Customer Reviews

Savage Dragon Archives Volume 1 (v. 1)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ah, the early 1990s. I think I was maybe 13 - 14 when I first read this run. Good times.

See, the thing with the Dragon is that while yeah, it's excessive and probably not the greatest thing ever made... that's the virtue of it. Oh you can mention how great and awesome Marvel & DC are and how their stuff makes this look like crap for years.

But they're the one's that directly aped this style afterwards and nearly helped to kill the market.

Anyways, Dragon. Yep... it's probably greatest guilty pleasure to come along since the Hulk. You can really just tell Larsen was having fun with this, and I can respect that. Hell, it made him a cash cow and I can't blame him for that.

THIS BOOK IS FUN! That's all you need to know. It's a hoot during a time where a few guys were willing to take a risk and do something the other publishers were afraid to do. Have fun. It's written all over this book, and seriously well worth the cash to have a hoot over.

I root for Erik Larsen, so I'm damned glad that SAVAGE DRAGON has lasted this long. I didn't think it would, not because it isn't a good comic book, but because I assumed it would've fallen prey by now to Image's long-publicized inconsistencies. But it seems that Image has, over recent years, recouped some of its fallen rep and glory. I've only again started checking out Image's newer stuff, having heard some good things on the grapevine. Currently I'm digging Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1, The Walking Dead Book 1 (Walking Dead), Noble Causes Volume 1: In Sickness And In Health (Noble Causes), Dynamo 5 Volume 1: Post-Nuclear Family (Dynamo 5), and Brit Volume 1: Old Soldier. So the future looks very promising. And some of the old school is still representing. SPAWN keeps on keeping on, although McFarlane has relinquished storytelling and artistic duties. In fact, of the seven artist/creators who founded Image Comics, only Erik Larsen has steadfastly stuck with simultaneously writing and drawing his comic book SAVAGE DRAGON. Since 1993, in fact. And, if one counts the mini-series preceding the monthly series, then it's since 1992. That's an impressive run.

I root for Erik Larsen not only because he does have ability but because, back then, he wasn't considered one of the "superstar" Image founders. That label fell on McFarlane, Liefeld, and Jim Lee, with Larsen, Valentino, Portacio, and Silvestri considered to be the backup talent. To me, though, Larsen, like his creation Dragon, is a down-to-earth, blue-collared guy who worked really hard and made good. He more or less kept SAVAGE DRAGON going on schedule (although, yes, there were occasional lapses). So I give him props. Larsen deserves to make duckets off this archives series. And, at their reasonable prices, I was definitely gonna get in on this. SAVAGE DRAGON ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 takes you back to the beginning and showcases the energy and enthusiasm which are the hallmark of his titles. In black and white, this tome of intimidating bulk (which seems thick enough to stop a bullet) collects the 3-issue mini-series and issues #1-21 of the regular monthly title.

As the story opens, Chicago is simply being overrun by superpowered menaces, dubbed "super freaks," against whom the all too human Chicago police force is powerless. The most powerful criminal entity is the Vicious Circle, led by the enigmatic, ruthless Overlord and their influence and power are rapidly spreading. Into this scene enters Dragon, an amnesiac freak found naked in a burning field. Dragon is of normal height but is massively constructed. He's green, and two-toed. And he's got a fin which elevates his height to 6'6" (if I remember my stats correctly). Time will show that Dragon is incredibly strong and resilient, gifted with amazing regenerative powers. Circumstances lead to Dragon joining Chicago P.D. and becoming the leading stopgap against the law-breaking "freaks." This archive covers the entire OverLord saga as Dragon grimly attempts to take down the Vicious Circle ringleader. It won't be easy.

Plenty of surprises here as Larsen brings to these pages a cavalcade of characters he had imagined long ago from a fertile childhood. Some of these would be popular enough to merit their own titles (SUPERPATRIOT, FREAK FORCE). I also liked Mighty Man, whose alter ego startled me. Naturally, there are villains other than the Vicious Circle. We get to see Dragon face off against lobster mutants and disgusting sewer monstrosities. But the most insiduous nasty might be the demonic Fiend, who's fueled by hatred and can possess his victims. Guest stars occasionally pop in. In one out-of-town mission Dragon encounters New York's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Later he runs into the WildC.A.T.s. Larsen doesn't neglect the Dragon's personal life as we see various hotties fall for him. Alas, we don't find out his origin in these issues. That'll come much later. But we do get an idea of just how formidable Dragon is and how tenacious his recuperative ability. Larsen really puts his guy thru his paces.

Here's my shot at being objective. For me, as a read, SAVAGE DRAGON ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 is worth around 3 stars. I'll add a half star for the very do-able price. Why 3 stars? A big part of why is the storytelling. The cartoony art I can live with, and, over time, Larsen even improves his renderings. But cool splash pages and buff, heroic poses can only carry the narrative so far. I haven't been religiously following SAVAGE DRAGON in recent years, so I can't comment on Larsen's writing skills as they are today. But his writing in these early issues is suspect, the plotting amateurish, the flow of the narrative spotty. What undermines this lengthy story arc even more is the decision to not insert copies of the original comic book covers (or anything to serve as a break). As it is, these issues just run into each other. This doesn't give the reader enough breathing room or a chance to assimilate the stuff he'd just read. The pace is relentless, and, at 500 pages of nonstop action, it's wearying. Brawl after brawl after senseless brawl, and, pretty soon, they melt into each other and lose all meaning. Of course, the very young comic book junkie probably won't mind too much. When I was a kid, nothing but nothing beat a wicked splash page.

What do I like best about Dragon? I like that he's the toughest hombre in the Windy City. I like that he looks cool and so formidable. And I like that he's the working man's superhero. He doesn't grandstand or indulge in superheroic excesses. He does what needs to be done, then he's out. Yes, he's prone to surliness and he can be brutally no-nonsense, but when you're up the smelly creek without a paddle, he's the one you want bailing you out. I root for the Dragon, just as I root for Erik Larsen. So despite my negativity about Volume 1 of the Savage Dragon Archives, I still recommend it. So three and a half stars for Volume 1. And I just ordered Volume 2.

By the way, how much do you think it costs Chicago P.D. to keep Dragon's uniforms in stock? Geez, the way he goes thru 'em...

Savage Dragon has all elements that make a super hero comic book fun. It`s absurd, yet it all makes sense in this unbelievable world created by Erik Larsen. Action, humor and one hell of a main character make Savage Dragon a must read for all comic book fans, especially the ones who really love super heroes.

This is 600+ pages of one of the best comic books in the industry! It's black and white in the style of the old Marvel Collections and contains the early issues of The Savage Dragon. I added this to my wishlist and recently got it as a gift. I own the original comics but they are 3000 miles away in my parents house. I wanted to go back and reread the book and this is PERFECT! If you are a new reader and interested in the comic, reading this will bring you up to speed. This is one of the most consistent Image titles and is constantly entertaining. For the price, you can't beat it!

Savage Dragon is what got me interested in comic books. I had read plenty, to be sure, but I was incredibly tired of the same played out exploits to be found in the big Marvel and DC books.

What Larsen does well is to take many of thoes overused concepts, embrace the good and turn the bad on it's head. The result is a book that has plenty of twists, turns, drama, humor and enough originality to win over even the most jaded of sequential art fans.

While I own these stories in nearly every format they are available in, there is something fantastic about having such a large collection of them in one binding. Plus, having the black and white option is nice for me as I've read through the individual books so often, it feels somewhat new.

The bottom line is that if you want to read something that consistantly evolves and reinvents itself without resetting continuuity every two years, and you want to have fun while doing it, you could do much worse than Savage Dragon. Not to mention, at 150+ issues, you can feel fine about becoming invested in the characters.
This is a great way to get aquainted and begin to get caught up without breaking the bank.

I admit I never bought the Savage Dragon, but as a kid I read my friend's entire collection and loved it. Now in my late 20s, I wanted to reread the series but was afraid hindsight was going to destroy all my fond memories of the book. It did not. On the contrary, I was surprised how well it all holds up. Yes, it's very early Image in that there's plenty of splash pages and mindless fight, but they're always fun and they work. The story moves and break-neck speed with lots of subplots moving in and out of the main Overlord story. The art is fantastic in B&W. Overall, it was an excellent buy!

Note: This book made me wish Image was collecting all of Freak Force.(Hint hint, Mr. Larsen!)

Not to be outdone by Marvel and DC, Image Comics enters the black and white "phone book" fray with SAVAGE DRAGON ARCHIVES VOLUME 1, reprinting writer/artist Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon 3-issue miniseries and regular series issues 1 - 21. When this book was announced, I could only think back to the dreaded early days of Image and fear for what this could foreshadow (Youngblood Archives, anyone?). But I was more than willing to give the book a shot when I heard that it would contain 600 pages for the reasonable price of twenty bucks. I stopped reading Savage Dragon after about 7 issues back in the `90s, but as it has been fairly continuously published since then, I figured I could give Larsen a second chance and see if I'd missed anything. Interestingly, this time around was even worse, due to the fact that it was presented as one supposedly-continuous story. This book collects what is popularly known as "The Overlord Saga", beginning with the amnesiac Dragon's recruitment by the Chicago police to help them fight the increasing numbers of super-powered villains plaguing the city. As Dragon sends the bad guys to either prison or the hospital, the Overlord takes the fight to him and his friends.

Savage Dragon was one of the original Image series, meaning it's packed full of excessive splash pages, fights upon fights, big guns, gratuitous T&A, dizzying speed lines, and ridiculous sound effects. One thing to keep in mind is that when these stories were originally collected in color trades, Larsen added pages to make the story flow more smoothly. If what is contained in SDA volume 1 is the result, he failed. The reader is jerked from segment to segment with absolutely no narrative flow and no guidance as to a setting or time. Snippets are taken from other Image books that supposedly contain related plot points, such as Spawn and Wildstar, with no reference as to what is going on. While the book does have an overall plot, it reads as a collection of 1- to 3-page fragments rather than a complete storyline, as if pages are either missing or out of order. As the original covers are left out of the story sequence, there is no way to tell when you have reached the end of a particular issue, so you're left with a 600-page whirlwind of fights. Larsen's dialogue is not too shabby compared to that of his Image cohorts, but it is often repetitive. On the other hand, there are segments where more dialogue could certainly help the reader. If there's one good thing I can say about this book, it's that Larsen's artistic talents really shine in the black and white format, with dynamic and well-rendered art, and an excellent design sense for super-villains.

In the end, this book comes off as a mish-mashed scrapbook of all the Savage Dragon material Larsen could locate. It's an awkward read at best.

Nowhere in the product description does it state that this is a black and white paperback collection. Hindsight being 20/20 I could have looked deeper into reviews from other buyers (who do mention this is a B&W TPB)....but alas I didn't. If you don't mind missing out on the color, then I'd say this is a 4-star item...but Amazon (or the publisher) should notate in the product description that it is black and white only.

This book is in black and white! ):( I must have missed something because I didn't see that anywhere in the book details or in the reviews I read. That was the biggest let down when I received it. So, no color and no grey tones, just the line art, and it's printed on newsprint (not known for its quality). I thought I was getting a great deal price-wise but now I feel like I've been had. Personally I prefer my SD comics in color, they're a lot less fun and a lot less powerful without it.

Eric Larson writes funny books the way they are supposed to be written.
1) Funny books aren't supposed to take anything too seriously.
2) Funny books are supposed to be bigger than life.
3) Funny books are supposed to poke fun at people who do take themselves too seriously.
4) Funny books are supposed to have men with fists bigger than their heads and women with boobs bigger than their heads. (That's the way we nerdy fanboys like `em)

If you are looking for a serious contribution to American literature you should probably go somewhere else. If you are looking for some serious butt kicking, fun loving, old school funny books, this is the comic for you. I have always loved Eric's drawing style and wish that he got more credit for his writing. He has larger than life characters who show an amazing amount of depth, even the ones with boobs bigger than their heads. So pull up a chair and sit down. This book will make you laugh; entertain and let you escape from your regular life for a couple of hours.