I actually bought TWO comic books this week (yeah, really!), and neither one of them was Savage Dragon #197... BUT! I did read this issue in the store. It was awesome...
The sales pitch: Malcolm Dragon is transformed into a hideous freak as he faces his greatest menace yet—a deadly virus that turns average people into mindless monsters! Get ready for a whole new Savage Dragon!
In case you didn't already know, Malcolm Dragon is the half-black, half-dragon son of the original Savage Dragon. Yeah, he takes after his dad. So anyways, this isn't some affirmative action shit, I actually love reading random issues of Savage Dragon. Erik Larsen's approach to art and story creates the same atmosphere as the Marvel comics I grew up on, but goes places that those comics never could. Being limited in their role as corporate-sponsored entertainment (supposedly) for children, mainstream comics could only do so much, where Savage Dragon is free to explore any and every whim or impulse that enters its creators mind. Savage Dragon is able to address social issues, include mind-numbing amounts of sex and violence, and do it all in a way that makes Larsen happy. Savage Dragon feels like Larsen's comment on every comic he ever liked growing up. It feels like the kind of comics I made as a teenager when only me and the other kids at the back of the classroom were reading them. Larsen writes and draws as if there's only him and his fans. No critics. No Twitter. No angry message board comment ranters. Just dudes saying "DAAAAAANG" reading his last page while he works on the next one. This is probably why Larsen's work appeals to me so much. He may not be the greatest artist or writer, but he might be having the most fun. Gotta love it!
