Huw Williams continues his crazily inventive series, Age of Revolution, with a short yet fun fifth issue. Just make sure that you’ve read the other issues first, otherwise you may be lost. Clocking in at only 16 pages, each containing only a handful of large panels, there isn’t a huge amount of story on display here, as with the other issues.
With his long brown trench coat, jagged blonde hair and stubble, our hero bears a striking resemblance to John Constantine. The cigarettes come customary as standard. In this issue we see Not John Constantine infiltrate the giant whale airship thing in order to rescue his lover Lorena, but naturally, things do not go according to plan and the whole thing comes crashing down. Literally.
And not a whole lot more happens aside from that. We do get a brief humorous jab where Not John Constantine refuses to quit smoking, clearing a self-aware reference, but aside from that, this is very light plot and can be read in one quick sitting. While that may be taken as a criticism, Age of Revolution is clearly a series that intends to focus more on striking visuals and fast-paced action rather than telling a rich and complex story.
The manga stlye artwork again works like a charm, with the large panels allowing for huge amounts of detail. The whaleship soaring through the clouds is a particular point of praise. The character’s faces are also nicely detailed, conveying enough feelings and emotions without being overly realistic and staying true to the anime style. And despite being in black and white, the artwork is clear and blood enough for you to clearly be able to picture the colours of the world.
As an individual read, Age of Revolution 5 is too brief and relies to heavily on knowledge of the previous issues to be considered a truly engaging read, especially for newcomers, but taken as part of a larger whole, it is certainly a fitting and action packed addition in a unique and original series.
Have you gotten a chance to check out Age of Revolution 5 yet? What about the earlier installments of Age of Revolution? What did you think of this issue and the preceding volumes? Let us know in the comments or tell us on Twitter!
