John Constantine Reading Order
This reading order is designed to give a timeline of major storylines featuring John Constantine throughout DC Comics. It may not encompass every one of his appearances but is an outline of the major ones and the stories that affect them.
The continuity details relating to each specific storyline are explained in the “Review” of each storyline. Every “Review” link will provide a detailed continuity breakdown of that story and will explain any reference the story makes to other aspects of the DC Universe. All of this can be found under the “Continuity” section of each link.
New 52
At the beginning of the New 52, the DC Universe was reset. In this new continuity, almost all of John Constantine’s history is wiped clean.
Constantine was reintroduced through the Justice League Dark (Reading Order) series and, soon after, started a solo adventure through the Constantine series. These separate adventures are rather difficult to coalesce into a single reading order, as aspects from both do not line up and other aspects directly contradict. However, the order presented here makes all possible effort to make the singular narrative work out.
In addition, the New 52 era saw John Constantine make a copious number of brief appearances in other comics. Most of these appearances are not necessary to understand Constantine’s journey through this era, but this reading order attempts to include them during breaks in this main storyline.
With the start of the Constantine: The Hellblazer series, aspects of Constantine’s history, from his original Vertigo series, begin to return to continuity. The cause of this returning continuity is not explained and, seemingly, retcons a few aspects of Constantine’s history from the Constantine series (specifically in relation to the death of his parents).
Essential | Extra | ||
Issue | Collection | Issue | Collection |
Justice League Dark #1 | Justice League Dark Vol. 1: In the Dark (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #2 | |||
Justice League Dark #3 | |||
Justice League Dark #4 | |||
Justice League Dark #5 | |||
I, Vampire #4 | I, Vampire Vol. 1: Tainted Love (Review) 1 | ||
Justice League Dark #6 | Justice League Dark Vol. 1: In the Dark (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #7 | Justice League Dark Vol. 2: The Books of Magic (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #8 | |||
I, Vampire #8 | I, Vampire Vol. 2: Rise of the Vampires (Review) 2 | ||
Sword of Sorcery #0 | Sword of Sorcery Vol. 1: Amethyst (Review) 3 | ||
Animal Man #9 | Animal Man Vol. 2: Animal vs. Man (Review) 4 | ||
Animal Man #10 | |||
Constantine #1 | Constantine Vol. 1: The Spark and the Flame (Review) | ||
Constantine #2 | |||
Constantine #3 | |||
Constantine #4 | |||
Justice League Dark #9 | Justice League Dark Vol. 2: The Books of Magic (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #10 | |||
Justice League Dark #11 | |||
Justice League Dark #12 | |||
Justice League Dark #0 | |||
Justice League Dark #13 | |||
Justice League Dark Annual #1 | |||
Justice League Dark #14 | Justice League Dark Vol. 3: The Death of Magic (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #15 | |||
Justice League Dark #16 | |||
Justice League Dark #17 | |||
Justice League Dark #18 | |||
Sword of Sorcery #4 | Sword of Sorcery Vol. 1: Amethyst (Review) 5 | ||
Sword of Sorcery #6 | |||
I, Vampire #16 | I, Vampire Vol. 3: Wave of Mutilation (Review) 6 | ||
I, Vampire #17 | |||
I, Vampire #18 | |||
I, Vampire #19 | |||
Justice League Dark #19 | Justice League Dark Vol. 3: The Death of Magic (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #20 | |||
Justice League Dark #21 | |||
Phantom Stranger #4 | ToS:PS Vol. 1: A Stranger Among Us (Review) 7 | ||
Phantom Stranger #8 | ToS-TPS Vol. 2: Breach of Faith (Review) 7 | ||
Swamp Thing #22 | Swamp Thing Vol. 4: Seeder (Review) 8 | ||
Swamp Thing #23 | |||
All-Star Western #24 | All-Star Western Vol. 5: Man Out of Time (Review) 9 | ||
All-Star Western #25 | |||
All-Star Western #26 | |||
JLA #6 | Trinity War (Review) (Reading Order) | ||
Justice League Dark #22 | |||
Constantine #5 | |||
Constantine #6 | Constantine Vol. 1: The Spark and the Flame (Review) | ||
Constantine #7 | Constantine Vol. 2: Blight (Review) | ||
Constantine #8 | |||
Justice League Dark #23 | Trinity War (Review) (Reading Order) | ||
Justice League #23 | |||
Justice League Dark #24 | Forever Evil: Blight (Review) (Reading Order) | ||
Justice League Dark #25 | |||
ToS: PS #14 | |||
Constantine #9 | |||
ToS: P #6 | |||
Justice League Dark #26 | |||
ToS: PS #15 | |||
Constantine #10 | |||
ToS: P #7 | |||
Justice League Dark #27 | |||
ToS: PS #16 | |||
Constantine #11 | |||
ToS: P #8 | |||
Justice League Dark #28 | |||
Constantine #12 | |||
ToS: P #9 | |||
Justice League Dark #29 | |||
Justice League Dark #30 | Justice League Dark Vol. 5: Paradise Lost (Review) | ||
Justice League Dark #31 | |||
Justice League Dark #32 | |||
Justice League Dark #33 | |||
Justice League Dark #34 | |||
Justice League Dark Annual #2 | Justice League Dark Vol. 6: Lost in Forever (Review) 10 | ||
Constantine #13 | Constantine Vol. 3: The Voice in the Fire (Review) | ||
Constantine #14 | |||
Constantine #15 | |||
Constantine #16 | |||
Constantine #17 | |||
Constantine: Futures End #1 | Constantine Vol. 3: The Voice in the Fire (Review) 11 | ||
Constantine #18 | Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road (Review) | ||
Earth 2: World's End #7 | Earth 2: World's End Vol. 1 (Review) | ||
Earth 2: World's End #8 | |||
Earth 2: World's End #9 | |||
Earth 2: World's End #10 | |||
Constantine #19 | Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road (Review) | ||
Constantine #20 | |||
Constantine #21 | |||
Constantine #22 | |||
Constantine #23 | |||
Justice League Dark #35 | Justice League Dark Vol. 6: Lost in Forever (Review) 12 | ||
Justice League Dark #38 | |||
Justice League Dark #40 | |||
Secret Origins #11 | Secret Origins Vol. 2 13 | ||
Swamp Thing #37 | Swamp Thing Vol. 7: Season's End (Review) 14 | ||
Swamp Thing #39 | |||
DC Sneak Peek: Constantine: The Hellblazer | Constantine: The Hellblazer Vol. 1: Going Down (Review) | ||
Constantine: TH #1 | |||
Constantine: TH #2 | |||
Constantine: TH #3 | |||
Constantine: TH #4 | |||
Constantine: TH #5 | |||
Constantine: TH #6 | |||
Constantine: TH #7 | Constantine: The Hellblazer Vol. 2: The Art of the Deal (Review) | ||
Constantine: TH #8 | |||
Constantine: TH #9 | |||
Constantine: TH #10 | |||
Constantine: TH #11 | |||
Constantine: TH #12 | |||
Constantine: TH #13 | |||
Grayson Annual #3 | Grayson Vol. 5: Spiral's End (Review) 15 | ||