“The Merging of Multiple Earths,” a three-part storyline that has proven to be one of the biggest in Savage Dragon history, concludes tomorrow in the series’ 225th issue — and of with a 100-page issue, a major status quo shift, and a controversial XXX variant cover, there’s bound to be plenty of interest.
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Interest, of course, doesn’t always result in sales — especially when the comic has been running for 25 years — which is nominally one of the reasons for Savage Dragon tackling an epic storyline and an oversized “anniversary” issue.
Savage Dragon, in particular, is sometimes a difficult series to follow for newcomers or lapsed readers, since a lot can change in not very much time, and if you were reading five or so years ago, almost everyone you know is probably dead or out of the book.
It’s worth getting caught up, though; Savage Dragon has been on a roll since around issue #150, constantly surprising readers and throwing all of their cards up in the air to see where they land, often resulting in some of the most exciting superheroics on the stands.
So what do you need to know about Savage Dragon ahead of tomorrow’s game-changing issue?
We’re glad you asked.
REAL TIME
The series unfolds in real time, an uncommon trait for a mainstream superhero comic, and that means that in the 25 years since the comic launched, a lot has changed.
Dragon has personally interacted with numerous Presidents and Presidential hopefuls — and all of those interactions are still in canon, rather than being retconned by the “rolling timeline” at Marvel and DC.
He also fathered a child — Malcolm, whom we will get to soon — about twenty years ago, and both that child and Dragon’s kinda/sorta daughter Angel are full-blown adult superheroes now.
THE LEADS
Dragon, an alien dictator whose mind was wiped, was dumped on Earth 25 years ago and ultimatley became a hero after that blank slate was shaped by the good guys.
After years as one of earth’s premier heroes, Dragon’s “evil side” briefly took over, and he killed a lot of people. Shortly after he reverted to his normal self, he was arrested and sentenced to death. While he appealed the verdict, he willingly underwent a process to remove his powers, rendering him pretty much just a regular guy who happened to have green skin and a fin on his head.
Back in January, Dragon received a Presidential pardon from Barack Obama, the former U.S. President’s final act in office, and has since been spending time with his kids and grandkids.
Malcolm Dragon, Dragon’s son, is the current lead of the book. After his father’s evil alien dictator side briefly resurfaced and the old man went to jail to answer for those crimes, Malcolm joined up with the Chicago Police Department and took on the role his father had filled for years.
Angel Murphy, Dragon’s kinda-sorta adoptive daughter, is a member of the Special Operations Strikeforce, or SOS, of which Dragon was once a member as well. It takes “freaks” and unites them under the authority of the U.S. government to serve their communities and draw a salary fighting bad guys so that they aren’t doing it for free and without rules.
Maxine Dragon is Malcolm’s wife; together, the pair raise three kids, each of whom was conceived during a wild foursome between Malcolm, Maxine, Angel, and their friend Tierra, who died during childbirth. To save Angel (who didn’t want a kid anyway) from the shame of having had a child with her “brother,” Malcom and Maxine pass the three off as triplets.
THE VILLAINS
Mister Glum is the mastermind behind the current crisis, having set a catastrophic, multiverse-altering event into motion after losing the love of his life.
Don’t feel too bad for him, though; before this, Glum killed millions and enslaved the world for a while before Dragon managed to defeat him and send him running back to Dimension-X, where he ruled until being captured and brought back for a trial that he managed to flee, setting off the events of this story.
Darklord is a kind of cosmic engineer; working with the Covenant of the Sword, a cult that kidnapped the children of known freaks, he took possession of what was believed to be the body of Malcolm Dragon, who appeared to have died in childbirth. Malcolm was alive and well, though, and would be raised by the Covenant of the Sword, with a young Darklord (there’s time travel involved) as a childhood friend.
Eventually rather than tinkering merely with genetics, Darklord started altering reality itself, creating a vast multiverse that he tailored to his own tastes (except for the main Earth on which the comic takes place).
THE STORY
During a battle with Malcolm and Angel, Glum — who was living with an alternate universe version of Angel at the time — lost control of the fight and “his” Angel was killed. Ever since, he has been even more unhinged than usual, blaming the Dragon family for his misfortune.
Rather than fight yet another battle with Malcolm or Dragon — which he would likely lose, as he always has — Glum decided that he could try to seduce Angel Murphy, and kidnapped her to his homeworld.
Unbeknownst to Angel, Darklord’s genetic tinkering had actually preserved her mother — whom she had previously assumed was dead — and the two escaped Glum together and returned home.
Unsuccessful in wooing Angel the old-fashioned way, Glum decided that if he could take control of the devices Darklord uses to manipulate the multiverse, he could force Angel to fall in love with him.
After his first attempt failed, Glum threw everything at the wall, ultimatley merging the worlds of the multiverse in such a way that the untouched “virgin Earth” was the last one left, and the histories of all those worlds were starting to collide, leaving the world’s inhabitants confused…and Darklord pissed.
MORE SAVAGE DRAGON
You can get a copy of Savage Dragon #225 at most comic book retailers on Wednesday. If you can’t, or prefer digital, you can pre-order it here.
In “The Merging of Multiple Earths,” Savage Dragon boasts a giant-sized 25th anniversary special that fans won’t want to miss out on. The Dragon is restored to his former glory as he bulks up to take on Darklord in a final battle! Mr. Glum’s devious plot to merge the multiverse comes to its cataclysmic conclusion! Savage Dragon and Malcolm Dragon join forces to save Angel Murphy and the very Earth itself!
Savage Dragon #225 will be available on Wednesday, July 26th. The final order cut-off from comics retailers will be Monday, July 3rd.
SAVAGE DRAGON #225 Cover A by Larsen, Diamond Code APR170688
SAVAGE DRAGON #225 Cover B by Frank Fosco, Diamond Code APR170689
SAVAGE DRAGON #225 Cover C by Larsen, Diamond Code APR170690
SAVAGE DRAGON #225 Cover C (XXX, $11.99) by Rafael Krás, Diamond Code MAY178162
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