Wednesday, January 25, 2006

A Godly Find: Ares #1


War! Good God! What is it good for? Well, for one thing, it is very useful when it comes to crushing your enemies, driving them before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women. If you're into that sort of thing. When the gods of Olympus needed some serious crushing and driving done, Ares, the God of War, was their go-to guy.

Unfortunately for Ares, ruthlessly and mercilessly slaughtering people by the thousands doesn't really make you a popular party guest. In fact, Zeus and his fellow Olympians don't do much to hide their distaste and outright disgust for Ares. Even when he saves their bacon from the marauding hordes of Hades, the gods want nothing to do with him.

What does an unloved god of war do? In Ares #1, he packs his bags and tells the gods to kiss his mighty butt, that's what! Ares leaves Olympus and his fellow gods, gives up his violent ways, and tries to live as a mortal with the rest of us here on Earth. He works construction jobs, raises a son, and even attends parent/teacher meetings. Despite being substantially more enormous than most folks, he manages to blend in pretty well. Everything seems to be going pretty smoothly until Hermes shows up to recruit the unwilling ex-god for another war....

Ares #1 is written by Mike Oeming. He is the multi-talented guy who draws Powers for Brian Bendis, while writing Red Sonja, Thor, and now Ares. Oeming has already proven to have a great handle on the whole fantasy/mythology genre, and his work on this series more than lives up to that reputation. Not every writer can effectively put words into the mouths of gods, but Oeming gives these characters the power and dignity they deserve. The art by Travel Foreman effectively conveys both the nobility of Ares, and the dangerous edges of his violent nature.

Try out Ares #1 while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week! It's not like you have to climb Mount Olympus or risk the depths of Hades. Find out just what War is good for, read Ares #1 today!

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