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Released by: Image Comics
Released on: Apr. 09, 2014
The new SD, young Malcolm Dragon, has his hands full in his second issue - whether it's battling a long-time menace named Torment, dealing with his past and his mother's death and subsequent clone replacement, being on the sly with the cops or dealing with his hormone-overload of a brother, Lamar.
The story begins with Malcolm thinking his mother killed in a demonoid battle he witnesses, only to be told that the team she's on frequently use doubles. Later, though, at home he overhears her conspiring with someone else stating that it's she who is the replacement and that his real mother died years ago. Snap to the present and he's fighting Torment, called such due to the two manifested voices growing out of his head, one bad and one good. But Torment escapes before Malcolm can capture him so the police chief, Stewart, tells him to go home and wait for their call.
At home, Malcolm is surprised by his brother who's brought several “honeys†in tow, hoping to kickstart a party with his famous brother. But Malcolm isn't having much of it but still being a nice guy he tries to get them all to leave nicely. Yet it's Torment that crashes the party, having apparently followed Malcolm home. So when Torment crashes a building into the group of uninvited guests Malcolm kinda loses it and, in the ensuing fight, appears to end Torment once and for all.
The issue includes a short story (by Gavin Higginbotham and Scott James) involving some other super-powered beings in Chicago and interfacing with Chief Stewart. This time, it's the married couple of Ricochet and Barbaric who have just been let go from their TV network show. Dismayed at their prospects they nevertheless respond when there's an explosion at a nearby museum. Turns out the villainous Killcrazy is on a rampage to steal some valuable jewels and it's up to the couple to stop him - which they do and, as a bonus, get a reward from the museum for protecting the valuables. Barbaric sees this as the opportunity they've been looking for, to be superheroes with Superpatriot in the Special Operations Strikeforce.
And, finally, the issue concludes with a single page of four “funnies†a'la the traditional newspaper comic section. It's very tongue-in-cheek but demonstrates the fun Image is having with this series, to be certain.
This new Savage Dragon keeps its focus on the teen protagonist while firmly keeping reference points locked to the original series quite nicely. The series is a great treat for both long-time and newly-found fans of SD and worth picking up.
