The Sandman’s Johanna Constantine Is Extra Than a Gender Swap

There’s loads to like within the new adaptation of The Sandman on Netflix: the virtually excellent casting of Tom Sturridge as Dream, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Demise and Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. The attractive, dreamlike visuals. Child gargoyle “Girving.” (Defend him in any respect prices.) However nothing captured my creativeness like Johanna Constantine, performed by Jenna Coleman.

Polished and unflappable, with a spotless cream-colored trench coat and never a hair misplaced, Johanna Constantine immediately makes an impression—one which’s purposely the alternative of John Constantine. Naturally, as Constantines, they do share some traits. They each harbor predilections for the occult and getting in over their heads, for instance. However it might be a disservice to easily deem Johanna a “gender-swapped John” and depart it at that. Johanna Constantine is her personal character, one which’s begging for extra tales to be advised about her.

Johanna is the main target of the third episode of The Sandman, “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” As Dream searches for his stolen implements, his quest takes him to the final individual identified to have his mystical sand: Johanna Constantine. The episode begins with a flashback within the type of her nightmare, a couple of demon summoning gone awry at a membership. (Did you notice that “Muchas Membrane” live performance poster on the wall, a wink to John Constantine’s punk band?) Johanna approaches an eerily glowing door with out concern, with out trembling, however with possibly a tiny little bit of annoyance. That cemented it—I used to be immediately enamored.

She wakes up, shakes off the reminiscence and will get prepared for the following nightmare—a waking one which entails a demon and a princess. All in a day’s work for a contemporary occultist. As Johanna strides towards her vacation spot, her wry smile doesn’t waver, not even when she comes head to head with Dream of the Infinite. And walks proper on previous him.

Love. Her.

Johanna is doing a job for a clergywoman named Erica, AKA “Ric the Vic,” one other coolheaded character I wouldn’t thoughts seeing extra of. Ric the Vic is aware of a demon possession when she sees one and hires Johanna for the exorcism. The artistic cussing that these two drop in the course of a church is beautiful and Ric doesn’t blink an eye fixed, from both the curse phrases or the possession. Yep, one other prompt new fave.

So, lengthy story quick, Johanna finishes the exorcism regardless of Dream’s instructions to cease so he can get data from the demon. She doesn’t pay attention. Whether or not she’s confronting a demon or one of many Infinite, the girl is unshakeable. And, most of all, she desires to receives a commission. Johanna Constantine is shrewd to the purpose of seeming coldhearted, however that devil-may-care angle belies her compassion. Her masks slips later as she wakes after the tip of her memory-turned-nightmare of the Casanova Membership, the shock and remorse plainly exhibiting in her eyes.

Dream guarantees to take the nightmare from her if she helps him retrieve his sand. She searches her matted workplace—maybe Johanna does share a messy trait or two with John in any case—and a photograph jogs her reminiscence of the place the lacking sand is. It’s within the possession of her ex-girlfriend, whom she abruptly left and not using a phrase.

“Why?” Dream asks.               

“It by no means ends nicely, does it,” Johanna responds.

She prefers to be alone. The individuals round her usually get damage, whether or not by Johanna’s work or Johanna herself, and she or he’s realized to maintain her distance from these she cares for. It’s not a standard attribute for girls in popular culture, and it provides one other layer of complexity to the seemingly reckless occultist. 

Johanna’s standoffish and cynical nature makes her a Constantine, completely, however it additionally makes her a refreshing feminine character. Whereas components of their previous are related, that is her historical past, not John’s, and her selections ready to be made. She’s strolling her personal path on this Sandman universe. Who is aware of how else it would diverge from his?

Merely calling Johanna a “gender-swapped John” or a “feminine model of John” too simply dismisses one in every of The Sandman’s standout characters. She’s Johanna Constantine, and she or he’s fascinating. She’s crass. She’s pragmatic. She’s Constantine. And we want extra of her.
 

The Sandman, starring Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, is now streaming on Netflix. For extra desires, fables and recollections, go to our official Sandman TV web page.

Kelly Knox writes about all-ages comics and animation for DCComics.com and her writing will also be seen on IGN, Nerdist and extra. Observe her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to speak superheroes, comics and popular culture.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed on this column are solely these of Kelly Knox and don’t essentially replicate these of DC Leisure or Warner Bros.