I'm glad I picked this up randomly at the library. It was a fun read, especially the first story.

"India" deals with the demon-ghost of a British colonial era colonel described as "racist, coward, and [sexually] vile." Constantine's character shines in Mumbai's slums, considering he is in an alien land without allies.

The Indian-ness of the characters was a bit obnoxious though, especially with all the "chai" pandering, as if that's what this part of the world drinks and talks about constantly. The social and racial commentary, albeit slight, was not lost on me. I can't say they were handled deftly, but I wasn't expecting much anyways.

"No Future" is the exact opposite of "India," taking place squarely within British culture and politics. I think it made for an interesting contrast.

While I love punk rock (and the generation that spawned it), I'm not too familiar with British politics to truly understand the references to the Conservative Party and the gathering disillusionment of the British public.

But overall, I enjoyed the story. It was a terrific dose of welcome Britishness after the "India" story. ( )

Constantine's plan to go to India in hopes of being made "pure" so that his dead girlfriends can be reanimate all came to naught, as he was plunged into a battle with a colonial-era demon at the behest of a shaman. Of course the dudes who called the thing up in the first place are old "palls" of Constantine's, so he winds up being a target before he has even agreed to fight the demon for the old man. It takes some serious gossip (not magic, haha) to banish the thing, but Constantine doesn't get his girlfriend back; instead he gets a brief chat with her, in which she basically tells him to "fuck off," so I can't see this ending well for her as Constantine is a (stupidly) stubborn bastard.

This collection also includes a two part punk-rock opera, which was actually much more entertaining. We all know Constantine was part of the infamous "Mucous Membrane" back in the day so it was great to see him take a trip back to his youthful anarchist ways. He could have done without the cheap haircut, but appearances are everything with this crowd - especially when it comes to their idol, a reanimated Sid Vicious who keeps the spirit of punk alive. For all this story's talk about ancient demons using the government as their puppet, it actually says a lot more about who Constantine really is. He's no longer young, but he's still playing a young man's magic game, which may run him into trouble if the young crowd actually starts to challenge him or demons start wising up to the new world. ( )