Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Danger in Dimension-X!
Written by: Erik Larsen
Art by: Erik Larsen
Colored by: Bill Crabtree
Lettered by: John E. Workman
Editor: N/A
Publisher: Image Comics Group
Of the more than forty monthly titles I collect, Savage Dragon is among the best each and every month. I like to think my tastes are fairly eclectic when it comes to comic books. I collect a nice variety of titles, some by Marvel, Image, and CrossGen, but heavily slanted towards DC. I don’t only read the superhero genre, but I admit they’re far more than half of my monthly pull. Savage Dragon is the purest superhero book of the bunch. I’ve talked about it in almost every one of my previous reviews of the title, this book’s pure homage to a simpler time in the comic industry.
Erik Larsen, the creator, and sole writer / artist on Savage Dragon continues to plow ahead with his creation’s adventures. Following an epic battle last month, Dragon and his wife Jennifer, as well as her daughter Angel, are trapped in Dimension-X. As an extra bit of fun, Mister Glum, Angel’s “dollâ€, tags along too. Glum in actuality is a living being, and a would-be conqueror. He’s been trapped with Angel since issue 104, and his plots against Dragon have been a highlight of recent issues. The tone following the milestone 100th issue has been lighter, and Glum has fit in really well.
As the issue begins, Dragon ponders, in classic comic character fashion, the event that led him and his loved ones to be trapped in Dimension-X. He begins a convoluted thought process to figure out the mystery of the purple creature that sent them there. Jennifer brings him out of the process quickly, by telling him the answer, which is disturbingly obvious. Little bits like this are why Erik Larsen’s dialogue is my favorite aspect of the book. This is Larsen’s world, so just about anything goes. The characters appear self aware, and often are pulled out of the ludicrousness for a moment, either by a brief time of lucidity or with a bit of help from a fellow character. Once they get on track, the struggle to survive Dimension-X begins in earnest.
The artwork is very clearly Erik Larsen’s work. If you’ve had a problem with his stuff in the past, I’d recommend you steer clear. I personally love his style, Jack Kirby more than inspires him, and Larsen almost seems to channel the great. This style works so well telling the story of Dragon, who’s simply a comic character. What Larsen presents is wonderful, classic comic artwork, every month.
In addition to the main 22 page story, we’re treated to part 2 of an ongoing Mighty Man back up feature. Mighty Man has appeared regularly since the original Savage Dragon mini-series, more than twelve years ago. It’s great to see a cool character, albeit one that lends freely from Captain Marvel (Shazam), get a little spotlight time. Larsen co-plots the story with Gary Carlson, and it’s really a treat. Not only do we get a contemporary tale of Mighty Man, but also a look back at the previous Mighty Man and his battles during World War II. The art by Mark Englert handles both periods very well, and Erik Larsen lends some nice inks to the pages.
Savage Dragon needs to be experienced, at least once. While I agree it’s not for everyone, you’ll know right away if it’s for you. I think a ton of new readers would come on board if they gave it a chance. Perhaps with next year’s “Free Comic Book Dayâ€, Image can get Mr. Larsen to either produce a new adventure or at least reprint a classic tale.
