Savage Avengers, Vol. 4: King in Black

Savage Avengers (2019)

by Gerry Duggan, Kevin Walker (Illustrator), Patrick Zircher (Illustrator)

Conan is imprisoned on Ryker’s Island — but he promptly breaks out with the help of Deadpool! The taciturn barbarian and the Merc with a Mouth make for a very odd couple of warriors — but a very effective one as well, as they prove when the King in Black and his symbiotes invade Earth! Meanwhile, Conan makes a surprising discovery that may help him overcome another dark threat — the sorcerer Kulan Gath! But what part of the barbarian’s plan involves a heist of the Hellfire Club? Prepare for Conan and Deadpool to set sail…with the Marauders! Then, a riotous team-up between Conan and the Rhino goes wrong — when Spider-Man threatens to ruin their good time! The legendary barbarian continues his savage rampage across the Marvel Universe!

COLLECTING: Savage Avengers (2019) 17-22

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

136 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2021

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m still not enjoying Conan interacting with the present day Marvel Universe, it just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny and is a silly idea. Conan is far too comfortable inhabiting a world that would most likely come as such a culture shock he’d go completely bananas; I don’t care how tough he is.

Speaking of which, Marvel has obviously decided he needs a serious upgrade to stand toe-to-toe with Marvel’s heroes and villains. In this volume, Conan tosses Spider-Man around like a rag doll. I’ll grant you that Conan is ‘peak human’ strong but Spidey can bench press a bus without breaking a sweat. Even without factoring in Spidey’s superhuman speed, agility and tech, Conan wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

Of course, what’s happening here is that the writer has such an enormous boner for Conan that he’s joyfully forgotten everything he knows about the Marvel Universe. The other possibility, of course, is that whoever’s let Marvel borrow Conan for a while has done so on the condition that the Cimmerian absolutely cannot be portrayed as inferior to any of the Marvel characters he’s interacting with… which is ridiculous.

Don’t get me wrong; I like Conan… in his own era. The sooner he goes back there, the happier I’ll be.

The highlight of this book for me was Kev Walker’s great artwork on the King in Black crossover issues. Seriously gorgeous work.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great volume. I have to say I am slightly biased as this book did use my favorite marvel characters as guest stars. The story centres around Conan (who is also one of my favourite characters ever Dark Horse to Marvel). If I had one complaint it is that hated the way Conan was drawn in the first three chapters (issues 17 - 19). He just looked not like Conan but just a generic big guy.

The first story arc was ok, Deadpool did jus part well. I like Conan played on the rivalry between Deadpool and Wolverine. I did also like that Conan gets a bit of a hidden edge/weapon. Also though he has his own code he is not a nice guy or even one of the good guys.

Now I was nervous when I saw Spider-man making a guest appearance. Mainly as I though they it would be a smacking on Spidy. However I am very glad to say I think it was done correctly. As dispite physical appearances Sipder-man is 10 time faster and more yhan 100 times stronger than Conan.

The final part of the book is coming out of the King in Black arc and back to the quest the Savage Avengers were created for. Also guess staring Ghost Rider. Also when have Conan and Ghost Rider met before?

All in a great crossover with the King in Black arc and the Savage Avengers. I am definitely looking forward to the battle to come. The book finishes with a cover gallery with a full page of a varient cover of each issue.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so good omg!

I loved this one again and here we have Conan facing off against symbiote dragons during king in black event as he continues the hunt for Kulan gath and that leads him to hellfire club with deadpool (and how they met is so funny) and then battle against some X-Men as they detected a breach in the hellfire club and a battle later and then their mission: rescue Cyclops and storm who are sort of bonded with the symbiote and thus they battle to rescue their friends and thats a fun story, sad to see that its never fully wrapped up here.

Then we have a team up with Rhino to rob some banks and face off against Spidey which was kind of a fun face off and we also see some new things for Conan and then comes Ghost rider which I thought the battle was fun and the foe they face aka Nightmare too but then again the story seemed to cut short but I kinda liked it and just shows how Johnny and Conan are sort of similar in their fears and seem to hint at a future foe down the line!

Its a great volume and continues Conan's trek in the Marvel universe and does well to match up with the continuity and shows different cameos while playing with the large story of Conan hunting for Gath and the art by Zircher is excellent is this volume and makes for a smooth reading!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The deeper into this series I get, the more I realize this title was created to solely have Conan interact with the Marvel Universe. Throughout this I’ve noticed I’m fine with that. I’m a fan of Conan and I like Marvel comics so this works for me. Plus Duggan has been doing a great job handling these interactions. It opens up with him, Deadpool and some others in jail and they stage a breakout. A lot of fun times to be had there. Conan also deals with the events of King in Black which he comes out of with a cool new weapon, runs across a slew of others characters, stakes claim to some new living quarters in a well known location and goes on a heist with the Rhino. This series continues to be entertaining to me and the art has been pretty good throughout this run. Looking forward to volume 5 dropping.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan Team-Up, I mean, Savage Avengers continues to rampage through the Marvel Universe even as symbiotes rain from the sky and the King In Black arrives. Then it's time travel! Or is it dream travel? Who knows, as Conan fights familiar faces from the past in an effort to unlock the secret to defeating Kulan Gath once and for all!

King In Black's the first storyline that's affected Savage Avengers' main series, I think? There was an Empyre one-shot, but otherwise it's mostly been left to its own devices, and this volume kind of shows us why - it flounders a little when the symbiotes arrive and derail the ongoing story, since they just don't gel together well enough. The action's fun as always, and it's nice to see that Venom's early appearance in the series wasn't a total throwaway, but it absolutely feels like someone holding up a finger and saying 'hang on a minute while we do this' for three issues before getting back to the main plot.

The time travel(ish) arc that takes up the second half of the book is better, for sure. There are some truly epic moments (Ghost Rider on a giant spider should be terrifying and yet I love it), and the Kulan Gath plot gets some new and interesting twists added into it too - it's just a shame that we only get three issues of this instead of the full six.

The art's a straight split down the middle too, with Kev Walker pencilling the King In Black tie-in while Patrick Zircher returns for the latter three issues. They're both big, bombastic artists that a book like this demands, so even if the plot slows to a standstill the art still looks grand.

A bit of a slip-up, but not one we can't recover from. It just goes to show that, just because you can tie into an event, doesn't mean you need to.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan tearing it up!

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conan has been imprisoned on Ryker's Island and has to escape with the help of Deadpool and a D-list supervillain. He ends up robbing a bank to get the Bar with No Name a bunch of decent beer by fighting Spider-Man. He also takes over a Hellfire Club mansion as well as fights a bunch of X-men who are still allied with their former villain thanks to the Krakoa thing.

This is easily the best of the Savage Avengers line but that's because it has the absolute least to do with the whole Kulan Gath story. Which is probably not a good thing since we've had three arcs about trying to stop him and we're no closer to it than we were in issue #1.

Still, Spider-Man gets called out by Conan. "With great power comes great rewards!" Also, why does Spider-Man work for the cops?! Hehe.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH Conan... too much time amongst us here in the future? Now taking on merc-for-hire jobs? The character finds his roots again with the arrival of Knull (My LAST foray into the King in Black saga!) and goes toe-to-toe with several of Marvel's heavy hitters. Are they trying to latch the character onto someone else in the Marvel Universe so he can stay around and be modern all the time?
Making a deal with a symbiote to get a better blade and shot at killing Kulan Gath (see the previous Volumes if you don't know who I am talking about), teaming with people (including Deadpool) to steal riches from the old building of the Hellfire Club, making friends with Iceman, bartering a deal to stay at the old Hellfire place until Gath is destroyed (has to talk to both Logan and Emma to get that approved), tangling with Ghost Rider and Nightmare, and eventually ending up in the living room of the Sanctum Santorum while Doctor Strange talks to Shuma-Gorath... this book has been a crazy ride. Though I love Conan being given free reign to grow as a character, I kind of miss his easy life...

Overall, I can't wait to see how the final battle against Gath will pan out... and if this title will survive after that. Always good to show the more savage side of Marvel.
Recommend.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jornada de Conan através do Universo Marvel continua em Vingadores Selvagens quando o bárbaro da Ciméria precisa enfrentar os simbiontes vindos da saga Rei das Trevas. Para isso, ele vai contar com a ajuda do imortal Deadpool e de um personagem novo, o Caçador Alado, que por acaso é LGBTQIA+. Juntos eles se unirão aos Carrascos, a equipe extranacional dos X-Men para libertar os líderes de Krakoa, Ciclope e Tempestade, que estão sob influência de Knull, o deus dos simbiontes. Como tenho constatado, os spin-offs da saga Rei das Trevas têm sido mais divertidos do que a própria minissérie em si. Esta primeira parte, desenhada por Kev Walker é uma comprovação. A segunda parte do encadernado, desenhada pelo magistral Patrick Zircher, é mais chatinha. Rhino e Conan enfrentam o Homem-Aranha e, depois, Conan se une ao Motoqueiro Fantasma Johnny Blaze para enfrentar Pesadelo. Nessa toada, somos apresentados a uma Motoqueiro Fantasma que dirige uma aranha gigant e nos tempos da Aquilônia. Mais uma vez, Vingadores Secretos continua divertido e vai rumando para seu volume final na próxima edição. A conferir.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually kind of enjoyed the Deadpool team-up Conan had Deadpool thanks to their ~urp~ prison break technique. But it is a silly King in Black crossover that also teams Conan up with a symbiote before getting lost in nowhere chapters with the X-Men and Ghost Rider.

This is the point where I would ordinarily decide I'm done with this claptrap, but of course it's been canceled and I already have the last volume out from the library, so my alter ego, Completion Man, will now team-up with Conan one last time.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is so goddamned stupid, and yet I can't stop reading them. The fourth volume, "King in Black", written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Kev Walker and Patch Bircher, features Deadpool, the Night Flyer, a couple X-men I've never heard of, and Ghost Rider. Oh, and Venom. (Or at least one of Venom's alien slime-like cousins.) As always, Conan has the primary slot. Ultra-violent, bloody, funny, and plotless. Sometimes, I guess, you just need that...

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as much fun as the last volume was but it was still a pretty fun ride. Seeing Conan and Deadpool team up was pretty cool and I really like the way Duggan writes Conan. Hope the next volume is quality too.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 1 out of 5]

The novelty has worn off, all that remains is Gerry Duggan's goofy fan-fiction, just send Conan back to the Hyborian Age.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love how Conan-centric this series is, and I am glad that the art has continued to rock!

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read King in Black yet, so the crossover issues didn't have the impact they would have if I had known the whole story. Thankfully, the basics seem easy enough to understand and the story still worked. Conan has his own symbiote now, who would have ever guessed? We get to see Conan interact with Spiderman and Ghost Rider, too. However, it's starting to feel like the appearances are forced and we're just seeing characters tossed in so that we can see different characters teaming up with Conan. However, the inherent coolness of the crossovers still make them interesting. I am getting ready to see the whole Kulan Gath storyline wrap up, which I assume happens in the next and final volume.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the first comment on New York being invaded by the symbiote minions of a void god is "That is most definitely some stupid space ****" then you know it's going to be good. Also, in answer to Conan's question, how could a dog NOT be an officer of the guard? They're such good boys and girls!
Extra star is for Deadpool's cameo in this volume. The only person who could accidentally leave his weapons in police lock up and then forget about it.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black humour, tons of badassery, cool cameos, and action aplenty. What’s not to love?

I feel like this book could be called “Conan meets the Marvel Universe, one character at a time”, and whilst not a catchy title, it wouldn’t lack for accuracy.

I can see myself rereading this run again and again. I love badass comics.

[Steven Schend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite its irritating (and frankly pointless and dull) crossovers with King In Black/Spider-Symbiote story arcs, this was a blast to read simply for Conan's characterization and polarized opposition to what a hero means in the modern world vs his viewpoint/era

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The King in Black tie-ins were middling but issue 20 where Conan and Rhino team up to rob a bank and wallop Spider-Man was excellent.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an weird and unlikely idea, yet marvel continues to get this just right. I like MCU Conan better than traditional Conan, tbh.

[Eye-ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just don’t see why people crap on this. Because Conan is in our times…. If you just let yourself be entertained you may just enjoy this series as much as I do.

[Steve Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice continuation of the story and some cool guest stars such as Spider-man and Ghost Rider.

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still not sure about bringing Conan to present day and I do not know about nothing about King in Black storyline this one still for some uncanny reason works.

[J.M. Giovine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, if this would’ve came out in the early 90s, or at any point in the 80s, the idea of having the X-Men teaming up with Conan the Barbarian would’ve blown my mind. Adding Deadpool to the mix, and the possibilities are endless, resulting in a top-notch, exhilarating, and overly fun title, right?
Well, since we’re talking the “X-Men” from the Krakoa era, not so much. The first half is this book brings artist Kevin Walker to the series, and the difference between him and Patrick Zircher is quite noticeable. Despite how promising the idea of putting the mutants in the same pages as Conan is, the final results feel dull, boring, and completely unnecessary to the main storyline that has the Cimmerian hunting for the evil sorcerer, Kulan Gath. Here, Conan is captured out of nowhere by the police, and sent to the Rykers maximum security facility, during the “King in Black” event. As cool as it was seeing Conan wielding the “Venom-sword” once again, and even catching a glimpse of the arrival of the symbiote on the Hyborian Age, the rest of the story feels just as “by-the-numbers” as some of the weakest aspects of Duggan’s scripts throughout this particular crossover. Deadpool’s humor feels basic, familiar, and almost reaching levels of fan service; it really doesn’t mix well with the character of Conan, and the other character introduced prior to the appearance of the X-Men, Night Flyer, felt forced, mostly to a particular scene were he clarifies Conan that he has a “male partner”, and it almost felt as an excuse to put Conan in this specific situation to give some kind of clarification towards his acceptance of homosexuals. It’s not the worst type of pandering out there, and thank Crom it only happens in a matter of two panels, but is super lazy writing. 17 issues so far and this finally happened in a series were that sort of subject doesn’t need to be addressed, or even suggested in the first place. But then, Zircher re-enters the picture, and things once again got back in motion with the addition of the always great Ghost Rider, and the appearance of one of Doctor Strange’s deadliest villains. The difference between Walker’s art style, and Zircher is pretty noticeable, and even Duggan’s script feels revitalized once the “Spirit of Vengeance” makes his grand entrance. However, these encounters suffered from the typical “character meets other character, both characters fight each other, but eventually they join forces”, which is the backbone of these type of crossovers, and the core behind the script in this one. It still leads the way for the final event, in the upcoming final 6 issues in the series, and despite how lackluster this volume felt, I still feel eager to see how Duggan is going to close his series. I still detect the author’s passion and emotion though these issues, and it still is a lot of fun, but it drags way longer in the first half, and the second one went back on track, but still not within the same level of engagement and spectacle as the previous 16 issues. Hopefully the finale compensates this fourth, and so far, weakest entry in a show that, in all fairness, should be written almost by itself.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un alto en el camino de la saga de Savage Avengers donde Conan el Bárbaro puede interactuar algo más "calmado" con el Universo Marvel mientras Kulan Gath se recupera para realizar su golpe final y decisivo contra TODA la realidad.

La amenaza de Knull supone una oportunidad para personajes Marvelitas de brújula moral tan torcida como Deadpool. Quien encontrará en el Cimmerio uno de los Team Ups más inesperadamente salvajes para el Mercenario Bocazas. De esta historia es una pena que el hecho de que Conan sea "semi huésped" de un remanente de simbionte que utiliza como brazalete invoca armas oscuras no tenga verdadera relevancia con lo que supuso la amenaza del Rey de Negro. Gerry Duggan se centra sobre todo en la acción irreverente que lleva a que Conan "conquiste" la vieja mansión del Club Fuego Infernal. Que convierte en su particular "castillo" desde donde operar en su lucha contra Kulan Gath. Pero realmente es un lugar donde poder festejar con alcohol y mujeres como un buen bárbaro.

Se completan otros encontronazos como ese con Rhino pero, sobre todo, los números finales con Ghost Rider. Azuzado por una poderosa entidad que necesita de la ruda atención del Cimmerio que entiende más con un salvaje enfrentamiento que con un inocente diálogo. De esto se descubrirá un antecesor de Johnny Blaze y el Espíritu de la Venganza que Conan conoció en tiempos Hiperbóreos. Por lo que se espera que su montura sea algo realmente salvaje.

Este 4º volumen de Salvajes Vengadores resulta esa distendida oportunidad y reclamo del lector que ha comprado a ciegas la idea de tener a Conan el Bárbaro interactuando totalmente con el Universo Marvel actual. A la espera de saber cómo finalizará esta colección, sí que hay que admitir que cuanto menos. Resulta una de las lecturas más "palomiteras" que puedes echarte en las manos.

[Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this volume to be the weakest so far. Partly because it had to tie-in to the King in Black event, which was annoying. Although it was the weakest so far, it wasn't too bad and it had some great guest stars.

The first 3 issues has Conan team up with Deadpool and the Marauders (which Duggan is also writing at this time) against the dragon symbiotes from the King in Black event. Deadpool and Conan make a good team, and Duggan writes both characters well.
After that, there is an issue where Conan teams up with Rhino to rob a bank in order to help out a villain pub. A battle with Spider-Man ensues.
Lastly, there is a 2 issue story where Conan teams up with Ghost Rider and encounters Nightmare.

Nothing bad, but nothing really of note either. Just more Conan Team-Ups.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

The new art is hit-or-miss, though on average, I think I slightly prefer the previous style. As someone who hasn't read the rest of the whole-line crossover King in Black, this feels pretty skippable for readers both of that and of Savage Avengers. The old inessential crossover feeling striking again. The best part of this was probably the Spider Ghost Rider. Maybe I'll try to read some of his stuff sometime.

[Alex Sarll]

Conan continues to wander modern Marvel Earth - or mainly NYC now, which makes it even easier for him to bump into its various superhumans, whether that means trying to steal Spidey's clothes or appropriating an old mutant shag-palace. Most remarkably, he even manages to intersect with the titular symbiote clusterfuck without it dragging the comic down too much.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh. I really don’t want to enjoy Thai books which is less
Avengers and more Conan Marvel Team-Up. I will admit I didn’t always like the idea of pulling something Marvel into Conan’s backstory. But hey what a new castle.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadpool get smashed through the prison bars- Conan hating pumpkin beer- leaning heavy into the cheese and gore but honestly probably the better for it. Not a serious comic just dumb fun that is pretty dumb and pretty fun