Savage Dragon #238
Image Comics
Written by Erik Larsen
Art by Erik Larsen
Letters by Ferran Delgado
Colors by Nikos Koutsis
In the aftermath of the battle with Scourge, Malcolm and Angel are both laid up in the hospital. Malcolm is missing his legs and while he waits for them to heal, he thinks about how badly Angel was injured. In an attempt to save her life, he decides to give her some of his blood. Knowing what his blood can do, they take precautions and the procedure is successful. That’s when the real trouble begins.
When word gets out that there is a cure for missing limbs, illness, coma, etc., everyone comes out of the woodwork supervillain and civilian alike to track down Dragon and extract his blood. Unfortunately, with Maxine at a bachelorette party, Dragon and his kids are home alone when they are attacked by the Sex-Dolls who try to take both Malcolm and the kids for their boss. At the same time, Maxine finds herself at a crossroads regarding her condition and who she wants to be going forward.
Larsen adds some pretty heavy cathartic themes in this issue. As a reader, I wondered when Maxine would confront her condition and whether that would mean confronting some personal issues as well and I am interested in how Larsen handles that going forward. I also really enjoy the exposed quality of the world Dragon lives in. The fact that the walls are closing in around him in a new place makes the drama more interesting. Above everything, the story remains as fun and over the top as the previous issues and that tone continues to make the comic worth reading.
The art is great and I loved all of the close-ups, especially the emotional ones with Maxine.