Demon Constantine (for those of you not in the know, Demon Constantine is all of the dark and worst attributes John had put into a body which now roams freely in hell doing whatever it wants).

There are nine panels to this page, but am unsure how they would fit. All I can suggest is your basic 3x3 grid.

This takes place in a dream.


1. John Constantine is sitting at a table in a seedy looking bar. He is lighting a cigarette with a match, the red glow of flames illuminating his face.

JOHN CONSTANTINE
You going to by me a drink, or what?

2. Sitting across from John is a man who looks almost identical to him. He could pass for John’s twin, if it were not for the maggots crawling from the holes where clumps of flesh once lived. This is Demon Constantine.

DEMON CONSTANTINE
Why would I do that? You hate yourself John, almost as much as I hate you.

3. John Constantine is exhaling smoke, looking at his demon doppelganger.

4. Demon Constantine is talking. In the background directly behind him there are a few sets of glowing eyes appearing. There are ten or so non-descript humanoid shapes floating behind Demon Constantine. He has a smirk on his face.

DEMON CONSTANTINE
You once wanted me back, and I declined. I wanted you back, you declined. Third time to win the game John, but this time I have a home team advantage.


DEMON CONSTANTINE
All those innocent people you ever so willingly let die, all those you allowed to be sucked in the abyss. They want vengeance, John. And I want the Throne.

5. John Constantine is looking down at his cigarette as he taps the ash from its tip into an ash tray.

JOHN CONSTANTINE
Here’s the thing – these geezers floating behind you. They were good people. Only a dark individual would let innocent people fall for his own ends. And I’m afraid I don’t have that in me anymore....

JOHN CONSTANTINE
...but you do.

6. Demon Constantine looks worried as the humanoid ghosts suddenly sprout large gnashing teeth, reaching for him with their spindly clawed hands. A large vortex is opening behind them.

7. All we can see coming from the vortex are the legs of Demon Constantine as he is pulled into the vortex by the ghosts.

DEMON CONSTANTINE
YARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

8. The same panel, however in place of the portal is now just a little spark, and a ‘BOOP’ sound effect.

9. John Constantine is taking another puff from his cigarette.

JOHN CONSTANTINE
Wanker.

John Constantine - I Know You Got Soul - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

Close up on a jukebox. A young woman’s hand reaches towards it and selects a song.

SONG (from jukebox – with musical notes): You better be prepared ‘cos I’m coming to get you…

CAP (Constantine): Oh, not THAT – I hate that bleedin’ racket!

Panel Two.

Pull out. We are in a shabby British pub. John Constantine is sitting at the bar wearing his trenchcoat, a pint of beer in front of him. He’s got his hands over his ears. Behind him, the girl who chose the song on the jukebox is dancing. She looks like a dancing jukebox girl from a Quentin Tarantino movie, the sort of girl who’s drawing stares from around the pub and knows it. Her boyfriend stands watching her dance, holding a pool cue. He’s built like a brick outhouse. Behind the bar, a middle-aged, balding landlord (Archie) stands polishing a glass.

SONG: Nothing I can do is ever gonna upset you…

ARCHIE: I thought everyone liked this song, John. Twenty weeks at number one?

JOHN: Only because he did a deal – Teddy Threlfall, snotnosed lead singer of these talentless scrotes. Wanted a hit bigger than Bryan Adams, so he sold his soul to some 7th Circle demon wearing Malcolm McLaren’s corpse as an overcoat. Wanker.

Panel Three.

Close on John, having just taken a long swig from his beer.

SONG: I’m ready – I’m able…

JOHN: Course, Teddy didn’t read the small print. Thought he’d get to live out his natural before the debt came due. Malcolm had other ideas.

JOHN: That’s when Teddy came to see me.

Panel Four.

Archie gives John a suspicious eye. John puts his empty glass down for a refill.

SONG: Gonna spread you all over my table!

ARCHIE: But… the papers reckoned he killed himself ‘cos he couldn’t handle not being Number One no more…

JOHN: When will you stop believing what you read in The Sun, Arch?

Panel Five.

John continues talking. The landlord is pulling him another pint. In the foreground, the pretty girl keeps dancing.

JOHN: Anyway, I was having a little trouble of my own round that time with this East End gangster who’d got himself possessed by Sid Vicious. Now I may or may not have lost my own soul to Sid in a card game back in '79…

SONG: Love love love – la la la – Love love love – la la laaaa…

JOHN: I was very young and very stupid… but not quite as stupid as this chorus.

Panel Six.

Close on John, sipping his new pint.

SONG: La la la, love love love…

JOHN: There’s this recording studio down Soho knows how to transfer a singer’s soul into a digital recording. So we burn Teddy’s soul onto CD for safe-keeping… then when Vicious turns up – “Here you go, my son, paid in full.”

Panel Seven.

Archie looks confused. Behind John, the girl and her friends begin to sing along with the song’s chorus.

ARCHIE: But what about when Sid found out it wasn’t your soul on that CD after all?

JOHN: Too late. ‘Cos when Malcolm found out Vicious had made off with his prize, he ripped old Sid into so many pieces, even Nancy wouldn’t have recognised him.

GROUP (loud singing): La la la – love love love – la la la—

Panel Eight.

Archie frowns at John. The off-panel singing ends suddenly with a loud explosion. John is still drinking his pint.

ARCHIE: So Malcolm got Teddy’s soul after all?

JOHN: Not exactly. Having burnt all his greedy, selfish, vainglorious swagger onto that CD, Teddy realised just what a sham his life had been. Topped himself rather than listen to this bloody song one more time.

JOHN: Which wiped Malcolm’s disc before the stupid demon even got to play it...

GROUP (off-panel): Love love lo—

SFX: Ka-boom!

Panel Nine.

The jukebox is on fire. The dancing girl and her friends are most upset. So is the landlord. John pushes his empty glass across the bar for another refill.

LANDLORD: Jo-ohn…! My jukebox…

JOHN: Put it on my tab, Arch. You know I’m good for it…

Why John Constantine?

If you've got a problem with the occult, and no one else can help... go find Dr. Strange, Daimon Hellstrom or Dr. Thirteen. Pray you don't ever get desperate enough to need John Constantine. Because the scouse mage, supernatural conman, and devil-taunting hellblazer is not a man you should ever wish to turn to in a crisis. John Constantine is good at helping one person, and one person only: John Constantine. Just ask his friends or family - well, you could if they weren't all burning in hell, possessed by demons or getting their insides ripped out by serial killers. (Yeah, there is Chas. Somehow Chas manges to survive everything John throws at him. Lucky bastard... if you can call that lucky.) Count on one thing - if you're in trouble and John Constantine gets involved, things are going to get much worse before they get better.

Why John Constantine? The real question is: why has it taken us so long?