The Slayers Of Slavers: Savage Avengers Annual #1 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
A network of slave trafficking is spreading throughout South America, and it’s caught the attention of Black Widow, Conan the Barbarian, and Daimon Hellstrom. Each discovers the network in their own manner, but all three are dedicated to putting an end to it. Conan believes that this must have something to do with Kulan Gath, and, after Daimon gets a look at the slavers’ sickle tattoos, it seems that the Cimmerian may be right yet again.
Savage Avengers Annual #1 is a relatively simple and straightforward tale. Three heroes with a penchant for bloody justice discover a network of heartless slavers and put a brutal end to the operation.
Simple, of course, is not innately a criticism, and simplicity does Savage Avengers Annual #1 a lot of good. It allows for the story and team-up to get rolling quickly, and it allows for a lot of fun in watching Conan, Black Widow, and Daimon slash, shoot, and burn through this cursed cadre of slavers.
That is to say that Savage Avengers Annual #1 is a lot of bloody fun, and Damion, Conan, and Natasha make for an interesting team. Despite a brief violent first meeting between Conan and Daimon, it’s actually a fast teaming up process too. All three heroes know the kind of evil with which they’re dealing, and they know that they must put an end to it. Anyone who opposes the enslavement of women and is willing to do something about it is an ally in this book.
Ron Garney provides the visual work for this book, and he is an especially welcome choice in this book. His artwork is gritty, and he has an exciting and cathartic way of depicting action, especially bloody action. Matt Milla, as always, does a good job in crafting the color palette of the book.
Savage Avengers Annual #1 is a straightforward and fun violent adventure starring three very disparate figures in the Marvel Universe. The action is constant practically from the get-go, and there’s something especially enjoyable about watching villains as vile as slavers get righteous punishment. Also, we get to see Conan in camo cargo pants, and that’s kinda great in its own right. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Savage Avengers Annual #1 comes to us from writer Gerry Duggan, artist Ron Garney, color artist Matt Milla, letterer VC’s Travis Lanham, cover artist Mike Deodato Jr. with Romulo Fajardo Jr., and variant cover artist Ron Garney with Richard Isanove.
Final Score: 8/10