It was back in 1992 when I first got into The Savage Dragon. Lieutenant Frank Darling had found him in a burning vacant lot in a crime-ridden Chicago. Apparently, numerous "Super-Freaks" were taking over the city. The Dragon didn't remember much about himself, but his mind was not a total blank. Let's just say that he probably would have done well on Jeopardy. Darling wanted Dragon to join the police force, but he needed a plan to make this happen because Dragon wasn't biting. Darling's plan resulted in the death of the victim of his scheme when the thugs blew up the victim's warehouse. Although the plan worked, Darling was found out by The Vicious Circle. Erik Larsen, responsible for the creation of this Image Comics' superhero, has been there since the beginning.
Back in '92, The Savage Dragon was just a mini-series, but soon after the comic began publishing on a regular basis for Image. I was there for the Dragon's dealings with the Superpatriot, Bedrock, the Savage Megaton Man and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Dragon always had a thing for the ladies, but when I was first introduced to him he was dealing with the loss of a special woman. Needless to say, I was a fan! Then, I lost touch with the comic for many years, too many to count. I did hear that the book became even more risqué over time.
On a recent visit to Conquest Comics in Bayville, as I was perusing the new release wall, Savage Dragon #256 kept calling out to me. I guess it was time to reunite with an old friend. It appears that Erik Larson is still involved, while Ferran Delgado (letters), Nikos Koutsis and Mike Toris (colors) assisted with this issue. The issue begins with the Savage Dragon in the hospital with tiny hands that are expected to grow back to normal in a few days. The best part was he was reading a back issue of his own comic. He even remarked about the "porn comic" references made by recent critics and fans. I am beginning to think that this Savage Dragon isn't the same one that was found by Mr. Darling. This fin-head's name is Malcolm. In addition, a "dad from another reality" was mentioned! I guess I have a lot of catching up to do!
If this wasn't enough, Mr. Dragon is married with children. There are obviously other dragons now on Earth because a Paul Dragon was watching the kids. Mako makes an appearance, but it is not the Mako everyone was expecting. Apparently, a serial killer named Benedict Milhous injected himself with the blood of Mako and turned into a version of this mutant shark. Thinking it was the Mako he knew, Paul Dragon went to deal with him, only to end up in a hospital losing an arm. Arriving too late to save Paul, Malcolm left the Christmas celebration at his home to deal with this dangerous shark. Yes, apparently Dragon's species celebrates Christmas!
The book ended with Part 6 of a story from Ethrian Vanguard. I may revisit that strip at some point but it was hard enough keeping up with the Savage Dragon. I was still kept interested even though it's been a long time. I have a feeling that I am going to have to take a page out of Savage Dragon's most recent comic and catch up on some back issues!