John Constantine has become a wildly popular character on the small screen over the course of that last few years, and that popularity will soon culminate in the release of his upcoming animated series on The CW Seed. There's a lot of anticipation leading into the series' release, and now it sounds like it will especially reward viewers with a deeper knowledge of the darker DC comic books. Blue Ribbon Content (the wing of Warner Bros. responsible for The CW Seed animated series) Executive Vice President Peter Girardi addressed the influence of Vertigo's Hellblazer books and explained:
Moving forward, Constantine was a great example as well because the Constantine that we're doing ... it's Constantine, if you're familiar with the character. It's Constantine from the Vertigo comic; it's dark. Darker than the show.
For the layperson, not all DC heroes have titles under the DC Comics banner. For the more mature and adult-oriented material, DC has often used the Vertigo brand to release its stories -- which is the brand under which John Constantine's Hellblazer stories have long been released under. With the upcoming release of Constantine on The CW Seed, the folks behind the animated series will embrace Vertigo and offer up a mature version of the DC world, and therefore darker than his short-lived NBC series or his appearances in the Arrow-verse.
Peter Girardi's remarks seem to suggest that The CW Seed has started to become much bolder and more brazen in the type of material that it's willing to adapt into animated series. Thus far, the Arrow-verse has maintained a very specific tone and style in the stories that has told in animation. Embracing the Hellblazer comics is a darker turn for this universe, and it could allow Constantine to introduce audiences to a version of its titular hero that's a bit more in-line with the personality that comic book fans already know and love.
In fact, Peter Girardi's comments during the recent TCA press tour panel (via Collider) continued as he drew comparisons to the flagship CW Seed DC cartoon: Vixen. Specifically, he noted that the target demographic for Constantine is definitely older than Vixen's, which means that Constantine appears to have been designed from the ground up to cultivate a more mature viewership.
The Constantine animated series has yet to receive a set premiere date by The CW Seed, but the Vixen and Freedom Fighters: The Ray are both currently available to stream. As for the rest of the shows that will debut on the midseason schedule, you can take a look at our midseason premiere guide and fill out your TV-viewing schedules accordingly!
