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Savage Dragon (collected editions) #1
Savage Dragon, Vol. 1: Baptism of Fire
(W/A) Erik Larsen
Chicago. A criminal mastermind called OverLord held the city in his terrifying grip. Ordinary cops were losing the battle against OverLord and his super-freaks. Then a miracle happened. When he was found, he had no memory of his past. Lieutenant Frank Darling helped him find an identity and a life. Now they have a fighting chance... now they have... The Dragon.
Chicago. A criminal mastermind called OverLord held the city in his terrifying grip. Ordinary cops were losing the battle against OverLord and his super-freaks. Then a miracle happened. When he was found, he had no memory of his past. Lieutenant Frank Darling helped him find an identity and a life. Now they have a fighting chance... now they have... The Dragon.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
12 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Erik Larsen
963 books75 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 18, 2023
I've enjoyed listening to Larsen in a few interviews talking about his work, but have never gone and actually read this first volume of his most famous creation Savage Dragon.
It's a world where mutant superhero exist (actually Spawn makes a cameo appearance in this!) but cops are typically human until Savage Dragon comes in! This is a short book that covers a lot of ground including Savage Dragon's mysterious origin, him becoming a cop, his rise to fame as a hero cop, and a love interest that gets murdered right away.
It does get dragged down a bit in the typical way for a 90s comic, a bit too much exposition. The art is fine throughout but a bit inconsistent - with this collected edition there's some additional pages over the original comic (I think it's a great idea to go back and expand on the original serialization) but it's pretty clear which are the new pages.
Not really enough here for me to want to read Vol 2.
It's a world where mutant superhero exist (actually Spawn makes a cameo appearance in this!) but cops are typically human until Savage Dragon comes in! This is a short book that covers a lot of ground including Savage Dragon's mysterious origin, him becoming a cop, his rise to fame as a hero cop, and a love interest that gets murdered right away.
It does get dragged down a bit in the typical way for a 90s comic, a bit too much exposition. The art is fine throughout but a bit inconsistent - with this collected edition there's some additional pages over the original comic (I think it's a great idea to go back and expand on the original serialization) but it's pretty clear which are the new pages.
Not really enough here for me to want to read Vol 2.
August 21, 2022
A few weeks back, I dipped my toe in 1990s nostalgia and reviewed Wild C.A.T.S. an early Image comic line written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi. Walt, a blogging friend for the aptly named blog Comic Reviews by Walt, encouraged me to read Savage Dragon. Since I like to take advice from my like-minded blogging friends I picked up Baptism Of Fire, as he said it would be the best to start off with.
Erik Larsen, the creator and author/illustrator deserves major kudos for developing a character that he designed in childhood and making it the longest-running American full-color comic book to feature a single author/illustrator. Larsen had drawn the Dragon into a few other issues for other comic companies before he became one of the founding members of Image Comics, and it was at that time in 1992 that he truly was able to give the Savage Dragon his own title. At the 20-year mark, Larsen took the time to pull together some of the first issues from the early 90s and rearrange them chronologically and add a few more pages, to make this compiled volume have a smoother narrative flow.
We first meet Dragon in a ball of fire, landing in the city of Chicago. He is found by Lt. Frank Darling and brought to the hospital. Darling questions him about his origins, but the Dragon has amnesia about his prior life. His green skin, huge size, and finned head don’t raise that many extra questions, as Chicago is overrun with super mutants that the current superheroes are struggling to keep in check. Darling is able to convince Dragon to join the Chicago Police Department, and the Dragon proves to be a boon for the department, especially after the most powerful hero Super Patriot is seemingly out of action due to grievous injuries. Dragon is able to take down villain after villain, with epics names such as Bedrock, Overlord, Mako, Hellrazor and Inferno. And no storyline like this would be complete without the trope of the woman he cares for being in danger. We never do find out his origins in this volume, and the Dragon’s angst of always having to kill or be killed sets up further storylines for the future.
These first issues of Savage Dragon were drawn with the usual 1990s excesses. The Dragon is muscled beyond belief, the women are sex kittens and Image throws in the obligatory Youngbloods reference. There are quite a few self-deprecating jokes throughout, as Larsen plays around with the hero vs villain genre. I adore the fonts used throughout in the sound effects such as brakathroom, choom and skrakaboosh. They were similar to one’s later used in Invincible, with fun interlocking oo’s.
This ‘director’s cut’ volume is a great debut to the Savage Dragon tale. While I don’t know if I’ll pick up future volumes, this was a wonderful introduction to one of Image’s best ongoing heroes, and I’m glad I took the time to read it.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2017/10/0...
Erik Larsen, the creator and author/illustrator deserves major kudos for developing a character that he designed in childhood and making it the longest-running American full-color comic book to feature a single author/illustrator. Larsen had drawn the Dragon into a few other issues for other comic companies before he became one of the founding members of Image Comics, and it was at that time in 1992 that he truly was able to give the Savage Dragon his own title. At the 20-year mark, Larsen took the time to pull together some of the first issues from the early 90s and rearrange them chronologically and add a few more pages, to make this compiled volume have a smoother narrative flow.
We first meet Dragon in a ball of fire, landing in the city of Chicago. He is found by Lt. Frank Darling and brought to the hospital. Darling questions him about his origins, but the Dragon has amnesia about his prior life. His green skin, huge size, and finned head don’t raise that many extra questions, as Chicago is overrun with super mutants that the current superheroes are struggling to keep in check. Darling is able to convince Dragon to join the Chicago Police Department, and the Dragon proves to be a boon for the department, especially after the most powerful hero Super Patriot is seemingly out of action due to grievous injuries. Dragon is able to take down villain after villain, with epics names such as Bedrock, Overlord, Mako, Hellrazor and Inferno. And no storyline like this would be complete without the trope of the woman he cares for being in danger. We never do find out his origins in this volume, and the Dragon’s angst of always having to kill or be killed sets up further storylines for the future.
These first issues of Savage Dragon were drawn with the usual 1990s excesses. The Dragon is muscled beyond belief, the women are sex kittens and Image throws in the obligatory Youngbloods reference. There are quite a few self-deprecating jokes throughout, as Larsen plays around with the hero vs villain genre. I adore the fonts used throughout in the sound effects such as brakathroom, choom and skrakaboosh. They were similar to one’s later used in Invincible, with fun interlocking oo’s.
This ‘director’s cut’ volume is a great debut to the Savage Dragon tale. While I don’t know if I’ll pick up future volumes, this was a wonderful introduction to one of Image’s best ongoing heroes, and I’m glad I took the time to read it.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2017/10/0...
July 13, 2014
I'm glad I finally got the chance to read Savage Dragon. It's fun, absurd, and absolutely a product of its time. The writing in this first volume can be cornball and a little too brisk, and the art isn't perfect, but it's fresh and a ton of fun to read. It's also deeply satisfying as the product of the one-man-army Erik Larsen has become. This is a silly, early Image book, but the history alone makes it worth the read.
November 13, 2016
Fantastic introduction and someone I could get used to reading.
May 21, 2018
Το Savage Dragon είναι από τις αγαπημένες μου υπερηρωικες σειρές. Ήθελα λοιπόν, μετά από χρόνια, να ξαναπιάσω το από πού ξεκίνησε.
Το στορυ ειναι απλό: ένας πράσινος άντρας ξυπνάει μέσα στις φλόγες με αμνησία (θα μάθουμε το πως κατέληξε έτσι χρόνια μετά) και κατατάσσεται στην αστυνομία για να τη βοηθήσει ενάντια σε υπερκακοποιους.
Τα πρώτα τεύχη είναι ένα δυνατό origin story που έχει έναν περίεργο ρυθμό και δεν είναι λίγες οι φορές που σκάνε διάφορα άσχετα λογυδρια (πχ ένας μονόλογος κατά της αστυνομικής βαρβαροτητας κατά των μαυρων- που ήταν και τότε τόσο επίκαιρη όσο και σήμερα ή μια μπηχτη για τον Spider-Man που τρέφεται ανεμπόδιστος με παιδάκια). Το καστ ακόμα είναι μικρό και εισάγεται σταδιακά.
Χωρίς να είναι τέλειο, είναι (μαζί με το invincible) ένα δείγμα του τι θα μπορούσε να ήταν η Image, ενώ, από όσο θυμάμαι, μόλις μπει στους επόμενους τόμους και θεμελιώσει το καστ, η σειρά γίνεται ένα καθαρό πενταρι (τουλάχιστον μέχρι το Savage World arc)
Το στορυ ειναι απλό: ένας πράσινος άντρας ξυπνάει μέσα στις φλόγες με αμνησία (θα μάθουμε το πως κατέληξε έτσι χρόνια μετά) και κατατάσσεται στην αστυνομία για να τη βοηθήσει ενάντια σε υπερκακοποιους.
Τα πρώτα τεύχη είναι ένα δυνατό origin story που έχει έναν περίεργο ρυθμό και δεν είναι λίγες οι φορές που σκάνε διάφορα άσχετα λογυδρια (πχ ένας μονόλογος κατά της αστυνομικής βαρβαροτητας κατά των μαυρων- που ήταν και τότε τόσο επίκαιρη όσο και σήμερα ή μια μπηχτη για τον Spider-Man που τρέφεται ανεμπόδιστος με παιδάκια). Το καστ ακόμα είναι μικρό και εισάγεται σταδιακά.
Χωρίς να είναι τέλειο, είναι (μαζί με το invincible) ένα δείγμα του τι θα μπορούσε να ήταν η Image, ενώ, από όσο θυμάμαι, μόλις μπει στους επόμενους τόμους και θεμελιώσει το καστ, η σειρά γίνεται ένα καθαρό πενταρι (τουλάχιστον μέχρι το Savage World arc)
March 5, 2023
Can't get more 90s than this. Girls with waist the size of toothpicks, all men with huge muscles, and love interest dying for the sake of growing the main lead, aka fridging.
Yet this is still fun. Despite being preachy at times, and dialogue on the nose, dragon is a fun character and the fights are big and bombastic. I also did enjoy pacing, it's very quick.
Let's see how the series evolves past this.
Yet this is still fun. Despite being preachy at times, and dialogue on the nose, dragon is a fun character and the fights are big and bombastic. I also did enjoy pacing, it's very quick.
Let's see how the series evolves past this.
December 16, 2011
Here is the deal with Savage Dragon. Erik Larsen took a character that he created in 4th grade, and made a comic from him. The result is a bad ass character that has legit super powers and tears up his enemies. It's not terribly deep, but that's not what you want all the time. It's a fun place to escape, especially since Larsen has had control of the character since the first issue, and still writes and draws every issue. Win!
November 7, 2023
This compilation collects the small Savage Dragon stories that preceded the ongoing comic. Larsen has organised them into chronological order and added some new pages to more-or-less make the story flow, but it's still pretty disjointed. It does provide a good look into the beginnings of the character though.
May 21, 2022
This is definitely the best 90s Image thing I’ve ever read. I love it. It’s not too serious to be dull, but it’s still meant to entertain older people. Hard edged, occasionally poignant, funny and very cool. Bug recommend from me.
January 20, 2020
5/5 for Savage Dragon vol 1 by Erik Larsen
Way back in 1992, when Erik Larsen and other popular young Marvel creators (including Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld and Marc Silvestri amongst others) left Marvel to start their own, independent / creator-owned comics publisher, Image Comics, he was able to choose any of his own personal creations to publish as his flagship comic.
He chose his childhood creation, Savage Dragon.
Savage Dragon is a fin-headed, two-toed, muscular green cop for Chicago PD. He has prodigious strength, agility and endurance and has very strong regenerative capabilities. His recent joining of the CPD, after awaking as an amnesiac in a burning field, is fortuitous as the 'super freak' criminals in Chicago are becoming more and more common, and more and more deadly.
Alongside Dragons work as a super-cop, and his blossoming friendships/relationships, we follow his quest to find out who is and where he came from. Erik tells Dragons story in real-time, so all members of the cast have aged appropriately over the course of this comics almost 30-year run ....and what a fantastic roller-coaster of a ride this comic book is!
Savage Dragon is still going strong now (Jan 2020) and is approaching its 250th issue, with Erik Larsen being the sole writer/plotter/penciler/inker for every single issue - there are short sequences where he even colours and letters too! This is a monumental achievement for any comic creator, never before seen and probably never to be seen again.
Savage Dragon is, without doubt, the best thing to ever come out of Image Comics, and is Erik's own magnum opus...all 250 issues of it! It is a joy to read, with tension, action, violence, romance and lots of humour. I honestly believe Erik is my generations (1980s kid) own version of Jack Kirby...his creativity knows no bounds and is artwork is consistently stunning, his stories imaginative and exciting.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who has even the slightest interest in comics. This is probably the greatest comic book ever made.
Long live Savage Dragon!
Way back in 1992, when Erik Larsen and other popular young Marvel creators (including Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld and Marc Silvestri amongst others) left Marvel to start their own, independent / creator-owned comics publisher, Image Comics, he was able to choose any of his own personal creations to publish as his flagship comic.
He chose his childhood creation, Savage Dragon.
Savage Dragon is a fin-headed, two-toed, muscular green cop for Chicago PD. He has prodigious strength, agility and endurance and has very strong regenerative capabilities. His recent joining of the CPD, after awaking as an amnesiac in a burning field, is fortuitous as the 'super freak' criminals in Chicago are becoming more and more common, and more and more deadly.
Alongside Dragons work as a super-cop, and his blossoming friendships/relationships, we follow his quest to find out who is and where he came from. Erik tells Dragons story in real-time, so all members of the cast have aged appropriately over the course of this comics almost 30-year run ....and what a fantastic roller-coaster of a ride this comic book is!
Savage Dragon is still going strong now (Jan 2020) and is approaching its 250th issue, with Erik Larsen being the sole writer/plotter/penciler/inker for every single issue - there are short sequences where he even colours and letters too! This is a monumental achievement for any comic creator, never before seen and probably never to be seen again.
Savage Dragon is, without doubt, the best thing to ever come out of Image Comics, and is Erik's own magnum opus...all 250 issues of it! It is a joy to read, with tension, action, violence, romance and lots of humour. I honestly believe Erik is my generations (1980s kid) own version of Jack Kirby...his creativity knows no bounds and is artwork is consistently stunning, his stories imaginative and exciting.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who has even the slightest interest in comics. This is probably the greatest comic book ever made.
Long live Savage Dragon!
June 4, 2012
If I were reading The Savage Dragon for the first time today, this might not be a 5-star review... But with hindsight and nostalgic feelings towards one of my nerdy teenage endeavors, it still kicks ass.
The Dragon is super strong, has wolverine-like healing skills, pinpoint sharpshooter accuracy... And chooses to be a police officer.
Not to mention his upper body is crazy out of proportion, he has that fin on his bald green head (though still has a hairy chest/legs) and is still a ladies man.
Plus the "super freak" villains in these books are so totally over the top. The whole thing is like the ultimate super hero guilty pleasure on steroids.
Over 10 years later, and I still love it.
It will remain to be seen how much further I go into the story when I get back through all of my archives though...
The Dragon is super strong, has wolverine-like healing skills, pinpoint sharpshooter accuracy... And chooses to be a police officer.
Not to mention his upper body is crazy out of proportion, he has that fin on his bald green head (though still has a hairy chest/legs) and is still a ladies man.
Plus the "super freak" villains in these books are so totally over the top. The whole thing is like the ultimate super hero guilty pleasure on steroids.
Over 10 years later, and I still love it.
It will remain to be seen how much further I go into the story when I get back through all of my archives though...
April 26, 2025
One of the longest running and simply best series ever !
I show the new Ultimate Collection over here :
https://youtu.be/cj4lQLQ0-4w
January 29, 2019
Initial 4 issue mini-series. Loved this. Never read Savage Dragon before, this was great. I really enjoyed it.
April 14, 2019
What if Frank Miller had only gone half-fascist?
June 1, 2017
Fascinating as a piece of history. I know Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon as one of the enduring titles that helped launch the Image revolution (along with Spawn, it continues to this day and is more than two hundred issues into its run), filled with all sorts of sensationalism in its early days but in at least the past decade having evolved into a bastion of classic superhero storytelling. This material represents Larsen's first published arc, a mini-series that preceded the ongoing series and sets up Dragon's story, the amnesiac green giant who ends up recruited by the police.
I wasn't a reader back in the day, but as I suggested earlier I've sampled issues here and there over the last ten years. Later Larsen is great fun to read. Early Savage Dragon is...rough. Larsen writes in sketches, and it's plainly evident that he was a Marvel guy, who even as he's rejecting Marvel tropes is writing the same angst-ridden archetype. Dragon himself, in these pages, looks (aside from the green skin and the fin) looks like he was pulled directly from '80s action movies.
If Larsen and his fellow Image founders were granting themselves creative independence, the knock is that they didn't often think of creative control, as in they had no safeguards in place to ensure the quality of their output. If you liked your superheroes in straight-up superhero adventures, then Image was the place for you. It was no wonder that Marvel found itself in such dire straights at the time, since a whole generation of creators left and set up a whole Marvel alternative.
Anyway, it's funny, because Larsen explains in a forward how he wrote hundreds of pages worth of Dragon stories as a kid, and his main concern, upon getting to do it professionally was that he wanted to give readers a fresh start. Later he'd realize he should probably advance the quality of the storytelling, too, and maybe this collection was a way he started on that, because he admits he didn't just take the original mini-series and reprint it, but rather heavily edit it, complete with some new material. If this were George Lucas, there would be no Erik Larsen Savage Dragon, mostly because of nonsensical fan outrage.
Well, thank goodness that didn't happen...
I wasn't a reader back in the day, but as I suggested earlier I've sampled issues here and there over the last ten years. Later Larsen is great fun to read. Early Savage Dragon is...rough. Larsen writes in sketches, and it's plainly evident that he was a Marvel guy, who even as he's rejecting Marvel tropes is writing the same angst-ridden archetype. Dragon himself, in these pages, looks (aside from the green skin and the fin) looks like he was pulled directly from '80s action movies.
If Larsen and his fellow Image founders were granting themselves creative independence, the knock is that they didn't often think of creative control, as in they had no safeguards in place to ensure the quality of their output. If you liked your superheroes in straight-up superhero adventures, then Image was the place for you. It was no wonder that Marvel found itself in such dire straights at the time, since a whole generation of creators left and set up a whole Marvel alternative.
Anyway, it's funny, because Larsen explains in a forward how he wrote hundreds of pages worth of Dragon stories as a kid, and his main concern, upon getting to do it professionally was that he wanted to give readers a fresh start. Later he'd realize he should probably advance the quality of the storytelling, too, and maybe this collection was a way he started on that, because he admits he didn't just take the original mini-series and reprint it, but rather heavily edit it, complete with some new material. If this were George Lucas, there would be no Erik Larsen Savage Dragon, mostly because of nonsensical fan outrage.
Well, thank goodness that didn't happen...
January 18, 2024
What are bloody good start. I've been aware of Larsen's Dragon for many years and only read one issue of his so far and now, stepping back in time with the mini-series is always a good way to reintroduce yourself.
The first point I will make is that I like the way Larsen draws feet or at least by the fact that he draws them at all. This has been a long standing issue with Image comics and though it may seem minor, it's all about the aesthetic and tbh if an artist cannot draw all other visible body parts then you question their actual ability to draw at all.
I digress, back to SD. I loved it; it had plenty of action, well drawn art, great dialogue with actually well defined personalities of the speaking characters, heck it even had some humorous moments so all in all definitely a five star beginning.
The first point I will make is that I like the way Larsen draws feet or at least by the fact that he draws them at all. This has been a long standing issue with Image comics and though it may seem minor, it's all about the aesthetic and tbh if an artist cannot draw all other visible body parts then you question their actual ability to draw at all.
I digress, back to SD. I loved it; it had plenty of action, well drawn art, great dialogue with actually well defined personalities of the speaking characters, heck it even had some humorous moments so all in all definitely a five star beginning.
January 18, 2021
In questi giorni sto traslocando, la sera ho bisogno di "comfort reading" e quindi sto rileggendo Savage Dragon nell'edizione pubblicata dall'editoriale Cosmo. Larsen sa come creare pagine potentissime, la storia è piena di piccole ingenuità che, negli ultimi anni avrebbero fatto incediare squadre di nerd alla ricerca di buchi di trama, ma che invece, in un fumetto ancora divertentissimo da leggere, dimostrano quanto poco noi lettori dovremmo avere voce in capitolo su quello che ci viene proposto dagli autori.
Savage Dragon non è certo un fumetto raffinato, ma la sua potenza grezza è rimasta intatta anche dopo trent'anni!
Se volete una lettura disimpegnata, ma follemente divertente, è il fumetto che fa per voi.
(gli darei volentieri una mezza stella in più se potessi)
Savage Dragon non è certo un fumetto raffinato, ma la sua potenza grezza è rimasta intatta anche dopo trent'anni!
Se volete una lettura disimpegnata, ma follemente divertente, è il fumetto che fa per voi.
(gli darei volentieri una mezza stella in più se potessi)
April 29, 2022
For those who want to dig in the first outing of Larsen's definitive edition of his creation, The Dragon, this one has one liners, bullets flying, bare knuckle fighting, comic book nonesense of the super hero kind.
It is also cool to get a glimpse on the process behind many of his characters, the ideas behind them and some sketches that show were he started with the conception of the universe, and where he ended.
Cool cameos of other Image characters of the time, and some dated satire that might get a chuckle for those who get them.
Not a masterpiece of the medium, but a fun one of decades past.
It is also cool to get a glimpse on the process behind many of his characters, the ideas behind them and some sketches that show were he started with the conception of the universe, and where he ended.
Cool cameos of other Image characters of the time, and some dated satire that might get a chuckle for those who get them.
Not a masterpiece of the medium, but a fun one of decades past.
June 21, 2025
If there's one lesson to take from this, it's this:
Dragon wakes up naked and on fire, after an explosion. He remembers everything except details about his personal life. After crime drags down some people he cares about, he becomes a superhuman cop tasked with busting superhumans.
This all happens in like 5 pages.
The lesson here: You can make us care about the character, THEN give us a bunch of boring backstory.
Or not!
I don't know that I care if I ever find out where Dragon came from or who he really was. Unless that somehow equals MORE punching, I'll pass, thanks.
Dragon wakes up naked and on fire, after an explosion. He remembers everything except details about his personal life. After crime drags down some people he cares about, he becomes a superhuman cop tasked with busting superhumans.
This all happens in like 5 pages.
The lesson here: You can make us care about the character, THEN give us a bunch of boring backstory.
Or not!
I don't know that I care if I ever find out where Dragon came from or who he really was. Unless that somehow equals MORE punching, I'll pass, thanks.
March 1, 2021
Un pezzo di storia del fumetto americano.
Rileggere queste storie con lo sguardo di oggi fa quasi tenerezza...
Gli inizi di Dragon sono pieni di buchi di trama (voragini rende meglio) e non reggono il confronto coi colleghi (su tutti Spawn).
Ma è Dragon, c’è un pezzo della mia pre-adolescenza in queste pagine e non si può essere più di tanto oggettivi dinnanzi all’accecante potere dell’imprinting ❤️
Rileggere queste storie con lo sguardo di oggi fa quasi tenerezza...
Gli inizi di Dragon sono pieni di buchi di trama (voragini rende meglio) e non reggono il confronto coi colleghi (su tutti Spawn).
Ma è Dragon, c’è un pezzo della mia pre-adolescenza in queste pagine e non si può essere più di tanto oggettivi dinnanzi all’accecante potere dell’imprinting ❤️
June 10, 2019
Absolute peak pulp comics here. Muscular mutant wakes up with amnesia and agrees to help local police fight off superpowered villains, and violence and drama ensues. Gorgeous, detailed illustrations, over-the-top badassery.. Savage Dragon is a ton of fun, but that enjoyment is tempered by its rendering and treatment of women. Yikes.
June 7, 2021
A bit disjointed, but an excellent origin story to a character simply trying to find himself. It asks a lot of questions, but does not provide all the answers. Needs more character development. However, what can one expect from the set-up for an ongoing series? The 90s style comic art fills one with nostalgia for the period. Not your typical superhero melodrama.
June 3, 2022
I have read a few Savage Dragon comics over the years but I knew I needed to start back at the beginning and start the journey properly. The first few issues introduce us to Dragon who is an amnesiac who has super strength and can heal fast. The series grabs you from just the first few pages and doesn't let go. I look forward to this deep dive into the series.
November 15, 2024
Being a die-hard Image Comics fan, I’ve always been curious about The Savage Dragon. Unlike contemporary titles that remain timeless, The Savage Dragon is a product of the age — steeped in the best and worst elements of 90s comic book writing and design.
I wouldn’t go as far as to call this book disappointing, but the only thing compelling me to keep reading is my own curiosity. Nothing else.
I wouldn’t go as far as to call this book disappointing, but the only thing compelling me to keep reading is my own curiosity. Nothing else.
April 19, 2018
Savage Dragon was my favourite comic when I was in my early teens. Now, It's a bit dated and silly at times, but still lots of fun to revisit and definitely far superior to most of the early image comics.
April 13, 2021
I'm not sure why I never read any Savage Dragon when it first came out. I didn't read a ton of Image stuff back then in general. I've been going through this whole Image read lately and this book was next on my list. I liked it. It was a fun read. It is a good beginning for the series.
October 7, 2019
Read for TLP
December 24, 2020
One of my favourite comics as a kid. 30 years later it’s still ripe with 90s cheese, spandex and ponytails, but also still an incredibly fun read and a blast from the early Image past.
January 21, 2023
So nice to go back and relive this.
There's always been such a wonder-filled joy of creation in all of Erik Larsen's work.
There's always been such a wonder-filled joy of creation in all of Erik Larsen's work.
March 31, 2023
Great art and great original story. I read this in one sitting and now I need to get more. Highly recommend.
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