Savage #4 Review: Story

 

Savage #4 Cover B by Paulina Ganucheau

Writer Max Bemis has taken us on a wild ride in this Savage miniseries. As you might expect, the craziness reaches its climax in Savage #4. In this final issue, Henry Sauvage discusses his childhood, and explains why he sold out his younger brother Kevin to Professor Nealon, the director of Project Bizarre.

If this sounds like a megalomaniac waxing theatrical by revealing his plans to the captured hero, you'd be right. Well, almost. As Kevin isn't available, Henry hires a stand-in to listen to his monologue.

 

There's more than a hint of Shakespearean melodrama to Savage. It wouldn't surprise me if Max Bemis is an expert on William Shakespeare's work. Due to the constraints of their medium, songwriters must hone their lyrics far more than a short story writer or novelist. What better way to do that than by studying the classics?

After listening to Henry's soliloquy, Kevin's stand-in makes an observation wiser than anything either of the brothers have said in the previous three issues.

This is a theme that resonates through this miniseries in different ways.

Chief among those themes is how isolating social media can be. We tend to think that having lots of virtual friends enriches our lives. But the time we spend with them is time we cannot invest in relationships with those closest to us.

 

After failing to connect with his brother, Kevin found making friends with the hired help equally difficult. So when everything in his world is crumbling apart, Kevin feels all alone.

 

That's when he realizes that someone he's physically met, who isn't impressed by his swagger, popularity, or money, can be a real friend and partner. Neither Kevin nor Mae is as likeable--or as smart--as they think they are. Yet together they form a tight-knit team that could well propel a future Savage series.

Savage #4 makes little sense logically, but it really shines thematically. At its core is a rich vein of Shakespearean melodrama, a rejection of the false society perpetuated through social media, and a reminder that only through hard work can real relationships flourish.

 

 

This Savage series has more in common with Quantum And Woody than its predecessor. If you're a stickler for factual accuracy, you've probably given up on it by now. If you insist upon photorealistic depictions of dinosaurs, it definitely wasn't for you. But if you've enjoyed the melodrama, social commentary, and inventiveness of Max Bemis, then Savage #4 stands as the highlight of this wacky, heartfelt, and extremely fun series. 

 

 

Well done, Max Bemis, on your entertaining and thought-provoking Savage series!

Dragon Dave