It appears that the second issue of SAVAGE is somehow even wackier than the first. The tonal shift is very real here.
Warning: spoilers for SAVAGE #2. If you haven’t read the first issue or this one, and you want to, stop here now. Otherwise, ignore this and carry on.
To recap SAVAGE #1, we get introduced to young Kevin “Savage” Sauvage. He’s a teen Tarzan who survived on an island full of mutant dinosaurs after his parents died, and is now living in a modern day London. That’s basically all you need to know in terms of backstory. Anyways, long story short, mutant dinosaurs suddenly pop up, Kevin kills them, and then gets captured by a bunch of nutjobs in lab coats. And now you’re caught up.
SAVAGE #2: Plot Summary
So as it turns out, the nutjobs in SAVAGE are…actually nutjobs. Sadistic nutjobs to boot. But unfortunately, they’re also very intelligent nutjobs who seem to have a lot of resources and money backing them. They also seem to be a bit obsessed with Kevin, which is bad news for multiple reasons. Because one of the reasons why they’re interested in him is that they want to vivisect him. Which basically means that they want to cut him open while he’s still alive, and remove some “unnecessary organs” for study. Well, Kevin’s response is a very sensible “Bugger that!”, and that’s when the nutjobs stop playing nice. For a certain definition of “nice”.
So the nutjobs toss Kevin into a pit and throw some dinosaurs in after him to kill him. Apparently, they forgot that they wanted some intact organs to study. So…stupid in addition to crazy. Not getting a good track record here, nutjobs. Apparently though, one of the nutjobs is actually a double agent, and helps free Kevin from his savage predicament. Get it?
Anyways, the end of this issue of SAVAGE finishes with Kevin getting sick of all the monetization Especially the ones coming from his brother. It appears that the social media celebrity life isn’t for our young savage. He’s even sick of being London’s guard dog. Will this attitude stick? We’ll just have to find out in the next issue. Although, given Kevin’s personality thus far, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d just sit back and watch innocent people get murdered. I’d recommend that we be prepared for some Big Damn Hero moments.
SAVAGE #2: The Good
I’ll definitely have to give SAVAGE some points in humor. The nutjobs were genuinely funny, even if in a dark humor kind of way. That fact that they’re clearly not all there only makes them even funnier, really.
The so-called inventions the nutjobs are marketing in SAVAGE only make them even more hilarious. Let me give you an idea of what they’re peddling. The first thing Mr. Head Nutjob shows Kevin Sauvage? A mechanized armored helmet with a forward-firing ray gun on top…for horses. No, I am not joking. This is the kind of things these nutjobs make. The helmet even has little ear-hole for the horse’s ears to emerge from. The only problem with the helmet, aside from the obvious, was apparently that it made the horses’ heads fall off. No, Mr. Head Nutjob doesn’t explain how or why. Only that it was the problem that made it fail. And believe me, that does sound like a very big problem indeed. If only for the money you have to pay per horse. That’s just the start of their wacky inventions. It only gets crazier from there.
SAVAGE #2: The Bad
In some ways though, the light-hearted tone is part of what’s bad about SAVAGE. The silliness clashes with the tone whenever the comic decides to get serious. It’s hard to take the villains seriously when you just saw them making and doing the most ridiculous things imaginable. Can you say “Mood Whiplash“?
Even the dramatic end of this SAVAGE issue doesn’t quite feel like it fits the overall tone. The vast majority of the issue feels light-hearted. Even during the “serious” moments, it’s hard to feel much in the way of tension due to the ridiculousness. Ah, oh well. Your mileage may vary here.
Conclusion
SAVAGE #2 is a rather light-hearted story, with a rather nice sequel hook at the end. There’s some Mood Whiplash, but overall, it’s a pretty enjoyable story. If you want to read this comic book, you can preorder the comic from Valiant Entertainment for a mere $3.99. The comic itself will launch on March 17, 2021; so you won’t have long to wait before you can read about the continuation of Kevin Sauvage’s adventures in London.
Source: Valiant Entertainment
