Savage Dragon is one of the founding Image Comics series and one of the most unique. If I could compare it to anything, it’s the anime Cowboy Bebop. Not because of its style or larger-than-life characters, but being a name that thrives long past its peak.
Meet Savage Dragon
What is this long running series casual comic fans don’t really know about? It’s not just about one main hero but his son and his prototype.
Wait so these guy are robots?
No, they’re super strong regenerates who look like a macho power fantasy. I mean guys with torsos this big while getting in bed with a lot of ladies will make an impression. Plus the first guy was apparently a chosen one with plot armor.
In this fast paced world, classic superhero stories combine with gritty artwork with some more mature storylines.
Flips, one-liners, machine guns, and hookers are mature? Wait… how is this even remotely like Cowboy Bepop?
I have to admit the attitude doesn’t totally match until much later. But since laymen don’t really know who or what Savage Dragon is we need to go over its peaks.
The First Peak
Some of the best parts of Savage Dragon’s early days come in moments of humanity. Like a lot of people, Officer Dragon wants more out of his life but isn’t entirely sure how he wants to go about it. Probably because he was an amnesiac basically raised on television.
There were plenty of highs and lows. First Dragon finds purpose in crime fighting despite almost getting killed several times. He also deals with love and loss like a lot of people do, pretty badly. Yet they’re handled with a lot of sensitivity. Like Dragon dealing with some uncertainty such as his girlfriend Rapture having their son. By that point Dragon thought he had an idea who he was including his sterility. So lacking an idea of his identity comes with neuroses.
Thankfully Dragon’s fumbling gets a palette cleansing sublime experience. To make a long story short, Dragon once went to Hell because of two people who blamed him for the death of his first girlfriend. It was their fault. But God came in to set everything straight, fighting the Devil to save Dragon’s soul.
A Higher Peak
You’d think things couldn’t get more insane than that. But these next arcs show that Savage Dragon doesn’t need to go that far. A bit of intrigue like a shadowy cabal collecting kids of superheroes can get attention.
Not to mention Dragon finding more moments of vulnerability and reflection. Like trying to do good with blood transfusions (didn’t work out), mourning his Lost Lenores while finding love again. This time with a single super mom who relates to Dragon in looking for purpose. Dragon even takes the opportunities he missed by marrying her and being a dad to her daughter.
After all of the insanity, things seemed to settle down.
The Savage Dragon-
Wait that’s not everything!
But it is the point where things kind of fumble a bit on-and-off pages.
The thing is Savage Dragon’s popularity peaked around 1997. Give or take. Not a small feat considering it keeps going long past that. But ask any laymen about this, there’s a big chance that only the diehard fans will keep talking about it. If GlobalComix is any indication, there isn’t a whole lot of demand or casual interest for it. Unlike Image superstars Spawn, Witchblade, or Invincible.
Yet I argue that unlike these titles, it managed to push on without losing quality.
-Cowboy
Which is where a lot more echoes with Cowboy Bebop come in. A lot the settings and blink-and-you’ll-miss characters have lives of their own. They make unforgettable impressions that stick with readers. Sometimes that’s the creator Erik Larsen making parodies of his industry, other times it’s people just existing.
And that’s what I get out of some of the most recent Savage Dragon issues. Most comics I’ve been reading, especially the long runners, have been doing the works. Dragging their heels, wheel-spinning, retreading old stories, grasping at straws for arcs, multiverse reskins, or just plain burnout. But not here. Despite a lot of peaks and character arcs being over, the cast and Larsen still have more to live for. Basically this guy’s entire reaction vid:
Jumping On Isn’t Just A Gimmick
When I got back into (actually) reading Savage Dragon, it was the introduction of Paul Dragon. I read about stuff before this: Angel and Malcolm becoming heroes in their own right, Officer Dragon’s origin, its resurfacing causing Dragon to go to jail, him giving up his powers, Malcolm taking up his mantle, Malcolm’s relationship with his girlfriend Maxine, an event where Dragon got his powers back for a bit only to later kill him (with Dragon’s meeting with God going full circle), universes coming together with different effects. One of which turned out to be Paul, Larsen’s first Savage Dragon from the 80s.
Maybe I was lucky to not be thrown off and just enjoy the issue. But this one and issues after were still enjoyable. Other comics, even mini-series bored me a lot of the time. But what makes these so special?
Post-Peak=Not Bad
For a long time, I thought every famous comic character with their own series had no stories left to tell. That every new shake to the status quo is just a bunch of jumping-the-shark moments. Always felt that way with Batman, Spider-Man, sometimes even indies like Lady Death. But Superman and the Dragons defy that feeling.
When it comes to Officer Dragon, Malcolm, Maxine, and a few others, their defining moments are over. Some of them get epilogues, closure, or get replaced by variants, but they’re still living. Because like everybody else, lives don’t end when you close the back cover. They keep going with insane adventures that don’t usually leave an impact.
Savage Dragon: What Next?
Nothing is off the table when it comes to the risks Larsen takes. Sure Savage Dragon takes place in real-time including appearances from US presidents. But he’ll spend the time to put in ideas and make the best story out of them. Which can be a problem for some comic fans because of the release date gaps. Plus some of the ideas can be a bit too weird, like Malcolm and Maxine’s very active sex life.
But when they’re done right, the presentation can be very eye-catching. Like when one issue has each panel represents the passing of an entire day. So much packed into those but readers feel like they’re going through a photo album. Every moment meant something, as much as every arc foreshadowed.
That’s not even mentioning how many public domain characters show up. Lev Gleason’s Daredevil & Captain Battle, Fast Willie Jackson, Captain Tootsie, and Ub Iwerks’ Mickey Mouse among others. These are characters anyone can use but no one knows what to do with. Because most of the moments that developed them as people are behind them. And that’s if they even had any. Just ask Uncle Willie Jackson who peaked in his teens and is now trying to live through his nephew Malcolm.
Why Savage Dragon Matters
I think the reason I could enjoy Savage Dragon is that it leaves readers with an important question. “What are you gonna do now?” You’re getting older and can’t live in the past, so prepare for the midlife crisis!
I’m getting older and am well on my way to starting a new chapter in my life. There were times I felt like I peaked like how just attending a prep school for neurodivergent kids made it more open for autistic students. Or how working in a sterilization job for so long basically defined the only one I could need.
But much like with Officer Dragon, Malcom, or Paul I still had more to live for other than what felt like sleepwalking. To summarize each of the Dragons spoke to me on a personal level. Dragon refused to be defined by his past and was willing to give up his powers to close the book on it. Paul’s past couldn’t give him any direction, but could go on living with what connections he could make. And Malcom…Malcom has his whole life ahead with stuff to do.
Thank You Erik
The same can be said about Erik Larsen. Since Image Comics’ founding he got to tell the story he always wanted with a character he built up for decades. He’s seen friends and colleagues reach peaks as they drifted apart.
Most of the founders have burned out (Valentino), stuck to the business side (Silvestri), or left the company. While Todd MacFarlane is still doing his own comics, the quality varies. Mainly because he’s pushing for Spawn as a recognizable brand.
Larsen meanwhile doesn’t let his past successes or failures tie him down. He managed to move past the grim-and-gritty stuff from Image’s heyday to enjoy working on his comics. Of course, as Image’s publisher he had to get used to balance the work schedule with Savage Dragon. He probably would’ve made more money and fans if he outsourced like MacFarlane. But that’s not why he creates.
Larsen tells people that Savage Dragon is for older comic fans who just can’t enjoy mainstream comics. It’s more mature without being pretentious. No trends, no overhyped gimmicks, just applying whatever strikes his fancy. Not always successfully, but there’s always next issue.
Disclaimer
I will be the first to admit that Larsen has a few privileges that a lot of comic creators would kill for. There are a lot of comics from my Underrated Image Comics list that could’ve benefited the way Savage Dragon did. Being a staff member of a comic company allows creators better opportunities to keep publishing their work. Unlike the freelancers who come and go.
But here’s the thing. Larsen applied his peaks towards stability over growth, knowing where his strengths are and staying the course. He’s more than earned his position after Image was at its lowest point. Larsen and Savage Dragon are a big reason why Image is still around. And they never overstep their boundaries.
Savage Dragon Forever
Savage Dragon is a work of passion that managed to avoid every pitfall of its era and beyond. Despite the dark moments of its early days, it manages to keep a sense of adventure. All by being mature with the context without being smug. After peaking, it never lost its heart or tried to force itself into the spotlight. While it might not have the jazz of Cowboy Bebop, it shares with that show that it’s okay to just exist.
There’s a bigger world out there and sometimes you can apply it to your next work. Won’t always be a success story. But it’s better than retrogressing your glory days. Heck, Larsen publishes comics based on his fans’ podcast. Because you know what, he’s happy with peaking and just existing with this franchise.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always, remember to look between the panels.