Editing John Constantine (section)

== Reception and legacy ==
The character won the 1986 "Favourite Supporting Character" by [[Eagle Award (comics)|Eagle Award]], followed by winning it again in the same category a year later.<ref>1986: Won "Favourite Supporting Character" [[Eagle Award (comics)|Eagle Award]]</ref> In addition to being ranked third in ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's 50 Greatest Comic Characters<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2016-09-12 |title=The 50 greatest comic-book characters |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/50greatestcomiccharacters/ |access-date=2020-11-20 |website=Empire}}</ref> and being ranked No. 10 in ''[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]]'' magazine's Top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time, he is also listed in [[IGN]]'s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes as No. 29, stating that "John Constantine is pretty low on the totem pole as far as DC's magical players go. But through a combination of guile, trickery, and plain old ornery charm, Constantine battles the worst Hell has to offer and lives to tell the tale. Constantine is a byproduct of both the punk rock era and [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s Britain. He isn't very nice, he drinks and smokes like they're both going out of style, and his friends always seem to pay for his own magical misdeeds. And yet we can't help but love this crusty old magician all the same."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/top/comic-book-heroes/29|title=John Constantine - #29 Top Comic Book Heroes|website=IGN|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=March 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301015219/http://www.ign.com/top/comic-book-heroes/29|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2013, [[ComicsAlliance]] ranked Constantine as #30 on their list of the "50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics".<ref>{{cite news|last=Wheeler |first=Andrew |url=http://comicsalliance.com/comics-sexiest-male-characters |title=ComicsAlliance Presents The 50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics |work=[[ComicsAlliance]] |date=February 14, 2013 |access-date=July 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018024021/http://comicsalliance.com/comics-sexiest-male-characters |archive-date=October 18, 2015 }}</ref>

The character also garnered some negative reception, where [[UGO.com]] listed both Constantine and Zatanna in UGO's the Dirtiest Comic Book Sex Scenes, where they comment that, "One DC heroine who often finds herself unlucky in love is the backwards magician Zatanna, who can never seem to find a quality dude. One of the most fulfilling relationships she's had to date is with that reprobate {{sic|sorceror|nolink=y}} John Constantine, who is the very definition of a "love 'em and leave 'em" kind of dude. The pair hooked up a number of times but their respective worldviews were just too different, plus he's straight Vertigo and she's wiping minds in the Justice League. The commute would be hideous."<ref>{{cite web|author=K. Thor Jensen|date=November 11, 2010|title=The Dirtiest Comic Book Sex Scenes: Zatanna and Constantine|url=http://www.ugo.com/the-goods/zatanna-constantine|work=UGO.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829103740/http://www.ugo.com/the-goods/zatanna-constantine|archive-date=August 29, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=October 15, 2015}}</ref> During Brian Azzarello's run on the series, the Ashes & Dust in the City of Angels story arc gained controversy for portraying Constantine in a bisexual relationship, though it wouldn't be the last time Constantine's bisexuality was explored.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/03/the-top-ten-john-constantine-hellblazer-stories.html|title=The Top Ten John Constantine: Hellblazer Stories|date=March 16, 2013}}</ref>

Fandomania.com ranked the film ''[[Constantine (film)|Constantine]]'' in No. 13 of their Ultimate 20 Comic Book Film Adaptations, stating that [[Keanu Reeves]]'s performance "was good", although saying it might have been better if "played by the person the character was originally modelled after: Sting of the Police."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fandomania.com/ultimate-20-comic-book-film-adaptations/|title=Ultimate 20 Comic Book Film Adaptations - Fandomania|date=September 9, 2009}}</ref> ''TopTenz.net'' ranked him No. 5 in Top 10 Comic Book [[Anti-hero|Anti-Heroes]], saying that "Just knowing John Constantine is likely to get you killed: during his comic's run just about every member of his supporting cast has either been killed, maimed, mutilated, tortured and coerced into making deals with fiends from the Pit. And yet Constantine goes on, a supernatural warrior willing to pay almost any price to keep the darkest evil at bay. In recent times Constantine has got rid of the guilt and self-loathing plaguing him by magically giving it the physical form of a baby and throwing it off a cliff. What a magnificent bastard..."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-anti-heroes.php|title=Top 10 Comic Book Anti-Heroes (Marvel & DC) - Toptenz.net|date=May 11, 2010}}</ref>

Sonia Harris from ''[[Comics Should Be Good]]'' praised ''Hellblazer'', saying that "watching John delve into his past in order to exorcise his (and the worlds [''sic'']) literal and metaphorical demons is a delight. Simon Bisley does an incredible job of visually contrasting the pretty young version of Constantine with the imposing man he has become. Time and misadventure have scarred and hardened John, and the man he has become has the strength and will to transform his environment by channelling the anger that pained him so much as a young, fresh-faced, suicidal punk kid."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/committed-why-you-wish-you-read-hellblazer/|title=WHY YOU WISH YOU READ HELLBLAZER |publisher=Comic Book Resources |date=April 28, 2010|access-date=June 9, 2020}}</ref> Constantine ranked 30th on ComicsAlliance's 50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics list that even though almost all of his relationships end badly, they can't warn others against his wily charms. Furthermore, Constantine has been analyzed as a stereotypical depiction of a European in fiction.<ref>Georg Drennig, "Otherness and the European as Villain and Antihero in American Comics," in ''Comics as a Nexus of Cultures'', eds. Mark Berninger, Jochen Ecke, and Gideon Haberkorn (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2010) 135-137.</ref>

''Hellblazer'' boosted the popularity and image of the occult detective fiction genre and shaped it into its modern form.<ref>{{cite book |author=S.T. Joshi |title=Icons of Horror and the Supernatural |publisher=Greenwood |year=2007 |isbn=978-0313337802}} p. 585-586</ref> Many modern examples of the genre such as ''[[Hellboy]]'', ''[[Supernatural (U.S. TV series)|Supernatural]]'', ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'', ''[[The Originals (TV series)|The Originals]]'', and ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' have been influenced by the character.<ref>{{cite news |author=Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia |date=2014-03-15 |title=Constantine and Castiel fans square off over 'Hellblazer's angelic fashion |url=http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/supernatural-hellblazer-fandom-war/ |work=The Daily Dot}} March 15, 2012</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Gustafson, Sarah |date=2014-09-10 |title=Constantine: NBC drama brings the hellfire from its premiere episode |url=http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2014/09/10/constantine-nbc-drama-brings-hellfire-premiere-episode/ |publisher=Channel Guide}} September 10, 2014</ref> Many imitators of both the series and its character flourished such as ''[[Criminal Macabre]]'', ''[[Gravel (comics)|Gravel]]'', ''[[Planetary (comics)|Planetary]]'', and others.<ref>{{cite web |author=Callahan, Timothy |title=When Worlds Collide |url=https://www.cbr.com/242841-2/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]]}} August 16, 2010</ref> Its elements and style have been used countless of times in other works and many analogues of the cynical John Constantine have appeared.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cronin, Brian |date=November 13, 2012 |title=Comic Book Easter Eggs – John Constantine Edition |url=https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-easter-eggs-john-constantine-edition/ |access-date=June 9, 2020 |website=[[Comic Book Resources]]}}</ref>