Super-Powered Comics: Savage Dragon

Savage Dragon has been around for over a hundred and fifty issues, but in the last half dozen issues the book has hit a creative stride it hasn't seen for a few years. Creator/writer/artist/everything-else-fans-will-him-do Erik Larsen is producing some of the best issues of this book ever.

In the mid-140’s, Erik made an interesting decision by putting Dragon back on the Chicago police force, the same role he occupied for the first forty or so issues of the book. Meanwhile, he is dealing with being the parent to two children for the first time, both his adopted daughter Angel (who has massive super-strength inherited from her late mother Smasher) and Malcolm (his son with Rapture with similar powers to Dragon’s own). He has a new ally in the Golden Age Daredevil (a character I have used myself over in Living Legends) and a new enemy in the second generation Dart. Oh, and Overlord is back too.

None of this probably means much to you if you have never read Savage Dragon. To you I say, for shame. Erik Larsen has regularly produced one of the most rip-roaring, exciting series of comics ever (and in the process produced the second longest uninterrupted run by a single creator, behind only Dave Sim and Cerebus). If you are unfamiliar with all the goodness, you should immediately check out Savage Dragon Archives volume 1 for a low cost intro to the series.

Sadly, Savage Dragon is one of several great “indy” superhero books that is woefully under-ordered. Anyone willing to try a great comic book should check Dragon out. Erik Larsen and I will both thank you.