Ares & Aphrodite #4 Review

Ares & Aphrodite #4 brings Will and GiGi back to Los Angeles and sets them up for the biggest day of their shared existence.

ARES & APHRODITE #4
Writer: Jamie S. Rich
Artist/Inker/Colourist: Megan Levens
Editor: Charlie Chu
Publisher: Oni Press, Inc.
Cover Price: $1.99

Previously in Ares & Aphrodite #4: Will and GiGi chased their client, Carrie, all the way from Los Angeles to Big Sur and wound up getting a peek at just how compatible they could be.

THE DAY AFTER

Ares & Aphrodite #4 opens but a few short hours after the closing of the previous issue. Will is driving a hung over GiGi back to Los Angeles and Jamie S. Rich nails the awkward interaction between two people who are attracted to each other, but no longer know where they stand. GiGi even tells her business partner that she can’t remember how some events of the previous evening have transpired and whether or not Will has been a perfect gentlemen throughout the series that is a scary thought for her.

The thing that readers of Ares & Aphrodite #4 know, though, is that Will is a good guy. Rich has him break the tension between our two protagonists, absolving any ill-feelings with a well-timed joke. Will is rewarded for his classy-most behaviour by not having his car defaced for an entire issue! Yay!

When Will and GiGi arrive back in Los Angeles, Carrie – the bride to be and the young woman they have been chasing for 30 + pages now – makes a rather unexpected announcement and pulls GiGi into an impromptu press conference, making her responsible by proxy. This was certainly a device by Rich to knock GiGi off her game a little bit, although that doesn’t carry over too much when Will confronts her a few days later about the bet the protagonists made in the first issue. By halfway through Ares & Aphrodite #4 GiGi has certainly had a shock.

Rich is fair in his distribution of grief between lead characters and on the twelfth page of Ares & Aphrodite #4 we get a return to the graffiti defacements, although, as mentioned above, Will’s car ‘scapes damage this time around. His client’s house gets a crude message scrawled across the front wall, his concern spilling over onto will and the whole thing reads as unpropitious for the coming nuptials.

Ares & Aphrodite #4 brings the wedding that we have been reading about from the first issue to fruition. Will and GiGi are both presenting themselves as consummate professionals, which given the setting, also means that they are both quite dressed up. Rich continues the witty banter they engage in as the end of their bet seems to be drawing them to a close. He does a nice job at not bringing to catalyst to bear too early by introducing character back into the story that Will and GiGi must attend to. Readers have been given the chance to witness Will and GiGi’s romantic compatibility and immediately following that Rich shows us that they also make a great tag-team when faced with a crisis situation.

The writer has very cleverly cemented for the reading audience that Will and GiGi bring out the best in each other, whilst simultaneously moving the narrative through Ares & Aphrodite #4 to the climax which is set to take place in the issue being released next week.

ART TO INDUCE EMPATHY

Ares & Aphrodite #4 is drawn by Megan Levens. Megan Levens draws outstanding faces. Throughout the issue it is very easy to empathize and feel pathos for both GiGi and Will – at different turns – as they struggle with the narrative obstacles. On the opening page of Ares & Aphrodite #4 GiGi wears such a pathetically sad, hang over face that readers can’t help but wait on pins and needles for Will to take charge of the situation and make everything better for them.

As the wedding day begins Levens includes more and more details common in a Western wedding into the scenes of Ares & Aphrodite. Everything from flower arrangements to table cloths to the dress GiGi wears are both familiar and fun to look at. In addition to Levens’ deft handling of facial expression she proves that she has mastered the art of building a scene and giving thought to every aspect of a panel.

Ares & Aphrodite #4 looks great, the entire issue has looked great and it’s pretty cool that the silent storytelling is just as prominent and the words on the page.

THE BOTTOM LINE: YOU’LL BE EXCITED FOR MORE

Ares & Aphrodite #4 builds anticipation for the coming issue page by page. The conflict between Will and GiGi’s interest in showcased throughout the issue and both of them take blows before ultimately coming together as a powerhouse team. This is an awesome issue!