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The Four ConstablesReviewed by
Marcio Guastavino
The Four Constables is about four young men who train under a martial arts master known as Zhuge Zhen-Wo. They become supremely skilled assassin/detectives and serve only their master. Zhuge Zhen-Wo, The Little Flower, is head bodyguard and advisor for China 's Emperor. Although the four meet through different circumstances, they treat each other like brothers. Using their unique techniques, they defend the people from ruthless criminals and murderers alike. With help from their master they increase their chi powers and a heightened sense of strength. The four are given names that seem to fit the way they fight their opponents. Lingqi Len (Cold Blooded) is the lowest ranked amongst the group but is the fastest and most accurate with a sword. Lieshan Cui (Life Snatcher) is more like a drunken master. He ranks third amongst the brothers and uses his feet to deliver devastating blows to his enemies. Yuxia Tie (Iron Hands) ranks second in the group and uses his fists to fight. He also has the most amount of chi making him one dangerous opponent to face. And last, but not least, is Yayu Sheng (Emotionless) the greatest of the four constables. Oddly enough, he has been crippled since childhood and uses his intelligence and his mastery of hidden weapons to fight. Every page is full of colorful and detailed illustrations. The action is depicted well on almost every page. It gives the reader a better outlook on what is going on and keeps them interested. It seems like these guys never get a break. They seem to be in countless battles. The other interesting fact is all the fighting styles used are very diverse. Each constable has their own stances, some up to forty different ones. Luckily, the author does a good job of giving a description of each style. The characters are great, mostly because of what you learn from their childhoods and how they become constables. The author did a great job of character development and made the main characters mean more to the fans. The down side is the price. At fourteen dollars a book it may seem that you are paying more for less, but I guarantee that once you open one of these books up, it'll be hard to put down.
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Author:
Tony Wong
The Four Constables was a very enjoyable read. Being full color helps the action scenes' realism. My favorite was Emotionless. He was the craziest fighter who was in a wheel chair and still was able to give a beat down. You get to learn the deep roots of each constable with their awesome fighting styles. Any fighting video game or martial arts fan needs to get a hold of this series!