Since Dani's character has been introduced in Paul Jenkins's run, I've stressed that I wanted to get to know her a little better and not just as John's newest girlfriend, and for this issue, I got exactly what I hoped for and more which pleased me.
As for the story itself, I found it utterly compelling, especially since it forced me to put myself in John's shoes again. It's something of a little quirk of mine ever since I started reading Hellblazer. I had stressed time and time again that this man is my closest fictional counterpart.
Therefore, I strive to see things from his perspective, which doesn't take that much effort, honestly, because we are--in many uncomfortable respects--the same man. I think the only main and deal-breaking difference was that I was raised as a woman, so there were restrictions associated to said gender that I've been unfortunately subjected to. But if I had been born as the man I was always meant to be, I would certainly walk a dark path too like John did just because I'm reckless and prideful at heart, driven by alienation and trauma. We certainly have the same bad habits and coping styles regarding relationships.
So John decides to stay with Dani after his mini Arthurian misadventure that span five meandering issues with glimmers of sustainable suspense (issues 110-114). However, the relationship was experiencing some understandable growing pains especially now that the secret is out about his life and work as an occultist. John brought up Kit again in the context of how that last serious relationship ended, which was essentially because Kit cannot love this side of the man, a very large part of who he is as a person, while Dani simply wants to know more about the truth of how he lives and why he must walk the paths he had. That implies Dani will probably never ask John to turn away from his lifestyle, unlike Kit, but what she demands was more challenging to a man who only knew how to shut down and depend on no one but his smarts and intuition for the longest time.
See, for men like John Constantine, vulnerability has proven to result in serious repercussions. His world is not for the weak stomach or the faint at heart, and after so many experiences of losing friends over betrayals, untimely sacrifices, and his inherent selfishness and resistance to change, he simply didn't want to risk jeopardizing the close bonds he formed recently. What happened with Merlin and the box was a close call yet again, so even though he's with Dani, hoping to make it work, the pragmatic cynic in Johnny Boy just wouldn't quiet down. Luckily (well, so to speak), he finds out that he's not the only one with a heavy emotional baggage. Dani, too, was undergoing something, a story that's relatable to so many women who are courageous and independent all the more so because their autonomy had been threatened once by very insecure and twisted men.
'In the Red Corner' is a very satisfying and insightful oneshot that explored the intimate horrors and aftershocks of an abusive, manipulative romantic relationship, which was something I've undergone too at the tender age of fifteen with an older woman. Regardless of age, anyone can be abused by someone they thought was trustworthy during the course of said romance. This iswhat happened to Dani. Bright, promising and daring as a journalist, she couldn't have known that such qualities will wound the ego of a boyfriend she had in the past, years before she met John. This piece of shit who shall remain nameless was also a fellow writer, who was envious of how much she flourished in their field and therefore found it only necessary to clip her wings. What outsiders don't often get about abuse is that it's often systematic, a slow process of chipping down parts of a person's dignity through constant verbal put-downs and emotional manipulation until they start believing they are not worthy of love, or at least glamorize that the idea that love must always come with pain and drama.
There's a world of difference between fighting with your loved one because you want to resolve a conflict or settle an argument and fighting with them ONLY so you can destroy their self-respect and in turn impose dominance on them during their weakest moments. That's abuse.
I really enjoyed reading this issue because not only was it an inevitable one that should peel more layers about Dani as a character of her own, it was also a showcase just to how Paul Jenkins can deliver gravitas where nuanced character arcs are concerned. Granted, the story was still told in John's point of view because he's our lead guy, but it doesn't take away from Dani's experiences either. I just hope that next time she gets her own POV like Kit did during Ennis's era; that is if Jenkins intends for Dani to stick around. However, just think of how powerful this story's impact might have been if we saw the events unfold more in her point of view. Sure, were a few pages that gave us an expository flashback about how her boyfriend abused her, but it was still laden in John's voice. I suppose it can't be helped, because the issue's focal point was his desire to help Dani cut ties with this asshole once and for all, but he can only do it in the shadows and with the aid of a witch named Jamma whose expertise was vengeful voodoo. It just wouldn't be Hellblazer without that supernatural twist.
The most ridiculous and frustrating part about this ruse was the fact that Jamma's voodoo revolves around Dani's period, and in order for her work to be effective, Constantine must increase the tension between himself and Dani as her time approaches. Ignoring the sexist stereotype that women are so damn hormonal during menstruation that they manifest as cranky moods in general, it seems to do the trick just fine so that the ex-boyfriend was suffering from the same mental problems as well. Jamma designed the curse so that said man can bleed between his legs too and share symptoms of what Dani undergoes as she's having her period and related crisis hereto.
It's weird and provocative, and by for the latter I meant a little insensitive, but that's possibly only because I'm reading this in the politically correct lenses of 2021. Even if you can bypass that nitpick about the plot, this issue was still hilarious because the abusive ex got his due. His worst nightmare was that Dani can physically overpower him and further decimate what little was left from his male ego. In the end, he was the one running scared and telling Dani to stay away. And so the issue ends that way, with a self-satisfied John protecting his girl from a creep.
The only reason this issue doesn't get a higher rating was because of the choice in POV and the resolution that didn't involve Dani's participation at all. It was a personal story about her trauma, and yet she acted as a bystander while John was the one who orchestrated this scheme in the shadows. Though his heart was in the right place, it was still pretty skivvy of him to interfere on something that he should have been better off taking on a supporting role for. I can't help but criticize this framework in the narrative now that we should all be reading this in a more enlightened time where women can confront their abusers both in real-life after the MeToo movement, and the consequent fiction being told about it are shared through the fresh eyes of a generation less tolerant of sexist views.
As much as I appreciated the sensitive subject of this issue, In the Red Corner was still servicing the male-dominated voice in comics back in that day where a man can play hero every time his woman is in distress, therefore unconsciously or actively removing her say in the matter which is what John irrecoverably did. Not to mention the fact that he was a complete ass to Dani the entire time, even if he was only doing it to aggravate the effects of the curse. Dani didn't know any of that, so it was mind-boggling she'll even stay with John after his abysmal behavior. There was also the harmful implication that she could be reliving her trauma again through John; which will be unfair to either of them because inattentive jerk doesn't equal abuser, which John was for this issue. I would also add as a disclaimer, however, that this was a dated work, a product of its times, and so the stories were understandably filtered through the male lead. So I'm not expecting it to be feminist or ahead of its time, but I'll still grade it based on the criticisms that outweighed the content. Nice effort though to Jenkins and co.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
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