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Savage Dragon Ultimate Collection Vol. 3
Savage Dragon’s formative years collected at last! This MASSIVE hardcover continues the deluxe re-presentation of the Savage Dragon’s greatest adventures! Featuring team-ups with Spawn! Hellboy! WildStar! The Maxx! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Dragon gets engaged! Rapture has a baby! And the classic showdown between God and the Devil! SAVAGE THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 3 is a must-have for any fearless Fin-Addict in search of an easy entry point into one of Image Comics’ longest-running series! Introduction by GEOFF JOHNS.
Collects SAVAGE DRAGON #22-35
Collects SAVAGE DRAGON #22-35
- GenresComics
400 pages, Hardcover
Published March 18, 2025
About the author
Erik Larsen
961 books77 followersAs a child growing up in Bellingham, Washington and Albion, California, Erik Larsen created seveal comic books featuring versions of a character named 'Dragon.' He eventually published a fanzine, which led to his doing professional work on a comic book called Megaton for creator Gary Carlson. It was here that he introduced the Dragon, a super powered superhero, to the comic-reading masses.
After a multitude of mailings, showing his work, Erik became aquainted with Jim Shooter, who was, at that point, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. Erik eventually met Jim at a convention in Chicago and Jim was impressed enough with Erik's work that he consented to co-plot a story with him on the spot. That story was a battle between Marvel Comics characters Hulk & Thor. Although it wasn't actually published until years later, it did impress a variety of Editors enough to get Larsen some more high-profile work in the funnybook field.
Erik jumped around various books in this part of his career. He did an Amazing Spider-Man fill-in story at Marvel, a few issues of DNAgents for Eclipse, and he eventually took over the art chores on DC's Doom Patrol. Soon afterwards, he left DC and moved on to the Punisher for Marvel. Five issues of that book was about as much pain as that poor Minnesota boy could stand. Erik wanted to write and when a Nova serial was given the thumbs up to run in Marvel Comics Presents with Erik as the writer/artist, he gladly left the Punisher. But it was not to be! The powers that be had other plans for Nova and Erik's yarn didn't fit in with the impending New Warriors series. Editor Terry Kavanaugh gave Larsen an Excalibur serial to draw for Marvel Comics Presents while the poor bastard waited for his big break.
When ever-popular artist Todd McFarlane left his artistic duties on Amazing Spider-Man, Larsen was chosen to be his successor. That run was astoundingly well-recieved, and included popular stories like 'The Return of the Sinister Six', 'The Cosmic Spider-Man', and 'The Powerless Spider-Man'. Although he was comfortable with his position as Amazing Spider-Man penciller, he was frustrated drawing other people's stories. Larsen found that his ravenous desire to write had only gotten stronger. He left Amazing Spider-Man, quite pooped.
By this time, the New Warriors was going full tilt and Erik tossed together a proposal for a Nova ongoing series. While he waited for it to get the nod, Todd McFarlane left the new Spider-Man title that he had launched. Erik was called upon once again picked up the torch - and he ran with it. Larsen created a memorable albeit brief run on that title, despite a traumatic event in his personal life - his house burned to the ground, destroying all of his childhood drawings and comic books.
After this period, creator Rob Liefeld invited Larsen to help found a new comic book imprint called 'Image' at Malibu comics, alongside notorious creators Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino. Erik's flagship comic book at Image (which soon left Malibu and became the third lagest comic book publisher in the United States) was an updated version of his childhood creation -- 'The Savage Dragon.' Larsen has been succeeding with his ideas ever since, through his creations Freak Force, Star, SuperPatriot and the Deadly Duo as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which he helped revitalize and bring to Image.
As of 2004, Erik Larsen became the Publisher of Image Comics and shows no sign of slowing down.
After a multitude of mailings, showing his work, Erik became aquainted with Jim Shooter, who was, at that point, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. Erik eventually met Jim at a convention in Chicago and Jim was impressed enough with Erik's work that he consented to co-plot a story with him on the spot. That story was a battle between Marvel Comics characters Hulk & Thor. Although it wasn't actually published until years later, it did impress a variety of Editors enough to get Larsen some more high-profile work in the funnybook field.
Erik jumped around various books in this part of his career. He did an Amazing Spider-Man fill-in story at Marvel, a few issues of DNAgents for Eclipse, and he eventually took over the art chores on DC's Doom Patrol. Soon afterwards, he left DC and moved on to the Punisher for Marvel. Five issues of that book was about as much pain as that poor Minnesota boy could stand. Erik wanted to write and when a Nova serial was given the thumbs up to run in Marvel Comics Presents with Erik as the writer/artist, he gladly left the Punisher. But it was not to be! The powers that be had other plans for Nova and Erik's yarn didn't fit in with the impending New Warriors series. Editor Terry Kavanaugh gave Larsen an Excalibur serial to draw for Marvel Comics Presents while the poor bastard waited for his big break.
When ever-popular artist Todd McFarlane left his artistic duties on Amazing Spider-Man, Larsen was chosen to be his successor. That run was astoundingly well-recieved, and included popular stories like 'The Return of the Sinister Six', 'The Cosmic Spider-Man', and 'The Powerless Spider-Man'. Although he was comfortable with his position as Amazing Spider-Man penciller, he was frustrated drawing other people's stories. Larsen found that his ravenous desire to write had only gotten stronger. He left Amazing Spider-Man, quite pooped.
By this time, the New Warriors was going full tilt and Erik tossed together a proposal for a Nova ongoing series. While he waited for it to get the nod, Todd McFarlane left the new Spider-Man title that he had launched. Erik was called upon once again picked up the torch - and he ran with it. Larsen created a memorable albeit brief run on that title, despite a traumatic event in his personal life - his house burned to the ground, destroying all of his childhood drawings and comic books.
After this period, creator Rob Liefeld invited Larsen to help found a new comic book imprint called 'Image' at Malibu comics, alongside notorious creators Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino. Erik's flagship comic book at Image (which soon left Malibu and became the third lagest comic book publisher in the United States) was an updated version of his childhood creation -- 'The Savage Dragon.' Larsen has been succeeding with his ideas ever since, through his creations Freak Force, Star, SuperPatriot and the Deadly Duo as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which he helped revitalize and bring to Image.
As of 2004, Erik Larsen became the Publisher of Image Comics and shows no sign of slowing down.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 18, 2025
Still having fun with this series!
I think the unique selling point of this series would be: Superhero action, that is allowed to evolve and change the status quo. But on top of that, the series introduces new characters left and right, but doesn't shy away from using characters that haven't shown up multiple issues prior. I really like this huge cast of quirky and interesting characters.
This volume features a lot of crossovers with other franchises, but the writing manages to make them feel natural and not forced. I'm certain that I did not catch all the references hidden in this book. The overall story progresses at a satisfying pace as well. Relationship drama and a blast in hell; the book feels fresh and interesting.
The series has its problems of course. The transition between plot lines still feels sloppy and abrupt. Sometimes scenes shift for 1-2 pages to show confusing dialogue between two characters, whose importance is not quite clear. I suppose the book invites to reread.
The artwork varies from amazing to quite good. Especially for its time in the mid 90s, it is leaps and bounds beyond other comic book runs. The dialogue varies as well: Sometimes it is on point, sometimes it's boring rambling.
But all in all, this turned out to be my favourite series of the initial batch of image comics and I'll be happy to continue reading, although I wish these collections would release more frequently.
I think the unique selling point of this series would be: Superhero action, that is allowed to evolve and change the status quo. But on top of that, the series introduces new characters left and right, but doesn't shy away from using characters that haven't shown up multiple issues prior. I really like this huge cast of quirky and interesting characters.
This volume features a lot of crossovers with other franchises, but the writing manages to make them feel natural and not forced. I'm certain that I did not catch all the references hidden in this book. The overall story progresses at a satisfying pace as well. Relationship drama and a blast in hell; the book feels fresh and interesting.
The series has its problems of course. The transition between plot lines still feels sloppy and abrupt. Sometimes scenes shift for 1-2 pages to show confusing dialogue between two characters, whose importance is not quite clear. I suppose the book invites to reread.
The artwork varies from amazing to quite good. Especially for its time in the mid 90s, it is leaps and bounds beyond other comic book runs. The dialogue varies as well: Sometimes it is on point, sometimes it's boring rambling.
But all in all, this turned out to be my favourite series of the initial batch of image comics and I'll be happy to continue reading, although I wish these collections would release more frequently.
July 13, 2025
I remember the controversial chat with God from this one, especially god saying "Don't fuck with god," which I SORTA think godly people would appreciate, on some level.
I mean, maybe if you're a Christian who thinks god is all goody-goody or whatever, I could see being upset, but in this book, God goes down to hell, beat's Lucifer's ass, and is basically like, "I'm God, what I say goes," and that's the most of it. I don't know, seems almost super religious, to me.
What does God do in religious comics? NOT beat up the devil? Why? Why not have some fisticuffs that made God look pretty badass?
You could almost take some key panels from this and make a Chick Tract out of it. Do you guys remember those things, the actual worst Halloween trick or treat landmine?
Whoever made those was like, "We can trick kids into reading The Bible if it's in comic book form!"
Boy was he wrong.
Unless he made Savage Dragon. Maybe Erik Larson is the secret mastermind behind the whole thing.
My god.
I mean, maybe if you're a Christian who thinks god is all goody-goody or whatever, I could see being upset, but in this book, God goes down to hell, beat's Lucifer's ass, and is basically like, "I'm God, what I say goes," and that's the most of it. I don't know, seems almost super religious, to me.
What does God do in religious comics? NOT beat up the devil? Why? Why not have some fisticuffs that made God look pretty badass?
You could almost take some key panels from this and make a Chick Tract out of it. Do you guys remember those things, the actual worst Halloween trick or treat landmine?
Whoever made those was like, "We can trick kids into reading The Bible if it's in comic book form!"
Boy was he wrong.
Unless he made Savage Dragon. Maybe Erik Larson is the secret mastermind behind the whole thing.
My god.
May 11, 2025
Third volume for Savage Dragon Ultimate Collection, featuring the early exploits of one of the longest running independent superhero comics. As always there is a lot of action, the narration is fast-paced, and things go pretty crazy. The Maxx, Spawn, Hellboy, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even God and the Devil, are featured in a never ending ride. That's the strength and the weakness of the comic at the same time, I don't really know if it could be any different and still be Savage Dragon. I will settle for a 3-star rating, but feel free to add another one if you don't mind the total lack of depth.
March 21, 2026
Eric Larson is off the chain 🤣🤣🤣
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews