Savage Dragon's Newest Villain is a Tootsie Roll Mascot

Of the numerous Golden Age and public domain superheroes who have made their way into the pages of Erik Larsen's long-running, creator-owned series Savage Dragon, the award for oddest backstory may have to go to Captain Tootsie, appearing later this year in Savage Dragon #241.

Captain Tootsie was, as his name suggests, at one point a mascot for Tootsie Roll candies. The character was created in 1943 in an advertisement, but eventually got his own, short-lived comic book series and has been allowed to fall into the public domain, even while Tootsie Rolls themselves remain popular.

So...why would Larsen feel the need to bring him in?

It all comes back to Herb Trimpe, whose work Larsen has often admired.

Trimpe, who drew a backup story for Savage Dragon #200 which was published after his death, is best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk, and it was there that he used Doc Samson, who gained super-strength and green hair after an experiment gone wrong that involved Thunderbolt Ross and gamma rays (natch).

Trimpe, who co-created the character with writer Roy Thomas and introduced him in The Incredible Hulk #141, told an interviewer that Samson's design had been inspired by Captain Tootsie's, -- and Larsen ran with it, creating a Savage Dragon #241 cover that closely mirrors Incredible Hulk #141 -- right down to the word balloons, which are a bit politically incorrect by today's standards.

So--I was reading an interview with Herb Trimpe and he had mentioned that Doc Samson's costume was based on that of the Golden Age Tootsie Roll pitchman Captain Tootsie. Well, one thing led to another and... pic.twitter.com/bItRAxbfqJ

— Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) July 15, 2018

The words "After Trimpe" and "Hulk 141" can be seen written out using cracks in the ground beneath Malcolm Dragon's feet.

According to the Public Domain Superheroes Wiki, Captain Tootsie "would always need to consume a Tootsie Roll for a sudden boost of energy in whatever task he needed to perform. He had a sidekick, a boy named Rollo, and two other young cohorts named Fatso and Fisty (the three of whom, along with the Captain himself, made up the Secret Legion)."

How much of this mythology will be carried over is anyone's guess. Daredevil's public domain backstory is largely not significant to his appearances in Savage Dragon, although it certainly "counts," since his long-running nemesis the Claw played a significant role in the title for a while.

Larsen has an affinity for Golden Age characters, and besides repurposing some in Dragon (which typically were active during their actual publishing period and have been brought to the present using comic book science), he also published The Next Issue Project, which would continue the stories of abruptly-cancelled public domain comics.

Savage Dragon #241 will be available in stores and online in December.