The Savage Dragon 9

The Savage Dragon  9 

Summary :

Dragon wakes up in Phyllis Deeder's house. Rapture decided that it would be a better  idea, along with nurse Ann Stevens to keep Dragon out of the hospital, so he wouldn't be attacked. 

This sadly doesn't work. Superpatriot storms in  and tries to gun Dragon down. 

The two  battle across the streets and  through abandoned buildings, until dragon manages to get the drop on Superpatriot and squash the mind controlling leech. 

Afterwards Dragon returns  to  the  police station to try and apologise for the way he  handled The Shrew's arrest as The Shrew is being released and to announce to his colleagues not being dead.

Later that night, Rapture sneaks in to Dragon's room and  to  both their surprise  and horror, Dragon's hand has grown back  !!  

Credits :

Writer-artist : Erik Larsen

Letters : Chris Eliopolous

Colors : Reuben Rude

Editor : Jannie Wong

Josh Eichorn title: Butt Kissing Yes Man.   

Notes : First appearance of Dragon's ability to regrow limbs. 

This is an ability he will  end up  using a LOT.

Review  :

Issue  9 is another minor misfire. 

There is nothing wrong with the issue, but it also doesn't bring much new to the table either.

The idea that  dragon  convalesces, somewhere other then a hospital is a  good one, but after this one it's never touched upon again. 

Larsen pulls  characters left and right from his nascent Dragonverse, including Phylis Deeder and her room mate Ann Stevens, whom was the  nurse we saw aaaal the way back in issue 1 of the mini and who gave Dragon his name. 

It also introduces the budding relationship with Rapture.

However the majority of the  issue is given over to Superpatriot going on a rampage and attacking Dragon. 

With Dragon on the run, while trying to protect nurse Stevens.  ( Which later one turns out to be  quite unnecessary.  )

However,  with  Superpatriot already going on a rampage, during his own four part mini series and before that  already attacking Dragon in a mall, this issue  feels  like a retread.

And it doesn't really bring much new to the table. 

It's not a total waste exactly, it reintroduces nurse Stevens  and  Phyllis  to the main comic. 

It also sets up  the mind controlling leeches again, because Superpatriot was being mind controlled again. 

This is the third time overall, in a short  time period, so it's starting to become a  theme for him.  

But  it also sees The Shrew being released and Dragon showing up, to  apologise for the way he  took The Shrew in.

Needless to say, The Shrew isn't all that thrilled to see Dragon. 

The people who are thrilled to see Dragon, are his colleagues.

Alex especially. 

Howard not so much. 

Dragon also  gets to hear the bad news,

Cyberface is  dead. 

This issue also brings  the  time frame  problem I mentioned earlier about issue 8, back to the forefront.

Alex says its been  a hell of  a month, so Dragon has been away for at least a month.

And this works, but only if  issue 8  takes place over no less then 5 days instead of the two weeks it says it does.

I know, I keep harping on about this. but the time frame of  2 weeks just doesn't work in  issue 8. 

A month however, does work  for  issue 9  because we still don't know the extent of Dragon's regenerative capabilities.  

Issue 9 also introduces us to Mace. 

A sadistic vigilante, who brutally beats up The Shrew again,  for the murders he has been acquitted for.

We don't get to see what's next but it can't be much good  and you can't help but feel sorry for The Shrew.

Homeless, driven crazy by  a  mind controlling leech. Getting  pummelled  almost to death  by Dragon, spending months  in the hospital getting jeered at by the cops and now this. 

The plight of the homeless  super freaks  isn't often  glanced at or even glossed over, 

but it can't be  easy. 

Like with Horridus the implications are unpleasant. 

The biggest  contributions issue 9  brings to the ongoing saga  of  Dragon  are the following two pages.

His continued budding relationship with Rapture  who  sneaks in to his room at night. 

And we finally get to see what his  regenerative  abilities are really capable off, 

his hand has grown back over night.  

However. I cant help but feel that issue 9 is superfluous at best an could have easily been folded in to issue 10 with out missing a beat.

In fact issue 10  would be better for it. 

The fight with Superpatriot is  a  retread  at best and didn't add anything  

The  news messages from  previous issues, already told us  about the mind controlling leeches and have Superpatriot  be under the thral of one didn't add anything new either. 

The furthering of Dragon's relationship with Rapture, his return  to the  police station  and  his head growing back, are the real highlights of this issue.

But those are  just  4  pages of  decency in a  decidedly mediocre  issue. 

The title is in a  slump right now and it wont get  much better until issue 11.