In the world of superhero comics, there aren’t many guys more synonymous with a particular creation than Erik Larsen is with his long-running, creator-owned Image book Savage Dragon. With a new issue out for 
Free Comic Book Day, the one-hundred-and-fiftieth issue coming up, major story beats that have given the book essentially a “reboot” without actually affecting continuity, and ominous hints that Overlord—one of Dragon’s most dangerous nemeses—will return in the coming year, it seems like a perfect time to sit down with Larsen and discuss the future of the title.
Today’s issue, #148, includes an extended guest appearance by Daredevil (no, not the horned one from Marvel—the navy-and-red-checkered one who’s seen appearances in Image’s Next Issue Project and Dynamite’s Project Superpowers, among others) and his sidekicks from the Golden Age—a group of young adventurers called The Little Wise Guys.
SPOILERS are in full effect for Savage Dragon #148.
Blog@Newsarama: Now, Daredevil and the Little Wise Guys—are those guys something that you took away with you from the Next Issue Project?
Erik Larsen: The Golden Age Daredevil was briefly seen in our first Next Issue Project book, Fantastic Comics #24–but it was a cameo–he was one of a dozen characters from the Golden Age. He’ll be in an upcoming Next Issue Project comic– but he’s just a cool old character whose costume I’ve always loved. When I was doing research for the Next Issue Project I really took to the Golden Age Daredevil and the Little Wise Guys and I wanted to do more with them beyond an eight-page appearance that they’ll have in Silver Streak Comics.
Blog@: Are they going to be fixtures in Dragon’s world for a while? Obviously we’ve lost a good chunk of the supporting cast over the years, and the last twelve-or-so issues hasn’t gone any easier in that regard…!
EL: Yeah, The Golden Age Daredevil is going to be a fixture for a while.
Blog@: Is it fun, with these old characters in the mix, to be able to un-ironically write some of their old-school dialogue? I mean, Daredevil actually called somebody “Chum.”
EL: It is fun. And just as Captain America played the “man out of time” role I can play similar beats with The Golden Age Daredevil. But I don’t expect him to use archaic phrases forever. He’ll adjust pretty quick. And remember, Savage Dragon is set in “real time” so an issue equals a month–and just like in the real world–people grow and change. In a year’s time he’ll be acclimated and a casual reader wouldn’t necessarily peg him as a guy who just stepped out of the ’40s.
Blog@: “The kids are all right?” Did Dragon just make an unintentional reference to The Who?
EL: Heh.
Blog@: Now, am I reading too much into the recaps, or is it possible that the new Vicious Circle just might be led by ALL of Dragon’s old mates? It did make a point to mention Dart in conjunction with some other characters we haven’t seen in a while.
EL: You’re reading a lot into it. I know it’s fun to play the guessing game–but don’t get ahead of yourself. You’ll see the pieces as they unfold.
Blog@: I know a friend of mine, who has been reading Savage Dragon for a long time, had commented recently on how dark and depressing the book had gotten. With the kids safe and sound, is this a time for Dragon to start turning things around—or are there some more nasty surprises waiting around the corner?
EL: I won’t be killing off all of his entire supporting cast every issue. I’m in a building stage right now–I’m setting up the characters and putting them in place. While nobody is safe in the long run–it’s not all doom and gloom either. The book will always have its lighter side and happier moments. A new love interest is forthcoming and an entirely new police force is being introduced. It’s practically springtime with all the roses in bloom. That having been said, it’s never a smooth ride and there will be casualties.
Blog@: One thing worth noting—you make mention of Meatball’s death in the old Wiseguys stories. While Savage Dragon has become far less gory and more family-friendly over the years, it certainly hasn’t been without its share of violence, death and high drama. Is the “shocking” plot twist something that you really value as a storyteller?
EL: Oh, absolutely. This issue is actually something of an anomaly, as far as Savage Dragon comics go–it’s a lot more family-friendly than the book usually is. That’s due, in a large part, to it being a Free Comic Book Day title. The issues which precede and follow #148 are a lot more indicative of what the book is like than #148 is. Which, in retrospect, may not have been the smartest move on my part.
Blog@: The art on this issue is really beautiful—some of the best work I’ve seen in a long while. Did you take special care to make the FCBD issue something people could really appreciate, or am I maybe just seeing the result of you having more time these days to spend on the issues and less time being “Erik Larsen, Publisher?”
EL: Well, thanks for that. I actually had a lot less time to do this issue than usual due to the FCBD deadlines. I ended up having to do this issue before #147, and that meant batting #148 out in a couple weeks so that I could jump on #147, which needed to get into readers’ hands before the FCBD issue. It was a logistical nightmare.
Blog@: With Obama, and the deaths, and these old characters reintroduced, and the Dart twist…what the heck is left? Will #150 be a “landmark” issue or have you decided to just let it be another brick in the wall?
EL: It’ll be a doozie. Like I said, I’m in a building stage–getting all of the pieces in place. #150 is a big part of that. The new Vicious Circle has been touched on but it’s been somewhat undefined. #150 puts a face on the notorious criminal organization. I just went through a period of the book which I likened to a riff on Stan and Jack’s Fantastic Four, with the dynamic of a family of superheroes. The book is now entering a phase more akin to Frank Miller’s run on Marvel’s Daredevil– which is not to say I’ll be copying anything from Frank’s run per se, but rather that’s the kind of tone that I’m shooting for.
Blog@: The art on this issue sure has a lot of room to move—there are a lot of dramatic panel layouts, and a number of splash pages to start the story. Was there a particular motif you were going for with all those big action shots at the top, or did it just happen that way?
EL: Given the time constraints–I just grabbed a copy of Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s Wolverine trade and used panel configurations out of there. I wasn’t copying poses or anything but I was looking at it for a basic panel grid–a long panel on the left–a stack of panels on the right–that sort of thing. I was looking for something that would give it something of a Miller vibe on a subliminal level without flat out copying anything.
Blog@: Now, it has to be asked: Can we be reasonably sure that Malcolm is Malcolm and that everything is as it seems with him? He’s not Overlord or Mr. Glum or something?
EL: Yeah. Malcolm is Malcolm. When I pull a fast one–I’ll usually have that sort of thing planned out in some nebulous way. It’s always best, when you write a murder mystery to know who the killer is. In this instance there are no big surprises here in regard to who Malcolm is. The kid has been through a lot, make no mistake, and those experiences will come into play but Malcolm is Malcolm–there’s no impostor having taken his place.
Blog@: How many times, in your career, do you think you’ve reused that opening “lake of fire” splash? It’s got to be one of Dragon’s most enduring and reprinted images.
EL: The recap pages which begin the FCBD version of #148 (and end the pay version) are all taken from panels from the Savage Dragon run. The idea of this four-page yarn is to give new readers the basic information they need to get up to speed on what’s going on in the book. Most times that I’ve done that shot of Dragon in a burning lot–I’ve redrawn it (and I think I’ve done that five times). This is the only time that I’ve flat out reprinted an existing page. This version of the page was from Savage Dragon #0, by the way. It was the final page of Dragon’s origin story.
Blog@: Is the Atlas ad on the back something that you pulled out of an old Daredevil comic?
EL: It was from an old comic book–but not necessarily from a Golden Age Daredevil comic book. It’s actually a live ad–you can use it and send away for the free info kit. I called up the Charles Atlas people and we worked out the details to run their ads in issues of the Next Issue Project and I thought this would be a good place to run one. All of their info is up to date on the ad–including their current address and even their website address. I’m a big fan of those old Charles Atlas ads, actually, and it’s pretty cool to be able to run them. It makes a comic book look like a comic book, if you know what I mean.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
So there *will* be mroe issues of Next issue comics? I’m so glad!