Savage Avengers #1
- WRITER
- Gerry Duggan
- Artist
- Mike Deodato Jr.
- Letterer
- VC's Travis Lanham
- Cover Artist
- David Finch, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Moebius, Frank D'Armata, Leinil Francis Yu, Simone Peruzzi, Frank Martin, Mike Deodato Jr., Skottie Young, Simone Bianchi
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Colorist
- Frank Martin
With Conan the Barbarian now firmly reintegrated into the Marvel Universe, the Cimmerian warrior is poised to be a founding member of a dark, bloody incarnation of Marvel's premier super-team in Savage Avengers by Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato, Jr. Picking up on dangling plot threads from the recently concluded Avengers: No Road Home, Duggan and Deodato, Jr. focus more on the lethal, gritty heroes of the Marvel U than the weekly series where Conan officially made his re-debut. And judging by this first issue, the creative team are going to patiently put the eponymous team together while providing plenty of gory action along the way to tide readers over.
Introducing a new supernatural cult, one intent on committing blood sacrifices of the Earth's best and brightest to resurrect their evil, Lovecraftian behemoth, the story jumps right into the gratuitous bloodletting you'd expect from the team's lineup. However, the creative team takes a deliberate rather than breakneck approach; rather than rushing to introduce the entire roster and throw them together in the debut issue, Duggan and Deodato, Jr. instead only introduce a handful of key characters. Much of this particular story revolving around a fight to establish the dynamic between two protagonists in the best possible way the two communicating in: Fighting.
Duggan's script wastes no time in establishing the new threat that will eventually bring this team together, even though only approximately half the roster make their appearance in the debut issue. Instead, the story keeps the focus on Conan the Barbarian, with much of the action told from the Cimmerian's perspective (complete with Robert E. Howard style narration) as he traverses the Savage Land and finds himself targeted by a variety of enemies. It's interesting to see the wild world of the Marvel Universe told from this outsider point of view, and keeps in line with traditional depictions of the character.
The deliberate pacing makes it clear that Duggan and Deodato, Jr. are playing a longer game with the series' opening story arc, which may catch some readers off guard if they were expecting the new team to immediately form and hit the ground running. But this patient approach makes the introduction of each character to the narrative count and will likely pay dividends by the arc's conclusion. And the issue contains more than enough action to ensure that this methodical formation will not leave readers bored.
Where the book really excels is its dark, moody tone, brought to life by Mike Deodato, Jr. and color artist Frank Martin. Deodato, Jr.'s final work for Marvel in the foreseeable future is evocative and atmospheric, showcasing the roster as it emerges from the bloody shadows to save the world from this ancient, resurrected threat. Teamed with color artist Frank Martin, the action sequences are kinetic, hard-hitting and consequential; the violence on the page is sanguine and gory affirming the series as not one for younger readers and highlighting the lethal force exercised regularly by its protagonists. Deodato, Jr. is born to drawn characters like Conan, his work here reminiscent of his acclaimed run on Dark Avengers, blending superhero action with no-holds barred violence and grittier atmosphere.
Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato, Jr. have crafted a solid debut issue for Savage Avengers, living up to the bloody reputation of its main roster while taking their time to bring the lineup together in the face of a new threat. It's hard to call the story arc a slow burn as the creative team make much of the first issue a running fight between two of its leads but it's clear that they are not looking to rush the story from jump. Bloody, action-packed, and keeping in line with the characters featured, the debut promises a deeper look at the darker, more lethal side of the Marvel Universe.
Savage Avengers #1 is written by Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Mike Deodato, Jr. It is on sale now from Marvel Comics.