Ian Rankin to write a Hellblazer series

Scotsman.com News - Hat Tip ComicsList: "Ian Rankin's visit to America is also tying up another of his long-held ambitions - to write a comic book.

While in New York, the writer met editors at DC Comics, the creators of heroes such as Batman and Wonder Woman.

Rankin is planning to write a six-part story for Hellblazer, a monthly comic. It will be based on John Constantine, a detective who investigates the paranormal. In 2005 the character featured in the film Constantine, which starred Keanu Reeves.

Rankin said: 'With song lyrics and comic books, I'm back to what I wanted to do when I was about 11 years old.

'Let's wait and see if I can do it; maybe it will turn out that I can't. It is much more like a screenwriter's skill than a novelist's skill. You have to use very few words, and a lot of the writing is just instructions to the artist.'"