Marvel’s SAVAGE AVENGERS to feature Conan, other stabby characters

When two intellectual properties are loved by readers very much, they sometimes make a commitment to appear in the same comics. This is the case with Conan the Barbarian and Marvel’s superheroes, as the publisher announced Wednesday that a new Avengers team would feature the Cimmerian brutalist making his debut in the Marvel Universe proper.

Conan will do so via a new comic called Savage Avengers, which will see him not only join the Marvel Universe but also team up with some of its stabbiest and most gruff characters, including Elektra, Wolverine, Brother Voodoo, The Punisher, and Venom. The creative team on the new title (EW had the exclusive) will be Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato Jr., and the book will be coming in May.

This marks a logical culmination for Conan as a Marvel-published character. In January, Marvel began publishing Conan for the first time in years with comics put out by some of its big name superhero creators, including writer Jason Aaron and artist Mahmud Asrar. To date, there are three Conan books on the schedule at Marvel, including Aaron and Asrar’s main title, the Savage Sword of Conan by Duggan and artist Ron Garney, and the forthcoming Age of Conan: Belit from rising stars writer Tini Howard and artist Kate Niemczyk.

Of Savage Avengers, Duggan had this to say to EW: “This is an unsanctioned team of heroes. It has to be something that visually makes sense to you, and I think it does. [Artist] Mike Deodato Jr. is illustrating this book in both worlds. We envisioned a threat, a magical green zone where the evil wizards of Conan’s world are trading spells with the Hand in Japan. Conan is on a very Conan-like mission; he’s heard a tale of an amulet so he’s chasing it, and the evil magic sorcerers are doing something that would be a Marvel Avengers problem. It feels like we have found some very fertile ground that is a Venn diagram between those two worlds.”

He went on to note that the team’s adventures would start in the Savage Land and that there would be—surprise surprise—acrimony between these reluctant teammates. The cover for the first issue (pictured above) is the work of artist David Fincher.