Ares

“O’Connor draws most of his material for his final volume of his popular series from The Iliad, an account of a long and bloody war perfect for showcasing Ares’ anger.” –Booklist

“In this nuanced, multilayered view of the usually vilified bringer of war, O’Connor continues his exceptional graphic novel series about the Greek gods. Less a biographical take on the subject and more of a character study, this entry is seen through the lens of the events that take place in Homer’s iconic battle-driven epic poem The Iliad. Just like the original source material, the complex relationships among the deities and the tension and drama that arise when the glory and fate of their own demigod sons are at stake, take center stage. Ares is presented in many ways as his father’s son, as evidenced by his affair with Aphrodite, but he also tries to rebel against Zeus’s practice of using humans for sport. O’Connor highlights that of all the gods, Ares is the only one who grieves the death of his mortal son, shedding light on his own strained relationship with his father. Humor and zingers combine with the author’s adept handling of Greek mythology, history, and popular culture. The variety of panels lends a dynamic feel to the battle scenes and confrontations between the dueling sides. The mostly scarlet-tinged color scheme is in perfect tune with the raging, bloodthirsty god of war’s modus operandi. The author’s extensive notes amusingly explain connections to The Odyssey, The Aeneid, and the series’ previous works. VERDICT This expertly executed graphic novel will have fans anxiously awaiting even more adventures of mythological proportions.” –School Library Journal

George O’Connor is the New York Times-bestselling author of Olympians, the series of graphic novels featuring the tragic, dramatic, and epic lives of the Greek Pantheon and its counterpart featuring the Norse Gods, the series Asgardians. His first graphic novel, Journey into Mohawk Country, pushed the boundaries of the genre, using as its sole text the actual historical journal of the seventeenth-century Dutch trader Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert. He also illustrated acclaimed playwright Adam Rapp’s Ball Peen Hammer. He teamed up with writer Daniel G. Newman on Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy, the first volume in the World Citizen Comics series. George is also the creator of popular picture books such as the New York Times-bestselling Kapow! and If I Had a Triceratops. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit him at georgeoconnorbooks.com.