Savage Avengers #1
A team of Savage Avengers comes together to battle a threat from the future in Savage Avengers #1, by writer David Pepose, artist Carlos Magno, colorist Espen Grundetjern, and letterer Travis Lanham. Pepose and company give readers an action-packed comic that can be enjoyed by anyone.
The plot of the issue is rather simple: as Conan attacks a gathering of the cult of Set and is attacked by a Deathlok unit for crimes against the timeline, Daredevil and Anti-Venom find a madbomb is missing, Weapon H deals with a mugging, and Cloak and Dagger rethink their relationship. The leader of the cult triggers the madbomb, but the heroes are spared its effects and make their way to the epicenter, where they help Conan with his battle before the whole thing goes south and deposits all of them somewhere quite unexpected.
A first issue is a delicate thing, especially for a book like Savage Avengers, which had a volume that just ended. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, and oftentimes, fans who didn't read the previous volume won't give the new one a try. That's a huge mistake with this one; it's a pitch perfect first issue from start to finish, hooking readers from page one. No prior knowledge of the Savage Avengers is needed, and the characters are introduced in a way that keys readers in on who they are enough to get them started if they don't know much about them.
Pepose's skill as a writer is evident on every page. This is a twenty-three-page comic but it's not a quick read; the reader is getting their money's worth. His caption boxes are well written, the dialogue is strong, and the pacing is amazing. This often feels like a throwback to an older comic writing style in the best way possible, balancing action, dialogue, and character development in wonderful ways. This is a perfect first issue. The first page sucks readers right in, and it just gets better from there, and the end leaves the reader gobsmacked with the book's potential and what's coming next.
Action is a big part of this comic, Magno and Grundetjern nail it. The action is well-paced and laid out, detailed and kinetic. This is a comic with some of the best action characters in the Marvel Universe, and the art team definitely does them justice. However, the action isn't the only great thing about the art. The character acting is one point, detail never flags, and the colors are dark without ever feeling muddy. Grundetjern's colors and Magno's pencils are an amazing compliment, and it will be a joy to see what they do next with this book's visuals.
Savage Avengers #1 is a clinic in how to make a perfect first issue. Everything about it hits just right. It's exciting and well-paced and leaves readers with a perfect cliffhanger ending. The team of Pepose, Magno, Grundetjern, and Lanham pulled off something special with this first issue, and no matter where they take the book next, it's going to be amazing.
