Marvel Comics have announced “Savage Avengers” will be relaunched with writer David Pepose (“Spencer & Locke,” “Scout’s Honor”) and artist Carlos Magno (“Kang the Conqueror”) at the helm this May. The new era will see the time-displaced Conan the Barbarian being pursued by the post-apocalyptic cyborg 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?”
The book marks Pepose’s debut at Marvel. He said, “Making my Marvel debut with ‘Savage Avengers’ is like getting drafted to the Yankees and then being told you also get to play for the Rangers on the weekend — not only do I get to write Conan the Barbarian, one of the most iconic characters in sword and sorcery, but I get to throw him into the wildest adventures imaginable alongside a brand-new crew of Marvel fan-favorites!” Magno added, “Working on ‘Savage Avengers’ is like a baptism of fire. It’s like David Pepose and I are dealing with nitroglycerin.”
The first volume of “Savage Avengers,” penned by Gerry Duggan, launched in 2019, and concluded after 28 issues this past January. The new line-up will consist of Daredevil (Elektra), Anti-Venom, Black Knight, Cloak & Dagger, and Weapon H. It is unclear who this version of Anti-Venom — a white blood cell-infused version of the symbiote — is, as Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson have both worn the mantle, while Weapon H (Clayton Cortez) is an ex-military mercenary who was turned into a fusion of the Hulk and Wolverine, that was introduced in the 2017 crossover story ‘Weapons of Mutant Destruction,’ and subsequently starred in an eponymous 12-issue series. Elektra was a fixture of the previous title, while Black Knight and Cloak & Dagger are fairly prominent Marvel characters, who last starred in their own respective miniseries in 2021 and 2019.
The new “Savage Avengers” #1 will be released on May 4.
