Four Constables, the Vol. #05

By Eduardo M. Chavez     November 15, 2006
Release Date: August 01, 2006



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Story by: Rui-An Wen Art by: Andy Seto
Translated by:Yun Zhao Adaptation
Adapted by:Matthew Scrivner

What They Say
The Killer revealed! And just in time for the earth-shattering conclusion! Master Shuge has deduced the truth, but is it too late? If not, are the Four Constables and their exalted master skilled enough to take down this cunning killer, who lurks in familiar shadows?

The Review
Inside the castle, the Constables wage war on multiple fronts. The 13 Murderers are unrelenting in their attacks. Given the overwhelming numbers and the maddening home field advantage, the Constables are not in the best shape. They have been splintered. Their unified strength is weakened as they begin to doubt the mortality of their brothers. Fears of loss begin to overwhelm their thoughts exposing each to even more dangers. They have been pushed to their limits requiring them to expend more of their energy to counter every new blow. They have been entrapped. The mastermind behind these murders is revealed as someone much more capable and willing to take them all on. The Constables have exhausted all options and the only way out is kill or be killed.

Okay, for some reason when I was reading earlier volumes of the Four Constables I thought I was reading a kung-fu manga. Martial arts like kung-fu and sword fighting was the basis of this series. Mixed into the action were moments of drama and more flashbacks than you can imagine for a series that was only four volumes deep. This was like a fun periodic martial arts movie. It was cheesy, filled with action and had some pretty good-looking characters. What more could you ask for?

Volume five changed all that. I was no longer reading a standard Hong Kong title. What I was reading could have easily have been a DC or Marvel clone gone badly. The characters were already bigger than life. However, these battles were no longer in the realm of martial arts. The battle scenes were no longer based on martial arts. What was here is more like something seen in Marvel Vs Capcom or maybe even the movie Dead or Alive. While still mildly entertaining the personal touch of kung-fu made the action lose its edge. The intensity was lost for me. The plot was already thin. As I noted earlier the story relied on memories of times long before anything that occurred in this collection. There is no character development. Therefore, the scenes and how they come together drives this title. Unfortunately, with new characters and plot twists introduced late in the game, what plot was around quickly begun to fall apart. As if the direction was completely ignored, suddenly characters were forgotten and plot lines were cut off in mid-story. The Constables were no longer the main characters towards the end of this volume and I was no longer interested. This is a shame because what should have been the fun conclusive end to this arc, ended up turning into a mass burial... For the cast and this title.