Savage Dragon #146
Savage Dragon #146 ('Ladykiller') is one of the most first-appearance-dense single issues in the series' long history, introducing six new Vicious Circle super-freaks — Bear Hands, Devil Doll, Insect, The Raptor, Reptillian, and Samurai — in a single issue. It also delivers a landmark character moment for Sgt. Alex Wilde, whose immigrant backstory and emotional farewell to Dragon are fully dramatized here for the first time, closing a chapter of the series' longest-running supporting relationship. The issue arrives at a pivotal juncture: Dragon has just returned to the Chicago Police Department and the Vicious Circle is escalating its pressure on him through his children, setting the story engine that would drive the book toward the 'Virus' arc and eventual 'Emperor Kurr' revelation. As one of only two original Image Comics titles still published continuously from 1993 forward — and the only one written and drawn entirely by its creator throughout — every issue of Savage Dragon carries the distinction of being part of an unbroken solo creative vision, making character debuts here as meaningful as any in mainstream superhero publishing.
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Erik Larsen wrote, penciled, inked, and plotted the issue entirely by himself, consistent with his practice for the full ongoing series — a standard he had maintained since the title's 1993 launch and which Wikipedia notes makes Savage Dragon the longest-running full-color comic book produced by a single writer-artist. The issue falls within the 'Buster Justice era' of the Vicious Circle's leadership, a transitional period Larsen used to populate the criminal organization with a wave of new super-freaks, several of whom debut here and go on to recur through issue #262 and beyond. No unique production anomalies for this specific issue were found in available sources.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Titled 'Ladykiller'; published March 2009 by Image Comics; story and art by Erik Larsen, colors by Steve Oliff, letters by Tom Orzechowski; 20 story pages.
- First appearance of six Vicious Circle villains: Bear Hands, Devil Doll, Insect, The Raptor, Reptillian, and Samurai — all introduced as new recruits under the Buster Justice-led Vicious Circle.
- Insect — a wall-crawling, armor-wearing super-freak — debuts here and goes on to appear in over a dozen subsequent issues before being killed by Samurai in Savage Dragon #262.
- First and final appearance of Officer Darren Wilde and Mrs. Wilde: both characters are introduced and die within the same issue, their story told in flashback as the origin of Sgt. Alex Wilde.
- The issue reveals Alex Wilde's full backstory for the first time: her childhood immigration from Mexico, her mother's marriage to Officer Darren Wilde, and the emotional chain of events that shaped her character.
- Alex Wilde makes her definitive farewell to Dragon in this issue, telling him she and Chris Robinson are leaving Chicago permanently — a closure to one of the series' longest-running supporting relationships.
- Malcolm and Angel Dragon are kidnapped by the Vicious Circle in this issue as leverage to force Dragon off the police force, directly launching the story thread that leads into the 'Virus' arc in #147.
- The issue also contains a backup chapter of the 'Ethrian' story (Chapter 2: 'The Watchers of Pyrite Gorge'), consistent with Larsen's practice of running secondary features in this period of the series.
Cast · 16 characters
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Reprinted in G-Man #1 (2009)
Key issues in Savage Dragon
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