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| THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES #1 cover by Rafa Garres |
Last week we caught up with writer John Barber about his part in April 7's boisterous black-and-white one-shot, THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES. Now we check in with writers Gregg Hurwitz and Duane Swierczynski to get the low-down on their throw-down with the one and only God of War--Ares!
Novelist Swierczynski's known throughout mutant circles as the writer who makes DEADPOOL & CABLE click, and Hurwitz, novelist and screenwriter himself, made his mark on such series as WOLVERINE, PUNISHER and FOOLKILLER. The two, along with scribes John Barber and Ted McKeever, grind an axe or four with titanic tales of this titan of yore.
Marvel.com: Gregg, what's your point of view on the character of Ares and where does your story take him?
THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES #1 art by CP Smith
Gregg Hurwitz: He's all about war, obviously, so I put him in a position where he can produce his desired effect! One thing I highlight here is his strategy and--dare I say--manipulation. War can come about in a lot of ways, and I hope this is one of the more unusual paths in anyone's heard of.
Marvel.com: Duane, what kind of trouble do you get the God of War into in your tale?
Duane Swierczynski: Ares pops up in medieval Poland--a particularly brutal time, because Poland was like a foreign invader magnet. Sadly, this hasn't changed much over the centuries. A small village had sent a band of warriors to defend their land, but it didn't go so well. And now the bloodthirsty Tartars are ready to slaughter everyone in sight.
Marvel.com: And how does Ares enter the story?
THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES #1 art by Jefte Palo
Duane Swierczynski: Ares gets involved because he doesn't like slaughters. He wants war, dammit--and he'll do anything he can to encourage a good fight.
Marvel.com: THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES comes out in stunning black-and-white, to echo the Mighty Marvel Magazines of the past. Gregg, what's it like working with that style?
Gregg Hurwitz: I was really excited to work in this format. We're going for some really stark visuals, with emphasis on emotion and action. There's a dynamic nature to black and white because you can't take for granted that you'll be backed up with striking colors.
Marvel.com: Duane, in that same vein, what sort of feeling do you hope to evoke with your Ares tale?
THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES #1 art by Ted McKeever
Duane Swierczynski: "Wojna" is a prose story--my first for Marvel. I don't write many short stories, so I'm grateful for any excuse to work on one. I was going for a kind of "historical noir" feel, if that makes any sense. By noir, I mean "hopelessly screwed," and there's nothing more noir than being outnumbered on a battlefield.
Marvel.com: Did you draw inspiration from any one source for it?
Duane Swierczynski: A good friend of mine, crime writer Allan Guthrie, wrote a hardboiled Scottish Viking tale set in his hometown of Orkney called "Haermund Hardaxe Was Here." I admired the hell out of that story, and wanted to try something similar, only set in my ancestral home of Poland.
Get your copy of THE SAVAGE AXE OF ARES on April 7!
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