Savage Axe of Ares #1 *Spoilers*

[seekquaze]

Seriously, it's all their in the title. Everything this issue is about. Four stories set in different time periods before (or maybe even during) the time of Ares being a hero. In them Ares wields a giant ax and does what he does best. If this comic were in color it would have to be rated mature. Hence the "savage" part.

This is a shout-out to the black-and-white anthologies from the seventies. There is even an advertisement of the type often found in those mags.

Red Mercury-Ares acts as a protector for two defecting Soviets only for his true purpose to be revealed at the end.

The Gods Answer All Prayers-Ares teaches a princess to pick her allies more carefully.

Bonebomb Babylon-Ares battles an ancient beast that threatens to interrupt an ongoing battle.

Wojna-Ares is determined to make a young man a hero whether he wants to be one or not.

I think all of these stories are accurate depictions of Ares throughout time. It is good to see him explored beyond the b-villain or somewhat anti-hero he has become. With a character that can be placed in just about any place in history it shows how constant he has been (and by extension human history) has been through the ages. Ironically, Ares is one of the few old gods that can be considered as relevant now as he was in ancient times. Moving Ares a bit beyond a bloodthirsty fighter these stories show how he truly carries out his duties as the god of war and gives him an additional layer of depth.

Of the four stories I think I like the first and third the best. The first showcases Ares's savagery combined with how he can be more than just a brute that swings and axe. The third show a slightly more heroic side to help balance out the other stories. The fourth benefits from showing how Ares views war as something that can make anyone great. The second was interesting due to the different time period, but suffers from in a way rehashing the same point as the first.

The stories here are not kid friendly nor are they about the heroic Ares. They are about Ares as the god of savage warfare, bloodlust and carnage. As I stated earlier if this was color it would be rated mature.

Artwise, I have nothing to complain about. Nothing stands out for me as spectacular, but I do not think it was meant to be. The idea was to tell several stories a bit cheaper than colored. The art each time serves well enough from the story so you know what is going on. In some ways it even compliments it. The only minor complaint I have is two of the stories set before Ares was a hero have him in an outfit similar too or identical to his hero outfit. I suppose it is to make him easier to recognize.

Overall, I would suggest anybody who is a fan of Ares or the mythological side of Marvel should check this out. I would hope to see further books like this in the future. I think characters like Thor, Hercules, or just about anyone could benefit from short stories about different times in their lives. Gods or long-lived being would benefit more by showing what they were like before the modern age.

Stories: 7.5/10
Art: 8/10
Overall: 7.7/10

[Brian M.]

I'm starting to love these. I loved this book.

[Ben Akers]

I'll be looking to add this to my next online order.

Frankly, it sounds really frakkin' cool.

[Home made ectoplasm]

Yeah, I loved this too. Great storytelling and the art was superb (especially the Russians' story)

[Arthas]

I loved this issue as well.

The first and the fourth stories were my favourites actually. Both showed Ares as being 'savage' but at the same time having a plan as a 'God of War.'

The second story was a bit of a toss up: First I wondered how powerful a wizard must be to chain Ares but was later disappointed in the wizard. Next I wondered if I was actually reading Conan the Barbarian instead of Ares the God of War. That led me to wonder what would happen if there was a team-up between the two...I can just see Ares and Conan being best friends or worst enemies or even rivals. "Hey my mountain of skulls is bigger then your mountain of skulls..."

Third left me a little disappointed in Ares, now I know he's no Hercules but I would have thought he'd have 'tapped' that soldier at least.

One complaint as noted, I was a bit disappointed that Ares was wearing his current costume when all of this is set in the past.

[insidemyhead]

I liked this a lot. The second and fourth stories were my favorites.

I probably would have enjoyed the first tale more if I had understood the ending more clearly--was Ares manipulating the two armies into war or did I miss something?

[Bevbos]

Loving these Black & White anathologies!!! Every single one of them has been stellar! Can't say I care for the text pieces in the back, but who cares. Really great stuff!!!

[Punchdrunk]

Liked it all - especially the text piece in the back.

Made me feel like I was reading one of the old issues of Creepy or Eerie.

It had a horror/twilight zone anthology feel to it that was particularly effective given Ares grey area on the moral color chart.

Very well done.

[seekquaze]

I liked this a lot. The second and fourth stories were my favorites.

I probably would have enjoyed the first tale more if I had understood the ending more clearly--was Ares manipulating the two armies into war or did I miss something?

From what I can tell Ares was making sure the two defectors escaped to give the Soviets something to pursue. He was personally making the trail as bloody as possible to encourage the Soviets to send in more and more troops to bring the defectors in and anger them at the same time. The U. S. would detect this and send in their own forces to counter what looks like an invasion. Before you know it you two armies amassed that are so paranoid and angry at each other just about anything will set it off. Ares then can either pick a side or sit back with his bag of popcorn.

[Ferago]

"In Glorious Black and White!"

So is Ares actually getting a new series, or just this somewhat lame one shot?

[The Crime Dentist]

I think it's just a one-shot, they did similar mags with Shang Chi & Deadpool. I thought this was a really cool idea but the execution wasn't the greatest. He's basically invincible to everything he comes across so it just felt like an exercise in murder. The one thing i liked was the text story, that was pretty good.

[seekquaze]

I think it's just a one-shot, they did similar mags with Shang Chi & Deadpool. I thought this was a really cool idea but the execution wasn't the greatest. He's basically invincible to everything he comes across so it just felt like an exercise in murder. The one thing i liked was the text story, that was pretty good.

That is what Ares has essentially been throughout history. A being looking for an excuse to murder who has trouble when something can actually fight back. Ares is a very violent, bloodthirsty being who uses war to satisfy that bloodlust. Before he became heroic he did not care for side, cause, ideology, or any other factor. He just wanted to kill. He is so powerful that throughout most of history nothing on Earth could seriously challenge him. Even if it did he could run away, heal, and fight another day. In both in mythology and comics this has been the traditional view of Ares. It is only in recent years Ares has been turned into a somewhat heroic figure who tires to channel his destructive impulses into something more positive. Even then he at times comes up short. It is one reason he sided with Osborn. He does not care what Osborn did in the past and is willing to excuse most of Osborn's current crimes. As far as Ares is concerned things like torture and brutality are part of life and for most of his life common place. Osborn was the winner and gave Ares the chance to still be respectable. That is all Ares really cares about.

This one-shot was about Ares through time. It was less about him battling monsters and more about how he pursued his duties as the god of savage warfare. In that it accomplished what it set out to do.