Two weeks back, Marvel produced a deluxe hardcover edition that served as a primer for their universe, with artwork gathered from a variety of top-name creators. This week, Erik Larsen, with the help of many devoted fans, delivers a similar primer to his Savage Dragon universe. Guess which one was better?
Okay, now guess again.
Savage Dragon Companion is a great read, not only for those with a fondness for the character but even for those who have no interest in him whatsoever. This is how guidebooks should be done, with a fantastic sense of graphic design, an obvious passion for the material and more information than you could pack into four hardcover volumes of Marvel's new Encyclopedia format.
To be fair, Marvel has more ground to cover in terms of characters and number of issues, but not by much. In 100 issues of continuity, Erik Larsen has introduced hundreds of characters and put his main character through any number of status quo changes. This book goes to show how many changes there have been, as reading through the story synopses show Dragon as a cop, a renegade bounty hunter, the head of a super-hero team, a traveller in distant realms and the savior (and creator) of a post-apocalyptic world. The book promises unpredictable change, and the Companion shows that Larsen has lived up to that promise.
The sheer amount of information in this book is overwhelming. It's not a book that you'll want to read all at once. But it's organized well, and despite the density of information, the book doesn't feel crowded. It's clear that Mikey Crotty and Matt Talbot have studied the Who's Who, Marvel Universe and other rosters of old and figured out what works in terms of organization. The "Fin Facts" and insert profiles are also nice touches, providing effective sidebars, even if the organization isn't actually a sidebar style.
Reading through all of the synopses make the failings of the Savage Dragon as clear as the successes, however. Some of the repetitive elements (how often does the Dragon lose his arm, anyway?) become clear as you read more of the stories. And while the overwhelming enthusiasm of the fans and creator are understandable, their appreciation of the book sometimes seems to place it on a pedestal that it doesn't entirely deserve. And as a fan of all comics, I was a bit put out that they seemed unable to build up Savage Dragon without tearing down the hard work creators have done and are doing on Marvel, DC and other characters at the same time. In many cases, the comparisons between Savage Dragon and other super-hero comics aren't as flattering as Larsen seems to think they are.
Overall, however, whether you're a fan of Savage Dragon or just a fan of well-designed guidebooks, the Savage Dragon Companion has a lot to offer. It provides more value than DC's Secret Files or the Marvel Encyclopedia, and it manages to appeal to both fans of the character currently or those who have never read an issue.
