Savage Dragon

Savage Dragon Erik Larsen / Image Comics

Original title: Savage Dragon
Author: Erik Larsen
Publisher: Image Comics
Italian publisher: Star Comics Srl
Country: United States
Year: June 1982
Gender: Cartoon superheroes
Recommended age: Children from 6 to 12 years old

Savage Dragon has its roots in the comic world. In fact, long before landing on the small screen, the huge humanoid reptile had shown its face in US comics in 1986. Its creator is Erik Larsen, who has made his character go through a long and troubled evolutionary process. In fact, if it is true that Dragon appeared in Larsen's mind in elementary school, with certainly somewhat crude features, at Marvel it underwent its first major change, making its debut in 1982, under a different name from the one today. known, Paul Dragon, and a less powerful physique than that of Savage, which represents the last stage of the development of the character, who has finally found a home at Image Comics, which Larsen himself helped to create. The origins of Savage Dragon are somewhat mysterious, since his body was found in a burning building by the Chief of Police, who, beyond appearance, decided to give him a badge and make him one of his best men. . He himself cannot explain where he comes from, but, beyond one aspect that can inspire fear, he proves to be a just man and ready to take the path of justice. In fact, he decides to join the Chicago Police, but his immense strength will not be used only to thwart petty crimes or throw common criminals into prison, since many other creatures have appeared with him, to say the least special. . These are monsters, mutants and futuristic robots, all linked by a humanoid aspect and a preponderant inclination to evil. Many of them, however, are nothing more than pawns, simple laborers in the service of true cruel minds, among which the most frightening and terrifying is that of Overlord, the real main antagonist of Savage Dragon.

Savage Dragon Erik Larsen / Image Comics

Our protagonist, however, is not alone in the fight against crime and, among the normal policemen scattered around the city, he manages to find a partner who can keep up with him. This is the beautiful Alex Wilde, for whom it seems that Dragon can feel something. Alex is decidedly reckless and athletic, devoid of the fear that grips many of her colleagues in the face of frightening creatures like those that Chicago finds herself facing, and always engages headlong in every desperate mission in which the Chief of Police decides to involve both her. that Dragon. Obviously, however, she cannot, unlike her partner, hunt down crime with her bare hands, and so she relies on her trusty gun, with which she shows all her shooting skills during the episodes. And just from a simple weapon it can be easily understood that the world represented in this cartoon is not entirely identical to the one we are used to knowing. In fact, excluding the sudden appearance of monsters and ruthless killers, the reality seems somewhat futuristic. In fact, the weapon that Alex continuously wields does not launch projectiles, but lasers capable of opening large gaps in the walls of cities. Furthermore, the city seems to be perpetually wrapped in a dark halo, as if to symbolize the rottenness that infects it and that, despite the grueling struggle of its champions, it does not seem possible to completely eliminate. Unfortunately, however, the series has not had the same fortune as the comic from which it is based, and only two seasons have seen the light of it in America, both consisting of 16 episodes of about 30 minutes. If the comic is in fact still in production today, having thus had the opportunity to analyze the origins of Dragon, his relationship with the other characters and above all the eternal challenge with Overlord, the same cannot be said for the TV series, which evidently, having almost reached the gates of the new millennium, it was considered obsolete and unable to renew itself. In fact, the character of Savage Dragon is nothing short of anchored to the stereotypes of the 90s.

Savage Dragon Erik Larsen / Universal Cartoon Studios

The protagonist, beyond the green color of his skin and the strange iguana crest, shows himself as an example of a bodybuilder, aware of his strength and his role, more than determined to clean up every criminal in the city, costs whatever it costs and using every means at its disposal. It is therefore impossible not to notice the extreme resemblance to a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is growing episode after episode, in a climax lasting two seasons, until the peak reached in the finale of the second series, when Dragon is more than ever determined to keep his promise. done to Frank (the police chief), that is to defeat Overlord, given that one of his men has seriously endangered Alex's life, for which it seems that Dragon feels much more than just a friendship. Precisely in this magnificent episode, however, probably aware of the imminent closure of the show, the screenwriters decide to offer their audience succulent revelations about the birth of Dragon and his relationship with the cruel Overlord. Better to avoid any spoilers, leaving fans of the genre to the animated series (produced by Universal Cartoon Studios) that Mediaset has decided to broadcast, strangely after a long time. Italia 1 will be the chosen network, which enriches the Saturday morning schedule with a double appointment. Every Saturday, in fact, at 8.30 and 8.50 the episodes of the first season will begin, hoping that the young audience will appreciate the work even without the support of the comic, almost unknown here, and thus be able to confirm the transmission of the second series. , essential for the understanding of this beautiful story.