Comic Review: Savage Avengers (2019-) #11

Savage Avengers (2019-) #11

Marvel Comics

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Butch Guice

When this series first started, I didn’t think there’d be as much focus on Conan as there’s been. Not that I’m complaining about it, I like what they’ve been doing with him in the 616 so far. Now that there are two sentences about Conan, he’s not even in this issue of Savage Avengers! That’s what we in the business call a misdirect. I hear you asking “what business?”. To that, I say we’re here to talk about comics, not business.

This issue of Savage Avengers follows Doctor Strange as he travels into the past to learn about Kulan Gath. We basically get the secret origin of Kulan Gath. He was a child slave, “belonging” to a sorcerer who he kills and steals his name from. Following that, Gath learns what magic he can, before turning to other sorcerers for knowledge. Being the villain, of course, he learns that there is power and magic in blood, so he becomes a cannibal. 

I know this comic has the word savage in the title, but man, I didn’t think I’d be seeing cannibalism. It’s not the most horrible thing you’ll ever see in a comic book. There’s no extreme gore or anything of the like, sorry to disappoint if that’s what you’re into. Other than that, this issue is pretty much as described. Doctor Strange, after setting up a whole “there’s magic and history in blood” thing, discovers that’s exactly how Kulan Gath became so powerful. I like it, for sure. It is pretty much the secret origin of Kulan Gath, with a small bit of Doctor Strange time traveling.

The art in this comic is why I made a bigger note of the cannibalism than I normally would. I literally said “that’s gnarly” while reading this issue. I don’t say gnarly, it’s not really in my vocabulary. Butch Guice’s art made me use a deep cut of my vernacular. But it is truly some fantastic art. More so than previous artists do this art fit this story. Not to say that other artists are bad, far from it, but this time-traveling story about an evil sorcerer needs a certain aesthetic to it. Along with the coloring from Alex Guimaraes, this comic achieve that aesthetic.

This issue is, for all intents and purposes, the secret origin of Kulan Gath. That’s not to disparage this issue, though. I really like it as a whole, but I don’t want to spell out the story page by page. With an issue like this with the story being one thing, it’s hard to talk about it without spoilers. I will say again, though, the art is absolutely phenomenal. It captures the tone and setting of the story perfectly. It made me say “gnarly” and I don’t think I’ve used it before. If you’re reading this series, you’ll definitely be a fan of this issue.