Warlock and con artist John Constantine has long been recognized as one of DC Comics‘ most prominent LGBTQIA+ characters. He first spoke of his “girlfriends (and) the odd boyfriend” in 1992’s Hellblazer #51. However, he has apparently reassessed his sexuality and declared himself to be pansexual in John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #7.
Written by Simon Spurrier, with art by Aaron Campbell, the story continues the Laughing Magician’s quest to recover the stolen sands of The Sandman. The quest is hampered somewhat by the fact that he is dead and starting to decompose. Despite this, he is still able to enjoy a bit of fun with his current companion, the amnesiac ghost of the supernatural dabbler who last had the sand. It is in the midst of this that John Constantine declares himself “a pansexual zombie.”
The difference between bisexuality and pansexuality is largely one of logistics. Bisexual means being attracted to the same gender as your own and other gender identities. Pansexual means being attracted to all genders, regardless of binary or non-binary status. It is possible to be both bisexual and pansexual, but pansexual is usually taken to be inclusive of trans people.
Why John Constantine being pansexual better fits his history
Regardless of his stated sexuality, it cannot be denied that John Constantine has had an interesting love life. His tastes are best described as indiscriminate, given that his previous lovers include demons of both genders and (in the DCAU) King Shark. Indeed, the only notable instance of the Hellblazer not being down to clown ironically involved Harley Quinn.
Generally, pansexuality means one is open to the possibility of sex with anyone. Historically, John Constantine has been portrayed as the sort of person to try anything once, in or out of the bedroom. Given that, his development into a self-declared pansexual after years of being bisexual makes sense.
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #7 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
