The Savage Avengers set a trap for Deathlok in Savage Avengers #3, by writer David Pepose, artist Carlos Magno, colorist Espen Grundetjern, and letterer Travis Lanham. This issue is an action-packed thrill ride, one with a surprising ending that will drop readers’ jaws.

The first half of this issue sees the team draw out Deathlok at the Temple of the Beast, the same Beast the Hand worships in the present, and beat him down. Daredevil taps into the power of the Beast, but Thulsa Doom shows up and just levels everyone. The necromantic magic awakens something in Deathlok, and he erupts with power, ending the battle. The Avengers wake up later, with Doom and Conan gone, and prepare to rescue their compatriot. Meanwhile, Deathlok remembers who he was.

Pepose knocks it out of the park with this issue. From the first page to the last, this is the kind of comic where a reader will have multiple moments where they are just agape at how awesome everything is. The Savage Avengers taking Deathlok down is epic. Pepose knows these characters to a tee, and it shows. From where the fight takes place to how each member of the group takes him down, it’s a tour de force. There are also some great moments for fans of every character, from Dagger’s powers getting greater to Daredevil’s planning ability to Weapon H’s expanding gamma powers and more. Pepose has a grasp for these characters and what he wants to do with them.

Thulsa Doom showing up takes an issue that is already firing on all cylinders to the next level. If the Savage Avengers beating on Deathlok is awesome, this is next level. Doom just savages, pun intended, the team, reminding readers just how dangerous the past can be. Finally, the reveal of who Deathlok was is mindblowing. It’s an amazing moment, played perfectly by Pepose and company, that takes this book to the next level.

Magno and Grundetjern present all of the action in beautiful detail. It’s hard to pick out the best part of the art; there are so many highlights, from Anti-Venom’s page of fighting Deathlok, where the last panel has him kick the cyborg through into the next panel, to Daredevil using her knowledge of the Beast to Cloak and Dagger getting taken down by Doom’s phantoms. This issue hinges on action, so the art is very important to it. Magno and Grundetjern deliver that action beautifully, rendering the jaw-dropping moments perfectly. The last page reveal works so well because of their work.

Savage Avengers #3 is an action masterpiece. Pepose, Magno, Grundetjern, and Lanham deliver so hard with this issue it isn’t funny. It’s all so beautifully done. This book has been a must-read, and this issue is the best so far.

Grade: A+