Hopefully, as Savage #2 was released Wednesday, March 17, you've had an opportunity to pick up a copy at your local comic store and enjoy reading it. If not, you can always scroll through my posts to find the six preview pages I posted on Sunday, March 14. In any case, I aim for spoiler-free reviews, and will only show you panels from the preview pages officially released by Valiant Comics in this post. Hopefully, whether you've already read Savage #2 or not, this post will deepen your understanding of the issue.
Did you get that the dinosaurs depicted in Savage #1 weren't exactly as depicted in textbooks and museums? Nathan Stockman makes this clear on the very first page of Savage #2, with his depiction of a two-headed Pterosaur. Is it a Pterodactyl or a Pteranodon? Maybe it's both. In any case, his multiple-heads remind me of the Hydra of Greek mythology.
I love the way he's bathed in shadow. While some of that is Triona Farrell's coloring, some is also Nathan's inking. I don't usually like a lot of inking, but the way Nathan Stockman has done it, it's not too much. The Pterosaur just looks so menacing. You definitely don't want to let this monster out of the cage.
You'll notice that Professor Nealon wears a helmet in Savage #2. Usually, you can see his eyes. Yet in this close up, Nathan Stockman inks in his eyes. I guess they're just too sinister to appear in a comic!
Again, while not a fan of heavy inking, I love all the detail in this panel. It says so much about Professor Nealon's intentions. His face truly reveals his soul.
The way Nathan Stockman depicts Mae makes me fall in love with her. He helps me believe that Project Bizarre has genetically engineered a living, sentient blob. Nathan's art makes it clear that, unlike Professor Nealon, she cares about the creatures under her charge.
Eternal Warrior fans have been missing Gilad Anni-Padda in the pages of Valiant Comics recently. The way Nathan Stockman portrays young Kevin's face reminds me of Gilad's scarred visage. Like Gilad, Kevin Sauvage has deep ties to nature.
Although this series has focused more on Kevin's dino-fighting ability, Valiant's first Savage series showed how Kevin also protected dinosaurs, especially their young. It's always been easy to compare Savage with such jungle-bred forebears as Mowgli, Tarzan, and Turok. Strangely, the similarity between Kevin and Gilad never occurred to me.
Until now, that is.
Nathan Stockman often rewards the careful reader. Consider this laboratory inside the Project Bizarre complex. We immediately see what we're intended to see: all the equipment, and the engineering work. It's easy to overlook the little details he subtly packs into the scene.
Did you notice the computer operator? He only appears in this panel. We don't even get to see his face. Still, Nathan Stockman imbues him with personality.
It's easy to imagine this worker as a real person. I wonder what his life is like, both inside and outside of the lab. He may not be as colorful and brilliant as Mae. Still, he intrigues me.
Given the photorealistic art of the previous series, as well as the strict adherence to textbook depictions of dinosaurs, longtime Valiant Comics readers may have trouble adjusting to the more whimsical tone of this new series. I won't claim to love every panel of every page in this issue. But there's a lot to love in the new Savage, and much of that is due to Nathan Stockman's penciling and inking.
Dragon Dave
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