Savage

Savage #v1

by B. Clay Moore (Writer), Clayton Henry (Artist), Lewis LaRosa (Artist)

Fifteen years ago, the world s most famous soccer star and his former supermodel wife pregnant with their unborn child disappeared without a trace. The world believes they are dead But, in reality, their private jet crash-landed on a mysterious, unknown island ruled by prehistoric creatures from another time.
This is the story of how they lost their humanity.

Acclaimed writer B. Clay Moore (Aloha, Hawaiian Dick), and explosive artists Clayton Henry (Archer & Armstrong) and Lewis LaRosa (Bloodshot Reborn) present a relentless epic of survival in a cold-blooded land ruled by instinct alone in the must-read debut of Valiant's next major hero!

Collecting: Savage 1-4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2017

About the author

B. Clay Moore has written comic books for virtually every major publisher, including Image Comics, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, WildStorm, Oni Press, Valiant Comics, Aftershock Comics, DSTLRY and Ignition Press.

Upcoming projects including LAST FLIGHT OUT OF WICHITA, from DSTLRY Media in 2025, in collaboration with Mack Chater. This is the first of two books from Moore and Chater, who combine to work under the Dead Echo Press imprint. Following that will be BLOODLAND.

Hollywood has spent a lot of money optioning Moore's work.

He lives in suburban Kansas City.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

A world-famous footballer, his supermodel wife and their infant son crash-land near a tropical island – this is Savage aka Valiant Does Lost! Our plucky young hero must navigate the strange island’s dangers, like dinosaurs and bloodthirsty bikers, to survive and figure out how to get back home.

I had zero expectations for this one, knew nothing about it, and it turned out to be fantastic! I love that Valiant are going from being the alternative to Marvel/DC for superheroes to also slowly morphing into the alternative Image Comics for quality non-superhero stories. They started with Peter Milligan’s awesome Britannia series and continue with B. Clay Moore’s Savage.

Moore utilises flashbacks brilliantly, grabbing the reader’s attention with exciting action in the present, like the kid vs a velociraptor, before jumping back to show us how things got to that point. This duality is further accentuated by having Clayton Henry draw the scenes from the past with Lewis Larosa drawing the present. Henry’s style is unflashy, straightforward and competent while Larosa’s painted art is simply incredible, especially with the dinosaurs – absolutely eye-catching and wonderful.

It helps that Moore is the best kind of comics writer, one with an instinctive understanding of the art form, who knows when to step back and allow the artists to tell the story and when to step in with dialogue. There’s a great balance between words and pictures and the story flows very smoothly as a result.

The story is set-up well and the mystery and tension develop nicely – what seems to be an ordinary plane crash turns into something very different with each new plot element introduced. It draws you in more and more and makes for a very pacey and exciting read.

There are a couple of minor criticisms though. There’s too much mystery - let’s call this the Lost/Morning Glories problem. The creators get carried away with teasing the audience and forget to reveal anything at all. It would’ve been more satisfying to have one or two answers – not asking them to spoil everything, just give the reader something - at the end of the book instead of nothing but questions. That and the kid surviving on his own with very little skills with all the island’s threats, as well as not getting spotted, especially as his hut was placed so prominently on the beach, felt unconvincing and contrived.

Overall though, the positives easily outweigh the negatives and I really enjoyed Savage. It’s an original and compelling new series that’s definitely worth checking out for anyone looking for an entertaining action/mystery comic – can’t wait for Volume 2!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valiant's newest hero apparently grew up on the island from Lost. The world's biggest soccer star crash lands with his wife and baby on a mysterious island. There they live until the baby has grown into a teenager in a hut on the beach that for some reason is never attacked by the dinosaurs on the island. Apparently the Dreadnauts from G.I. Joe are also running around the island.

I loved the artwork. Having Lewis Larosa do the flashbacks with Clayton Henry doing the current pages worked well. But this book continuously brings up new mysteries without answering a single one. It's more frustrating than Lost even. There's no real plot here. We just see our characters jump from one mysterious item to the next with very little story.

Received an advance copy from Valiant and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy balls this was WAY better than I expected.

SO I love Dinosaurs. Ever since I was a kid I thought they were the coolest thing ever. However, let's be honest, there's only a few series of books, comics, and movies with badass dinos (Looking at you Jurassic Park). So when I picked up Savage my expectations were extremely low. It's about a boy who is stranded on a island. How did he get there you ask? Well through very well done flashbacks we see how his father and mother crash landed on the island with him as a baby. Now, his whole life is based on survival, but not JUST against Dinos. Something else is on the island too!

Good: Love the two art styles. From the flashbacks to the modern art styles they are different but don't clash at all. In fact they enhance the read. The dialog is pretty tightly done, never boring, and the pacing is extremely well done keeping it always entertaining. The fights are vicious, but worthy to view. Also the ending is great and can't wait to see the next arc.

Bad: Some of it goes by TOO quick. Another issue would have helped flushed out the younger days but I have a feeling we'll get more of that once we're in modern time in the next book. Also, 4 issues? TOO SHORT!!!

Overall this was a blast. I read it quickly because I was glued to it, wanting to find out what was next. It also helped the art was wonderful. A easy 4 out of 5.

[Jon Von · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valiant series that didn’t really take off so it has the one slim volume. But there’s great art, lots of action and a brutal simplicity. A boy and his parents crash land on a remote island. After his parents die, he’s left to fend for himself against a vicious jungle motorcycle gang and a number of hungry dinosaurs. Again, simplicity is the name of the game as it’s really a sequence of violent action scenes in varying art styles. As it wasn’t continued, we’ll never know if the creators could have kept up the fast pace. It was however picked up five years later for another four issue run in 2021.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too short!!!!!

I closed this book and instantly wanted more. The art, pacing and character development is outstanding. It’s harsh, gory, scary and exciting with plenty of meaningful action. Definitely a Valiant book you can grab off the shelf and read with no prior experience reading these books.

5/5!!!

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Savage by B. Clay Moore is a terrifically written and drawn comic book that brings the tale of Tarzan of the Apes into modern day and drops him on what is basically Skull Island of King Kong fame.

It has been fifteen years since the world famous soccer star and his pregnant supermodel wife have gone missing. Lost during a jet plane flight and gone without a trace. But in reality what happened is that they crashed on a mysterious island no one has ever seen. An island lost to time, where prehistoric creatures roam and rule. To survive they and their child must become...Savage.

Okay this has been done before. Maybe not to minute detail, but yes its been done. The aforementioned Tarzan; there is also Ka-zar of Marvel lore and how about Turok the Dinosaur hunter? But the tale and the art keep this book moving right along and before long, establishes its own identity. Savage does need to expand on itself to garner a true following and separate its story from the obvious comparisons. If it can do that then perhaps it will have the success it deserves.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Savage' by B. Clay Moore with art by Clayton Henry tells a story that lives up to its title.

The story in Savage switches between the past and present. In the present, a 15 year old boy survives on an island filled with dinosaurs. In the past, we learn how his family came to be on the island and the fate of his parents. The boy is determined to get back to civilization, but he has a few things to take care of before he leaves the island.

This story is visceral and violent. Some of the story is told with minimal words. I love that the writer was willing to trust the artist with conveying the story through art this way. The art style even changes between past and present. I really, really liked it. I also liked the creator commentary with panel breakdowns at the end of each of the 4 issues represented here. They gave a nice insight to the creative process.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern Tarzan with a twist. Shame it's only four issues.

[Emmanuel Nevers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valiant does it yet again! Well crafted story and a beautifully rendered tale of fantasy!

[Rick Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

***** I got a digital copy of this through Netgalley.com in return for an honest review. *****

I recently read my first Valiant title in years and was interested in reading something else by the company. I had never heard of the writer or either one of the artists on the book, but the blurb that will end up being on the back of this book sounded interesting. A famous European soccer player & his family are flying to America for a fresh start when their plane crashes on a remote island that is filled with dinosaurs and other mysteries. Sounds interesting, right?

The book starts off in the present showing a teenaged boy fighting a dinosaur. The first few pages of this book is nothing but artwork from Lewis Larosa. I didn't like this art at all. Nothing about the art is appealing except the dinosaur, but even that didn't look the best in the world. This has a painted art feel to it. I very rarely like seeing this type of art in a comic. Since I hated the art and the art was supposed to tell the story without any words, I was becoming quickly bored with book in only a few pages time. Just when I thought I had made a terrible decision and chosen the wrong book to read, I turn the page to find a flashback scene and see some truly amazing art by Clayton Henry.

This is the type of comic art that I can really get behind. Henry has flawless pencil work that is needle thin with minimal inking. The result is wondrous to behold. When flipping from the previous page to this first page of Henry's art and comparing the two, you can really see how much of a train wreck Larosa's art is.

I normally don't talk about the colorist in my reviews because most of the time the colorist doesn't have much of an effect on the quality of the art. That is not the case in this this book with Brian Reber. He adapts his coloring to fit the style of both artists. When coloring Larosa's work, Reber use of color adds a textured feel to the art that seems as if was done by the original artist himself. The main character is dirty, and because of the way Reber colored him, it seems that you would be able to drag your figure across the page and get some of that dirt on yourself. Reber's coloring is coloring is great, but it still doesn't help Lewis Larosa's art look any better. You can polish & decorate a turd all want, but it's still a turd. Clayton Henry's pencil work looks fantastic on its own, but when combined with the bright, vibrant colors that Reber uses for his art, the result is magical. Coloring Henry's illustrations must be a colorists' dream job.

As we go through the 4 issues collected in this book, the past and present flip-flop several times with each artist sticking to a specific timeline. Henry's art of the past looks way better, but sticks to pretty traditional panels shapes and sizes that some may find rather bland. Lorosa goes away from the norm and tries to make more dynamic panel layouts, but in my opinion, fails miserably. His art already doesn't look good, but it seems much worse on the pages where he uses these funky layouts. I usually take my time with comic art to soak it all in, but I found myself flying through Larosa's sections of the story. There is hardly anything written in his sections so normally this would be the time to really take that art in and enjoy it. The only problem is the art is not enjoyable and I kept rushing to get back to the good parts. Larosa's art gets 2 star and Henry's art gets 5 stars. Those average out to the art as whole a 3.5 star rating.

B. Clay Moore's writing is pretty good. As already stated, he lets the art tell most of the story in the present. Normally that would be a good thing, but since that art is Larosa's the present sequences would greatly benefit from some exposition. The past sections are where Moore does almost all of his work. He gives us a decent explanation as to why the main character is on the island. As any good introduction should, Moore shows us who all the players are and shows us just enough to make us questions events like where the dinosaurs came from. Those unanswered questions that the reader has is what will entice the reader to want to come back for more. I expect many more questions will arise before any of the first one we had get answered. This is a great foundation to build upon, and if Moore plays his cards right, this could be a series that lasts for years. The writing gets 4 stars.

The art and writing aspects average out to give the book a 3.75 star overall rating. The series has promise, but the editors at Valiant would do well to make Clayton Henry the full-time artist on the series. Had he been the sole artist on this book, the score would have gone up quite a bit. If you enjoy dinosaurs and TV shows like Lost, this may well be the comic series for you.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Savage takes readers of Valiant comics back to the Far, Far Away in a new story that brings back fond memories for long time readers of a certain dinosaur hunter called Turok. That said, dinosaur hunting aside, Savage is its own book and is no way related to Turok - in fact, Savage provides the third largest shared comic book superhero universe with a whole new corner to tell stories - linked and alongside the broader continuity.

Savage Volume 1 is more than an origin story. It's a new direction for a little known and less explored corner of the Valiant universe; the Far, Far Away, and the world of dinosaur hunting. While that brief description might in itself not seem all that interesting, the publisher has a way of getting the right creative team on the right book, which results in intelligent, far-fetched yet 'real readable' stories. This could be a world outside your window book such is the ease of plausibility in the way Savage is written.

The Sauvage family, minus a son and daughter left home, crash land on a remote and isolated island. Before too the family realize they are not alone and that things on this strange picturesque piece of paradise aren't what they seem.

The action is plentiful, complimented by some great visuals courtesy of Clayton Henry and Lewis Larosa (Larosa's work is simply mind blowing) which really captures the dangerous day to day struggle a young Savage endures. There's also a healthy dose of mystery; things that don't add up - like why is there a tribe of humans on the island and how did they form given their immediate distrust of strangers, how does this link in with the broader Valiant universe, and what is going to happen after that last page (spoiler not included).

There's so much potential for this character, I just hope we don't have to wait too long to see where the story goes.

My rating: 3/5

My rationale: I would've loved to have given this book 5 and it could've been but it was a super quick read that didn't have a lot of depth, sure the story ticked along nicely but if it were an issue two or longer, the extra padding would've bumped up the rating. Still enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet the Valiant universe's version of Ka-Zar - trapped on an island full of dinosaurs since he was a baby, Savage is your typical jungle-dwelling kid. He kills monsters, fights asshole humans, and just wants to get back home.

This is another excellent example of Valiant's dual narrative approach - the present day story is pencilled entirely by Lewis LaRosa, while Clayton Henry handles the flashbacks. They're both great, but not a very good fit for each other - the disparity would make sense, but the present day story is also not very interesting, so the whole focus falls on the stuff set in the past. Savage's parents are well developed characters despite only appearing in a few issues, and I'd have liked to see more of how Savage and his mother survived the time jumps.

In contrast, the present day stuff is kind of wrote, with Savage killing some dinosaurs and eventually making his way back to avenge his parents. But there's no urgency, or explanation as to why he has waited this long, so we get some pretty art focusing on Savage riding some dinosaurs but not really much else of substance.

To make matters worse, Henry then takes over the present day story for the final issue as well, while LaRosa gets the last page reveal, and I had to go back and re-read what had happened because I'd thought I'd gotten the timelines all mixed up. Not a good look.

Savage will return apparently, and the hook at the end of the book is enough to make me want to know more, but this quick four issue read could have done a lot more with the real estate afforded to it.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cool beginning. The book claims it will return, but it doesn't look like there is a sequel, nor do I think there is room for one. The story is enough as is. Think Tarzan with more violence and portals. It's a quick read, at least, and it looks good.

In the present we see a young man, on his own, surviving in a savage land, fighting dinosaurs and an evil tribe. In the past, athlete Kevin, his wife Ronnie and their baby KJ crashland their plane near a deserted island. While Ronnie cares for the baby, Kevin goes exploring, hoping for a sign of civilization. He instead finds a dinosaur.

Kevin barely gets back to Ronnie alive, but soon dies because of his maimed arm. Years later Ronnie is teaching KJ how to survive while steering clear of other people on the island, who are total savages and cannibals. Their camp is near a portal to another world (ours?) and sometimes people fall through. And are eaten. Ronnie and KJ are found out, so she quickly acts to protect her son. KJ gets away, but Ronnie gets captured and killed.

The young man from the present is KJ, now a ruthless killer, out for vengeance for his mother. Once he whittles down the men's numbers, he decides to attack the rest by drawing dinosaurs to their camp. He even takes out their leader single-handedly and walks through the portal.

KJ's only goal was to return home. The portal takes him to a road in the middle of a busy city. He has made it, but it's a world he doesn't know at all. Will his survival skills allow him to live in the modern world?

[Jacinta Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savage tells two stories. In the "Now" sections, we follow a wild young man as he battles dinosaurs and hunters across an island jungle. In the "Then" sections, we're introduced to a famous soccer player, his beautiful wife, and their infant son, all trying to survive on an island after their private plane crashes just off the coast. As can be expected, these two storylines eventually intersect. At times, the writing in this graphic novel is fairly sparse, but that doesn't matter because the artwork is absolutely stunning and carries the story all by itself. The plot is an interesting spin on the "stranded on a desert island" trope, and the characters easily break out of the stereotypes usually assigned in graphic novels, especially to female characters.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I had absolutely no expectations going into this, but it turned out to be pretty enjoyable. At first it seems like a pretty straight-forward 'family gets stuck on a deserted island' thing [plus dinosaurs], but there were a few twists along the way and I'm definitely interested to see what happens next.

I liked how the story switched back and forth between the current time and when the family first got stranded on the island. I also really liked the art and layout, which was good because there were a lot of pages with little to no dialogue. The change in style between the present day scenes and those set in the past really helped set the tone for the whole book.

The main reason this got 3 stars instead of 4 was because I felt like there wasn't a lot of character development in this volume. And while I am interested to see what happens next, I don't really find myself connecting with any of the characters and I am a very character-driven reader.

[Bart Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Los 4 números se leen super rápido, sólo deteniéndote un poco para admirar las (pocas) páginas de Lewis Larosa. Clayton Henry lo hace muy bien, es expresivo y dinámico, pero claramente a Henry le metieron prisa con un porrón de páginas mientras que a Larosa le dieron pocas páginas y mucho tiempo para hacerlas. La historia de todas formas justifica el cambio de un artista a otro, aunque es más bien sosa, un poco mezcla de muchos lugares comunes de aquí y allá (Tarzán, Lost, la tierra salvaje...), personajes flojos y los diálogos justitos. Meh.
Y sobretodo es un prólogo. 4 números que son sólo un prólogo.
Justito, justito, justito.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very much Lost meets Tarzan on steroids. The story is wonderfully split between Then and Now. Then shows the events of the crash and the family’s attempts to survive in a strange land. Now has a different of visceral artwork showing events a few years later as what’s survived tries to make its way home.
There are quite a few unexplained things that I would like to see made relevant in later issues, particularly the bouncing water. The final scene was very satisfying with a whole new take on the whole Tarzan in the city theme.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action-packed bite-sized adventure on a mysterious island with some obvious shortcomings and advantages.

tl;dr at Overall, as always

Savage is a four-issue mini-series about a family getting into a plane crash and trying to survive on an island filled with dinosaurs and other dangerous things.
The main draw for me was the art, which changes depending on whether the story is in flashback or in the "current time", with both styles looking very nice and matching the mood of the story, though Lewis Larosa's art seemd more appealing as it stands out with very deep colors and a bit "grittier" look, while Clayton Henry's seems more standard, somewhat in tune with the flashbacks, when the characters' main problem was a rocky marriage.

The plot is somewhat slim, with several mysteries set up but never explained. This is not a critical problem, but the island setting, the unnatural monsters, the unanswered questions, these all may push you to recall the pitfalls of Lost and that is not always a desired comaprison. If Clay Moore has an end-game planned out then there is little to worry about, as the story beats are still fresh and manage to elicit some curiousity. But if there is no clear plan as to where this will go next, the second volume could go off the rails quite easily.
As a self-contained mini-series this works fine up until the very end, which is reminiscent of a Simpsons episode, of all things.
I do think that the appealing art, the good writing, and the fast pace of the story make this a worthy read, but I'm still worried about what may come with the second part of the. Hopefully it won't be a disappointment.

Overall, a good-looking, dynamic comic book that may not be a plot juggernaut, but is definitely worth a read if you like action, mystery, and adventure.

ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

[Devero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un bel mah!
Davvero, questa storia di Beckam e consorte che finiscono su un'isola fuori dal tempo, ci tirano le cuoia dopo aver avuto un figlio che cresce come un selvaggio e che termina con questo preadolescente feroce e selvaggio che torna nel nostro presente non l'ho capita e nel complesso nemmeno apprezzata.
Sembra la prima parte di una storia che però, a oggi, da quel che so, non ha avuto alcun seguito.
1 stella.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief introduction to young Kevin Sauvage Jr, the son of a soccer star and (according to the cover since this never comes up in the book itself) a supermodel, he's orphaned shortly after his parents' private plane crash lands on an island full of dinosaurs and men who apparently prefer to be savages.

There isn't much dialogue to this, so the artwork has to carry it. Fortunately, it does.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A less than original story idea but executed decently well. Not sure what the rush was, as the pacing of this was so rushed. A island survival story with dinosaurs and mysteries. There is a lot of promise here but I don't know if there is enough here to hook readers. The art, with two different styles in the different eras, was very good. Overall, an "okay" book that reads lightning fast.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic start!

It looks as if this is going to be another great series from the Valiant universe. The story telling is spot on and together with the art work draws the reader into the drama and holds their attention to the end.

A footballer and his wife are marooned on an island when their plane crashes, but this is no ordinary island because it is an island that the rest of time forgot. With dinosaurs and a violent group of men living on this island, how will the family survive and will they ever be able to return home?

The story telling is excellent. The artwork and action tell a very fast paced and action filled story which leave the reader wanting so much more. Although this contains issues 1-4 it wasn't enough for me and I wanted to see what happens next.

The artwork is very vivid and bright and the colour adds to the richness of the story, especially in the way it conveys the violence and brutal nature of the island.

And the action filled pace is crowned with an ending that could lead anywhere. I am looking forward to seeing where Valiant take this comic series.

Well worth buying!

Copy provided by Diamond Comic via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Chad Jordahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool setting. Most of the art was very good. The team made clever use of two different artists. The parent characters were generic and boring. Same with the baddies. The story, and a few of the panels, felt rushed at the end.

[Mhorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Turok rip off... Not!

Savage is an excellent beginning to a new comic. A family is forced down at sea. They make their way to a dinosaur infested island where other dangers wait...
Great art and an excellent story mange this a compelling read.

[Vinnie Uube · Rating 5 out of 5]

While my exposure to the Valiant universe is limited, Savage is by far my favorite story. The first four issues almost read as a retelling of The Jungle Book for an adult audience with an affinity for sci-fi and horror. That’s two boxes checked for me.

[Byron Hinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and some excellent art and looking forward to seeing where the series goes next. Though the collection of four issues can be finished in as little as 20 minutes.

[Louie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more brutal than expected. Very curious to see where we go from here.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't praise Valiant enough. The art is always stellar and they give their stories room to breathe. Terrific volume and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

New type of Tarzan concept from Valiant that stands out as different in that universe.

Honestly, do they lose their humanity?

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story line. It wasn’t too much detail has to what the portal is and how long it’s been there, but I think it still worked. Can’t wait to read the next comics in the series.