Image Comics Community

Weren't the two Graphic Fantasy-based issues released when you were also juggling with other gigs at Marvel or DC? I seem to remember there was also this incentive, that you were crazy busy at the time and basically inking over your old pages would take you less time... also, I believe the books were released in very short order, like bi-monthly or something ?

Those issues did stick out, but I liked the idea still. I mean, incorporating the whole thing in the official continuity, warts and all, with just a layer of paint over it, it made sense to me, rather than let these early efforts gather dust in relative obscurity. Also, I liked how you played on the fact that some of us had read Savage Dragon Archives... and changed the final page, with Marcy finally leaving Dragon instead of giving him a big sloppy kiss.

Actually, I was expecting the Vanguard story to be reworked into continuity as some point too, since it featured Dragon and Smasher extensively.

I imagine the Vanguard stories would've needed WAY more work done to make it fit into continuity. Would've been fun though. Van, Dragon and Jen vs an army of villains, and thus time being recognisable ones from the VC, would have been great to see in Erik's then-current style. Ah well.

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- Gavin Higginbotham.

http://savagedragonwiki.wikispaces.com/

Erik, I have a couple more --

1) You originally put out the Baptism of Fire storyline as a series of "Then & Now" sequences... starting with the present and flashing back to Dragon being found and adjusting to life. Since then, in every reprinting you've organized the scenes sequentially instead. Any particular reason why?

2) What do you feel is your "Trial of Galactus" or "The Elektra Saga" of your Savage Dragon run? By that I mean, what is the one storyline that you feel is the high watermark of the book thus far?

3) Total fantasy time -- let's say you couldn't draw but could have the same penciller/inker for the book's life -- who would you choose?

I can respect that.

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Darin Wagner
La Crosse, WI

1: Because other sequences were added to flesh it out and it worked better having in run chronologically than stuffing in more crap in flashback form.

2: I don't think in those terms, really. That's not for me to decide. I do think A Talk With God and Emperor Dragon were high water marks though.

3: I have no idea.

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-Erik Larsen
Savage Dragon perpetrator

www.savagedragon.com
www.imagecomics.com

Erik, in order for a single, episodic, 22-page comic book to be "good" in your eyes, what must be there?

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Darin Wagner
La Crosse, WI

Erik, if you could have Dragon adapted for the screen again, what would you prefer -- a live-action film like the recent Marvel ones? A family-friendly Pixar deal? An adults only animated show like Spawn had on HBO? A live-action TV series like Walking Dead or the upcoming Powers show on FX?

I'm not asking you to shit-talk anyone, so if you're uncomfortable answering this, just say so --

What's up with Jim Shooter? He was top dog in the business for much of the 80s but after that, he seemed to be on the fringes of the business, working on start-up stuff like Valiant or whatever. I mean, if Bob Harras, who oversaw Marvel's steep decline can still get work, why not a successful editor like Jim Shooter?

I would like to point out that Bob Harras also presided over a second Golden Age over at Marvel during the Heroes Reborn and particularly during the Heroes Return era.

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Darin Wagner
La Crosse, WI

"Second golden age"? Are you joking?

Heroes Reborn was pure shit -- it sold decent enough but they fired Liefeld after 6 months and ended the whole thing after a year, rather than extend (which was a contractual possibility). And as for Return, other than Busiek & Perez on Avengers, the other relaunched titles were fairly unmemorable, with even the return of Waid/Garney to Captain America failing to capture the magic of the first go-round.

Meanwhile, you had the Spider-Man titles shitting the bed thanks to the Clone Saga and what was his big idea? Howard Mackie and John Byrne? He's off his rocker.

Sales declined for the most part during his tenure -- Joe Quesada was hailed as brilliant for his first few years in the role because he managed to bring Marvel's sales up from the depths of Harras' time. And don't get me wrong -- I don't think it's all Harras' fault. The top brass pushing for more gimmick covers and storylines, plus Heroes World, were probably all beyond his control.

That said, Jim Shooter seemed to be far more successful in the role.