The Savage Dragon (Playmates toy pack-in comic)

Originally packaged with: Playmates The Savage Dragon and Jim Lee’s TMNT toylines
Publication date: 1995

Script and thumbnails: Erik Larsen
Art: Michael Dooney
Inks: John Cleary
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Colors: Reuben Rude

Summary:

Cruising the streets of Chicago in his experimental pursuit bike, Officer Dragon’s joyride is interrupted by a call from dispatch telling him to break up a freak-fight at 5th and Madison. Dragon turns around and heads for the fight.

At 5th and Madison, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are doing battle with Officer Dragon’s buddies, Barbaric and the She-Dragon. Barbaric and She-Dragon mistakenly think they’ll make short work of the Turtles, but Don is quick to point out their folly, as their lifetime of ninja training coupled with their recent cyborg enhancements have made them a formidable force. To demonstrate Don’s point, Leo chops She-Dragon’s flowing blonde locks into a sassy mohawk.

Officer Dragon arrives on the scene, but before he can break things up, a building is knocked over on his head. Now “battle damaged”, Dragon bursts through the rubble and tells everyone to cool it. He reveals that he knows both teams and he knows that both are upstanding citizens. Barbaric and She-Dragon admit that they mistook the Turtles for members of the Vicious Circle. The Turtles, as it happens, explain that they actually came to Chicago from New York to team-up with Dragon and fight the Vicious Circle, as the villains had kidnapped a friend of theirs.

With no more time to waste, Officer Dragon rallies his team to go take the Vicious Circle head-on.


Turtle Tips:

*This comic was packaged with the seven different toys featured across both of Playmates’ The Savage Dragon and Jim Lee’s TMNT toylines.

*There were 7 different covers to this comic, each one unique depending on which toy it was packaged with. The contents of the comic are the same across all versions.  Cover artists were: Erik Larsen (Dragon toy), Erik Larsen & Simon Bisley (Battle-Damage Dragon toy), Dave Johnson (She-Dragon toy), Victor Bridges (Barbaric toy), Michael Dooney (Donatello toy), John Cleary (Michelangelo toy), and "Kirby & Friend" (Raphael toy).

*Although I wouldn’t qualify this pack-in comic as canon with either the TMNT or Savage Dragon comic series, Dragon mentions that he’d met the Turtles before, and he did so several times, beginning with The Savage Dragon #2.

*It is never stated who exactly the Vicious Circle has kidnapped (ten bucks on April). The descriptions on the backs of the toy cards don’t divulge much additional story info, only that the Shredder (who is oddly referred to as a “mutant”) has teamed up with Overlord (leader of the Vicious Circle) and his scheming has brought the Turtles to Chicago.


Review:

Well, this was predictably terrible, but toy pack-in comics usually are. I think the key difference here is that it was a terrible comic packed-in with a terrible toyline.

Jim Lee’s TMNT were pretty garishly designed and completely logically bonkers by even Playmates standards, and they're the company who burdened the toy aisles with “Magician Raphael” and “Birthday Party Clown Michelangelo”. So to say these things were ugly and stupid should give you a pretty solid idea of how harshly I condemn them.

Infamously among collectors, Leonardo never got a figure released in the toyline. But, once you see how Jim Lee designed him, in that inexplicably red spandex bodysuit with those ridiculously dorky metal “ear wings”, perhaps it was an act of mercy on the part of Playmates. A prototype of the toy WAS produced and displayed at the 1995 Toy Fair, however:



Larsen manages to work all the toys from the line-up into this comic, including the two versions of Officer Dragon (uniform and “battle damage”). It’s all contrived and stupid, but par for the course with toy pack-in material, to be fair. Artwise, well, he and Dooney had to try and draw Jim Lee’s TMNT and make them look cool, so they were predestined to fail the moment they sharpened their pencils.

The catalogue section in the back of the comic features two pages: one describing the Savage Dragon line (created to tie-in with the short-lived USA cartoon series) and one describing the Jim Lee’s TMNT line. I found the rationalization for the TMNT line to be pretty flimsy, as it’s a paragraph claiming that at very long last the Turtles have “rediscovered their comic book roots”. So, despite the fact that between 1984 and 1995 the Turtles had had at least one comic book in continuous publication at all times, it took Jim Lee and his generic '90s superhero template to reunite the characters with their “comic book roots”?

Don’t make me gag.

Jesus, I shouldn’t even be dignifying this thing with a review. But I’ve already eaten dinner and put on my sweat pants, so shit, I’ve got nothing else going on tonight.

Grade: F (as in, “For real, the only thing worse than this comic or this toyline is USA’s Savage Dragon cartoon. That thing was almost lethally awful”.)

The Savage Dragon #41

Publication date: September, 1997

Creator, writer, penciler, inker: Erik Larsen
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Colors: I.H.O.C.
Film output: Quantum Color FX
Chief Executive: Garrett Chin
Has pictures of Princess Diana that he’s willing to let go for a damn fair price considering what he went through to get them: Josh Eichorn
Special thanks to: James Ruhfus

Summary:

Barbaric and Ricochet are getting married! I dunno who they are, but apparently they’re important.

Alas, their marital bliss gets off to a poor start when a swarm of villains crash the festivities. A brawl between what must be a hundred indie comics characters ensues (including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who made the guest list), but it is quickly quelled by Ricochet, who tells everyone to shut up, sit down and enjoy the wedding.

Everyone shuts up, sits down and Barbaric and Ricochet are properly hitched. The Turtles, unfortunately, warrant rather cheap seats, as they’re situated in the back of the crowd, crammed between Madman and the page fold.


Turtle Tips:

*Despite being printed a year earlier, this issue most likely takes place between TMNT (Vol. 3) #16 and TMNT (Vol. 3) #17, as that’s one of the few narrative breaks in the series where all four Turtles are together.

*The Turtles last met Officer Dragon in TMNT (Vol. 3) #11. Sara “Horridus” Hill and Rapture were also attending the wedding and the Turtles (or just Michelangelo, rather) last met them in the same issue.

*Destroyer Duck is at the wedding and the Turtles last met him (in the guise of Specimen Q) in The Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1.

*Grifter of the WildC.A.T.S. is at the wedding, and the Turtles last met him in Shattered Image #2.

*Cerebus is at the wedding. He’d previously encountered the Turtles, canonically, in TMNT (Vol. 1) #8, and non-canonically, in Miami Mice #4.

*Flaming Carrot is at the wedding and the Turtles last met him (non-canonically) in TMNT/Flaming Carrot Crossover #4.


Review:

Erik Larsen included pretty much every comic book character he could get to appear in this issue, and even a few he couldn’t (look for illegal cameos from the Hulk, the Sinister Six, Batman, Robin and more). Naturally, the Ninja Turtles were a given.

Also, all THESE guys:

While they’re reduced to nothing more than faces in a crowd for their two panels-worth of appearances in this issue, this is actually one of my favorite Image cameos from them, as it’s the only one where they’re drawn with their various “mutilations”. Their cameo appearances in Image books like Shattered Image #2 and Mars Attacks Image #1 have them all drawn in their traditional, nigh-identical character models. Larsen, however, remembers to draw them with the visual distinctions they’d developed over the course of TMNT (Vol. 3); Raph sports his eye-patch and Don is a cyborg.

Other than that, well, nothing more to say about the Ninja Turtles’ part in this issue.

Instead, I’ll just say that thanks to the TMNT and their many crossovers with the series, I’ve been developing quite an affection for The Savage Dragon. All the issues I’ve read have been highly humorous, and while oozing 90s comic clichés, it seems self-aware enough never to take itself too seriously and revel in said clichés. I may have to start back issue bin diving for random issues, as Savage Dragon is always fun reading.

Grade: N/A (as in, “Now wait a second… Cerebus is at the wedding, too, and the Turtles don’t even stop to say ‘hi’? Wow, what a bunch of snobs”.)

The Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1

Publication date: November, 1996

Written by: Steve Gerber
Penciled by: Chris Marrinan
Inked and edited by: Erik Larsen
Lettered by: Chris Elliopoulos
Colored by: Steve Oliff and Olyoptics

Summary:

In an alley in New York City, a man trapped in a high-tech suit of armor known only as Specimen Q breaks into a street repair truck to purloin a jackhammer. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles take exception to this and leap down from the rooftops.

Specimen Q, whose dialogue is barely intelligible through the armor, encourages the Turtles to rough him up as much as they possibly can. The Turtles oblige and after a cartoonish battle within a conveniently action-obscuring dust cloud, concede that they cannot so much as put a dent in their foe. Disappointed, Specimen Q tries the jackhammer out on himself, only to break the equipment on his impregnable outfit. Frustrated, he storms off.

Raph bitterly demands they go after their enemy, but Don and Leo talk him out of it, as Specimen Q appears to be less of a villain and more of a victim. Mike simply suggests they head home and grab a brew.


Turtle Tips:

*As the none of the Turtles are disfigured, this story must take place before TMNT (Vol. 3) #1.

*The Turtles will encounter Destroyer Duck again (or appear in the same crowd as him) in The Savage Dragon #41.

*My summary only covers the Turtles’ involvement in the story. The actual plot of the special focuses on Destroyer Duck escaping from his Specimen Q armor and teaming up with Officer Dragon to rescue “Leonard the Duck” from an angry foe and defeat Dr. Brainard, the man who trapped him in the armor in the first place.

*Destroyer Duck was last seen (as Specimen Q) in Image’s Codename: Stryke Force #14. The sequence in which Destroyer Duck rescues “Leonard the Duck” from Homicidal Elf is actually a sly quasi-official crossover with the events of a Marvel comic also written by Gerber, Spider-Man Team-Up #5.


Review:

The Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1 is, quite frankly, a fascinating look at the behind the scenes politics of the comic book industry and a story I’d recommend to anyone interested in such a subject.

The issue was basically done as a means for Steve Gerber to take back his creation, Howard the Duck, from Marvel Comics by any means necessary. By cleverly writing the same event into two comics at once (Spider-Man Team-Up #5 and Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1), albeit from two separate perspectives, Gerber successfully managed to sneak his creation back from Marvel’s clutches, albeit in a rather abstract and out-of-the-box manner.

Spider-Man Team-Up #5 features Howard entering a warehouse fight and leaving with the titular webhead. This comic shows us what really happened, as the “Howard” that left with Spidey was no more than a soulless clone created by the Elf, while the real Howard escaped with Dragon and Destroyer Duck, joining the witness protection program and changing his name to “Leonard” (after a quick dye-job and a pair of glasses for disguise).

It’s a very sly way of sticking it to the corporation that stole his creation and a clever maneuver I applaud Gerber for making. Sure, Marvel remains free to use their “Howard” as much as they want, but all it’ll ever be is a “soulless clone” without Gerber. A not-so-subtle metaphor, sure, but an apt one at any rate.

The issue also featured two editorials, one by Erik Larsen and one by Steve Gerber, both featuring some very unkind words about Marvel and corporate comics in general. Larsen’s turns into a massive advertisement for Image Comics toward the end, as he expounds their integrity when it comes to creator-owned properties. He briefly mentions that they “aren’t perfect”, but quickly brushes that under the rug to continue his advertisement. Todd McFarlane basically trying to steal characters away from Neil Gaiman and tying him up in legal battles for over a decade is treated by Larsen as little more than a “meh”, which I find laughable, as it is a tremendous blemish on Image’s integrity and in direct opposition to their business plan and promise of creator ownership. Not something to just pass up with a “hey, nobody’s perfect”, Larsen.

Gerber’s extended editorial, which is more of a history lesson, is far more interesting, as he describes the trials and tribulations that Marvel put him through in regards to his fight to reclaim Howard, as well as how that battle led to the birth of Destroyer Duck back in the 70s. This puts much of the antics from this issue into perspective if you weren’t already aware of the politics, but doesn’t diminish the entertainment value by “explaining the joke”, either. I think it’s something a lot of comic readers should learn about, especially if they hope to one day “break into” comics, as it illustrates the precarious situation working for corporate comics can be.

Oh, and the Turtles were in this comic, too!

Yeah, I almost forgot all about em. Their participation is completely random and they could easily be swapped out for any guest star from Image’s stable, as they provide nothing more than a brief fight scene to showcase the durability of the Specimen Q armor Destroyer Duck is locked in. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about them beyond that, other than the fact that Chris Marrinan seems to draw them with Erik Larsen’s models.

TMNT (Vol. 3) #11

Publication date: October, 1997

Writer: Gary Carlson
Penciler: Frank Fosco
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Eric Larsen
Exchange Student from Gorilla City: Josh Eichorn


Summary:

At Rapture’s place, Mike and Sara ‘Horridus’ Hill are enjoying some cartoons and exchanging life stories. One thing leads to another and they begin feverishly making out. Their face-eating is interrupted when Rapture comes home. Mistaking Mike for someone taking advantage of Sara (even though Sara was the one who put the moves on Mikey), she angrily kicks the Turtle to the curb. Walking away happy, Mike exclaims that he’s glad he didn’t visit the strip club with Raph after all. At said strip club, Raph is still duking it out with the goons from the Vicious Circle, but doesn’t intend to quit until he’s finished his meal.

Eight blocks away and twenty stories up, at the Golden Towers Condo building where Judge Pulaski lives, Leo is stuck piloting the Triceraton aircar while reported lady Roxanne Wells tapes the confrontation between Don, the Dragon and Johnny Lee Raeburn (alias “Deathwatch”). Inside, the Dragon attempts to talk Deathwatch out of sucking the lifeforce from Pulaski. Deathwatch, believing his rebirth in outer space as a cyberog monster to be of a divine nature, refuses. Dragon and Don subsequently open fire on him. Deathwatch evades their fire and hurls Dragon out the window into the aircar, rendering him unconscious. Raeburn then turns to deal with Don, linking his cybernetic tentacles into Don’s body, taking control of his motor functions.

Inside Don’s mind, Deathwatch forces the Turtle to relive the fall from the helicopter that mortally wounded him. Lying paralyzed in the alley, Don wonders where the cyborg armor that’s supposed to save his life has gone. Much to Don’s horror, Raeburn appears clutching his armor, exclaiming that he won’t allow it to save him this time; he’s separated the two and is going to make Don experience “true” death.

Back outside, Dragon’s impact knocked Leo senseless and Dragon bounces right out of the aircar and toward the street twenty stories below. Roxanne attempts to call 911 on her cell, though it’ll be of little good to Dragon. Luckily for him, however, his old pal Wally shows up just in time to teleport him to safety. Dragon asks where Wally’s partner, Vanguard, is and he explains that he’s being briefed by Roxanne and is heading up the stairs to the apartment.

Back in the apartment, Deathwatch gloats over how much he enjoys feeding on the lifeforce of his victims, preparing to suck Don’s unconscious body dry. Don has other plans, however, and blasts the shocked Deathwatch with his arm cannon. With Deathwatch killed, Don attempts to resuscitate the dying Judge Polaski. Just then, Vanguard bursts into the room, mistaking Don for the “vampire killer” and tackles him.

Outside, Roxanne climbs in through the window to get a better look at the action. Mikey suddenly appears climbing the side of the building, saying he saw the aircar from below and thought Leo could use some help. He takes the controls as Leo follows Roxanne.

Roxanne attempts to talk some sense into Vanguard as he throttles Don, but Dragon saves her the trouble by bursting through the door and physically separating the two. Notes are exchanged and Vanguard explains that the alien device that changed Raeburn into Deathwatch was a Turellan Questprobe: a voracious seeker of information that sucks the entire life experience from its victim, killing them in the process. Dragon tells Don that he’s lucky Raeburn didn’t pull the same stunt on him. Don has bad news: he did. The organic portion of the Cybrog-Don amalgamation was absorbed by Raeburn and now only the cyborg half remains.

Later, Roxanne wraps up her on-scene report as the police and paramedics tote away the corpse of Raeburn and the barely-alive Judge Polaski. Dragon tells Leo that he’s sorry about Don, though Leo expresses little grief, assured that Don’s still in there and will override the computer entity eventually. Examining Deathwatch, they find no human DNA and no proof that Deathwatch really even was Raeburn. Vanguard offers to thoroughly dissect Deathwatch on his spaceship, and give Cyborg-Don a once-over, as well. Leo leaves the aircar in Dragon’s hands as he, Mike, Cyborg-Don and Roxanne teleport onto the spaceship with Vanguard and Wally.

Back in New York, Casey is on the phone with his mother, explaining the situation with Shadow and the mobsters. He tells her that some people might be coming by claiming he’s won the lottery and not to give them any information. Outside, in a disguised van, two of the mobsters are listening in on the call. Before they can report back, however, a mysterious assailant murders them.


Turtle Tips:

*This story is continued from TMNT (Vol. 3) #10. The story continues in TMNT (Vol. 3) #12.

*Don took his helicopter plunge in TMNT (Vol. 3) #2 and was merged with the cyborg armor in TMNT (Vol. 3) #3.

*The Turtles will encounter Dragon again (or appear in the same crowd as him) in The Savage Dragon #41.


Review:

The TMNT’s gratuitous tour of the Image “universe” continues into this issue. Granted, their tour of the Image “universe” extended no further than the characters created by Gary Carlson (the series writer) and Erik Larsen (the series editor), but whatever. While I thought the meat of this crossover was rather ham-fisted and, in places (especially in regards to Deathwatch’s origin), outrageously stupid… we got the whole Mikey/Sara relationship out of it, so I’ll concede that the ends justified the means.

Don’s internal struggle with Deathwatch sounds pretty bland in summarization, but Fosco’s art really buts a dynamic spin on it that brings out the horror of the whole ordeal. I particularly liked the sight of a shrieking, bloody, paralyzed Donatello plummeting into the skull-faced jaws of a snickering Deathwatch. As for Don’s newest dilemma, with the computer now taking control of the body and the real Don being “dead”, I’d have dug it a lot more if Leo and Mike had shown some genuine brotherly concern. I harped on this during the opening arc of the book, but it’s a problem I have with Carlson’s writing in general; he seems to shy away from portraying the Turtles as caring for each other in any real capacity. Don is essentially brain-dead and Leo writes it off with nothing more than a, “Meh. Big deal.” Mike isn’t even afforded a reaction. I’m not saying the Turtles have to break down crying every time something bad happens to one of them, but a smidgen of concern for each other’s welfare would be appreciated.

While the Mikey/Sara thing is relegated as the B-plot with only 4 pages (granted, most romantic drama in a superhero comic is regarded this way), it struck me as being the most enjoyable element of the issue. Romance was something entirely new for the Turtles of the Mirage universe (though it had been explored earlier in the Fred Wolf cartoon and the Archie comics). While I’m glad it wasn’t something dwelt on to the point of suffocating the series, as happens with so many superhero comics (the current status quo for Amazing Spider-Man, for example), it was long past due for the Mirage continuity. These are teenagers, after all, and the thought that they have no libido or sex drive is positively absurd. They’re bound to want some action eventually and Mike’s budding romance with Sara was handled especially well.

Overall, though, this issue reeks of the 90s in a very foul way and a rosy four-page subplot isn’t enough to overpower the aroma. It’s even harder to stomach when you aren’t familiar with any of the supporting characters from Savage Dragon. Who the fuck is Vanguard? Wally? I dunno, but it sure was convenient that they came by just in time to resolve the plot.

Grade: D (as in, “Damn, if those Christmas colors on the cover are really what Deathwatch is supposed to be sporting, I’m glad this book is black and white”.)

TMNT (Vol. 3) #10

Publication date: July, 1997

Writer: Gary Carlson
Penciler: Frank Fosco
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Eric Larsen


Summary:

Night time in Midway City, and Don is busy hopping along the rooftops. He remarks that although he is happy that his new cyborg armor has made him bigger, stronger, faster and smarter, he also feels that he doesn’t really need it, since he’s also a ninja. Don finds an obscure water tower, which is really a secret entrance into a large chamber kept by Galahad. Don enters the chamber and finds Leo working. Don surprises him, intent on killing him for butchering his Triceraton aircar. Leo explains that it was stripped by punks, though he was able to get all the parts back. As Don hunkers down to repair it with his cyborg tools, he asks where Mike and Raph are. Leo says that they’ve gone to investigate a rash of “vampire killings” in Chicago.

In an alley in Chicago, the media have swarmed around the latest victim of the Vampire Killer. After answering questions, Officer Dragon shoes the media away only to be met by a pair of visitors in trench-coats and fedoras. Dragon sighs and removes Mike’s and Raph’s “disguises”, as there are so many freaks in Chicago, no one will notice two giant turtles. Mike and Raph explain that Splinter was behind the recent “vampirism” plaguing Midway City, but that now that he’s cured of rabies, he should no longer be a problem. They do, however, think he might have something to do with the Vampire Killer and want to track him down. Dragon explains that he’s already been briefed on their ordeal by Galahad and says that the Vampire Killer he’s after likely isn’t Splinter. He shows them the freshest corpse, which has been impaled rather than bitten and has been reduced to a withered husk. Content that it isn’t the work of Splinter, the Turtles and Dragon go their separate ways, as the Turtles decide to loaf around Chicago until Don and Leo can pick them up and Dragon wants to have a talk with the Vicious Circle (Chicago’s big gang).

Raph decides to get some beers at a strip club called “The Freak Outpost” while Mike wanders off to do something private. Inside the club, Raph enjoys some brews and the décor, including the head of a horned freak named the Chicago Bull who had his noggin mounted on the wall for insulting the Vicious Circle while in the bar. The chicken-headed freak, Powerhouse, doesn’t like all the noise Raph is making and promptly picks a fight with him.

Over at Rapture’s place (she’s Dragon’s girlfriend), Mike is standing outside with a bouquet of flowers and having second thoughts. Suddenly, Sarah (the spiky, reptilian freak) opens the door and recognizes him from the Turtles' last visit. Mike introduces himself and shyly offers the bouquet. Sarah takes it enthusiastically and invites him inside to watch cartoons and eat pop-tarts.

Back in New York, a suited spook knocks on April’s door. He says that Casey has won the lottery and wants to know where to find him (and his young daughter). April says she’ll go look for his address, realizing that the spook is from the mob and is after Shadow. April tells Shadow to hide in Mike’s room then informs the spook that she doesn’t know the address. The spook gives her his card and leaves.

Up above Chicago, Leo wakes up in the newly completed Triceraton aircar. He’s astonished that Don rebuilt it all in one morning. Don explains that the armor did all the work. Leo asks if the armor’s databanks can tell him where it came from, but Don laments that the armor won’t give him access to that info.

Down on the streets, Dragon is having a chat with a Vicious Circle representative, Cyberface. Cyberface won’t answer any questions, instead opting to have his goons kill Dragon. As the villains encircle him, the Turtles spot the altercation from the air and swoop in. Don sends them packing with one blast from his arm gun. As the villains retreat, one of the reporters from earlier approaches Dragon with a connection between all the vampire killings. She says that all the victims were involved in the conviction of serial killer Johnny Lee Raeburn. Raeburn was subsequently launched into space as part of an experimental NASA program, though his vehicle was lost somewhere beyond Pluto (the FUCK!?). She says that the next likeliest target is Judge Pulaski, the man who sentenced Raeburn.

The Turtles and Dragon hop into the aircar and fly to his retirement condo. They’re too late, though, as Raeburn (now a tentacled cyborg calling himself “Deathwatch”) has begun sucking the life out of Pulaski while screaming his origin (he was killed by an alien in the cold depths of space).


Turtle Tips:

*This story is continued from TMNT (Vol. 3) #9. The story continues in TMNT (Vol. 3) #11.

*The Turtles last met Dragon and Mike first glimpsed Sara in The Savage Dragon #22.

*Raeburn's/Deathwatch's origin as described in this issue was seen in Vanguard (Vol. 1) #2. Deathwatch returned to Earth from outerspace in Vanguard (Vol. 1) #6


Review:

Well, the Turtles’ tour of the Image universe continues. While I’m not a humongous fan of the Savage Dragon, I don’t hate the book or anything. I’m just ambivalent toward it, at least when it isn’t crossing over with characters I DO care about, such as the Maxx, Spawn or, yeah, the TMNT. Being their third encounter, the TMNT seem to be pretty comfortable with the guy and hey, we didn’t even need an editor’s note to tell us that they’d met before!

There’s some good and bad going on in this arc, but to get the bad out of the way: Deathwatch. While his origin is pretty “what the…?” and hilarious, he’s still a lame relic of the 90s; the Carnage era where every villain suddenly needed to be a mass-murdering serial killer because it was edgy. Oh, and a cyborg. They all needed to be cyborgs, too. His origin story, as well as the set-up to his plot thread (his return to Earth), were published as back-ups three years before TMNT #10 in a rather overlooked miniseries starring a third-tier character, at that, making his appearance here all the more unexpected and uninvited. Chances are I’m going to harp on him more for my review of issue #11, so I’ll just stop myself right now.

There are also some ridiculous logical errors going on, though I suppose some could just be written off as standard comic book serendipity. The rough population of Chicago is 2,896,016 people. Yet somehow, the Turtles happen to fly over Dragon AND recognize him from a few thousand feet up. Likewise, Raph just happens to go to a strip club full of Savage Dragon villains. What’re the odds?

For me, the real highlight of this issue was Mike hooking up with Sarah. Despite my tirades against shipping TMNT fangirls, Ninjara and Leo/Radical, I actually am not adverse to the Turtle’s finding romance. I just like it to be done well, that’s all. From the handful of issues of Savage Dragon I’ve read, Sarah sort of became a favorite character of mine, primarily because she was so adorable (at least when she wasn’t… doing… that thing… she did). Mike asking her out was a nice throwback to their brief encounter in Savage Dragon #22 and, you know, they seemed like a good match for each other. I enjoyed the development of their relationship and it was just one more of those plotlines I was so irked at for being dropped when the book was cancelled. Not very gratifying at all.

So far as Raph going to a strip club is concerned, I actually thought that was pretty amusing and perfectly in character for a guy like him. I tend to eschew comics that try too hard to make characters badass, but pounding brews in a strip club and picking fights is pretty in-character for a guy like Raph. I was pleased that Mike felt uncomfortable about going into a place like that and dismissed the idea. Nice evidence that Carlson knows the characters and isn’t forcing bad 90s “look at how hardcore I am!” clichés onto all of them.

Overall, the one page of Mike and Sarah getting together is the only thing I remember this issue for and the one thing I really like about it. The villain is terrible and there are too many convenient coincidences to stomach.


Grade: C- (as in, “Come to think of it, though, Sarah is kind of… mentally-stunted. …She really is a perfect match for Mikey!”)

The Savage Dragon #22

Published by: Image Comics

Publication date: September, 1995

Creator/Writer/Penciler/Inker: Eric Larsen
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Colorists: Reuben Rude and Antonia Kohl
Editor: Jannie Wong
Color Separations: I.H.O.C.


Summary:

Channel 7 news in Chicago reports that Cyberface, once a high-ranking member of Overlord’s Vicious Circle, has been released from police custody in exchange for information regarding the recently deceased Antonio Seghetti, AKA Overlord-himself. In other news, an APB has been put out on the monster believed to be behind the destruction of the Whelan-Freas Scientific Research Center and the 5th Street El: Complete Carnage.

Elsewhere in the city, the scantily-clad Rapture is testing out her new waterbed, which she hopes to have ready for when her boyfriend, Dragon moves in. Her roommate, the spiky Sarah “Horridus” Hill attempts to see how the bed feels, but Rapture assures her that ain’t happenin’.

Meanwhile, Dragon and the Turtles flee from a collapsing building. They escape being squashed, but Don theorizes that since the Carnage clone is powered by man-made materials, having a building dropped on him has made him more powerful than ever. He’s right, of course, and Carnage emerges in a frenzy. The Turtles attack him, but the street gives way and they all go tumbling into the sewers below. Dragon reluctantly follows.

Back on TV, the news about Overlord’s funeral is all anyone’s talking about. If you’ve been keeping up with Savage Dragon comics (at least back in ’95) you probably already know this, but Dragon killed Overlord by shooting him in the face and blowing him out of the top floor of a skyscraper. Watching the broadcasts, Sarah looks backward and begins getting “ideas”.

Back in the sewers, Dragon joins the fray and begins punching the Carnage clone into pebbles.

And back in Rapture’s place, as she sleeps, Sarah sneaks into her room and lays a hand on her waterbed. The obvious happens and a sopping wet Rapture proceeds to chase a yelping Sarah out of her bedroom.

Down in the sewers, Carnage sends Dragon flying out of a pipe and into Lake Michigan. Dragon resurfaces, absolutely furious, picks Carnage up with one arm and hurls him way out into the middle of the lake. The water weakens Carnage, but he’s still conscious as he sinks. That is until some mysterious hands take him from behind and keep him from surfacing. Realizing he can’t just outright kill Carnage, Dragon leaps into the water and drags him back to the pipe. Unfortunately for the Carnage clone, Dragon was too late, and he’s dead. The Turtles find his drowning pathetic and could care less.

During the ride back, the Turtles try to console the gloomy Dragon by assuring him that it wasn’t the real Carnage, but a clone brought to life by the eggheads at the Whelan-Freas Scientific Research Center. Dragon isn’t getting over it, as he hates killing. The Turtles then whine that they don’t want to go to Dragon’s girlfriend’s place, but Dragon has a date to keep and won’t be late. They sing a different tune when they get there and the shapely, soaking wet Rapture opens the door. Sarah tries to introduce herself to “all the cute boys”, but all eyes are on Rapture. Dragon asks the Turtles to give him some time alone with Rapture, but the Turtles take the hint and bid him farewell as they head back to New York.

Rapture is visibly upset, as she tried so hard to get her place ready for Dragon only to have everything go wrong. She asks Dragon to spend one more night at Frank’s place before he moves in and shuts the door. Dragon walks away, dejected. Suddenly, he’s attacked by a giant flying naked fat woman (named "Fiend", it seems). She accuses Dragon of molesting her daughter and swears vengeance, though she doesn’t want to kill him until she’s certain he’ll be going to Hell. With Dragon pounded unconscious, the fatso picks him up and flies over to a smokestack. She decides to test Dragon’s healing factor and drops him down the chimney.


Turtle Tips:

*This story is continued from TMNT/The Savage Dragon #1.

*Though the Turtles will cameo in The Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1, they won't actually meet Dragon (and Sara) again until TMNT (Vol. 3) #10.

*Leonardo will encounter the real Complete Carnage again in Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 2) #41.

*"The Savage Dragon Vol. 6: Gang War" trade paperback collection adds an extra page to this issue, showing Fiend as the one choking the Complete Carnage clone while underwater.

*This issue also contained a Savage Dragon and Raphael bonus pin-up by Simon Bisley and Erik Larsen.


Review:

The second TMNT/Savage Dragon crossover wraps up and you know what? It wasn’t half bad. Yeah, it was mostly just a gratuitous fight scene, but the use of one of the TMNT’s older villains went a long way and the whole thing just seemed to have much more of a point to it than their last crossover.

Firstly, I’d just like to get off my chest that I loved the little gag involving the word “shit”. TMNT/The Savage Dragon #1 ended with Dragon and the Turtles screaming “Oh sh-“, while this issue began with them finishing the word with an “-it!” Yeah, yeah, I know. Not very funny when someone explains it to you, but amusing when you read it yourself.

Larsen seems to have a better grip on drawing the Turtles this time around. Their heads aren’t quite so funny looking and they’re much more expressive. So far as the Turtle-related plot is concerned, it’s mostly just a big fight scene, but it’s done well. The action’s handled very well, particularly the sewer scenes, where everyone is drawn in silhouette. And as much as I like two-page spreads, Larsen doesn’t overdo them like he did last time, so we’re given a little more substance and length to the brawl.

Probably the best part of the story, though, was when the Turtles got to interact with Rapture and Sarah at the end. Their slack-jawed reaction was priceless and their juvenile remarks (“Nice rack!”) were just the cherry on top. Shame it only lasted a page, but it might’ve gotten annoying if it went on any further, so it’s no big deal.

So far as the Sarah/Rapture subplot is concerned, I haven’t read a lot of Savage Dragon stuff, but from the handful of issues I’ve read, I’ve always liked Sarah. She was cute in an “awww” sort of way, at least when she wasn’t giving the Dragon secret blowjobs while he slept. It was nice to see Mikey hook up with her later in the Image TMNT (Vol. 3) series, though that relationship ultimately went nowhere.

Anyhow, do I recommend this crossover to anyone? Well, if you love Complete Carnage and Radical, then yeah, this is for you. It also initiates at least one plot thread that develops during the Image series, so it isn’t worthless. But outside of that, it’s just a fun two-issue brawl with a classic TMNT villain and there’s nothing wrong with that, I suppose.

Grade: C+ (as in, “Could I have done the research to find out that fat woman’s name? Yeah, probably. But I really couldn’t be bothered”.) (edit: someone did the research for me)

TMNT/The Savage Dragon #1

Published by: Mirage Studios

Publication date: August, 1995

Writer/Penciler/Inker: Michael Dooney
Letterer: Mary Kelleher
Colorist: Steve Lavigne
Editor: Can’t Afford One
Color Separations: Altered Earth Arts


Summary:

Garbed in a torn-up coat, Raph heads toward Chicago within the boxcar of a freight train. He recalls earlier, when he and his brothers were watching TV. A report about the recent, mysterious destruction of the Whelan-Freas Scientific Research Center in Chicago carried with it a chilling photograph: Complete Carnage. Hare-trigger as usual, Raph raced off to Chicago to pick a fight with their old foe against Leo’s advisement. As the train enters the Windy City and travels over an el, the entire structure suddenly collapses and sends Raph reeling through the roof of an abandoned building below. Recovering, he’s greeted by the freakish super humans: Rock, Beast Boy, Shrew and Widow.

Following their argument with Raph, the other Turtles headed to the Natural History Museum to have a word with Carnage’s old nemesis and their old friend, Dr. Raven Shadow Heart, AKA Radical. Radical greets them and whisks the Turtles away to the Dreamscape where she has some terrible news to impart. The mystic Council who gave her her powers have decided that she is now only permitted to use them within the Dreamscape, thus making it impossible for her to battle Carnage in the waking world. She also reveals that the Carnage that attacked Chicago is not the “real” Carnage, but a clone created by scientists from a limb Radical tore off of him in one of their earlier New York battles. Though she cannot fight alongside them, Radical decides to teleport the Turtles to Chicago, even if it might displease the Council.

Back in Chicago, Raph is being pounded by the super freaks. He holds his own until Officer Dragon arrives and cools the situation down. Raph explains the Complete Carnage situation to him and Dragon agrees to help, though the other super humans refuse assistance and march off into the shadows.

Complete Carnage finds Raph and Dragon first, however, and attacks. The Carnage clone appears to be bigger, uglier, more mindless and more powerful than the original, standing up to even the Dragon’s best punches. Raph warns Dragon to keep Carnage away from any manmade materials, as they give him strength, but in a city like Chicago, that’s sort of a tall order.

As Carnage gets the upper hand, the other Turtles finally arrive and tackle their foe. Dragon unloads a haymaker and sends Carnage reeling through the brick wall of a nearby building. Dragon believes his punch knocked the villain out, only for Carnage to send the building toppling over toward the five heroes.

To be continued…


Turtle Tips:

*This story will continue in The Savage Dragon #22.

*The Turtles last encountered Complete Carnage and Radical in TMNT (Vol. 1) #27.

*Radical had previously torn off Carnage’s arm in Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 1) #5.

*The Turtles last met Dragon in The Savage Dragon/TMNT #1.

*Radical will appear next in TMNT (Vol. 4) #4.


Review:

A much more satisfying start than the previous TMNT/Savage Dragon crossover, this one has far more substance to it. I was never sure what to think of Complete Carnage and Radical. They were sort of just there in the Mirage comics and while I didn’t mind them very much, I never felt particularly strongly about them (though I did find it perplexing that they were never used in the 4Kids cartoon). Regardless of that, it was cool to see their plot threads resurface for this crossover and give it the sort of story weight that the previous arc lacked.

If there’s one downside to this issue from a story-telling standpoint, it’s that Raph’s fight with the freaks was sort of a waste of time. They don’t participate in the main conflict and are just there for a meaningless brawl. I don’t really read Savage Dragon comics, so I honestly can’t say if they’re important supporting cast members in his book or not, but I found them all to be very dull. The issue would’ve been better off with the page space used for their fight being used for the Complete Carnage battle, or maybe just more banter between the Turtles and Radical. Anything other than what we got.

Dooney’s art is as terrific as ever. While he drew Dragon scrawnier than usual in the last crossover, here he gets the Liefeldian proportions right, as the Dragon appears as grotesquely muscular as he’s supposed to. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is entirely up to you. The Turtles look great, Carnage is suitably monstrous and the action is well-staged. In other words, an excellent Dooney issue.

One problem I had, and I don’t know if it’s consistent across all versions of this issue, is that the pages in mine are all mixed up. They’re numbered in order, but the narrative is all out of whack and a two-page spread is cut in two and placed on the opposite sides of one page rather than across two adjoining pages like it’s supposed to be. I had to go back and look over the pages to realize what order I should be reading the scene in (14, 20, 21, 22, 19, 23 is the proper order; 15 through 18 is dedicated to a cheesecake pin-up of the She-Dragon). A shame, since it’s during the Complete Carnage fight, which is the real meat of the issue. Bummer.

Overall, a more amusing crossover than the previous one and it isn’t over yet.

Grade: C+ (as in, “Couldn’t they have left out the She-Dragon pin-up? They printed it in their last crossover, too”.)

The Savage Dragon/TMNT #1

Published by: Mirage Studios

Original publication date: September, 1993

Story by: Erik Larsen and Michael Dooney
Written and penciled by: Michael Dooney
Inked by: Robert Jones
Letters by: Mary Kelleher
Colored by: Eric Vincent

“Enter the Savage Dragon!”

Summary:

On the roof of a building in New York, Dragon and the Turtles have finished demolishing a living gargoyle. Mission accomplished, Dragon bids his new buddies farewell and heads back to Chicago. The Turtles ask him to stay, hoping to get to the bottom of who brought the Gargoyle to life, but Dragon just wants to get back home. Taking a six story plunge and landing on his feet, Dragon boards a taxi for Laguardia.

Not far away, the mysterious woman with ridiculous hair is observing Dragon’s departure, cursing New York’s sudden superhero infestation. With an unearthly glow, she announces that even though her magical powers are not fully restored, she will do what she can to ensure the heroes do not interfere with her plans. She uses her powers to cause an “earthquake”, which turns out to be a giant stone monster bursting up from beneath the streets. Dragon exits the cab and rescues an old man in the monster’s path, only to get stomped on by the behemoth.

Luckily for him, the Turtles leap down and pile on top of the creature, giving Dragon enough time to gather his strength. Dragon then hurls the beast into a bunch of power lines, electrocuting it. A cop arrives on the scene and Dragon tells him to put an ABP out on anymore gargoyles, as there’s likely to be more. He turns to thank the Turtles, but finds they’ve disappeared.

Dragon heads over to the 13th Precinct and introduces himself to the surly Captain Lowry, who reports more geriatric deaths at the hands of stone gargoyles.

Elsewhere, the Turtles enter the hole the beast emerged from and follow a glowing light down the sewer tunnel, unaware that it’s emanating from the mysterious woman behind the monsters. The tunnel eventually leads them to the entrance of the New York Public Library where they come face to face with their foe: Virago. She brings the lions in front of the library to life and swears revenge on the Turtles for destroying her gargoyles.

Back at the 13th Precinct, Captain Lowry gets a call about the Turtles fighting the lion at the library. Dragon asks to take care of the issue and Lowry gives him one hour to resolve it. At the library, the Turtles are doing just fine on their own. Raph successfully destroys the cherished piece of New York architecture by smashing it with a parking meter. Virago realizes her powers are dwindling too rapidly and, bringing the other lion to life, leaps onto its back and rides away.

The Turtles give chase, but Virago’s escape is impeded by the arrival of Dragon, who smashes the lion with a single punch. They thank Dragon for the assist but discover Virago still isn’t down for the count as she brings the statue of Atlas to life. Atlas hurls its globe at Dragon, flattening him. Dragon recovers and tries to share some witty dialogue with the Turtles, but can’t tell any of them apart (so he recommends they wear their initials on their belts or something). Dragon then smashes Atlas’s head.

With her powers now completely drained, Virago attempts to escape on foot. The Turtles and Dragon corner her and she threatens to unleash the full brunt of her mystical abilities. Dragon isn’t buying it and calls her bluff.

A short time later, Virago is arrested and hauled off into custody, swearing vengeance. Dragon still doesn’t know why she was targeting the elderly, but just decides to forget about it, file his report and go home. One of the police officers compliments him on a job well done, but Dragon refuses to take all the credit, explaining he had some help from “the locals”. On a rooftop, the Turtles look down approvingly and share a glance with their new bud.

Turtle Tips:

*This story is continued from The Savage Dragon #2.

*The Turtles will meet Dragon again in TMNT/The Savage Dragon #1.

*CHET ALERT: The store the old man Dragon rescues takes refuge in front of is named “Chet”. The use of “Chet” is a running gag throughout Mirage’s TMNT comics since they…just like the name.

*The events of this crossover arc will be referenced in TMNT (Vol. 2) #3, thus making it canon in the Mirage continuity, at least on some level.


Review:

So, the two-part Savage Dragon/TMNT crossover comes to a conclusion this issue, but was it a success?

Well, yes and no, I guess. “Yes” in that, as a crossover, it successfully took the characters from two different franchises and put them on the page together and had them interact. But “no” in that it was a pretty lousy, meaningless story.

Virago is an utterly shallow, dull husk of a villain. The motivation behind her machinations goes unaddressed in this story and if it’s ever explained in any future Savage Dragon comics, I don’t know about it and I could hardly care. The story was almost offensively straight-forward: a generic bad guy brings a bunch of statues to life in New York, Dragon teams up with the Turtles to defeat them, the bad guy goes to jail, The End. There’s simply nothing of substance to offer, here.

The opening letter by Michael Dooney sort of explains why this crossover was so hollow. Dooney was apparently good friends with Larsen and the pair had wanted to work together on a project for years. With the creation of Image Comics and The Savage Dragon, that opportunity finally presented itself and they seized it. Unfortunately, they didn’t really have much of a product in mind, they just wanted to draw each other’s characters.

So that brings me around to what I guess is one of the crossover’s finer points: the art. I already commented on Larsen’s art from the first half of the arc, but this one was done by one of the all-time Turtle Greats: Michael Dooney. Dooney is awesome and that’s all there is to it. He draws one of the most iconic and crowd-pleasing versions of the Turtles you’re likely to find and he’s just a master of his craft. His artwork on this issue is mighty fine, though the Turtles seem a tad more…”roid-raging” than he usually pencils them. Meanwhile, the Dragon isn’t chiseled from the same grotesque Liefeldian proportions that he usually is. Odd, right? Dooney seems to be making an attempt to mimic some of Larsen’s visual gimmicks, though he doesn’t always pull them off. Larsen’s “speed lines” that I mentioned in my review for the first half of the arc? Yeah, well, Dooney kind of goes overboard with them.

Well, there’s at least one upside this crossover: it set a precedent that eventually lead to some genuinely good stories. The next two-part TMNT/Savage Dragon crossover is leaps and bounds better than this one and nearly the entirety of Image’s TMNT (Vol. 3) series is a great read. Unfortunately, this first team-up doesn’t amount to much.

Grade: C– (as in, “Can we make it a rule in comics that women can never, ever be drawn with Wolverine-hair? That goes for you too, Vixen from Justice League”.)

The Savage Dragon #2

Published by: Image Comics

Original publication date: July, 1993

Creator/writer/penciler/inker: Eric Larsen
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Colorists: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude
Editor: Jannie Wong

Summary:

At a police department in Chicago, a hot blonde chick in tights enters. She introduces herself as Dart, a superhero from Detroit. She’s come to join the Chicago PD at the behest of Captain Stewart. Apparently, whenever Officer Dragon gets loaned out to another city’s police force and Chicago’s left without a super-type, the city goes to Hell. Suddenly, a Code Blue is reported and the police scramble. Naturally, with Officer Dragon out of town, all Hell is breaking loose.

Atop a building in New York City, Dragon is whining. Ever since he took down a villain named Chiropractor for New York, he’s been called up to the Big Apple to deal with their crap every other month. He wishes Supreme or the Youngbloods could’ve been called to deal with this new threat (a living gargoyle flying around snatching old ladies), since he hates New York and all its weirdos. And, like clockwork, the Ninja Turtles take him from behind!

The battle sends both sides tumbling off the roof of the building and into a trash-strewn alley. Recovering, Dragon introduces himself as a police officer and threatens to arrest the Turtles. Recognizing the celebrity, the Turtles apologize; they thought he was that living gargoyle that’s been on the loose in their city. The Turtles introduce themselves and offer to help Dragon track the gargoyle. Dragon reluctantly accepts, but when Mike and Leo start bickering over who jumped the gun first, he separates them and “encourages” them to stop clowning around.

Suddenly, the gargoyle attacks! It kicks Dragon into the side of a building and begins to fly away. The Turtles leap on its back and start pummeling it. Dragon recovers, then leaps into the sky and punches the gargoyle hard enough to shatter it into pebbles. As the Turtles and Dragon argue over whether magic could have brought the gargoyle to life or not, they fail to notice a mysterious woman with ridiculous hair observing the fight from the shadows. Leo wants to get to the bottom of who controlled the creature, but Dragon’s had enough and declares he’s going back to Chicago even without answers. The Turtles bid him farewell.

Over in DeKalb, Illinois, a paperboy enters a neighbor’s house to find a pool of blood and the moldy corpse of a woman. As the kid flees, a voice echoes from behind the basement door, “Hello…?”

To be continued…


Turtle Tips:

*The story continues in The Savage Dragon/TMNT #1.

*This issue also contained “Star” and “Vanguard” back-up stories.

*The thing in the basement is later revealed to be Sarah ‘Horridus’ Hill in The Savage Dragon #4. She’ll meet the Turtles in The Savage Dragon #22 and eventually become a supporting character in the Image TMNT (Vol. 3) series.


Review:

Ahhh, the Turtles’ first foray into the Image “universe”. I use the term “universe” loosely when in regards to Image Comics because, with all their series and characters being creator owned, members of that universe are constantly dropped whenever a creator moves on to another company. Look at the Maxx, who was a headliner in the company's first mega-crossover, "Altered Image" (or better yet, don't ever, ever look in the direction of "Altered Image"), but now has his reprints published by Wildstorm and his most recent guest appearance was in an IDW title. Then there's the Turtles-themselves, who are no longer a part of the Image “universe”, but that's if you want to go with the most obvious example.

Anyhow, this two-part storyline would prove to be the first of many crossovers with the Savage Dragon and his stable of supporting cast members. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get off to a very substantial start, hitting nearly all the most clichéd crossover checklist points: Some contrived threat draws one of the characters to another character’s hometown. There’s a misunderstanding and they fight. Suddenly, both characters realize that they’re on the same side and team up to take down their common foe. ...Yeah, it hits every single one of those tired old crossover clichés.

I guess part of the blame is the reduced page space, but even with two back-up stories, the A-plot gets 20 pages. Of course, that has to be shared with four pages of subplots relevant to the ongoing Savage Dragon storyline, so it’s really just 16 pages of Dragon/TMNT action. Regardless, not a whole heck of a lot happens.

Thankfully, this is only part one of the whole mess. The Savage Dragon/TMNT #1 gives us the rest of the story, but it still won’t end up amounting to more than a crossover of the most gratuitous variety. But more on that when I review the issue.

Larsen was one of those rising star artists of the early 90s and a heavy hitter when I was growing up. But then again, so was Rob Liefeld (brrrrr!). I wasn’t as big a fan of his back in the day as I was Todd McFarlane or Jim Lee, but I never had much of a problem with his style (save for a tendency to draw some freaky-big eyes). His writing on this issue may leave something to be desired, but his art’s impressive enough, boasting a pair of sweet two-page spreads and some great action staging. Though I tend to abhor visual concepts ripped from anime, I adore his use of blurry “speedlines” in the background as the Turtles leap into action. Something I normally hate, but for some reason, I just don’t mind when Larsen does it.

Overall, this issue’s got some cool art by a 90s comic celebrity and, of course, the built-in joy of seeing two properties crossover and having the characters interact, but there isn’t a whole lot of story substance. Thankfully, it’s all just build-up for the next issue, so don’t be too bummed.

Grade: C (as in, “Could Larsen draw the Turtles with sillier heads, though? And no, please, don’t misinterpret that as a challenge”.)