The God Cycle

"Rekindle the Flame, for what was may come again." A webcomic about gods and the violence of war. By: Pirin

[thegodcyclecomic]

Welcome!

This is the official blog for the webcomic, The God Cycle, a Greek Mythology retelling that focuses on Ares and Athena as the main characters in a military-horror plot. This comic deals with dark themes unsuitable for a young audience such as discussions of war crimes, sexual assault, abuse, cannibalism, mental illness, and disturbing imagery.

Synopsis:

The God Cycle is an all-consuming madness. The goddess of war, Athena, marches unflinchingly through history's battles, stuck in a spiral of bloodshed and violence. The Fire of Olympus is fading, flickering until its embers turn to ash. She must find a way to rekindle it once more, even if it means working together with her sworn enemy, Ares. The turning of the cycle may mean the end of the Age of Gods— and their entire pantheon.

Disclaimer: The God Cycle is a webcomic based on Greek Mythology and the works of Homer, Hesiod, Euripides, and others. While most elements are intended to stay true to the original, there are intentional changes intended to serve the theme of the story.

Link to read comic: [WEBTOON]

More Information under the line break:

[thegodcyclecomic]

Something I noticed while reading the Iliad is that Ares is like a ghost, you don’t always see him but he is ever-present— a specter that haunts the narrative. He exists in every soldier, he breaks them while at the same time loving them. You learn about Ares by the facets revealed in other characters.

Menelaus, whom Ares backs…” - Book 4, Line 20

“He (Ajax) stepped out, as formidable as gigantic Ares…” -Book 7, Line 245

“Hector, Priam’s son, hard as the wargod (Ares)” -Book 11, Line 337

“…the other (Patroclus) came, rugged it seemed, as Ares—” -Book 11, Line 601

“Polypoites, the son of Perithoos, and Leonteus, tough as the wargod (Ares)” -Book 12, Line 147

"In the midst of the great fight the eye of Menelaus, dear to the wargod (Ares)..." -Book 17, Line 2

"...Hector, peer of the swift wargod (Ares), against him..." -Book 17, Line 77

"Meanwhile Menelaus, dear to Ares, stands guard over Patroclus." -Book 17, Line 84

"Idomeneus came next, and his retainer, Meriones, peer of the murderous wargod." -Book 17, 289

"Then Automedon, peer in speed of the wargod, took the dead man's armor..." -Book 17, Line 600

Resolute Diomedes and Odysseus, familiars of the wargod, limped along..." -Book 19, Line 55 "Every Trojan felt his knees atremble seeing the great runner (Achilles) armed and flashing like the deadly god of war." Book 20, Line 50

[Hector speaking] "No chance now, for charms from oak or stone in parlay with him-- charms a girl or boy might use when they enchant each other talking! Better we duel, now at once, and see to whom the Olympian awards glory." Now close at hand Achilles like the implacable god of war came on with the blowing crest..." Book 22, Line 158

Pirin: An inference I can make based on the passage above is that Ares cannot be sated or bought off with riches. He is "implacable".

[thegodcyclecomic]

Ares, Apollo, Leto, and Artemis

[darkaviarymc]

Tragedy alignment chart. Feel free to use, but please reblog if you do.

[mikkeneko]

And of course the second part of the tragedy, which is: which quadrant did you think you were in vs. which one you were really in

[mynameisrocks]

[thegodcyclecomic]

Between the war siblings, is one ever scared of the other or are they too close for that?

From Athena's POV, she is not scared of Ares at all. What Zeus sees as an unpredictable and unstable force to Athena becomes opportunity. The question then becomes about how this double-edged sword can be managed, negotiated with, or controlled.

To Ares, rather than fear it's caution he feels. His extensive experience in dealing with Athena has taught him that she is a schemer by nature, and he finds many of her actions inexplicable.

Their relationship is complicated because of how familiarity and fondness intertwine with resentment, manipulation, and distrust.

[thegodcyclecomic]

Goddess of Strategy

[thegodcyclecomic]

Small Ares

[thegodcyclecomic]

Hi! Happy New Year, and new strength and happiness to you. I recently looked through a couple of comics on the DC Universe. Here's a question.

If Wonder Woman were in your Universe, would she fight Ares the same way as in DC? Would Ares be more sarcastic or just as dark a warrior? Whose side would Artemis and Athena be on?

2. Is it possible to say that Arren is a kind of Batman/James Gordon?

3. What song do you associate with your characters?

Ares would be Diana's embarrassing Grandpa who keeps telling the Justice League to "JUST FUCKING KILL THEM ALREADY!!!!"

Bonus: Ares wanders away from the JL and meets the Joker

2. Arren is the type of corrupt cop that Bruce would beat up in a dark alleyway.

3. Athena: Perfect Machine by STARSET

Ares: Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier

[thegodcyclecomic]

Wanted to practice a bit of graphic design

[thegodcyclecomic]

Hey there, are you OK?

Hello! Sorry for the late response. If I'm completely honest, the answer is no. I originally had plans to continue on to season 2 of TGC asap, but then got medicated with antidepressants and had financial and mental issues so that threw a wrench in everything. Once I got a new job, I somehow also got Mental Block with both writing and drawing. It's been really frustrating so far, I'm trying to "remember" how to draw and write, and have been semi-successful so far. I don't intend to drop TGC, I will finish it if it's the last thing I do, the only question is *when*, and to that I have no definitive answer. I'm very sorry for the delay and lack of content.

[thegodcyclecomic]

Ares and Athena as Silent Hill redraws

[thegodcyclecomic]

"Do it, coward."

[thedeafprophet]

I love when trauma makes characters messy. I love when characters don't know how to show love. I love when they lash out. I love when they're vile and break down. I love characters who aren't perfect victims. I love when stories don't excuse behaviour but allow you to understand it

[thegodcyclecomic]

Do Athena and Ares have tension? Does one fear the other? Do they both feel the need to be overly dominant? What are the two of them like when vulnerable infront of the other?

I would say they have tension, yes, for many reasons (among them, a certain degree of clashing interests). Neither is afraid of the other, and there are times when tides of power between them shift.

As for what they're like when they're vulnerable, I will show you a sneak peek of Season 2's script.

[thegodcyclecomic]

how will arena babies look??

Here you go

[thegodcyclecomic]

Ares and Apollo across different medium adaptations. No I will not be taking criticisms

[thegodcyclecomic]

Sauce for all the pictures Ares: (Jock)

-Goddess Girls -Gods School -Lore Olympus -Blood of Zeus -Xena Princess Warrior -Hades x Persephone Ficlets (Webtoon) -God of War -Danmachi

Ares: (Insane)

-Hades game -Fenyx Immortals Rising -Smite -Athena Complex -Percy Jackson -DC -The God Cycle (Webtoon)

Ares: (Dead Inside)

-Clash of the Titans -Desire for Peace (Webtoon)

Apollo: (Fuckboy)

-Lore Olympus -Danmachi -Clash of the Titans -Athena Complex -Little Pollen -Percy Jackson

Apollo: (Gay) -Blood of Zeus -Princess Xena Warrior -DC -Gods School

Apollo: (Pathetic)

-Hades x Persephone Ficlets (Webtoon) -Olympian Guardians -The God Cycle (Webtoon) -Hercules

[thegodcyclecomic]

Ares and Apollo across different medium adaptations. No I will not be taking criticisms