MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: SAVAGE AVENGERS #20 REVIEW

The “King in Black” mega-event may be over, but many of our heroes are still reeling from the aftermath. The vicious alien symbiote and space-dragon invasion has definitely had a major impact on numerous Marvel characters, and the Savage Avengers are among those most affected. Conan, recently, made a new friend with a symbiote, and together it appears that they will work side-by-side, and hand-in-hand to get their revenge against the evil sorcerer Kulan Gath. But this new partnership looks to be a friendship that will only bring out the worst in Conan, so the world better watch out as something very dark, both literally and figuratively, comes this way. It’s pretty trippy, though, seeing Conan in a formal black suit… it fits him well. But despite this bleak turn of character, not all hope is lost as Spider-Man is always just around the corner. With the massive Rhino joining the action as well, this is going to be a messy, violent confrontation for sure.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Savage Avengers #20 featuring Spider-Man

STORY BY: Gerry Duggan
ART BY: Patch Zircher
COVER BY: Valerio Giangiordano, Alex Horley

• A marvelous Marvel team-up between Conan and the Rhino goes awry when Spider-Man threatens to ruin their good time.

SAVAGE AF!

PROS:

• With everything happening in the recently concluded “King in Black” crossover event, I almost completely forgot about one major thread hanging loose, with regards to a certain fresh and blossoming relationship between Conan and his symbiote buddy. This is a great tale in the aftermath of the war as we see Conan go down a darker road than usual. In his quest and lust for revenge against the wicked magician Kulan Gath, Conan is being eased into a sinister role, which is evident in his new attire, and attitude toward life. In this issue, we are actually witnessing Conan team up with the always-game Rhino for a big heist… something that we have seen a million times from our larger-than-life frenemy. But it is intriguing to discover just how dark and savage Conan will get in the coming issues… and if he will be able to fend off the influence of the symbiote, but at the same time, still get his vengeance against his archenemy.
• I was jumping for joy seeing Spider-Man showcasing his power, with his awesome thunder-clap around Rhino’s ears. It is not too often that we see Rhino hurt and vulnerable like that, and it just shows that Spider-Man is still improving in his hand-to-hand combat skills. He’s a real fighter, and gone are the days where he is simply overpowered by the likes of Rhino. And just as a side-note… The Rhino fight this issue brought back some good memories of mine, playing Miles Morales on the Playstation.
• The conversation and discussion grew pretty deep when Conan started spitting out some SAVAGE truths, at least in his head. Although somewhat twisted, he did bring up some valid points about Spider-Man’s crusade… how in fact, while he may be doing his usual superhero duties day in and day out, perhaps he is serving a greater oppressor? Spider-Man was obviously baffled and confused by the accusations, but nevertheless, it is maybe helpful sometimes to look at the world glass half-empty.
• It was entertaining reading Spider-Man’s cheesy, fantasy-type dialogue against Conan’s. They were really playing into their own roles, over here. Now, Spidey has to fix his pants. Seriously.

CONS:

• It was only approaching the end where we got to experience the symbiote powers of Conan being used against Spider-Man. He was definitely startled the by recent development, but being a Spider-Man fan, and this being a primarily Spider-Man website, I am confident we all wanted more symbiote versus Spidey action from the pages.

FINAL GRADE: B+

This was a good ol’ beat-’em-up, with a simple story and some epic 2-on-1 handicap wrestling action. Spider-Man held his ground, and was able to match the power of both Rhino and Conan. But more than the heist, more than Conan’s desire for wealth and glory, is the evil machinations being put in place by Kulan Gath. Ghost Rider will make his appearance in the next issue, so we can expect darker times ahead for the Marvel Universe.