Let me let you in on a little secret, Ritchie. Your place is a mess.

You can come out from behind the couch now.

If, like us, you’re a fan of good, solid horror, then you likely had a blast watching tonight’s new Constantine. We know that we did. Offering a clever twist on the slasher and haunted house genres, “A Whole World Out There” was a nifty standalone episode that also featured some cool treats for Hellblazer and DC Comics fans.

Yes, we’re talking Secrets! Here’s what you might have missed:

  • The return of a Newcastler
  • The return of ANOTHER Newcastler… sort of
  • A storied university
  • What was the name of that Hall?

Previous #DCTVCONSTANTINE Secrets

  1. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 1 - "Pilot"
  2. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 2 - "The Darkness Beneath"
  3. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 3 - "The Devil's Vinyl"
  4. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 4 - "A Feast For Friends"
  5. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 5 - "Danse Vadou"
  6. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 6 - "The Rage of Caliban"
  7. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 7 - "Blessed Are the Damned"
  8. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 8 - "The Saint of Last Resort--Part 1"
  9. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 9 - "The Saint of Last Resort--Part 2"
  10. The #DCTV Secrets of CONSTANTINE Episode 10 - "Quid Pro Quo"

Want to carry on the conversation?  Jump on #DCTV in Twitter and see what clues others have found.

 

Don’t delve further into the dark arts if you want to stay spoiler free. But you know you’re going to. You’ve been warned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Return of Ritchie

If you’ve been watching Constantine from the beginning, then you surely recognized Ritchie Simpson, who made his first appearance in the show’s pilot. Played by actor Jeremy Davies on the show, Ritchie, like Gary Lester and Anne Marie Flynn, was part of the infamous “Newcastle Crew.” That means he was there when Constantine’s failed exorcism resulted in the loss of Astra’s soul, and like the rest of the crew, hasn’t been the same since.

We learn a bit more about Ritchie in this episode, notably the level of respect John had (and still seems to have) for him. In Hellblazer, Ritchie is a pretty good magician in his own right, specializing in “quantum magic.” This very much seems to be the case on the show as well, judging by the way John depends on him to keep tabs on supernatural occurrences. Unfortunately, this specialty leads to a fairly tragic end to Ritchie in the book. Will the show’s version of the character meet the same fate? It remains to be seen, though his studies into uploading human consciousness onto a digital mainframe is very much a nod to Ritchie’s storyline in Hellblazer.

Like much of the Newcastle Crew, Ritchie can be found at the beginning of the Hellblazer series, in HELLBLAZER VOL. 1: ORIGINAL SINS.


The Man in the Mirror

Ritchie wasn’t the only member of the Newcastle Crew to appear in this episode. Tonight also saw a return of sorts by Gary Lester, Constantine’s earlier companion who met his sad demise earlier this season in the show’s fourth episode, “A Feast of Friends.” He’s the fellow in the mirror (played by actor Jonjo O’Neill) that John is drinking to at the beginning and end of the episode.


Ivy League?

In the Constantine pilot, Ritchie was introduced as a professor at Ivy University, the storied institute of academia at which tonight’s entire episode was set. However, did you know that Ivy University is drawn directly from the DC Comics Universe? It’s the school where Ray Palmer (better known as The Atom) is employed and has appeared in comics ranging from Action Comics to the Justice League of America. Don’t look for Ray Palmer on Constantine, though. He’s currently a recurring character on Arrow.


Bradstreet Hall of Fame

Speaking of Ivy University, did you catch the name on that stone sign when Ritchie and Constantine were discussing the fate of the four students? We’re not sure what’s taught in “Bradstreet Hall,” though we suspect it may be art. Why? Well, Tim Bradstreet is a well known comic book cover artist who’s responsible for some of the most iconic Hellblazer covers in the series’ history, including the one above. It’s a neat little nod to one of the many artists who have brought the dark world of Constantine to life throughout the years.

Bradstreet’s cover work on Hellblazer started with HELLBLAZER #134, but the cover above is from HELLBLAZER #169.

Think we missed any #DCTV Secrets? By all means, let us know below.

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See you next week!