Usually, when John Constantine has to go somewhere, he simply calls upon his best friend Chas to drive him. Now that he's out of England and in a world without Chas, he's had to procure a different means of transportation. As John travels through America, he does so in a classic English Double-Decker bus. But the reason he's chosen such a vehicle is actually heartbreaking.
John Constantine's new ride is first seen in John Constantine: Hellblazer: Dead in America #1 by Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell, Jorde Bellaire, and Aditya Bidikar. Needing to be able to travel across America, John steals a Double-Decker bus that his son Noah drives for the group.
When pressed on exactly why he chose such an absurd vehicle to travel in when there were so many better options, Constantine claims he can draw magic from it. But this excuse is quickly pulled apart by his companions. While John may claim that magic is the reason, the real reason is to make up for how he's hurt someone close to him.
Constantine's New Ride Highlights The Negative Impact He Has
It's usually very bad to be John Constantine's friend, it's even worse to be a member of his family. John's mother died during childbirth. His father was murdered by a serial killer after John, and his sister was killed and trapped in Hell. This doesn't even mention the numerous love interests whose lives have ended due to their connection with John Constantine. No one who considers John a loved one manages to escape unharmed for long. This is especially true of Noah. Because of John's manipulations, Noah had to murder someone, and now the police may be after him.
Because the police are possibly looking for Noah for a murder he did commit, there's no way Noah can ever return to England, since he's a wanted man. Despite his claims of pulling magic from the bus, John admits to himself that he did it because he wants his son to have a piece of his home with him in America. This is a perfect encapsulation of John's character. He used someone he loves as a pawn for the "greater good" and then tries to make up for it with a small piece of kindness that he can't even admit out loud.
Constantine's New Bus Is A Gesture To Set Things Right
As Constantine and his allies travel across America, the least he can do is try to make up for some of the things he's done. John Constantine has used his friends as pawns and manipulated them for the greater good, but that doesn't mean he ever enjoys doing it. John had to pull the strings of his son to force him into killing a man, and now Noah is potentially wanted by the police and can never go home again. It's a horrible thing that John Constantine did, and now he's trying to make up for it in the only way John Constantine knows how.
