By Eric S. Brown
Just when comic readers likely had thought they had seen every type of Avengers team Marvel could come up with, the company introduced Savage Avengers in May of 2019. As crazy as it sounds, this is an Avengers team that actually features Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian as a member.
Savage Avengers is unlike any team before it in many ways including that most members have no issue with outright killing their enemies. The origin of the team is an epic story that puts all of the Marvel Universe at risk. An ancient mage and long time Red Sonja foe, Kulan Gath, has returned to being an active threat in modern times picking up from where his last appearance in the issues of the 1980s Uncanny X-men series left off. Gath has became even more powerful than he was and intends on wiping known reality out of existence.
Elektra, the Punisher, Wolverine, Conan, Venom, and Brother Voodoo, and the Black Widow discover Gath’s plans and engage the mage only to have Gath utterly outwit them.
This first collected trade of the series is jam packed with nonstop action including a brutal fight between Conan and Wolverine that while somewhat unrealistic is sure to please fans of both characters.
The art is also very well done and does justice to this new team’s level of violence. All in all, City of Sickles is a great start to this new team’s legacy in the Marvel Universe.
