Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the comic book review blog for the ODPH podcast! For this entry, it’s a HUGE week for arguably THE best comic book out from Marvel Entertainment. The current volume of SAVAGE AVENGERS by David Pepose, Carlo Magno, Espen Grundetjern, Vc Travis Lanham and Tom Brevoort has been nothing but hit issue after hit issue since it’s debut on May 18th, 2022.

The first story arc, SAVAGE AVENGERS VOL. 1: TIME IS THE SHARPEST EDGE! has been collected in TPB form and is hitting comic shops this week! Not only do you have the first story arc collected, but the buzz around issue #8 has been building to a boiling point! Let’s not delay any longer and check out if the hype delivers here, shall we?

SAVAGE AVENGERS #8
Creative: David Pepose, Carlo Magno, Espen Grundetjern, Vc Travis Lanham and Tom Brevoort (Cover: Valerio Giangiordano)
Credit: Marvel Entertainment

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS WARNING ***

Since their initial formation, these Savage Avengers have brought the action and impacted quite a few time eras along the way. What started as Deathlok (real name: ***** *******) hunting down Conan The Barbarian has become a fateful encounter connecting Anti-Venom (Flash Thompson), Daredevil (Elektra), Weapon H (Clayton Cortez), Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Cloak & Dagger has spun into a visit through the Hyborian Age to now navigating thru the landscape of Nueva York 2099! The Hyborian saga had many amazing surprises that you should make sure you grab the TIME IS THE SHARPEST EDGE TPB and see for yourselves, but the 2099 story has just begun…

The team (minus Conan - see TPB) is now making their way thru the new timeline with an uneasy addition to the mix: Punisher 2099 (Jake Gallows). The mission has now shifted to taking the fight to a true evil figure no matter what timeline you see him in: ULTRON. In this time frame, Ultron has an army of Deathloks at his disposal. The Avengers make their move to fight and encounter another figure that could be a game changer in their quest: Victor Von Doom of 2099!

This issue opens up with a flashback to 2091. Ultron begins a takeover of Latervia but Doom is always ready to defend his country. Doom triggers a song to play which activates Latveria’s defenses. Readers fast-forward to 2099 and witness what is known as”The Iron Front” : Doombots versus Deathloks. The Savage Avengers escape in the Punisher’s ship and fly away while hearing Doom’s idea to stop Ultron. An artifact (a time-array gauntlet) might hold the key to stopping the future. The team balances out but having some personal conversations, none that will hit readers more than Anti-Venom and Deathlok.

The good times don’t last long as they are shot out of the sky by a Deathlok soldier. The impending crash sees Doom teleport away while the others deal with the aftermath of a surrounding army hot in pursuit. In a surprise move, Doom comes back to help the Avengers escape and ultimately arrive at their destination to acquire the time-array gauntlet, but are met with Ultron and his opposing force who has been letting the team lead him right to the weapon.

At this point, the issue really kicks into high gear with the action. Readers will NOT be ready for what unfolds next as the battle rages onward. There are no punches pulled. There are no breaks to catch a breath as the battle The situation takes a dramatic turn as the Avengers throw everything they have at Ultron. How does the team fare? Trust me when I say: NO ONE is expecting what happens in the final act. No One. Readers - get ready for a mind blowing conclusion to this issue.

Pepose pulls out all the stops for this issue. Pacing set events up spectacularly to drive home the key moments. Adding DOOM to this highly combustible team made for some very memorable sequences. Doom’s “rescuing” of the team after the crash was perfectly capped off with vintage Doom Dialogue acting as everyone “should be grateful” for his help. Overall, The dynamic between members has been very enjoyable to see grow. The scene between Anti-Venom and Deathlok hit all the high marks and gave a bit of time to catch a minute from all the action. Heading into the final act, readers will be caught off-guard and will have some big surprise moments. The final scenes will have readers locked and loaded to see what happens next without question.

Magno brings the blockbuster action that has become a staple for this series. Even the smallest conflict has the “big fight feel” added to the dialogue. The opening full page spread explaining the “Iron Front” set the tone early for the rest of the issue. Even the quieter panels had huge emotion to them. None greater than the Anti-Venom/Deathlok sequence. The remaining battle scenes were bold, loud and direct, which fully complemented Pepose’s dialogue. The final page of this book established the looming jeopardy ahead and will have readers speculating how this will all play out.

FINAL POINT: Savage Avengers #8 doesn’t stop delivering thrills and surprises to readers that have become a trademark of this series. Pepose, Magno and the team construct a tale for the ages mixed with incredible storytelling and impressive art. There’s never a shortage of highlights to please fans with these characters leading the way into impossible odds Make sure you don’t miss this issue (and the TPB) when you hit the comic shops this week!

Hit me up on ODPH social media and let me know what you thought of Savage Avengers #8!

Thanks for reading!

SAVAGE AVENGERS #8 (MARVEL COMICS)

Ken M