Savage Dragon

Savage Dragon
Savage Dragon #1 (July 1992) by Erik Larsen
Publication information
PublisherMegaton Comics
Image Comics
First appearance
  • As Paul Dragon:
  • Graphic Fantasy #1 (June 1982)
  • Cameo as the Savage Dragon:
  • Megaton #3 (February 1986)
  • First full appearance as the Savage Dragon:
  • Savage Dragon #1 (July 1992)
Created byErik Larsen
In-story information
Alter egoKurr
Team affiliations
Notable aliasesThe Dragon, Mr. Dragon, Officer Dragon, Dragon
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, stamina, and durability
  • Accelerated healing factor

The Savage Dragon is a superhero created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character first appeared as the Dragon in Graphic Fantasy #1 (June 1982) and first appeared as the "Savage Dragon" in Megaton #3 (February 1986).[1]

The Dragon is a large, finned, green-skinned humanoid whose powers include super-strength and an advanced healing factor. He is also an amnesiac: his earliest memory is awakening in a burning field in Chicago, Illinois. Thus, for most of the series, the origins of his powers and appearance are a mystery to readers. At the beginning of the series, he becomes a police officer and battles the mutant criminal "superfreaks" that terrorize Chicago.

Together with Spawn, Savage Dragon is one of two Image Comics titles that debuted during the company's 1992 launch that continues to be published well into the early 2020s,[2] and the only one of the two that all of its run, has been written and drawn entirely by its creator, for which Larsen has been lauded.[3] Savage Dragon is the longest-running full-color comic book to feature a single artist/writer. The character was also adapted into an animated series, which ran for two seasons (26 episodes) on the USA Network beginning in 1995.

The Savage Dragon was listed by Wizard as the 116th-greatest comic book characters of all time.[4] IGN listed the Savage Dragon as the 95th-greatest comic book hero of all time, stating that he has the trappings of a great comic book hero.[5]

  1. ^ Markstein, Don. "Savage Dragon". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. ^ Hennum, Shea (March 12, 2015). "What Spawn Means to the Future of Image". Paste.
  3. ^ David, Peter (August 23, 2010). "Giving Credit Where Credit is Due, Part 1" peterdavid.net. Reprinted from Comics Buyer's Guide #1033 (September 3, 1993). Krause Publications.
  4. ^ "Wizard's top 200 characters. External link consists of a forum site summing up the top 200 characters of Wizard Magazine since the real site that contains the list is broken". Wizard. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  5. ^ "Savage Dragon – #95 Top Comic Book Heroes". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-07.