Savage Avengers #1
Dylan Davison
Recap
AN ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT, ALL-DANGEROUS TEAM ASSEMBLES! Since his exile from the Hyborian Age, Conan the Barbarian has conquered the most dangerous foes the modern Marvel Universe has to offer — but what happens when this hard-edged Cimmerian finds himself on the run from the cybernetic soldier of the future known as Deathlok? Outgunned and outmatched, Conan must turn to an unlikely group of loners, berserkers and killers if he hopes to survive the night — but can these Savage Avengers defy Deathlok’s murderous manhunt, or will they become the next targets in the crosshairs of tomorrow? Don’t miss out on a bold new beginning for Marvel’s most savage super heroes, as Ringo Award-winning writer David Pepose (Spencer & Locke, Scout’s Honor) and superstar artist Carlos Magno (KANG THE CONQUEROR, RoboCop: Dead or Alive) introduce a sensational new lineup that will resonate across every era of the House of Ideas!
Review
I’ve been waiting for this series, hyping it up, and it lives up to the hype and beyond. I’m a huge Cloak and Dagger fan, have been since I started reading comics. I’ve always felt like they deserved some proper attention, and David Pepose delivers with this issue and series.
Pepose has a lot of set up in only a few pages and does an excellent job doing it. He sets up the background perfectly and the way he uses third person writing/narrative is done so well. It reminds me of classic stories from the ’80s and ’90s, but crafted in a modern way.
Furthermore, Pepose spreads the love for not only Cloak and Dagger, but for the other team members. I came into this series only knowing Cloak and Dagger, Black Knight and Daredevil (ne Elektra), but in just a few panels I feel like I understand these characters’ motivations. David does an excellent job writing and explaining the voice of these characters. I always find that in some team books the writer doesn’t get a lot of time to fully show off each character, and even though this is definitely a set up issue, each character really got a chance to shine.
Without spoilers, the ending to this issue is so amazing, and puts these characters in places they’ve never been before. And on a personal note, I can tell Pepose has some amazing plans for Cloak and Dagger, and I’m forever grateful to him and Marvel.
Now on to the art! The talent of Carlos Magno matches Pepose’s talent perfectly. Not only do the characters match their appearance outside this series, each one is beautifully drawn in his highly-detailed style. The way Carlos draws fight scenes really feed on the classic narrative style that Pepose has. Magno’s art shares the classic style with a modern feel, and I love it.
The way Magno draws fighting for characters like Dagger and Daredevil is so smooth, it’s like a ballet. Likewise the fighting for characters like Conan and Weapon H, is like watching titans battling. The colors from Espen Grundetjern add to these beautiful, bloody and savage art. All of the talent on this series is top notch, and with amazing heroes, this series is a must for any Marvel fan!
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of any of these characters, please pick up this series. Cloak and Dagger under David Pepose's pen are finally going to get the A treatment and Avengers through and through. I'm so excited to see what comes next with issue two!
ADVANCED REVIEW: Savage Avengers #1: Deathlok'd and Loaded
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10