Ares

“Ares & Aphrodite” is a graphic novel that reminds me of old, classic films — but with a present day twist. Jamie S. Rich and Megan Levens have a simple but easygoing story to follow as a divorce lawyer and a wedding planner join forces to get a marriage to happen but, of course, love is in the air for more than just their clients. Can’t you just see the trailer in your head right now? The basic thrust of “Ares & Aphrodite” is timeless; it’s the sort of story you’d see a bit more in older films, in part because — in this day and age — there seems to be an automatic reaction to try and make everything too complicated. That’s an urge that Rich thankfully avoids; if you tell a story cleanly but enjoyably, there’s no need for ridiculous triple-twists and snarls to end snarls. So, while there are hurdles and surprises throughout “Ares & Aphrodite,” it stays pretty true to its central concept: Will Ares (the divorce lawyer) and Gigi Averelle (the wedding planner) try to do ever

“American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares” #5 completely changes the complexion and crusade of the Vassals of the Morning Star. Through almost three years of stories, Scott Snyder has properly cultivated this universe so eloquently that some of those characters introduced with bit roles couldn’t help but have their stories shared elsewhere while the primary narrative continues in “American Vampire.” Among those characters capable of filling panels with compelling tales are former VMS Agent Felicia Book, her adopted son Gus and VMS leader Linden Hobbes. Hobbes is a frequent visitor to “American Vampire,” but “Lord of Nightmares” (and this issue in particular) serves to change his status significantly. As these characters are Snyder’s creations, he definitely has imbued each with a specific tone and voice. The interactions between those characters are Snyder at his best, bringing humanity to an otherworldly situation as the Vassals attempt to halt the threat of Dracula once and for all.

“American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares” #3 continues the summer tradition of adventures showcasing the Vassals of the Morning Star. In this series, set in the aftermath of World War II, Linden Hobbes and Felicia Book are on a quest to neutralize the king of all vampires with Felicia’s son, Gus, in tow. Although Scott Snyder doesn’t give him even one line of dialog, Dracula exerts influence over his followers and others and proves to be one of the most fearsome villains ever created. As the original vampire — or the Prime Carpathian as Hobbes prefers to refer to him — Dracula has taken measures to ensure his continued existence. Snyder reveals some of those secrets in this issue, all while threading in bits of the literary history and mythological legend for one of humanity’s original bogeymen. Adding to the mystery, Dustin Nguyen’s art is minimalistic, favoring economy and storytelling over detail and clutter. Additionally, Snyder gives Nguyen a couple metaphorical scenes to provide

“American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares” #2 stops the overall narrative flow to drop a 20-page lesson on the intriguing character and story aspects to Scott Snyder’s Dracula. There is an inherent danger in seeding a known quantity when the whole ethos of “American Vampire” usually creates new things. Snyder usually generates his own mythological roots, his own strain of vampire and his own characters. Thus, to suddenly insert the most famous vampire of all time might feel at odds with the title, but “American Vampire: Lord of Vampires” #2 dispels each and every fear. Snyder weaves Dracula into this landscape effortlessly as every page makes you forget what you know about Dracula. Snyder even drops a quick line to say we need to ignore Stoker but he has the chops to give us reasons why this new version is more compelling. The brief interlude to 1888 is exceptionally well played and drops so much in one page that feels like a sneaky wink at the audience — but it’s more exposition for Dra

I’m normally a little skeptical about spin-off mini-series from an ongoing comic. A title like “American Vampire” has never been afraid to set some of its main characters aside for months at a time, so in theory “American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares” #1 could have run as part of the regular series. But by the end of the first issue, I found myself sold on why this should be its own mini-series; both in terms of Scott Snyder’s story and also Dustin Nguyen’s art. Set in 1954 London, Snyder quickly sets the scene; an extremely dangerous vampire being freed, a former agent from the vampire-hunting Vassals of the Morning Star getting pulled back into active duty, a human child who was once a vampire and then transformed back into a mortal. Parts of “American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares” were set up in earlier “American Vampire” comics, but Snyder reminds old readers and fills in new ones on any pieces of information they would need to do in order to be comfortable. More importantly, Snyd

During Siege, Ares was killed by The Sentry. During Chaos War, since he’s dead, he’s enlisted into the Chaos King’s army to destroy reality (and our Earth along with it, presumably). Seems like the sort of thing you can pretty much establish in a few panels, right? Well, get ready for four dollars worth of explanation, instead! To be fair, Ares was always an interesting character who, under the right creative teams, grew beyond his Punisher-Meets-Thor pedigree. Oeming, however, isn’t really given much room to play around with in this story. Ares is already dead, and in hell. The one-shot centers around the Chaos King invading hell, Ares trying to resist his influence, and then ultimately succumbing to it. In between, there’s a lot of people, places, and things getting ripped apart. And that’s about it. It’s hard to really justify the price tag here, as nothing about Ares really changes here. He isn’t actually resurrected into the Marvel Universe proper, and the little back story we d