Review: Constantine Vol. 4- The Apocalypse Road

Quick Summary

Pros: The exploration into Constantine’s unique personality is interesting and is well done. The artwork looks nice and complements the story.

Cons: The main conflict is drawn out to the point where it gets boring. The volume’s approach to magic does not suit Constantine well. The story doesn’t fit well with earlier Constantine stories or within the Earth 2 narrative.

Overall: The final volume in this Constantine series is alright but really isn’t anything special. It provides a neat look into how Constantine fits into the DC Universe as a hero. However, problems with the storytelling make it hard to get thoroughly invested in what is taking place here. Fans interested in seeing Constantine’s personality, rather than his unique approach to magic, may be interested by aspects of this book.

Story

Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road, by Ray Fawkes is better than any of its predecessors but is still an average volume overall. This book has Constantine face off against the forces of Earth 2, while constantly struggling with his own inner demons. It leads to a story where this character is tested and his complexities are more apparent than ever. However, there are also a number of storytelling problems throughout the book, specifically in regards to pacing and the way in which magic is approached. This weakens what would be an otherwise compelling narrative. In the end, this is one of the better installments in this series but still fails to rise above mediocrity.

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The biggest draw in The Apocalypse Road is in the way it approaches Constantine’s troubled relationship with heroism. While on Earth 2, it is clear that Constantine is actually trying to do the right thing. For once, he doesn’t have an ulterior motive and every one of his actions ultimately helps several people survive an apocalyptic scenario. However, in order to do this good deed, he is forced to sacrifice multiple lives, specifically the lives of his doppelganger’s friends. For this, he is berated by everyone around him and is left feeling miserable. The complex nature of this situation is interesting to see develop and makes for a more compelling character-driven story than what was seen in the last three volumes.

Unfortunately, there are also some problems found throughout this story. The main flaw is how drawn out everything feels. Most of the adventure ends up focusing on the actual act of carrying people from Earth 2 to Prime Earth, which is exciting at first but starts to get old after a while. This leads to pages of inner monologue where Constantine’s feelings on the matter get repetitive and boring.

There are also places where some of problems from the last three volumes return here. The magic scenes throughout this collection are too dynamic and unpredictable. It always feels like Constantine is able to pull some incredibly powerful trick out of his pocket, rather than relying on meticulous planning and clever trickery. It makes him feel like a male version of Zatanna rather than his own character.

It also hurts that The Apocalypse Road is oddly connected to other story lines. Readers interested in the narrative threads that have developed over the course of the Constantine series will find none of them return here. Meanwhile, readers unfamiliar with what is taking place in the Earth 2 (Reading Order) series will be uninterested in the chaos on this world. It is, ultimately, unclear who exactly this collection is designed to appeal to, which is frustrating on its own.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in The Apocalypse Road is mostly positive. Jeremy Haun’s work looks nice and utilizes structures that make sense in driving the story forward. This is especially appreciated in some of the scenes where one panel helps emphasize a specific point or where panels are displayed against a background in a visually satisfying manner. The only downside is that the volume is a little lacking in detail and the characters don’t look as beautiful as they might in other books. Overall though, the visuals are pleasing and adequately suit the story being told throughout this collection. .

Continuity

Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road continues the story from Constantine Vol. 3: The Voice in the Fire (Review).

The Constantine series ends with this volume. However, John Constantine’s story continues in Constantine: The Hellblazer Vol. 1: Going Down. 

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• This entire volume is essentially a tie-in to the events of Earth 2: World’s End. Specifically, it is likely that this volume takes place sometime between Earth 2: World’s End #10 and Earth 2: World’s End #11, collected in Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 (Review). Make sure to check out ComicBookWire’s “Earth 2 (New 52 Version) Reading Order” for more information.