Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – Book 3 – End of Days, Reviewed…
And so it comes to a close, but this story’s not about to limp across the finish line. Hell no! Strap in, we’re getting dragged across hell and (the remains of) earth in the final installment…
When a book begins with the four horsemen of the apocalypse loose on earth, you know you’re in for some carnage. This book is not about to let anybody down; from the get-go we’re freefalling into bombed out cities, watching our heroes get ground up and spat out and trying to figure out how the Hell things are going to work out for the best. It’s got to end one way or another…
By now we’re used to the breathless hurdle-sprint of these books. Mendheim’s on record as saying that the breakneck pacing was intentional in order to make the story feel like an action thriller, but reading all three back-to-back it becomes clear that it would have just as comfortably made twelve issues as three; a little breathing space, even an extra issue (Four Horsemen in Three issues seems like a missed opportunity to me,) might have given the characters room to expand and let the reader become more invested.
The Big Evil is still Big and Evil, this time chasing down Cahill’s daughter and giving our hero something to fight for. There’s at least one macguffin too many, however, with the heroes required to knock out an evil-spouting antenna in order to weaken their foes, but I won’t get into that…
Simon obviously poured himself into this book. The layouts are as good as anything I’ve seen from him, the detail shining through in the double-page blowouts is excellent, the familiar Gathering Battle groups are present and correct, as well as some truly striking images and ideas. Where The Chosen was all flame-lit, the palette here has lightened a little to include blues and greens in places. The settings too allow for grander spaces, higher ceilings and less claustrophobia and more Grand Battles. Indeed, much of the final book is spent in some sort of melee, leaping from character to character and upping the already frenetic tempo to fever levels…
On its’ own, Book 3 is a solid, punchy read with plenty of excellent artwork to enjoy but a marginally weaker script than the previous two installments. Bisley’s on amazing form, which is what you read this to find out, and the rest of the creative team can be justly proud of a job well done.
Overall, The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse is a great showcase for Bisley, but equally so for Chad Fidler’s excellent colouring and Michael Mendheim’s atmospheric graphic design and storytelling. The story is fast paced and you’ll probably get more out of it on a second (or even third) reading, not least trying to figure out those damned red letters!
I’d recommend it to any fan, but it’s also a worthy addition to Heavy Metal’s stable of already high quality offerings.
Heavy Metal are also running an art contest with some pretty cool prizes. [Click Here] to get more details!
