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This volume includes the original episodes of the miniseries devoted to Savage Dragon, originally published in 1992, written and drawn inked by Erik Larsen. This explains in the introduction that he has reworked these 3 episodes rearranging sequences in chronological order, and adding pages to expand and make the transitions smoother narrative. The color development was performed by Gregory Wright, Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude.

In a wasteland, a naked person with green skin with a crest on the head is in flames. When he awoke in the hospital, Frank Darling police lieutenant is at his bedside. Savage Dragon has amnesia, he has no idea who he is. It is located in Chicago. The city is in the grip of a wave of diverse and varied crimes by supercriminels. After an attack, Savage Dragon accepts the offer of Darling lieutenant and joined the Chicago police force to fight against this super-offending. Luckily because superheroes do not run the streets of Chicago.

In 1992, 7 Marvel Comics creators leave to start their own publishing company and create their own characters they each retain intellectual property: Jim Lee (Wildcats), Jim Valentino (Shadowhawk), Rob Liefeld (Youngblood), Todd McFarlane ( Spawn), Marc Silvestri (Cyberforce), Whilce Portacio (Wetworks) and Erik Larsen. The first observation in terms of quality is that of disappointment. All these authors wanted to emancipate themselves from the tutelage of news executives, but also screenwriters. Now it comes to designer at the base. At the first reading at the time, I was disappointed by the tone distraction and lower forehead of the first episodes of "Savage Dragon". But 20 years later, I really appreciate the mocking irony that emerges from this series (the publication in collections took over from number 139 in United we stand). It deserved a replay.

Derivative side, the reader is served from the start. Savage Dragon is a wardrobe, with a torso of a width not hypertrophied muscles in the arm (the bigger biceps than the head, and not a little), solving all his problems by tapping them stronger with a healing ability that allows him to recover from the most serious injuries in no time. In addition, it is cool because he wears sunglasses. So Savage Dragon is a collection of shots by himself with a resolution of similar conflicts each time (tap on the enemy more and harder until victory). Moreover in this story, the reader will find in the middle of a fight between two superheroes (Savage Dragon against Badrock Youngblood) for a stupid reason, or face an ersatz Doctor Doom, or face nixed Men (silly version of the Next Men John Byrne). Finally it was the time when the founders of Image Comics had the vision of a shared universe and modular, so Savage Dragon meet other members of Youngblood and Spawn is seen in front of a seller of televisions.

When we look closer, Erik Larsen also reproduced several specific visual clichés to superheroes. It starts with the big bastons with punches gigantic, ridiculous costumes supercriminels (up returning to the panties buttocks supercriminelles, so string), the morphologies caricatures (hypertrophied musculature for them, gravity defying breasts and costumes very revealing for them). This continues with blunt and massive quotes "postures to impress" superheroes, and the layouts of Frank Miller (a vertical box on the height of the page, with flag boxes on the right). Despite all the shameless pictorial verve Larsen fact that one can not speak of plagiarism, but rather quote, or tribute properly.

In fact, over the sequences, it appears that Larsen openly mocks these conventions of superhero story. It starts with Savage Dragon stating it is out of question whether it takes a tight dress and gaudy as Younblood these clowns. This ends in apotheosis with nixed Men, through which mocks Larsen method "John Byrne", with one of nixed Men stating that this group consists of projects that Johnny Redbeard gave up along the way after they recreated name for the sanctity change. A reader familiar with the work of John Byrne easily recognize the allusions to Sensational She-Hulk and Namor.

Derivative yes, but not really substitute. In this new form reorganized, the story recounts the first level the story of a very strong individual wishing to find a place in society (here as a police officer) and doing his job with passion. In a dichotomy Good / Evil simplistic, it crushes the wicked, like a detective fighting against a destructive crime. Verve Larsen is perceived in the character of outraged supercriminels sometimes their stupidity, always inventive. Looking back, the number of characters created in these three episodes is breathtaking: Cutthroat, Mako, Mighty Man, Overlord, Star, Arachnid, Ann Stevens, Superpatriot, not to mention nixed Men. Each character has a memorable appearance, characteristics that easily distinguish it. Behind the parodic component behind the mocking facade, Erik Larsen invented a very rich world, and tells a story that takes the road in the first degree. His designs are inventive and expressive, able both to bring the mockery with huge characters, the horror first degree Arachnid and its victims in sewers.

Initially, the reader revels shares of Savage Dragon, very virile, stronger than anything, tongue-in-cheek, and effective providential savior, alpha-male in all its monolithic primary and splendor. Gradually, the reader pities that person without roots, paying a high price for his actions, without slaughter of supercriminels appears significantly improve the situation.

Finally Erik Larsen reveals finer than expected storyteller telling a superhero story well put together, mocking the most ridiculous conventions of superhero, lampooning some professionals, raising empathy for his characters, as huge as they are. The reader can both entertain this senseless violence, inventive and sadistic, getting involved in the fate of the hero, and find a second reading level in several sequences. Savage Dragon's adventures continue in power to be reckoned A with (episodes 1-6). The beginnings of the series have also been reissued in black & white in Savage Dragon Archives Volume 1 (+ miniseries episodes 1 to 21).