Savage Avengers #1: City of Sickles

With a name like Savage Avengers and a lineup of some of Marvel’s most brutal characters, the new series from Duggan and Deodato held seemingly unlimited potential going into the first issue. But does it hold up?

The answer may not be a resounding yes, but it doesn’t exactly disappoint either. The issue works well in establishing a dark and violent aesthetic (which should be expected for this series) and it even introduces a wildly interesting plot regarding the different sacrifices necessary to summon The Marrow God. The artwork from Deodato suits the story well, but there are some panels that are lacking in consistency.

When this issue succeeds, its a gloriously violent look into a darker side of Marvel Comics. Conan slaughtering one person after another before taking on Wolverine sets the mood for a truly savage story. Which is exactly what I want in a series like this! But in these distinct character interactions we also see the biggest downfall of the issue as well. What we are given is a very limited cast of characters despite the badass lineup featured on the stunning cover by David Finch and Frank D’Armata.

We see a lot of Conan and arguably even more Wolverine, but are given only brief glimpses at Brother Voodoo and Frank Castle. More importantly though, where is Elektra? And Venom?! Giving so many of the characters only a panel or two (Venom locked in a cage for example) makes them feel like an afterthought, especially in a book with 30+ pages.

Unfortunately, this is a common aspect of ensemble comics. I’m sure we will slowly be introduced to each character and why they are being involved in the ritual to summon The Marrow God, with an eventual team-up somewhere around issue #3 or 4, I was just hoping for more from this series.

Luckily, the issue does a good enough job establishing the story to maintain interest going into the next issue. Duggan, Deodato and company have a story with such great potential, and while the first issue isn’t necessarily a home run, it succeeds when it needs to. The creative team is obviously promising some really great stuff to come with these rather threatening characters, so I am excited to see what’s next.

My expectations remain high for this series, so hopefully next issue sees the formation of the Savage Avengers and delivers even more violent action. Until then, we will just have to enjoy Conan’s reaction to seeing Wolverine stand up with a sword still embedded in his chest…