*Review: Savage Avengers #1 – SPOILER ALERT!*

By BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

I came to Savage Avengers uneasily. Those who have read my reviews know that I consider myself a Howard purist, but with a deep appreciation of Roy Thomas’ work on Conan for Marvel Comics.

I enjoyed Conan’s time under the Dark Horse banner, but when I first learned the Cimmerian would be returning to Marvel, I was excited. When they announced three Conan titles (Conan the Barbarian, Savage Sword of Conan, and Age of Conan) I was ecstatic.

Then the first art showed up: Conan standing between Wolverine and Thor.

Oh no. Surely they wouldn’t? I put it out of my mind, and then as the new comics arrived, I was… deflated. These new Conan titles fell far short from what I expected from Marvel. Conan was out of character. The stories were a pale shadow of not only Howard’s greatness, but that of classic Marvel and Dark Horse.

Then Conan showed up in the Avengers mini-series No Road Home.

My worst fears were being realized. This was not the Conan I had been a faithful fan of since the mid-70s.

Once Savage Avengers was announced, I cringed. I was on the verge of becoming livid. How could they do this? It was bad enough they were butchering the character in his own titles, but now they were going to drag him into a team up with Wolverine, the Punisher, Brother Voodoo, Elektra, and Venom?

I bought the comic reluctantly. I had to see the trainwreck for myself, but, wonder of wonders, there in the pages of Savage Avengers #1 was Conan of Cimmeria. Conan couldn’t be bothered to make an appearance in character in titles bearing his name, but here he was, front and center, in a place he had no business being.

Here’s a recap:

Our story begins with an opera singer being kidnapped and dragged off to the Savage Land, sacrificed by a strange cult in order to appease and call forth a god from a far flung planet in our solar system.

Enter Conan who is in a grim and gritty battle with members of the Hand.

Soon, Wolverine appears and he and the Cimmerian battle it out, before becoming reluctant allies in one of the oldest tropes in comicdom.

Conan is looking to infiltrate a wizard’s lair to steal a magical gem. Wolverine is investigating the disappearance of Brother Voodoo. The barbarian and mutant part company.

Logan eventually finds Voodoo, but is seemingly too late to save him from ritual sacrifice.

The tale ends with Frank Castle, the Punisher, discovering the bodies of his loved ones have been stolen and taken to the Savage Land as bait to draw him there.

Believe me, the comic was much better than it sounds. Looking at it purely from the standpoint of a Conan fan, the Cimmerian was perfectly in character. The action was intense and visceral. The artwork was spectacular.

Yes, Wolverine’s entrance was disappointing, but overall, this was the best representation of Conan we’ve seen in the Marvel Universe since Roy Thomas penned tales of the Hyborian Age.

So yes, I’m in this one till the end, though I expect it to devolve rather quickly once more characters from the Marvel Universe start sharing the screen with my favorite Cimmerian.

But it was sure nice to see him take center stage in this Savage Avengers debut. The Conan Gerry Duggan is writing in this book is a far cry from the way he is characterizing him in his Savage Sword of Conan run.

What a missed opportunity, especially considering how fantastic Mike Deodato’s artwork is. I would have loved to see him bring the Hyborian Age to life, or at the very least, spend more time in the Savage Land.

And speaking of missed opportunities… Where the heck is Ka-Zar? If Conan has to be pulled into the Marvel Universe and dropped into the Savage Land, how is that not the team-up???

Anyway, I give Savage Avengers #1 a solid 7 out of 10 Skulls of My Enemies, deducting one point per Marvel Anti-Hero that made an appearance in the book.

—Alba Gu Brath
Bob Freeman
occultdetective.com