Random Happenstance

Kulan Gath has been giving Conan the hassle for like 25 issues of Savage Avengers, yet an all-but-forgotten Avenger wrapped him up in like three! Of course we're starting with the second one, from 2000, Avengers #29, "The Death-Song of Kulan Gath Part 2: A Dream of Bitter Ash" Written by Kurt Busiek, pencils by George Pérez, inks by Al Vey and Dick Giordano. 

I'm not sure I've read this one before right now, and I'm not sure why not? I distinctly recall the "100 Page Monster" #27, in which (spoiler alert!) both Thor and Cap leave active membership. Previously, new member Silverclaw asked the team to go to Costa Verde, where they find her village transformed by Kulan Gath, and her mom, a seeming volcano goddess, under attack by Gath's men and hawk-riders. Iron Man, for one, is already creeped out and annoyed by the magic in play; but manages to capture a goon while Silverclaw's mom is abducted. The goon laughingly immolates himself rather than answer anything, though.

The Costa Verde army was trying to move in, but the Avengers knew from experience if they passed through Kulan Gath's field, they would be transformed into barbaric counterparts of themselves--they don't remember Uncanny X-Men #190-191, but you might. While She-Hulk and Warbird had been turned into amazon-types, Goliath had been transformed into a "bloodthirsty corsair" resembling Yellowjacket--that's a bit of foreshadowing! Scarlet Witch uses a bit of her "chaos magic" to adjust some of Iron Man's spare comm-chips, so they can communicate in Gath's field; then Wasp and Iron Man head out to stop the army.

Within the spell, Silverclaw can still recognize what was her village, even transformed; but curiously finds a gum wrapper, unchanged. A stoplight also remains, and a young woman follows the Avengers unseen, seemingly changing other items. In a D&D-like tavern, Warbird has a momentary fear of lapsing back into alcoholism, then takes Triathlon aside to advise him to maybe join in instead of just sniping. Silverclaw then has a bit of rage, remembering all the crap she took as a kid as "the daughter of the volcano goddess" when it was all true. That's interrupted by a barroom brawl, which is then interrupted by the bar patrons turning into demons, then snakes! Kulan Gath gives a bit of monologue there, making himself sound oh-so-put-upon, cheating death only to find the modern world so noisy and foul. If he could only die, he would go on to become something like a god, even if he had to sacrifice a god to do so...The Avengers are downed by gas, but a shadowy figure--not the mysterious woman--watches.

I think I'm still missing a couple of Busiek's Avengers, which just seems weird; but at least that means there's something fun out there waiting for me to read it.