Savage Dragon #29
Savage Dragon #29 (July 1996) delivers the first appearance of Malcolm Dragon — albeit as a glimpsed figure in one of WildStar's prophetic flash-forward visions — planting a narrative seed that would take over a decade to fully blossom when Malcolm eventually became the series' lead protagonist. The issue simultaneously introduces three new Underground Freaks (Crusher, GoldBrick, and Oscar) and advances the personal fallout between Dragon and Rapture, demonstrating Erik Larsen's signature blend of dense soap-opera plotting with superhero action. As part of the 'A Talk With God' story arc leading into Dragon's encounter with Spawn and his journey to Hell, issue #29 sits at a pivot point in the series where its long-running legacy characters began taking shape.
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Like every issue of the ongoing series, #29 was written, pencilled, and inked entirely by Erik Larsen — the sole-creator run that the series has maintained since 1993 and that stands as the longest unbroken writer/artist tenure on a single title in American comics. Lettering was provided by Chris Eliopoulos, with the I.H.O.C. studio (Reuben Rude, Abel Mouton, Bill Zindel, Lea Rude, John Zaia, and Jose Arenas) handling colors. The issue also featured a pin-up of Dragon and Star by Bill Marimon and Al Gordon.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Malcolm Dragon — presented as a future vision seen by WildStar; the identity of the young man in the flash-forward was not confirmed in-universe until Savage Dragon #166, roughly fifteen years later.
- First appearances of Underground Freaks Crusher, GoldBrick, and Oscar, three new members of the super-powered subterranean community that clashes with the Chicago Police Department.
- First appearances of Officers Hugh Jass and Phil McCracken as named Chicago P.D. characters.
- WildStar (Micky Gabriel) and his companions HotWire (Andy Peartree) and SkyLark (Aria Campbell) take refuge with the Underground Freaks, prompting a violent confrontation when Dragon and the CPD arrive to evict the group.
- The Fiend (Bonnie Harris, villain) ambushes Dragon during the underground battle, incinerating both of his arms and carrying him off — escalating the multi-issue arc that leads directly into Dragon's Spawn crossover and subsequent trip to Hell.
- The Rapture/Dragon relationship fractures prominently: Dragon has moved out after discovering video evidence of Rapture's infidelity with Peter Klaptin, and Rapture's pregnancy (already revealed the prior issue) hangs over the entire narrative.
- Reprinted in the trade paperback Savage Dragon Vol. 7: A Talk With God (ISBN 1887279598), which collects issues #27–33, and later in the Savage Dragon Ultimate Collection hardcover series.